Barney Frank, the (thankfully) soon-to-be former Congressman from Massachusetts who oversaw Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the lead-up to the housing crisis, has taken to baseless attacks on queer Republicans. The openly gay Congressman specifically targeted the Log Cabin Republicans, saying they took inspiration from Harriet Beecher Stowe’s overly subservient character, Uncle Tom. When pushed, Frank stood by his comments.
Let’s put this in context. Frank is attacking the Log Cabin Republicans for being “Uncle Toms” because he claims they are accepting the GOP as it currently is, and he claims they are happy with just acquiring more civility. However, the truth of the matter is that the LCRs are looking to CHANGE the party, and they are making good progress.The LCRs played a role in winning over Republicans in New York for Marriage Equality, and they contributed to the number of conservative Republicans (including NC’s own Richard Burr!) to vote for the Repeal of DADT. The LCRs and Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry are making definite inroads in the GOP with regards to Marriage Equality. The LA Times (FAR from a bastion of conservatism) reported in July that 2/3 Republicans supported workplace protections for LGBTQ workers and 51% support some form of legal recognition of gay relationships. Further, the LA times found that among Tea Partiers, the number was even higher (53%).
The work of groups like LCR cannot be overlooked. The fact is that nothing about being queer mandates a particular political ideology. Many queers are fiscally conservative and support the overall small-government message of the GOP; many more do not. However, it is not the place of the majority to subjugate, harass, badger, or demean the minority. That is the kind of bullying that pro-gay rights groups are supposed to take pride in condemning. But then again, queer Republicans don’t know “their place”. According to Barney Frank, their place is with the Democratic Party, or else they’re an Uncle Tom.
