Log Cabin Republicans, a coalition of Republicans in favor of homosexuality and transgenderism, celebrated the adoption of a new Republican Party platform on Monday which removes most references to marriage and all policy recommendations to defend the institution.
The version of the platform approved in 2016 contained several paragraphs vowing to support “traditional marriage and family based on marriage between one man and one woman.” The new platform makes a reference to upholding “a culture that values the sanctity of marriage” and “the blessings of childhood” but removes all specific language and policy prescriptions.
Log Cabin Republicans President Charles Moran voiced support for the platform, saying they had been “working for decades” to “update the platform’s outdated and out-of-step language.”
“This platform sends a powerful message to LGBT conservatives across the country that we are not only welcome in the Republican Party, but a part of the movement to Make America Great Again,” Moran remarked in the statement. “We applaud President Trump for his visionary, inclusive, and consistent leadership, without which this moment wouldn’t be possible.”
Conservatives previously criticized the new platform for removing almost all language opposed to abortion, as well as adding language in favor of access to all forms of birth control and IVF. Attendees of the Republican National Convention reported that they were not provided with a meaningful opportunity to submit amendments for the platform or alter the text.
Former President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, have hosted a number of fundraisers for Log Cabin Republicans, including one event at Trump Tower in New York City last month and another at their Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida earlier this year.
Even as independent and Democratic support for so-called same-sex marriage has largely plateaued in recent years, Republican favorability toward so-called same-sex marriage has decreased from 55% two years ago to 46%, as shown by a recent survey from Gallup.
