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GOProud Board President Sticks By Herman Cain After ‘Homosexuality Is A Sin’ Comment

by Frances Martel | 4:37 pm, June 9th, 2011

» 31 comments

Surprisingly competitive 2012 Republican candidate Herman Cain has mostly made a name for himself by promising a healthy economy and and a strong pro-Israel foreign policy, but today he is making headlines for his admission that he believes homosexuality is a “sin” and a “choice.” This belief may put him at odds with some of his loudest supporters on the right– namely, the members of GOProud, the controversial gay conservative group. But GOProud board chairman Chris Barron is standing by Cain in a statement released earlier today.

While many stalwart conservatives have gone to bat for Cain since his breakout performance at the Fox News debate, GOProud– and Barron in particular– have been vocal in insisting that Cain not be dismissed due to his corporate experience and his unhesitating honesty in adhering to his beliefs. After that first debate, GOProud lauded Cain for his support of the Fair Tax. Barron later wrote in the Daily Caller that Cain was the only night’s winner that actually attended the debate (besides Sarah Palin). Up until this morning, it was safe to say that Cain had a friendly symbiotic relationship with gay conservatives.

And not all of them have forsaken him. Barron wrote a post in defense of him almost immediately after his comments, as, he says, his personal opinion has no bearing on how he would govern. “The bottom line is that Herman Cain’s personal position on whether being gay is a sin or a choice has no bearing on whether the policies he supports would be good for gay and lesbian Americans,” he says, while openly disagreeing with his claim. He continues:

The truth is that Herman Cain is running on a campaign centered on conservative policies that would improve the lives of all Americans – including gay Americans. Herman Cain supports the Fair Tax – a proposal that would not only jump start our economy, and free up much needed capital, but a proposal that would also eliminate inequity in the tax code – immediately putting treating gay couples the same way straight couples are treated.

Herman Cain supports repealing Obamacare and replacing it with a market based solution that would lower costs across the system, empower individuals and increase the gay people’s access to insurance policies that offer domestic partner benefits.

Herman Cain understands the real and present danger that the spread of radical Islam poses to our way of life. Herman Cain hasn’t been shy about speaking out about the need to confront and stop the spread of radical Islam – a barbaric ideology that brutalizes women, religious minorities and gays.

For Barron, it appears, what President Cain would do in practice is far more important than what he might say in theory. Part of the reason Cain can receive this sort of treatment after said comments compared to, say, Rick Santorum, is that Cain never promised to be a social libertarian, but until now he also never gave the impression he judged others for their lifestyles. His website’s “Faith and Family” section noticeably says nothing about abortion or gay marriage, instead highlighting the Cold War and the fight against communism as examples of how faith can strengthen the nation. He has also said that he has nothing against appointing qualified openly gay people to his Cabinet, as long as they loved America (which garnered kudos once again from Barron, particularly because it was said in front of a “family values” group).

To a certain extent, his insistence that “that’s their choice” in the CBS interview today is consistent with this. He implies more that he believes people have the right to choose to be gay than that he looks down open LGBT people for “choosing” to sin. He responds that it is a “sin” because the Bible says so, but he never insists that everyone should be forced to follow the rules of the Bible like he does. In fact, the lack of specific promotion of faith in his campaign– other than faith in God in some form that is not the radicalized Islamic version of that ideal– indicates that he doesn’t think anyone cares about how he personally prays. His statement appears to be one made out of ignorance to the consequences of alienating an entire segment of society marked by an immutable characteristic, not one of malicious intent or bigotry. If he had spoken out of hate, he would never have taken the risk of telling a socially conservative group that he has no problem appointing an openly gay person to his Cabinet.

But as much as his statement, in theory, may do nothing to prevent his Fair Tax initiatives from helping gay couples move towards economic equality (as Barron argues), so too his apparent lack of malice does nothing to assuage the negative impact of having a high-profile, respected political thinker proclaim that those born gay could simply choose not to be. This is the key problematic element to his statements that supporters like Barron ignore when they don’t give said statements a full-throated challenge.

The promulgation of the lie that LGBT people consciously decide they will adopt an entirely new set of social challenges because alternate sexualities are just that appealing implicitly permits and encourages discrimination. Most sins are not punishable by law, but society certainly treats sinners differently from non-sinners. A society where a trait not of one’s choosing could label one a sinner is one in which the public humiliation of a person because of that trait becomes not only acceptable, but encouraged. Society promotes the ridicule of sinners because sins hurt individuals and the fabric of society– no one really feels sorry for Newt Gingrich or Rep. Anthony Weiner because their choices directly led to their demise and damaged others. Encouraging this sort of attitude towards someone for something they did not choose creates a Kafkaesque situation where the individual has no comprehension of their misdeeds and sees no negative impact to their natural way of being. The confusion directly leads to tragedies like the recent wave of gay teen suicides, the most prominent among which was the suicide of Rutgers student Tyler Clementi.

It is clear from the collected statements of Herman Cain that he does not understand how his declaration that he believes homosexuality is a sin– maybe not murder, but more like adultery– trickles down within the social sphere in a way that drives innocent people to suicide. Cain has strong gay allies that understand where he is coming from, like Barron, who have collectively worked wonders to make him a surprise frontrunner. What he needs is not to be scolded for his beliefs, but to be enlightened into changing them. Cain’s reaction to his Palestinian Right of Return gaffe has proven that he is amenable to adapting his thinking to the facts, and unashamed to say he once got something wrong. Herman Cain is not alone in his misconceptions. While the term has grown to be somewhat of a punchline, the moment is ripe for a “teachable moment”– a GOProud-hosted event about perceptions of homosexuality and true tolerance of the LGBT condition, with special guest Herman Cain. All of conservative America’s eyes will be glued to the discussion– Herman Cain is a big draw, if you haven’t heard– and only good could come out of the continued interaction between conservatives and groups they have traditionally avoided. Or they could do what they did the last time social conservatives boycotted an event in their name: throw a giant dance party.

2012 elections, Chris Barron, GOProud, Herman Cain, LGBT issues, Republicans

http://TheDividedStatesBlog.com Publius219

As a straight, white, educated, upper-middle class, (formerly) Christian male in the United States in the late 20th/21st century, I’ve never really experienced open discrimination. But I’ve never understood how a group like GOProud could support the GOP, when the GOP platform relegates them to some subset of human beings, where you’re almost okay, you just can’t get married or have certain legal rights that the rest of us more privileged can have.
cjd ohio 1

drive innocent people to suicide………wow
cjd ohio 1

his declaration………..wow… he answered a question
WCinWI

As I said, GOProud is proudly in the Palin column. Count it. :)
Tedderman

Cain/Santorum 2012 “Go Proud America”

A great pair, with a great slogan for America’s future.
Thelonious Funk

Four legs good, two legs bad.
Mateo1970

The analysis in the article makes no sense. I assume Cain also believes that alcoholics also choose a sinful lifestyle, as well as wife-swappers, pedophiles, and meth heads. Does anyone really think he embraces those constituencies? And keep in mind, we are not talking about people who repent and are looking for redemption: members of GOProud embrace homosexuality (which Cain calls sin). If you ask Herman about those who literally embrace evil as good, I guarantee he says they are scum. Not too many alcoholics or meth heads are embracing and celebrating that as a healthy and normal lifestyle as GOProud does. So Cain definitely looks down on them as very sick people.
J Baustian

Who is Frances Martel and why is she writing for Mediaite? She makes the others look like middle-schoolers.
http://TheDividedStatesBlog.com Publius219

J Baustian said:
Who is Frances Martel and why is she writing for Mediaite? She makes the others look like middle-schoolers.

I always thought it was sort of an androgynous name.
btimsah

Herman Cain needs to go back to running God Fathers.

Mateo1970 said:
The analysis in the article makes no sense. I assume Cain also believes that alcoholics also choose a sinful lifestyle, as well as wife-swappers, pedophiles, and meth heads. Does anyone really think he embraces those constituencies? And keep in mind, we are not talking about people who repent and are looking for redemption: members of GOProud embrace homosexuality (which Cain calls sin). If you ask Herman about those who literally embrace evil as good, I guarantee he says they are scum. Not too many alcoholics or meth heads are embracing and celebrating that as a healthy and normal lifestyle as GOProud does. So Cain definitely looks down on them as very sick people.

The difference is, you idiot, that homosexuality is not an ACT – it’s an orientation. Acts of sex are separate from your orientation and therefore Cain is wrong in this as he is in almost everything else.

He was wrong about supporting the bailouts too. Get used to it, he’s always wrong. But he is black and says some cool stuff. The guy’s a moron if he thinks being gay is a choice and so are you if you think that.
BatBoy

Publius219 said:
But I’ve never understood how a group like GOProud could support the GOP, when the GOP platform relegates them to some subset of human beings

That is because you are NOT very Educated!

Nice Try Brainiac!
http://TheDividedStatesBlog.com Publius219

BatBoy said:
:

I’ve long lived by the axiom that anyone who randomly capitalizes words in sentences probably isn’t saying anything worth reading anyway. And, of course, education equates with intelligence.
RockingChair

Frances, could you be any more partisan? This man said last night that he would sign no bill longer than 3 pages! That, along with his desire to build a wall on the border similar in size to the Great Wall of China should automatically disqualify him from the race.
catfishjuggling

You want to talk about a sin? You ever eaten at Godfather’s Pizza? That place is a crime against nature.
BOMBSHELL

GOProud had BETTER stick by Herman Cain; he’s the REAL deal!

catfishjuggling said:
You want to talk about a sin? You ever eaten at Godfather’s Pizza? That place is a crime against nature.

bullshit. YOU LIE!
BOMBSHELL

RockingChair said:
Frances, could you be any more partisan? This man said last night that he would sign no bill longer than 3 pages! That, along with his desire to build a wall on the border similar in size to the Great Wall of China should automatically disqualify him from the race.

You don’t know what you’re talking about. He was making a humorous comment that the libtard media repeated TOTALLY out of context. You must be one of those dolts who get their news from moveon or the che’ guiverra press.
Yoda002

The Republicans are stinking it up. It looks like they may have to bring the Maverick bus out of the Smithsonian for one last go around.
Rokker

Cain is turning into a bigger clown than Palin if that is possible. LOL
Just4thefax

Publius219 said:
As a straight, white, educated, upper-middle class, (formerly) Christian male in the United States in the late 20th/21st century, I’ve never really experienced open discrimination. But I’ve never understood how a group like GOProud could support the GOP, when the GOP platform relegates them to some subset of human beings, where you’re almost okay, you just can’t get married or have certain legal rights that the rest of us more privileged can have.

Fact: GOP family doesn’t feel the effects of Christian or manmade laws. Our daily morals leading us in a path that all the laws around us are invisible and do not hang like a weight on our necks causing pain or indifference. Those who live on the edge and don’t carry the light and that have no morality can have such pain. Unless you move to a 3rd world and all goes and all are equal under dictatorship you should adapt. I can see how life is a big problem and is hard to navigate. My advice is change and move into the light. I little dignity goes a long way even for a liberal democrat.
TampopoLoco

What drugs are Republicans on if they believe that one black man could possibly replace another black man as president in America? Crazy mofo’s!!
http://politicallyincorrectlibertarian.wordpress.com PoliticallyIncorrectLibertarian

Cain also supports the second amendment, something you need regardless of sexual orientation.
http://libertarians4freedom.blogspot.com/
Just4thefax

TampopoLoco said:
What drugs are Republicans on if they believe that one black man could possibly replace another black man as president in America? Crazy mofo’s!!

Fact: Here is another reason to vote for GOP.
hyenas

I stopped reading immediately as soon as I noticed your slant, Frances. “Some of his loudest supporters”? Give me a break. GOProud is a fringe GOP group that is far surpassed in members by the Tea Party (whose members are currently split right now between Cain and Paul).
http://www.facebook.com/people/Michael-Equality-Barber/100000327055940 Michael Equality Barber

Dear Mr. Cain,

If you are willing to look at scientifically proven facts and put aside your cutl’s myth, then please read the conclusions of the European Neurobiological Society that prove without a doubt that human sexual orientation is hard wired at birth. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/226963.php

Just as your ancestors had to live under the gross abuse of the buybull’s “…slaves, obey your masters…” junk, so have we LGBT people had to live with Paul’s crap and Leviticus’ shit which applied only to Jews in the first damn place.
Glackin

Three page laws? There goes the Constitution.
What is that, his attention span?
Is GOProud a sub-chapter of the deSade Society?
Moishgil

GOP: Greed & alligators will save America http://exm.nr/k7zF2l
billwhit1357

Anyone with half a brain knows that in the Bible it says no man shall lie with another man, it is a sin. But, of course, the Porgressive Puke Left hates the Bible, hates God, hates America, hates the Constitution, hates everything decent, but if it is a sinful act, low life, criminal, sexual deviante, and against society, they grasp at it and say it is GOOD! Mr Cain is a good Christian and speaks the truth. He brings with him experience in business and producing jobs. What did Obambi bring with him? Nothing, no past record worth spitting on, only a Community Agitator job with corrupt ACORN! I will vote for anyone but the Fool, Obama, in 2012!
bodi1313

Thank you Chris Barron, for your continued support. My son is gay, so I do care.
I appreciate all your reasons for supporting Mr. Cain.. he has my vote.

Atlanta, GA
MADMAN

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You Need A New Middle Name

People are born with genetic defects, as well. “Homosexuality as inborn” is not the yellow brick road to gay rights you act like it is.

And Christians started the Abolitionist movement, so nice try pulling the race card.and anti-religious bigotry at the same time.
You Need A New Middle Name

People are born with genetic defects, as well. “Homosexuality as inborn” is not the yellow brick road to gay rights you act like it is.

And Christians started the Abolitionist movement, so nice try pulling the race card.and anti-religious bigotry at the same time.