Gay GOPer: “Birther” Question Makes Sense

Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump has drawn some gibes for joining the "birther" movement in questioning whether President Obama was born in the USA, but at least one gay Republican activist thinks it's a question worth raising.

"I think Mr. Trump's position on this has been a pretty common-sense one, and honestly, I can't understand why President Obama wouldn't have released his birth certificate before now to put an end to this once and for all," GOProud board chair Christopher Barron (pictured, left) told Politico columnist Ben Smith.

Smith pointed out, "Obama has, as has been reported for years, released the document. Hawaii officials have verified it. The conspiracy theory is crazy. And, having been held at bay by the Republican Establishment for three years, it's now bleeding in."

Barron subsequently wrote on his blog that he and GOProud don't really care about Obama's birth certificate, but he believes it's legitimate for Trump to bring it up, as "clearly there are large segments of the population -- and the Republican primary electorate in particular -- that do care about this issue."

He added that he has never said he doesn't believe Obama wasn't born in the United States, but if there are those who take this position, "then why not just produce the birth certificate (not the certificate of live birth -- there is a difference) and be done with it?" (Actually, the definitions vary from state to state, but Hawaii officials have said Obama's birth document is "a valid Hawaii state birth certificate.")

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