Lucas Case is a gay Republican.
The 24-year-old Branson man, who until recently was U.S. Senate candidate Sarah Steelman's political director, is very unhappy about how his party treats gays and lesbians. Like so many people like him — and there are many in the Republican Party — he has heard the slurs, sat through meetings in which gays were bashed, and watched the party develop more and more anti-gay positions.
He's sick of it.
Not long ago he called me and asked if I'd help him get his story out.
"I think people should know there are a lot of gay Republicans," Mr. Case said. "It shouldn't be an issue."
But it is a very big issue indeed. Missouri Republicans were key to a constitutional amendment passing overwhelmingly in 2004 prohibiting same-sex marriages. They generally opposed the effort by President Barack Obama to get rid of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that banned gay servicemen and women from being honest about their sexuality.
Recently, Texas Gov. Rick Perry released an anti-gay ad in Iowa, trying to revive his moribund presidential campaign. The idea was to ingratiate himself with the state's evangelical Christian voters.
A national organization of gay Republicans called GOProud, of which Mr. Case is affiliated, lashed out at the hypocrisy of the ad, pointing out that one of Mr. Perry's top political advisers is gay.
The group later apologized for "outing" the pollster.
Mr. Case, on the other hand, wants more gay Republicans to out themselves. Only then, he says, will Republican elected officials who are gay, or have gay family members, stop bashing gays for votes.
"People are just hypocrites," Mr. Case said.
When he worked for top Missouri GOP strategist David Barklage, Mr. Case frequently walked the halls of the Capitol. He'd interact with other secretly gay Republicans, elected and staff. Then he'd watch in disgust as some of those same individuals would go to the floor to vote against legislation that would offer the same civil rights to gays that other Missourians have.
I met Mr. Case when he was a college student at Ozarks Technical College in Springfield, leading that school's Young Republicans. He was a vocal young presence at the annual Lincoln Days Republican gathering that year. I knew then he'd make a name for himself in the party.
I didn't imagine it would be this way.
Mr. Case is well aware of the backlash he's about to face. He's already seen hatred sent his way on Facebook and Twitter as he's been supporting proposals that keep the government out of people's personal lives — the very concept that led him to the Republican Party in the first place.
Just this week, a Republican posted a note on Ms. Steelman's Facebook page, asking about Mr. Case's comments about gay issues.
Ms. Steelman's response: She pointed out Mr. Case no longer works for the campaign. And for good measure she reiterated her opposition to same-sex marriage.
Mr. Case won't comment on Ms. Steelman's response, other than to say she long knew he was gay, and that issue had nothing to do with why he no longer works for her campaign.
Gay Republicans are good enough to hire, apparently, just as long as they stay quiet in the back of the campaign bus.
— Tony Messenger
