Florida Tea Party Leader Bashes Gay GOP Group

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Danita Kilcullen, the founder of a Florida Tea Party group, accused the Florida Republican party of being taken over by “gay thugs.”

In an email written earlier in November and obtained by the Florida Sun-Sentinel, Kilcullen argued that the Log Cabin Republicans, a pro-same-sex GOP group, has “all but taken over” the Broward Republican Executive Committee. Kilcullen called the Log Cabin Republicans a “thug organization” motivated by their own “special interests.”

In the email Kilcullen also warns that she would be “damned” if she was forced to hire someone with tattoos, piercings, or a man in a dress, a reference to the Senate’s passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA).

Read the email below:

“We must fight with all we have… We must put pressure on the House like has never been seen before. I’ll be damned if I will ever be forced to hire someone with orange hair, body/neck/face covered with tattoos, multiple piercings, or a man in a dress… or for that matter, a demonstrative effeminate male or purposeful butch-looking female. The Log Cabins are the same lobbyist organization that has all but taken over BREC; and besides that, we have someone on the Board of BREC who is using her position to openly put pressure on some BREC members to stand for same-sex marriage.

 

This is the same group who, based on nothing other than his recent stand for gay marriage, supports Chris Christie and who publicly worked against Cuccinelli for his stand for traditional marriage. Keep in mind, this is a thug organization with only their own “special interests” in play. I wonder what they will do with democrat Charlie Crist now running for governor? I’m betting on them to vote for Charlie, along with some other mousey republicans. I will now be accused of ‘splitting’ BREC. I am not! I am in standing with the Republican Platform, which is what I stated the very night I was sworn-on to BREC. We must stop this in short!

Kilcullen’s email, according to the Sun-Sentinel, was in response to a press release from Broward Log Cabin Republican member Andy Eddy praising the Senate’s passage of ENDA. Below is Eddy’s email:

Log Cabin Republicans Praises Senate Passage of ENDA, Unveils GOP House Strategy

 

Washington, D.C. — Today, the United States Senate passed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), legislation which provides employment protections for LGBT individuals in the workplace, with the votes of 10 Republicans. Log Cabin Republicans Executive Director Gregory T. Angelo issued the following statement:

 

After languishing in legislative limbo for 17 years, ENDA has finally passed the United States Senate in a vote that would not have been possible had Republicans not provided the margin of victory on the critical cloture vote earlier in the week.

 

While many are already beginning to wave the white flag on passage of ENDA in the House, Log Cabin Republicans has an optimistic view having recently met with nearly 50 House Republicans making the case that no one should be fired simply because they’re gay. We are also encouraged by recent polling that finds a majority of Republicans in the U.S. are in favor of ENDA’s passage. The House GOP also just recently overwhelmingly passed legislation that, like ENDA, explicitly includes protections for LGBT individuals — the Violence Against Women Act.

 

Undoubtedly, the Republican Party is going through a cultural shift as more Republican legislators consistently step up for LGBT Americans. LCR believes this momentum already existing in the Party will help propel this bill to the House floor. Once there, we’re confident it will pass. We encourage GOP House leadership of the 113th Congress to allow a conscience vote on ENDA and make history once again.

(h/t: Thinkprogress)

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