PRESS RELEASE from Log Cabin Republicans +
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 31, 2012
Contact: Casey Pick
Log Cabin Republicans Make Our Mark at the Republican National Convention

(Tampa, FL) - Log Cabin Republicans mark the 2012 Republican National Convention as a success after executing four well-received events as part of an unprecedented level of participation by the organization.
 
"As the 2012 Republican National Convention comes to a close, two things are very clear. Gay conservatives absolutely have a place within the Republican Party. We also have an important responsibility to work to make our party more inclusive. Log Cabin Republicans intend to fully embrace both roles," said Log Cabin Republicans Executive Director R. Clarke Cooper. "We were happy to stand with our fellow Republicans to cheer a different vision for America, where success is a virtue, equal opportunity is ensured, and leaders recognize that it is the American people, not government, that build our nation and create its wealth.
 
At the same time, we are aware that there is much work to be done. It is disappointing that the platform adopted in the early days of the convention will not help to elect Republicans in November because of its aggressive and divisive language on social issues. Still, Log Cabin Republicans are proud to have fostered an open debate within our party about the freedom to marry, including publishing an ad in the Tampa Tribune citing the platform itself in support of marriage equality.
 
Every day new allies, like major GOP donor David Koch and the delegates who attended the Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry brunch, are joining the ranks to support freedom for all. We met many of these allies in Tampa, who strongly encouraged Log Cabin to keep doing what we are doing and not to give up. They don't have to worry. What unites us as Republicans is much greater than what divides us, and today, Log Cabin members more committed than ever to working within our party to make a difference for our community. We have a place at the table, and we intend to use it to build a stronger, more inclusive GOP."
 
Log Cabin's schedule of events was intended to highlight different aspects of the organization's place within the GOP, including its grassroots network of chapters, openly gay candidates and elected officials, LCR PAC's support for allies in Congress, and making the conservative case for the freedom to marry and LGBT equality.

 

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Log Cabin Republicans is the only Republican organization dedicated to representing the interests of gay and lesbian Americans and their allies. The 30-year old organization has state and local chapters nationwide, a full-time office in Washington, DC, a federal political action committee and state political action committees.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 29, 2012

Young Conservatives and Log Cabin Republicans Host Brunch for Freedom to Marry at RNC 


Press Contacts:
Casey Pick
Programs Director, Log Cabin Republicans
 
Nicole Collins Bronzan
Communications Director, Freedom to Marry

 
(Tampa) - Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry  co-hosted a brunch with Log Cabin Republicans today at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, FL.  Conservative commentator and political strategist Margaret Hoover spoke at the event, and notable attendees included former Congressman Jim Kolbe, Maryland State Senator Allan Kittleman, and Andrew Langer, president of the Institute for Liberty, who also spoke at the event.
 
"There are tectonic shifts happening just beneath the surface within the Republican Party on marriage that are starting to percolate up to the national dialogue," said Hoover, also a member of the Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry leadership committee. "That's why we're here at the Republican National Convention - to continue to drive this very important conversation forward. Our group can help people see that supporting marriage for same-sex couples is absolutely consistent with the party's legacy of individual freedom and limited government. It is a profoundly conservative value."
 
"The goal of Log Cabin Republicans has always been to work from within the party to expand and protect freedoms for all Americans. The presence of a successful, widely-attended event in support of the freedom to marry at the 2012 Republican National Convention is a watershed moment for the cause of marriage equality," said R. Clarke Cooper, Executive Director of the Log Cabin Republicans. "Today's event included GOP delegates, elected officials, and committed grassroots Republicans all united around the core idea that freedom means freedom for everyone. We're proud to have been a part of this important event, and look forward to continuing the conversation within the GOP alongside the Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry."
 
In addition to Hoover, two other members of the Young Conservatives leadership committee spoke at the event: Sarah Longwell, vice president at Berman and Company and member of the Log Cabin Republicans Board of Directors, and Torrey Shearer, a public affairs advisor at Holland & Knight.
 
In addition to the brunch, Log Cabin and the Young Conservatives ran a full-page ad in today's Tampa Tribune, asking for the GOP to include gay and lesbian families in its vision for the critical role of marriage and families in our society. The Young Conservative leaders sent a letter to the Platform Committee earlier this month asking it to resist adding language opposing the freedom of same-sex couples to marry, and Log Cabin Republicans members and staff were active in the platform committee process.
 
Despite these efforts and debates in committee, the GOP chose instead to take an extreme stance on marriage in its platform, supporting a federal constitutional amendment banning the freedom to marry for same-sex couples. The platform language on marriage was written by Tony Perkins, the president of the anti-gay Family Research Council.
 
Nationally, several polls show that younger conservatives are increasingly for marriage, and 197 Republican state legislators across the nation have stood up for the freedom to marry to date.
 
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Log Cabin Republicans is the only Republican organization dedicated to representing the interests of gay and lesbian Americans and their allies. The 30-year old organization has state and local chapters nationwide, a full-time office in Washington, DC, a federal political action committee and state political action committees.
 
Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry is a campaign to highlight and build support for the freedom to marry among young conservatives across America. They represent the rapidly growing numbers of young conservatives across the country that agree all Americans should be able to share in the freedom to marry.