This was my response to your attack on Log Cabin Republicans, which I posted to Facebook:

"Bullshit. Gregory T. Angelo immediately decried the party platform as a step back for Gay Republicans. I think Dan Savage is doing more harm than good by cultivating this asinine sentiment that we all must fall in line and prescribe to the same beliefs and principals to be included in the LGBTQ family. The damage he is doing should not be lauded. But, that's the kind of sycophant expression of beliefs you get from a fearful people who are not willing to contribute to change, but to tear down and dismantle the hard earned strides that have been made within the GOP. Gregory has fearlessly put a face to the Republican gay. It takes way more effort to be a lone wolf crying out for justice, than a pack of sheep bleating the same message. I think it is cowardly to throw barbs from the sidelines. Dan's cynical message overlooks very real progress and change. The GOP is suffering, definitely. Because of the very real bigotry within the rank and file. But to attack a member of our community who is working to fulfill an agreement towards full inclusion; that is the epitome of intolerance."

My partner and I are one of the plaintiff couples who fought for Marriage Equality in Oregon. My spouse is a lifelong member of the GOP and is building a political career within the party to put a face to gay Republicans. Your comments delegitimize the very real work being done on a grass roots level to bring a moderate tone to the platform of the GOP. There is more I could write to, but I doubt a response will be forthcoming.

Your words do more damage than good.

Sincerely,

Paul R.

Dear Paul,

Gregory T. Angelo's efforts to reform the Republican Party from within—like the efforts of Rich Tafel before him and all the other useful idiots who've headed up LCR—have been for naught. The same goes for your partner’s efforts in Oregon, I'm sorry to say. Let's take a quick peek at the platform of the Republican Party of Oregon:

The Oregon Repiblican Party believes that the traditional family is ordained by God our Creator and is the foundation of our society. A traditional family is formed through the marriage of one man and one woman. This environment is optimal for raising children into responsible self-sufficient, productive citizens.... We believe that government intervention into matters regarding the family must be kept to an absolute minimum. Marriage is between one man and women woman.

The government shouldn't intervene into matters regarding the family—unless the government is intervening to stop same-sex couples from marrying or starting families of their own. Because fuck those perverts. Still. In 2016.

To clarify: I know that Gregory and the rest of the LCR boys had a wee public sad when the Republican Platform Committee adopted the most anti-LGBT platform in the party's history. They promised a floor fight over the platform — and raised money on that promise — but didn't deliver. The missing floor fight is what I was referring to when I slammed LCR for allowing the adoption of the Republican platform hateform "without a peep of protest."

Gregory shouldn’t be mad at me for calling bullshit on the entirely futile efforts of LCR, Paul, and you shouldn't be mad at me for pointing out the futility of their efforts — or the futility of your partner's efforts, for that matter, to "put a face on gay Republicans." You should be mad at Republican leaders — leaders who have fucked your community over at every turn — and mad at the very real bigots "within the rank and file" of the GOP.

As for the rank and file of the LGBT community, Paul, we're mad at LCR and our anger is not misplaced.

This is the worst GOP platform ever. That’s all LCR has to show for nearly forty years of what exactly? Forty years of trying to change the GOP from within? No. Forty years of lying to the LGBT community about the Republican Party and forty years of complicity in Republican attacks on the LGBT community.

I'm not just talking about LCR's long and ignominious history of endorsing anti-LGBT politicians. It's worse than that. LCR isn't just guilty of endorsing shitty anti-gay bigots — George W. Bush over Al Gore 2000; John McCain (and Sarah Palin!) over Barack Obama in 2008; Mitt Romney over Barack Obama in 2012 (despite Romney's support for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, his opposition to gays and lesbians serving openly in the military, and his support for discrimination against LGBT people in employment and housing) — LCR is also guilty of providing cover for anti-LGBT Republicans. While anti-LGBT bigotry still plays well with the "rank and file" of the GOP base, it doesn't play well with moderate and independent voters. Log Cabin Republicans and other gay Republicans are used — they allow themselves to be used — the same way Ben Carson and Herman Cane allow themselves to be used and Colin Powell once allowed himself to be used. ("Our policies can't be racist! We aren't the party of white grievance, deafening dog whistles, Lee Atwater, Willie Hortan, "welfare queens," Donald Trump, and the Southern Strategy. Look! Over there! It's Ben Carson!")

Here's an example:

ThinkProgress:

At their convention this week, Republicans are set to approve a particularly anti-LGBT platform. It calls for overturning marriage equality, banning same-sex parenting, restricting transgender people’s access to bathrooms, and ensuring parents can force harmful conversion therapy on their LGBT kids. Party leaders, however, deny that it’s anti-LGBT at all. On CNN Monday morning, Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin (R), co-chair of the Republicans’ platform committee, explained that their priority with those planks was to “make American great” and to “stand for the human rights of all people, not just one segment, one class, one race, one preference, but for all people in the United States.” Besides, she said, there were gay people on the committee, insisting, “We’re an inclusive party; we’re a big tent.”

The odious Mary Fallin points to the one gay person on the platform committee — a woman who was reduced to tears by the other members of the platform committee — to argue that the GOP isn't actually anti-LGBT at all. ("Look! Over there! It's a queermo!") Fallin argues that the presence of one gay person on the platform committee proves the platform itself isn't anti-LGBT! Reince Priebus, for his part, told the AP that the party was welcoming to LGBT people — because, hey, gay billionaire Peter Thiel would be speaking at Republican National Convention this week. (“See! We’re not anti-LGBT! Look over there at our pet homos! We've got one on the platform committee, one speaking at the convention, and a couple of dozen in that log cabin over there!")

I'm not fooled, Paul, and the overwhelming majority of LGBT voters aren't fooled. But Fallin and Priebus aren't trying to fool LGBT voters. They're trying to fool — they're trying to trick — straight moderate and straight independents into thinking the GOP is not as anti-LGBT as it actually is. And LCR, Republicans like your partner, and that poor woman on the platform committee help the GOP make that argument. You're helping Trump, Fallin, Priebus, et al, cover up the GOP's record of anti-LGBT hate. You're helping them win elections and harming the "LGBTQ family" you claim to care about so much.

Allowing yourselves to be used this way — carrying water for a party that doesn’t think you should be married, have kids, use the toilet, serve in the military, be protected from workplace discrimination, or even EXIST — goes beyond standard-issue self-hatred. It's far darker and more disturbing. Get help.

Best,

Dan