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LGBT Republican Group Makes Caitlyn Jenner Its Poster Woman
LGBT Republican Group Makes Caitlyn Jenner Its Poster Woman
Caitlyn Jenner has become the new poster woman -- literally -- for the Log Cabin Republicans.
Log Cabin's Los Angeles chapter set up a seven-foot-tall banner bearing Jenner's Vanity Fair cover and the LGBT Republican group's logo at the L.A. Pride festival in West Hollywood last weekend, BuzzFeed reports.
"The fact that Caitlyn Jenner is a very high-profile Republican who is also transgender made this the perfect time to point out the diversity within our party," chapter head Matthew Chaffee told the site. Several festigoers posed for photos in front of the banner.
In her coming-out interview with Diane Sawyer in April, the Olympic champion who won a gold medal in the men's decathalon in 17976, acknowledged being a Republican and "on the conservative side."
Gregory T. Angelo, executive director of the national Log Cabin organization, said the group did not inform Jenner that her image would be used or seek her consent, and Jenner was not available for comment, BuzzFeed reports. But he said it was entirely appropriate to use the picture.
"There is a sentiment among much of the media and the left -- and especially the gay left -- that if you are part of the LGBT community, that you are required to be a Democrat because only Democrats are pro-equality," he told the site. "The fact that there are members of the Log Cabin Republicans that identify as LGBT people show that is not the case."
Democratic LGBT activist Phil Attey begged to differ, telling BuzzFeed Log Cabin was trying "to use Caitlyn's celebrity to try and convince LGBT voters who don't know any better, that if they support Caitlyn, they should support the Republican Party ticket."
Angelo responded, "Caitlyn Jenner identifies as a Republican, and this is a gay pride celebration. Shouldn't we celebrate people in the LGBT community? The Log Cabin Republicans of Los Angeles came from a place of respect and love, and anyone who doesn't see that really needs to become less of a stick in the mud."
