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Results for the following question: Would you vote against a pro-gay GOP senator to seat a Democrat?

Yes
 44.8%

No
 55.2%

Total Votes: 395

Comments:
These comments are reproduced as written by visitors to this Web site. They have not been edited for content, grammar, or spelling. The viewpoints appearing here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of advocate.com, The Advocate, or its affiliates.

Mark
Gay republicans just don't have the country's interests at heart. How can a gay person be for the war and against social welfare, which are the affiliations that the Repulican party is known for?

terry
No, why is it the assumption among the gay and lesbian community that the Democrats have our best interest in mind? Give me a break, they have their own agendas in mind. I think it also depends on each politician and his/her background. Don't assume all Democrats are gonna back us up.

Lew Alessio
Isn't that the whole point? To bring BOTH parties around to the recognition of equal rights for all citizens?

Kyle
yes, there are other social, economic, etc. issues that matter as well, not just gay rights, although that is obviously an important issue.

Jennifer
Depends on lots of issues. An anti-gay Democrat is worse than a gay friendly but not pro-gay GOP.

Wendy
I say 'yes' without knowing the specifics of either candidate; but generally speaking I just agree with Democratic stances on the issues (overall, not just gay rights issues) more than Republican.

Buzza
Why no "not sure" option? There are many factors.

Scott T-J
While I have respect for any GOP politician who supports my rights as a gay American, in most instances I would not vote for them because of the party platform they also support. Additionally, I would love to see the Democrats attain a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.

axel789
Not really sure what I would do. Usually pro gay politicians have a broad range of views that would match my own, so I would probably feel more comfortable with the pro gay republican, even though otherwise I would prefer a democrat on most issues

Tom
Would the Democrat be an anti-gay Democrat? It's almost always better to vote Democrat because the party itself is more pro-gay than Republicans. I'm confused.

Anonymous
The question is moot. A pro-gay GOP senator is an oxymoron.

Anonymous
The question is moot. A pro-gay GOP senator is an oxymoron.

Theo
there are pro-gay GOP senators? anyway, if someone is still a republican, they are part of the problem and not the solution

Anonymous
I will vote for the candidate that stands firmly FOR gay marriage and gay partner immigration rightsl, regardless of party affiliation. These are the most important issues for me.

Anonymous
For national elections I would never consider a pro-gay GOP, because of their ties to their party and their constituencies. Regardless as to how pro-gay they are, they would invariably never be able to support legislation that would advance gay civil rights and most likely find themselves being forced to support legislation denying rights to LGBT. I'm not certain what I'd do for local elections. It would depend upon the local republication party and local politics.

Boss
If the past few years have taught us anything, it is that the PARTY in power has the power.

Anonymous
The question does not state the positon of the Democrat regarding LGBT issues. Therefore it is impossible to provide an infomed answer.

vtz
Platform, not party. It would depend entirely on the platform (since being pro-LGBT and GOP already is straddling party lines) and the candidates' ideologies.

Robert
Absolutely not. What is so sancrosanct about voting for a Democrat? We need to support our friends in whatever party they belong.

Brendan
the devil you know is better than the devil you don't know. Not all republicans are bad, just right wing morons like Bush.

Anonymous
First, there is NO such thing as a Pro-Gay GOP. They might, like Cheney, have privately held opinions on civil rights for gays, but they would NEVER violate the platform of the GOP - which has a solid reputation for being Anti-Gay. Second, the GOP is evil, no matter what privately held opinions on sexuality the Republiturd might have. Their views on science, religion, economics, foreign policy, security, corporate greed, the environment ALL show just how misguided and nasty they are. They are vermin, and they ALL need to be exterminated.

Anonymous
LIKE THAT WOULD EVER HAPPEN!

Daniel
You really should have a "Maybe" option. This is a complex question, as many Republicans support gay rights, but not vigorously when faced with pressure from the GOP to toe the party line. Then again, not all Democrats are always pro-gay and guaranteed to support us either. It depends on the candidates.

karen in kalifornia
I'll believe it when I see it. Pro gay at the national level means at least repeal of DADT, DOMA, and support of T inclusive ENDA and the United Families Act. No gonna happen in my life time that a GOP senatorial candidate would support all these...Was there someone the Advocate had in mind?

Doug
Even a pro-gay Republican politician is part of the hateful party that strives for the humiliation and marginalization of GLBT Americans. Electing any Republican, even a pro-gay one, empowers the party and perpetuates that policy. As for those Republicans who claim they are trying to change the GOP from the inside....well, how's THAT going? Yeah, that's what I thought.

Steve from Chicago
It depends. I would like to think that with the volatile division of U.S. citizens by the reign of Bush that we've learned much that will bring both parties more cohesively in line with the greater benefit of humankind.

Dave O.
GOP has classically been ran by bigots. And I consider them to be largely evil in nature as well as too nature. I wouldn't take the chance that this was a ruse.

Anonymous
I don't identify as a Democrat, rather as a leftist. I welcome any pro-gay GOP senator into the realm of politics, but personally I would never vote for him or her. Issues such as foreign policy are just too important to me.

Jeremy
The Republican party should be rewarded when they have members that are gay friendly. we should vote for our friends of any party and think outside the box. However I think with a President Hillary Clinton it'd be a matter of time before the G.O.P. went extinct anyway. Go Hillary!

Anonymous
For me, it would depend on the views of the democrat. I would not be against voting for a pro-gay GOP if they were more accepting or equally as accepting as their democratic competitor.

otter
Yes I would. Why? Because they'll trade a vote for our civil rights in for a pork-barrel quid pro quo, or they'll get scared the faithful will preach against them in the next election, that's why! Sooner or later they'll guzzle whatever flavor of Kool-Ade the Christo-facist nut-jobs are serving!

Anonymous
It ultimately depends which candidate could best represent all of the issues that effect my day to day life. Of course being pro-gay effects me hugely but if both candidates are equal on that respect, I would also take other issues into consideration.

Anonymous
A single Republican might be "pro gay" (there are a few of them), but the Republican Party is strongly anti-gay and the election of any Republican, regardless of his/her own views, empowers the GOP as a whole - which is never in our best interests.

Franz
Though I see nothing forthcoming for gays in either party nor in the public, pro-gay in the GOP is still an exception. That Party itself not only ignores violence and discrimination of gays but actually promotes it. Thanks to social mobilization and non-domesticated gays and lesbians that there are actually strides being made.

Jim
I don't trust Republicans. Even if he says he's pro-gay, he's running on a PARTY platform that states it's the party's position to ban me from marrying another man, ban legal protections because I'm gay. It's funny, financially and militarily I tend to lean towards Republicans, but for me, my personal rights and freedoms, that the Republican Party wants to deny me because of who I am, far outweigh those issues. It's like a Jew voting for a Nazi. Come on, get real !

aj
A year ago, my answer would have ben a resounding "YES." Now, given the rise of Obama, my growing disgust with the democratic party has changed my attitudes. I never thought I would ever even think about a republican. But it looks as if I am going to participate in the democratic process, I have to give the republican party a look. I cannot support Obama and am having a hard time supporting the party that is so enamoured of him.

RFH
I don't vote by party but who I think is the best person.

Christina
Not all democrats are pro gay and not all republicans are against us. I vote for who is most closely aligned with my view, period. That is not always along party lines.

mpo
Although I consider a candidate's support for gay/transgender rights important, there are far to many other important issues to consider. The democratatic party historically shares more of my values on such issues as the environment, oversight of corporate America, trade, civil rights, and international relations. The impact of Republican representation is rarely a good thing based on my values.

Paul
I would support the pro - gay Republican . Although I may not understand or agree with gay Republicans , I'm convinced that the only positive means of changing the party is from within .

Jake Stanford
Supreme court, supreme court, supreme court, supreme court.

Bri
This is a hard one. Gay rights are more important to me than other issues but keeping the RepubliNazis out of the majority is important, too. Also, on the economic side, I do not agree with either the stated Republican philosophy or the spend-without-end crap they actually put into law. Then there's the American is the best and we'll shoot you if you don't agree crap that Reagan, Bush, and mini-Bush have saddled us with. No, I can't vote for republicans.

Bob Green
Chances are the Democrat is more pro-gay and is going to be right on more issues as well.

David Jacobs, Portland, ME
The only "reaching across the aisle" that occurs is by Democrats. I say enough is enough. Let's elect a 60 vote majority so we can be assured that unbiased judges are appointed, that civil rights laws get passed, and that we end this war and bring our men and women safely home from Iraq.

Pedro A. Romanach
It would depend. If the Democrat is also pro-gay, I would possibly do so. If the Republican incumbent is better on gay-related issues, then I would possibly vote for him. I would look at all their stances on the issues that matter to me.

Dustin
Yes, I'm libertarian. So if we can actually have a thinking Republican that is more Ron Raul than Rush Limbaugh that is pro-gay, absolutely. Also, to everyone ready to yell at this comment, when I said thinking, I meant does not believe in having to continue a war endlessly. Oh well, till then I'll continue to vote libertarian, I want my rights and freedoms. Work hard, play hard, and let me live my life... if I screw up, then its my own problem. Hmmmm, maybe thats why I'm a cop.

Anonymous
Party affiliation really doesn't matter to me so long as the individual's beliefs are in line with my own. I'm honestly seriously considering voting for McCain right now, because with the exception of the Iraq war, he and I agree on a lot of things. While he's hardly perfect, he could easily be the "lesser" of the evils out there.

Casey
The Democrats alone haven't done much to help us, but a world where members of both parties are sympathetic to us would change things dramatically. Frankly, in 2006 the Democrats picked up majorities by, in a lot of places, running more socially conservative candidates - and really, what have they done for us with that majority so far? On the other hand, it is important to reward good behavior and progress in the right direction, which voting for a pro-gay Republican would do. The last thing we want is for members of the GOP to get the message that is just isn't worth reaching out to us - the Dems take us for granted too much as is.

Steve Krotz
Blindly voting or not voting for someone simply because of their party affiliation is the kind of stupidity that got us into the mess we're in today. If they both had pretty much equal qualities and qualifications and both supported LGBT interests then, of course, I would vote for the democrat.

Roger Burr
No. I will not vote for, or against, ANY candidate based solely on their political party. That said; while I'm a loyal Democrat, I won't democratic for that sake alone. I would rather have a liberal Republican, on whose support we can DEPEND, than a Democrat who vacillates with every directional change in the political winds.

Greg
I cancelled my Human Rights Campaign membership when they endorsed Al D'Amato. His record spoke for itself, even if he suddenly caught on that discrimination is "just wrong."

Anonymous
We need a Democrat majority in Congress to keep the Republicans from forcing through anti-gay legislation. If the Democrats can control Congress, then we have more of an opportunity to have positive results.

Luddy
Pro-Gay Democrat? Is there such a thing? Log Cabin type, myabe? When I look at the Republican party I see a party of old men, with few blacks, few women, few Hispanics, few gays. There maybe a closeted gay somewhere, just like there are in homophobic churches.

Don, Arlington, VA
There are no pro-gay Republicans because even if they express support for gay issues the extreme right begins to howl and the moderates scamper to the right -- like a lap dog that has been very well trained.

Anonymous
The very idea is just crazy and shows a dedication to a Democratic party that truly isn't concerned about us.

Green Gay
Of course. The Democrats just passed an inclusive ENDA, something the GOP would never do. The Dems just repealed DADT, and the Repubs would never do that. The Dems struck down DOMA, not the GOP. Oh, wait...

Qris J
Yes. Being "pro-gay" does not mean that a Republican Senator will neccesarily be pro-children, pro-senior, pro-minority or pro-choice. Then there's the Iraq debacle, the environment, health care & the stupid economy... things that affect everyone, including LGBT folk. I'm Queer & proud of it but I'm an American first and I despise the Republican party for what it's doing to our country. Screw them.

Anonymous
There is no issue more important when picking a political leader than their stance on civil rights - ours included. I'm not a single issue voter, but I have priorities, and this one is at top.

RNC
Being independently minded is more important than party affiliation. If a candidate happens to be a republican while sharing my views and positions, absolutely.

Anonymous
This one 'friendly' senator gives more power to the larger GOP that hates us. When it comes to the GOP, you have to vote them out. Harmless dog catchers and all!

Anonymous
It would depend on who all was in the race but generally I would vote Democrat over GOP even if that inidividual was pro-gay. An accpetion might be made if the Democrat was anti-gay and anti-choice. Generally I don't agree with GOP positions on environmental regulation, consumer protection, support for a social safety net, abortion rights, fiscal policy, tax policy, public education, public health, foreign policy, death penalty, etc. Locally I've worked on a Republican's campaign when I've lived in an area which was more than 80% registered Republican so all the elected officials were Republicans and after the primary was over the election was over for all practical purposes. Given a real choice under an IRV voting system, I would vote Green Party as my first choice.

Ray
all things being equal, I would support someone who supports me. A more interesting question - would you suport an incumbent if that person supported gay rights - but is not peo-choice?

Anonymous
I vote for the person I think will do the best job, not which party they belong to.

Gregg
Democrats raise taxes too high and too often. I'm changing by party affiliation to Libertarian.

Ray
First, I can't imagine the Republican Base electing a pro-gay candidate. Most "Moderate Republicans" won't touch gay positive legislation with a ten foot lavender pole.

Anonymous
The power is with the majority, so yes. As far as I am concerned, the senator could always consider changing parties...

Anonymous
yes. I hate republicans. hate can be a two way street

rt
It depends on the both the republican and democratic candidates' views. Being pro-gay or anti-gay is neither the only issue nor the most important one.

Anonymous
There are no pro-gay GOP senators so this is not a "real world" question.

Anonymous
A pro-gay GOP senator? Like the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus, they don't exist. If a GOP senator claims to be pro-gay he/she is probably LYING.

Joe Laux
It's very dangerous to vote for a label and not a person. In NYS we passed the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act only when a Republican Governor pushed it through and signed it. We owe it to ourselves and our democracy to vote for PEOPLE with IDEAS, not generic slogans.

Jessica
At this point, I don't care about political affiliations. I am going with a candidate that believes I should have the same rights as every other American. Hell, I would vote for a pro-gay giraffe.

Steven
I would ABSOLUTELY NOT vote for any candidate of either party when his/her opponent is pro gay. Our community will only succeed by uniting behind common goals and not any particular party.

Anonymous
I'd like to say that having a Democrat would be more important because a bigger majority would help to get things done, but deep down I know that isn't the case.

Eric
After the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal, I swore I would NEVER vote for a republican or conservative candidate ever again.

Anonymous
There are other important issues besides GLBT issues.

Kevin Brauer, Denver
If the Republican Senator fights against wasting taxpayer money (like Bush is wasting on his Iraq War or like Bush is wasting on his government endorsing certain religions faith based initiatives) I would support the Republican. If the Senator supports the Constitution and Civil Rights and voted against the horrid "Patriot" Act and against Government sanctioned Torture I would support her/him. Its not easy being a pro-Gay Republican and they should be rewarded.

Kevin Olomon
Hell no! I am middle of the road- with fiscal leanings toward conservatism, and social leanings toward liberalism. My dream candidate would be a moderate Republican or Independent who believed in a total seperation of church & state, and full support of gay equality- who was extremely tough on terrorism and fiscally responsible to keep taxes down. I am for very limited government- the less they are in my life- the better.

keith andrews
There should be an "undecided" choice here because it would depend on whether all other things were equal. Not all of us are one-issue voters.

keith andrews
There should be an "undecided" choice here because it would depend on whether all other things were equal. Not all of us are one-issue voters.

Anonymous
I ain't found no pro-gay GOP senators....have you?

Travis Colten Yocom
This is a difficult question because of the way Congress is structured; my natural impulse is to keep any and all Republicans away from anything that gives them the power to decide anything for me. I suppose it comes down to this: voting for even a pro-gay Republican is giving them one more vote in building a majority and we all know that the base of the GOP will never allow us our rights on any issue, not when they want to keep us from even the most basic rights like marriage or having no on-the-job discrimination. The Weakocrats aren't much better, but I would note this: since the new majority came in in early 2007, the Congress is not fighting over the anti-gay, keep-us-down agenda the pre-Mark Foley GOP was pushing at us.

Anonymous
Now if the Democrat was pro-gay also, then I woudl pick the Democrat.

Cecil L Young
Yes, if and that is a BIG IF, I was convinced the Democrat was a known anti-gay politician. otherwise I'm not so sure - There was the two U.S. openly gay Representatives (from Arizona and Gunderson from Wisconsin) who I could believe would be good possible openly gay and pro-gay senators. But I doubt they could get elected as U.S. Senators from their respective states. ... I'd like to be proven wrong.

Michael
Where I live there a no pro-gay GOP senators. Democrats are much more pro gay than GOP.

M.
I'm Green, so i'd vote Green. I'd wouldn't vote for the corporate toadies on the Democratic or Republican slate.

brian
Hell no, but I can only wait to see how may idiots say yes to this question. I know there are many with their feeble and infantile excuses of why they would do so.

Anonymous
The Democrat Party long ago lost my allegiance on this issue. They dropped the ball big-time during the first Clinton administration, and threw us to the wolves when it suited them.

Anonymous
As a life-long Democrat, I have NEVER voted for a Republican in my entire life! A Republican might be pro-gay, but s/he is still a Republican!

JC_online
I say no. But with the caviat that whatever the party, I don't vote single-issue. I try to learn as much about the candidates as possible and pick the best one - if s/he is Republican or Democrat or Other is less important.

Anonymous
Who wouldn't? Better odds at getting a true jurist appointed with more seated democrats than fascistopublitards.

Brian
Yes. While having more pro-gay voices in Congress is important to me as a gay man, there are other issues more vital to the future of our nation, our world, (i.e. climate change and environmental protection, education and health care, ending this senseless war, the fight against global poverty), that would lead me to vote for someone of any party who may not be as supportive of gay rights as I would like. Likewise, I would vote against a pro-gay democrat if I thought she/he was an enemy of the environment or thought war was a good form of foreign policy.

paul
Unfortunately the numbers must be on the Democrats side to make it all work. So even gay-friendly Republicans are still Republicans and they vote en masse Republican.

Anonymous
Not really. I guess it would really depend on the rest of each candidates' politics.

Anonymous
Simply because one is a democrat does not ensure that they desire equality for all people. I think it's absurd to label all Republicans as wicked and all Democrats as kind-hearted without looking at their individual philosophy and record. Remember, it was a democrat who signed the defense of marriage act as well as don't ask, don't tell (thanks, Clinton).

Anonymous
I probably would, basically because I'm not a one issue voter, and while I am an independent, I would probably agree more with the democrat on social issues than the republican. However, if the democrat was anti-gay, I'm not sure what I would do

JJ in Ventura CA
No such thing

Cindy
Absolutely. I will never vote for a Republican, regardless of how gay-friendly they are. And if the Democrat was repulsive and not a valid choice for me, I'd write in a fake name.

Anonymous
It's an oxymoron to me. The GOP hates gay people as I understand it, they may play the game in order to get votes. However, I don't think that they do very much for our community. I was once a registered republican because I was in college and then the military, but that to was just a game of the republican party claiming they "Support The Troops." They support you up to a point when they get your votes, but it doesn't trickle down to you. It doesn't trickle down to the foot soldier or any soldier of lower ranks. It's like the people getting any support are the contractors. I'm not a registered democrat, but I would vote for a democrat over a republican any day.

Anonymous
Yes, because as we've been duped in the past, the supposedly progay GOP candidate will toe the line once elected with regards to votes on Supreme Court nominees and the like. Regardless of what those Log Cabins fools say, if their ass is on the line within the party, their support of us is the first to go. there is no moderate or liberal wing of the GOP...only the right wingers and religious wackos.

Anonymous
If a GOP Senator has ALREADY proven that she or he is brave enough to buck that party's homophobia, I say keep supporting them. There are plenty of anti-gay Democrats, too - Texas is full of them! But it would depend on the sitting Senator's OTHER votes, also. Where do they stand on social, environmental and economic issues?

John Bosch
ABSOLUTELY -- candidates’ platforms often change after assuming office to more closely match their party’s agenda. Granted, there are a few exceptions such as Fort Lauderdale’s Democrat Mayor, Jim Naugle, who is an obvious homophobe and frequently votes for as well as supports Republican candidates and issues. However, your hypothetical Republican candidate who is pro-gay is more likely to lose his gay-friendliness than a Democrat who is ambiguous toward gay issues becoming anti-gay.

Anonymous
Yes, probably. My life is a lot more than just being queer and trans. I also need affordable health care, a good economy and someone who will get us out of war. I want leaders who will back off on unlawful surveillance and respect privacy. I typically vote for Democrats because they are more with me on these issues than against me. Given the current state of the Republican party, a Republican who was more with me than against me would probably get forced out of the party.

Mickey
Politics are like a chess game. What matters are the policies of each party, not of each individual politician. Republicans in particular tend to vote as a block, and there is a long history of "progressive" Republicans deciding to be team players and support nasty, regressive legislation when push comes to shove. The party itself is vehemently antigay. So it makes sense to oppose the election of Republicans regardless of any claims they may make to support gay rights... such claims are likely prove untrue anyway in practice.

Anonymous
Any" pro gay" GOP Senator would be silenced by his majority.

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