Is It Time We Stopped Supporting Gay Candidates Just Because They're Gay?
by Peter Cassels
EDGE Contributor
Sunday Jul 11, 2010
http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=&sc2=features&sc3=&id=107861 (http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=&sc2=features&sc3=&id=107861)
Someone not likely to get endorsements in her run for Congress this year is Donna Milo, a Cuban-American conservative Republican transgender running in Florida to replace U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a liberal Democrat. Milo, who married a woman before becoming a transgender, is opposed to marriage equality.
Writing in a blog on Change.org May 28, Jordan Rubenstein noted that there's nothing wrong with an LGBT running as a Republican, then castigated Milo for her anti-gay positions.
"Someone's sexual orientation or gender identity only relates to one aspect of political beliefs-LGBT equality. Transgender people face many challenges and are often misunderstood by the general public, and Milo should relate to these challenges," wrote Rubenstein. "As someone who has experienced life as a transgender person firsthand, Milo should support equal rights for LGBT people, whether running as a Republican or Democrat."
Bob Brown, the leader of the Australian Greens is openly gay, but I there is no way I would ever vote for his party. Economic decline and inadequate defence forces don't seem like sensible policies, regardless of the orientation of the party's leader.