The Log Cabin Republicans are the nation’s largest Republican organization that serves both LGBTQ+ conservatives and their allies. Starting in California in the late 1970s, the movement was sparked by former President Ronald Reagan’s opposition to the Briggs Initiative, a California measure attempting to keep gay and lesbian people and their supporters from teaching public schools.

The organization has since worked inside the Republican Party and in Washington to educate and emphasize the importance of LGBT issues.

The founding director of Loyola Marymount University’s LGBTQ+ Politics Research Initiative, Gabriele Magni, feels it’s important to distinguish between Republican voters and the party overall.

“In the last 15-20 years, support for LGBTQ+ rights among Republican voters has steadily increased, most notably for issues concerning primarily gay and lesbian individuals such as same-sex marriage. In the same timeframe, the Republican Party has not become significantly more supportive of LGBTQ rights,” Magni said.

The pattern of using anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric to gain support is still being used by today’s 2024 Republican presidential candidates. For example, in June 2023, Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley blamed cisgender teenage girl suicides on having to share locker rooms with trans girls.

Regardless, an Oct. 2022 report from the Human Rights Campaign found that LGBTQ+ voters are one of the fastest growing voter blocs in the country and will represent nearly a fifth of voters by 2040.

One of the most important states that can show who voters will turn to and what’s to come in the presidential election is Iowa. This year’s Republican Iowa Caucus will happen on Jan. 15, and LGBTQ+ Republicans are waiting to see if the issues of their community will be addressed by their party’s 2024 candidates.

As Trump leads, the showdown for second place emerges

For Log Cabin Republicans California chairman Matthew Craffey, they are looking forward to seeing who ends up being second place to Trump.

“I’m curious to see who comes away the winner for second place…Desantis or Haley. My sense is Trump will win 1st place by 20 points or more, but we’ll see,” Craffey said.

According to a Jan. 10 poll from Reuters, Trump is currently the preferred candidate of 49% of those who self-identify as Republican, with Haley in second place with 12%.

While other states hold a primary where voters can place their ballot early or attend Election Day, Iowa’s Republicans “hold a caucus for people to gather at their voting precinct at the same time … to listen to speeches from campaign representatives, fill out ballots and, if they want, watch the votes get tallied,” according to a Jan. 10 article from the Washington Post. It serves as a testing ground for Republican candidates as well as their platforms.

However, when it comes to how Republican candidates and voters will approach LGBTQ+ equality at the Iowa Caucus, Magni is unsure if the event will be a genuine first look of what’s to come.

“So far, Republican candidates have largely taken positions against LGBTQ+ equality. Part of this has to do with tactical considerations. In primary elections, those who show up and vote tend to be the more committed activists. In the Republican Party, these activists tend to be quite conservative, including in a state like Iowa,” Magni said.

From Craffey’s point of view, there will likely be more focus on other issues such as inflation, Ukraine, and border security.

In the latest Republican debate Jan. 10, DeSantis and Haley talked about their support for Israel, abortions and Social Security, but LGBTQ+ issues were not discussed.

“I think those rank at the top of voters’ concerns, though I do also think it’s positive to note that unlike what you would have likely heard even 10 years ago, you don’t hear any of these candidates calling for a return to ‘traditional marriage’ or things like that,” Craffey said.

In August 2023, Haley at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox stated that she supports freedom when it comes to same-sex marriage, an Aug. 12 article from the Iowa Capital Dispatch reported. DeSantis supports the right for churches to refuse to perform same-sex marriages, but supports the legalization, reiterated in a Sept. 2023 interview on CBS Evening News.

Speaking for them and not the Log Cabin Republicans as a whole, Craffey supports the way Trump approaches these issues and supports the LGBTQ+ community.

“He was the first President to come into office supporting same-sex marriage, promoted openly gay people to the highest positions in his cabinet, and has hosted our organization at Mar-a-Lago several times, giving his full support to the work we do,” Craffey said.

The Log Cabin Republicans as an overall party have openly not supported Trump and his platform in the past. On Oct. 18, 2016, the board of the Log Cabin Republicans “narrowly” voted to not endorse Trump in the presidential election.

Former Log Cabin Republicans president Gregory T. Angelo in an Oct. 2016 interview with Politico said that Trump “presented enough reservations such that the board did not feel comfortable putting the full face of our 40-year-old brand behind the Republican Party’s nominee for president.”

Nevertheless, the organization endorsed Trump in 2019. The party used reasons such as tax cuts and Trump’s commitment to end HIV/AIDS in ten years to support their decision, an Aug. 2019 article from NBC News reported.

Angelo even had a change of heart as well that year, posting on X in Aug. 2019, “BRAVO to ⁦@LogCabinGOP⁩ for endorsing ⁦@realDonaldTrump⁩ for reelection — this statement reads like it could have been issued in 2016 (and it should have been!).”

What’s next

Today, Log Cabin Republicans are still urging the public to #JoinTheFight, hosting events like last November’s Spirit of Lincoln Gala to raise awareness about their mission.

The power of the LGBTQ+ community, who currently represents about 7% of the U.S. population, will show itself during the general election, according to Magni.

“LGBTQ+ people also have family and friends who deeply care about their wellbeing, and who are therefore unlikely to support candidates hostile to LGBTQ+ people and rights. Finally, young voters tend to be significantly more pro-LGBTQ+ equality and might be turned off by anti-LGBTQ+ candidates,” Magni said.

A 2023 study by the Pew Research Center found that “younger voters, Black voters and those living in urban areas continued to support Democratic candidates while older, White and rural voters backed Republicans.”

As for who supports same-sex marriage by age in 2023, a study by Statista found that 89% of the American 18 to 29 year olds surveyed supported it compared to 60% of those 65 years old and older.

When it comes to gaining LGBTQ+ support despite a history of censorship and criticism, Craffey said a first place for candidates to start is with their approach.

“I would like to see more ads, more aggressive outreach, and more qualified candidates from our community running for office,” Craffey said.

For Magni, however, there is a need to address the bills that are being introduced in states across the country.

“The first crucial step would be to stop the escalation of anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced in many states across the country, but that will probably hardly happen in an election year,” Magni said.