November 20, 2023
Log Cabin Republicans Willing to Give Speaker Mike Johnson 'Benefit of the Doubt'
Emell Adolphus READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Have we been wrong all along about newly installed House Speaker Mike Johnson? Perhaps we have misunderstood his ties to an anti-gay, rightwing Christian publisher or his wife Kelly's Bible-thumping counseling business that compares homosexuality to bestiality and incest.
According to Business Insider, Log Cabin Republicans president Charles Moran is willing to give Johnson the "benefit of the doubt." In a wide-ranging interview at the organization's headquarters in a Capitol Hill townhouse, Moran admitted that he "had no idea who he was before becoming Speaker."
Furthermore, Moran explained that the Log Cabin Republicans all had some relationship and knowledge of the previous names that were floated for the Speaker position, including Steve Scalise, Tom Emmer, and Jim Jordan. But not Johnson.
"He's somebody we just had not engaged with, and we don't have strong relationships with legislators in Louisiana," Moran added.
Now that Johnson is the highest ranking Republican, Moran urged that he has to speak for "not only his district, but also the Republican Conference and the entire House of Representatives."
"When you're looking at carrots and sticks, I want to always start with a carrot," said Moran. "I want to be able to give folks the benefit of the doubt."
Founded in 1977, the Log Cabin Republicans represents an estimated between one-fifth and one-quarter of all LGBTQ Americans, with a membership of more than 10,000.
"I want to be able to provide them with the ammunition and the backup to show that a vast majority of not just Americans, but Republicans in this country, support equality and equal access for the LGBT community - the Ls, the Gs, the Bs, and the Ts," said Moran. Facts, figures, personal stories, and narratives. Those are all things that impact a legislator. Research has shown that if you know somebody who's LGBT - an L, a G, a B, or a T - you have a much higher chance of being supportive of those equality issues."
Time will tell if any of that makes a dent on Johnson's clear anti-gay bias. Read Moran's complete interview at Business Insider.
