 | GOProud represents gay conservatives and their allies. GOProud is committed to a traditional conservative agenda that emphasizes limited government, individual liberty, free markets and a confident foreign policy. GOProud promotes our traditional conservative agenda by influencing politics and policy at the federal level. Click here to read about GOProud.org |
Save the Date -
"Don't Tread on Us" Reception - San Diego, California - July 31
Please join GOProud's Executive Director Jimmy LaSalvia and Board Chair Chris Barron in San Diego on July 31 for a reception featuring best selling author, Fox News Channel analyst, national radio talk show host & GOProud's Advisory Board Chair Tammy Bruce!
Click here to purchase tickets or to make a contribution!
July 8, 2010
GOProud Statement on the Florida Senate Race
Statement of Jimmy LaSalvia, Executive Director
(Washington, D.C.) - Recently, according to press reports, a group calling itself the Sunshine Republicans apparently endorsed the independent candidacy of Florida Governor Charlie Crist in his race for U.S. Senate. In response, Jimmy LaSalvia, Executive Director of GOProud, issued the following statement:
"Neither GOProud, nor any affiliate of GOProud, has endorsed Charlie Crist's campaign for Senate. The Sunshine Republicans are not an affiliate of GOProud. In fact, GOProud severed ties with the Sunshine Republicans this winter over their support for Charlie Crist.
"GOProud is still evaluating House and Senate races across the country and has issued no endorsement in this race. Let me be clear, however, Marco Rubio is the only conservative in this race and the only candidate who deserves the support of conservative voters in Florida."
July 6, 2010
GOProud Endorses Mary Bono-Mack for Congress
(Washington, D.C.) - Today, GOProud, the only national organization representing gay conservatives and their allies, endorsed Republican Mary Bono-Mack in her bid for re-election to Congress in California's 45th Congressional District. "During her time in the House, Mary Bono-Mack has consistently supported legislation of importance to gay conservatives," said Jimmy LaSalvia, Executive Director of GOProud. "Bono-Mack has supported common-sense approaches to issue after issue that would improve the lives of all Americans - but especially gay and lesbian Americans."
Bono-Mack was an outspoken opponent of the Democrats' efforts to expand government-run healthcare that would discriminate against gays and lesbians. Bono-Mack supports reforms to our tax code and to social security that would provide greater equality of opportunity for gay and lesbian individuals and their families. She has also repeatedly voted against efforts to pass an anti-gay federal marriage amendment.
On foreign policy, Bono-Mack is an ardent supporter of efforts to stop the spread of radically anti-gay Islamic extremism and she recognizes the importance of our relationship with Israel - a nation that is a beacon of freedom and opportunity for gay people in the Middle East.
Bono-Mack faces liberal Democrat Steve Pougnet, the openly gay Mayor of Palm Springs. "The gay left would have you believe that Mary Bono-Mack is somehow an enemy of the gay and lesbian community. Nothing could be further from the truth," continued LaSalvia. "The decision of organizations like the Human Rights Campaign to oppose Mary's re-election is a shameful reminder of just how slavishly the gay left is willing to do the bidding of Nancy Pelosi and the DCCC."
"GOProud enthusiastically endorses Mary Bono-Mack for Congress and urges our members and allies to support her conservative campaign," concluded LaSalvia.
July 3, 2010
GOProud Calls on RNC Chairman Michael Steele to Resign
Christopher R. Barron, Chairman of the Board - "Michael Steele's comments regarding the war in Afghanistan are inexcusable. These comments are not just another gaffe that can be explained away, they represent a fundamental failure to understand the importance of winning the war on global extremism."
(Washington, D.C.) - Today, GOProud, the only national organization of gay conservatives and their allies, called on Michael Steele to resign as Chairman of the Republican National Committee after he made comments critical of the U.S. war in Afghanistan.
Christopher R. Barron, Chairman of the Board:
"Michael Steele's comments regarding the war in Afghanistan are inexcusable. These comments are not just another gaffe that can be explained away, they represent a fundamental failure to understand the importance of winning the war on global extremism.
"Chairman Steele shouldn't need to be reminded that the war in Afghanistan was not a ‘war of Obama's choosing.' The Chairman of the RNC shouldn't need to be reminded that it was terrorists operating from bases in Afghanistan who started this war on September 11, 2001.
"Michael Steele is dead wrong; the war in Afghanistan is not lost. What is lost, however, is any shred of confidence that conservatives can have in his leadership at the RNC. This election cycle is simply too important to the future of the conservative movement and to the future of this country to be trusted to someone like Michael Steele."
June 30, 2010
Gay, Inc - The Puppets of the Big Union Bosses
Jimmy LaSalvia, Executive Director, "The decision by the leadership of the gay left to support the Arizona boycott over an issue totally unrelated to gay rights shows just how beholden they are to the union bosses."
(Washington, D.C.) - Today, GOProud, the only national organization of gay conservatives and their allies, responded to the decision of national gay groups, like the Human Rights Campaign and the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, to join in the boycott of Arizona over that state's recently passed legislation aimed at combating illegal immigration.
Jimmy LaSalvia, Executive Director:
"The decision by the leadership of the gay left to support the Arizona boycott over an issue totally unrelated to gay rights shows just how beholden they are to the union bosses.
"The Arizona boycott is being spear-headed by the Service Employees International Union, and the law at the center of the boycott has nothing even tangentially to do with the rights of gay and lesbian Americans lawfully in this country. The decision to participate in this boycott, over the objections of local groups like the Greater Phoenix Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, puts the interests of organized labor over those of the gay and lesbian Arizonans hurt by this protest.
"Whether it's current boycotts, like the Arizona boycott or the boycott of the Manchester Hyatt in San Diego, or previous boycotts, like the boycott of Coor's Brewing - Gay, Inc. is always willing to do the bidding of the big union bosses, regardless of its impact on gays and lesbians."
June 24, 2010
UPDATE: UNDER FIRE FOR THEIR ATTACKS ON THE 2nd AMENDMENT THE FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL HAS ‘CORRECTED’ THEIR ATTACKS ON GOPROUD. SEE HERE
In Case You Missed It: The Family Research Council and Liberal Claire McCaskill - Gun-Grabbing Birds of a Feather
Jimmy LaSalvia, Executive Director, "The Family Research Council attacked GOProud for supporting concealed carry legislation using the same tortured logic that liberal U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill did when she cast the deciding vote against this important 2nd Amendment issue."
(Washington, D.C.) - Today, GOProud, the only national organization of gay conservatives and their allies, responded to attacks from the anti-gay Family Research Council regarding GOProud's support the concealed carry reciprocity legislation offered by U.S. Senator John Thune (R-SD).
Jimmy LaSalvia, Executive Director:
"The big government crowd over at the Family Research Council is once again showing how little they care about core conservative values. The Family Research Council is using the same tortured logic that liberal U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) did when she cast the deciding vote against this important 2nd Amendment issue (see the attacks by FRC here and see McCaskill's comments here).
"Concealed carry reciprocity legislation is one of the most important 2nd Amendment issues in the country today, and the fact that the Family Research Council would join with gun-grabbing liberals in opposing this legislation speaks volumes about their priorities. The ugly truth is that Tony Perkins and company would sacrifice American's 2nd Amendment rights at the altar of anti-gay bigotry.
"Concealed carry reciprocity doesn't have anything to do with gay marriage - it's about ensuring the 2nd Amendment rights guaranteed to all citizens; and GOProud is committed to defending those rights whether the attacks come from the left or from the Family Research Council."
June 23, 2010 The Family Research Council Shows its True Colors
The Family Research Council attacks GOProud for Support of 2nd Amendment Rights, Tax Reform, and Free Market Healthcare Reform.
(Washington, D.C.) - Today, GOProud, the only national organization of gay conservatives and their allies, responded to attacks from the anti-gay Family Research Council (click here and here). "Over the last week, the Family Research Council has shown its true colors - attacking GOProud for working with the National Rifle Association and Gun Owners of America to protect 2nd Amendment rights, attacking GOProud for supporting cutting taxes on American families, and for supporting the free market healthcare reform proposal offered by Senators Richard Burr (R-NC) and Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK)," said Jimmy LaSalvia, Executive Director. "These attacks make it clear the Family Research Council doesn't care one iota about the conservative agenda."
GOProud isn't the only organization that has come under fire from Tony Perkins and company. In March, Perkins attacked tea party organizations, Freedom Works, and the Contract from America (click here). Perkins' attacks followed former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee's criticism of the Conservative Political Action Conference, an event GOProud sponsored. "We wear attacks from Tony Perkins and the Family Research Council as badges of honor," said Christopher Barron, Chairman of GOProud's Board. "The rise of the new right and the tea party movement in this country is a total repudiation of their ‘big government conservatism."
"Tony Perkins and his cronies at the Family Research Council aren't for limited government," continued Barron. "They support policies, like the federalization of marriage and family laws, which would represent one of the greatest usurpation of state's rights in the history of this country."
"Tony Perkins referred to GOProud's opposition to the death tax and Obamacare as ‘radical' and has singled out our organization's support for urban economic empowerment zones first championed by conservative icon Jack Kemp (click here)," said LaSalvia. "Maybe Tony Perkins could explain to conservatives everywhere exactly what is so radical about supporting these conservative policies?"
"Big government conservatives like Tony Perkins and Mike Huckabee are dinosaurs, headed to political extinction. The truth is that the conservative movement has moved on, and has done so without them," concluded LaSalvia.
June 15, 2010 Conservative Leader Grover Norquist and Fox News Contributor Margaret Hoover Join GOProud's Advisory Council Christopher R. Barron, Chairman of the GOProud Board - "Grover Norquist and Margaret Hoover are two of the most respected names in the conservative movement. We are honored to have them as part of the GOProud team."
(Washington, D.C.) - Today, GOProud, the only national organization of gay conservatives and their allies, announced that conservative leader Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform, and Fox News contributor Margaret Hoover are joining the GOProud Advisory Council. "Grover Norquist and Margaret Hoover are two of the most respected names in the conservative movement," said Christopher Barron, Chairman of GOProud's Board. "We are honored to have them as part of the GOProud team." "GOProud is an important part of the conservative movement," said Norquist. "I am proud to join GOProud's Board of Advisors and to help in advancing their common-sense conservative agenda of limited government, lower taxes and individual liberty." Grover Norquist is one of the most important conservative leaders in the country. He is president of Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), a taxpayer advocacy group he founded in 1985 at President Reagan's request. ATR is a coalition of taxpayer groups, individuals and businesses opposed to higher taxes at the federal, state and local levels. ATR organizes the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, which asks all candidates for federal and state office to commit themselves in writing to oppose all tax increases.
Norquist chairs the Washington, DC - based "Wednesday Meeting," a weekly gathering of more than 150 elected officials, political activists, and movement leaders. The meeting started in 1993 and takes place in ATR's conference room. There are now 61 similar "center-right" meetings in 46 states. He lives in Washington, DC with his wife, Samah and his daughters, Grace and Giselle. Grover's complete bio can be found here "I share GOProud's commitment to core conservative values. GOProud has proven itself to be a powerful voice for gay conservatives and their straight allies," said Hoover. "I am pleased to be joining their Board of Advisors and look forward to working to advance their critical mission." Margaret Hoover is a television and radio commentator on issues ranging from American politics to pop-culture. A Fox News Contributor, she has guest co-hosted The View on ABC, and has appeared on NBC, CBS, PBS and CNN. In on-air appearances and speeches, she has become known as an advocate for reforming the Republican Party through renewed emphasis on the conservative principles of individual freedom, fiscal responsibility and strong national defense. Ms. Hoover held a White House appointment in the Bush Administration where she served as the Associate Director in the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. A veteran of two Presidential efforts, Ms. Hoover worked on President Bush's re-election campaign and for Rudy Giuliani's presidential bid. Ms. Hoover recently joined the Advisory Board of the American Foundation for Equal Rights, the organization leading the fight for marriage equality through the groundbreaking federal court case to overturn California's Proposition 8. She lives in New York City with her husband John Avlon. Margaret's full bio can be found here Norquist and Hoover join Fox News analyst and national conservative radio talk show host Tammy Bruce on GOProud's Advisory Council. Bruce serves as Chair of the Advisory Council. "GOProud continues to gain momentum and grow every single day. The addition of high profile conservative leaders like Grover Norquist, Margaret Hoover and Tammy Bruce to GOProud's leadership team speaks volumes about the power of our message and the success of our organization," concluded Barron.
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