Where the Women Aren't

Can sexism exist within the GLBT community?

Many people, gay and straight alike, assume that regressive attitudes concerning women exist only within the heterosexual male population. As a minority themselves, aren't gay men inherently more cognizant of sexism than their heterosexual peers are - thereby rendering themselves more "sensitive" to feminist politics?

Until recently, I used to agree. Now, I am not so certain. The Santorum scandal aside, there has been increased talk about the progress of the Log Cabin Republicans - the nation's leading gay and lesbian conservative forum. But what I haven't seen is much analysis from the GLBT community to the ramifications of supporting the Log Cabin Republicans and other conservative political groups.

Despite my unshakable opinion that "gay Republican" is of an oxymoron, I am thankful for the existence of gay and lesbian conservative groups. Like all communities, ours is comprised of individuals of all sorts - we are not a mental or political monolith, nor should we be. I don't know about you, but I would get bored pretty readily if everyone I talked to had ideologies that are completely identical to mine.

That said, we cannot in good conscience brush aside the reality that the Republican Party is notorious for preserving the status quo of sexism and racism. The Democrats are certainly not immune to regressive politics either. The racist comments of Senator Robert Byrd (D, West Virginia) a couple years ago is just one of several stinging reminders that liberals are not by nature immune to ignorance.

But the issue is this: It isn't the Democrats who are gathering in droves to rally against affirmative action, equal pay for equal work, public housing for single mothers and reproductive choice for women. All these things have been gifts bestowed to us by the Republican Party. Given this, is it really true that many lesbians support these conservative politics?

Curious to see the breakdown of men and women in leadership positions at the Log Cabin Republicans, I looked at their website. I can't say I was surprised at what I saw. Their board of directors is comprised of 18 people: 16 men and only 2 women. The staff officials and personal includes 3 positions, all of which are filled by men.

I am not suggesting that the Log Cabin Republicans are discriminating against women by not hiring them. If a qualified lesbian expressed interest in an open leadership role, I'm sure that they would be more than happy to take her.

I am suggesting that there just aren't enough lesbian Republicans out there who are expressing interest in these positions.

But does anyone ever stop to wonder why so few lesbians are Republicans?

The answer is simple. Yes, the gay conservative groups make great strides for gay and lesbian rights. Many lesbians, myself included, find it counterintuitive to have warm feelings for a political machine that is pro-gay yet not exactly pro-woman. We have female family members and friends whose reproductive rights are being jeopardized by our increasingly conservative state and federal governments. The state budget for women's shelters and childcare is being cut faster than lightening. We may be lesbians, but we are first and foremost women.

I am disappointed in the GLBT community's lack of solid critique of the Log Cabin Republicans and other political groups that serve a good purpose for them, but are shamefully unmindful of women and all that we have been fighting for since the civil rights era.

As I've already mentioned, a good community values productive discourse from varying political standpoints. But by the same token, this should not prevent us from countering others' opinions within the community. Yes, the Log Cabin Republicans and other conservative groups are making headway for gay and lesbian rights, but let us not allow that to prevent us from examining their stance on other issues - which, whether we like it or not, have implications for women in the broader scheme of things.

So whatever our personal politics and voting habits may be, let us try to remember that the "L" in GLBT should not be silent.