Trans Republican pens scathing op-ed calling out Log Cabin Republicans

President Donald Trump told LGBTQ people he would be their greatest ally and protector as president. After the attack on the Pulse Nightclub, Trump claimed such terrorism wouldn't happen in his administration. Not only was it a lie, Trump failed to protect straight Americans from domestic terrorism in El Paso too. It has prompted one transgender Republican to attack the Log Cabin Republicans for being so willing to endorse Trump.

The Republican Party passed a rule that it wouldn't endorse anyone other than Trump in 2020, despite being opposed by at least one well-known challenger so far. It's unclear if the Log Cabin Republicans are following that same lead, but Massachusettes Republican Jordan Evans wrote in The Advocate, that she opposed the decision by the organization.

"During my time spent with Log Cabin Republicans, I’ve come to know many who share my views on finding success in unlikely places and the rightful merit in questioning cultural stereotypes," she wrote. "However, with the news of our recent endorsement of President Trump for reelection, it seems that the 'premier Republican organization for LGBTQ+ conservatives' couldn't care less about which form of acceptance qualifies as passable allyship and would instead willfully embrace an administration notorious for hollow words, fairweather friends, and a seemingly endless number of cuts for us to endure."

She noted the president's decision to ban trans service members from serving in the U.S. armed forces. Trump has opposed discrimination ordinances and more. It wasn't long before Trump's longtime friend and fellow Republican Caitlyn Jenner came out in opposition to the president's typical right-wing decisions about LGBTQ people.

As the only openly trans Republican official in the United States, Evans' voice should hold significant weight. However, she couldn't deter the Log Cabin Republicans from the decision.

"It speaks more to a mentality of partisan tribalism than a sincere commitment to fostering inclusion within the Republican Party," she wrote. "With this endorsement, we turn a blindeye to the plights and fears of our colleagues in the queer movement and embrace an administration that has consistently antagonized the LGBTQ+ community through an endless array of rollbacks and rule changes."

She warned that decisions like these alienate peers and LGBTQ allies and turned the group into an irrelevant organization among the slate of partisan and nonpartisan groups.

"We will be remembered for this endorsement well after Trump leaves office, and whether or not we want to admit the damage done, we have irreparably weakened our ability to contribute a conservative voice to the broader queer discourse of tomorrow," Evans wrote.

To be fair to Evans, this isn't the first embarrassing endorsement the Log Cabin Republicans have made. The group endorsed Mitt Romney over Barack Obama in 2012. Obama became jokingly referred to as the "first gay president" because he was the first president in history willing to stand up for LGBTQ rights. In 2004, due to his support of the Federal Marriage Amendment, the group voted 22 to 2 against endorsing George W. Bush. Even in 2016, Evans noted, the group wasn't afraid to stand up to Trump, saying they had "sufficient uncertainty" about supporting Trump to deny an endorsement.

"In the past three years, we’ve now endured attempts to rollback our rights from the Department of Defence, Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, the Department of Education, and numerous other agencies," Evans wrote. "Whether it be an outright opposition to the Equality Act, persistent attempts to implement a transgender military ban, or an endless slew of plans and proposed rule changes opening our community up to enhanced discrimination, we unquestionably know now what a Trump presidency looks like. With that, it seems that while we shun uncertainty, we have little objection to open hostility."

She noted that no amount of funding for HIV/AIDS should supersede the lack of support for LGBTQ people Trump and his administration has. Trump has tried to say he supports the community with a call to end the AIDS epidemic in 10 years. Evans called the goals "lofty."

"Even more alarmingly, we have missed an opportunity to coalesce around a respectable candidate with a proven track record of being a queer ally," she explained. "During a recent trip to New Hampshire, President Trump exclaimed that voters would have 'no choice but to vote for me.' This statement, while alarmingly authoritarian in tone, is also wholly inaccurate. We had another option. At any point in this process, we could have considered the endorsement of former Massachusetts Governor William Weld."

She explained that an endorsement for Weld would have allowed the group to at least retain their souls. It also would have ensured they held true to the principles the group holds.

"I know with certainty that I’m not alone in my feelings over this decision," Evans closed. "I will never turn my back on those fighting for equality and I remain committed to inclusivity, but, in this moment, I no longer feel that we’re able to accurately say that such a thing is our priority."

She quoted board chairman Robert Kabel: “This is not the party that I grew up in. If someone like me doesn’t stand up, we’ll have only ourselves to blame.”

Read the full op-ed at The Advocate.