Gay Republicans

Year: 2004

Grade: B

Country: USA

Director: Westmoreland

Review

another documentary about division within a community. in this case, though, the community is that of gay republicans, or republicans who are gay – depending on who you are. it certainly seems like a contradiction either way, but the more i thought about it the more it made sense. in 2000 gay republicans gave bush 1 million votes (45k in FL) and it’s more understandable than you might think. simply put, these people don’t define themselves solely by their sexual orientation; and i actually respect that. to me, it’s sort of a pathetic state of affairs that so many people can define themselves so succinctly – i’m gay, i’m a vegetarian, i listen to punk, etc. certainly this isn’t true for all, or even most who are/do these things, but when a person is so simple that they can be defined by the music they listen to or the people they fuck or the food they eat or fill in the blank, it’s a bit pathetic.

the crux of the film is actually this very issue. are the log cabin republicans a gay group that votes republican, or are they a republican group comprised (mostly) of gays? the truth is that they’re more republican than gay, but that “republican” has moved and bush, with his protection of marriage act, alienated the log cabin republicans. eventually they vote to not endorse bush in order to make a point, but the debate is highly divisive. one member makes the valid, and i think damning (for bush), point that republicans are using gays to incite hate in people in order to get more votes. it’s a cold and calculated decision by bush and one that cost him the endorsement of the log cabin republicans.

the documentary follows four major characters who run from gay republicans to republican gays and one guy in the middle (steve may) who actually was an elected republican himself. despite being republican and a mormon, he seemed the most reasonable character of the four. two were just crazy republicans, and the other just didn’t seem that bright. an interesting documentary about a segment of the population you wouldn’t even think existed.