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Log Cabin Republicans honor Kellyanne Conway & Caitlyn Jenner at “Spirit of Lincoln” gala

Conway opposes same-sex marriage. Jenner opposes trans athletes in sports. The LCR still gave them awards.
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Caitlyn Jenner
Caitlyn Jenner Photo: Shutterstock

The gay conservative group the Log Cabin Republicans (LCR) has given its Spirit of Lincoln Award to Kellyanne Conway, former adviser to former President Donald Trump; its Game Changer Award to transgender millionaire Caitlyn Jenner; and its Outspoken Award to Iranian political reformer Reza Pahlavi.

Conway and Jenner have made anti-LGBTQ+ comments. Conway has supported Trump’s Islamophobia, spoken at anti-LGBTQ+ hate group summits, and has justified anti-LGBTQ+ protestors at drag events as just parents defending their children. Jenner, a trans female athlete, supports banning trans women from competitive sports. It’s unclear whether Pahlavi has ever made anti-LGBTQ+ comments, though his speech at the Gala echoed some homonationalist sentiments that have been used as justifications for military violence against Middle Eastern countries.

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The group handed out the awards at its “Spirit of Lincoln” Gala last Saturday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, California.

Conway’s daughter, Claudia Conway (who is gay) introduced her mother at the event, saying, “It is an honor and a privilege to stand here tonight to introduce a woman who has not only saved my life but has also left an indelible mark on the United States forever.”

“In a world where the political climate has become harsh and divisive, coming out as gay was something that I feared. I feared not being accepted by my family and my community. But that was very far from the truth,” Claudia Conway continued. “My mother’s support was not just a passive acknowledgment, but an active, affirming stance that not only supported myself, but millions of Americans.”

Kellyanne Conway supported Trump despite his being the most anti-LGBTQ+ president of all time. She has spoken at the summits of two anti-LGBTQ+ groups: The Family Leader and the Family Research Council. She has referred to a PBS kids’ show that featured lesbian parents as one of the “outside, external influences corrupting [kids’] minds and their bodies,” and has referred to marriage equality rulings as an attempt to “redefine” family to be “whatever feels cool.” She has also blamed Democrats and the media for pushing LGBTQ+ issues into schools, supposedly causing children to learn nothing about civics, GLAAD noted.

Video of Conway and Jenner’s speeches weren’t available online at the time of publication. However, a brief clip of Jenner’s speech showed her calling for the Pledge of Allegiance to be recited at public schools and praising the U.S. flag as “the most respected flag in the world.” Jenner later posted a message on X, formerly known as Twitter, thanking former NBA player Lamar Odom (ex-husband of Jenner’s stepdaughter, Khloe Kardashian) for supporting her at the LCR gala.

Jenner supported Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign but withdrew her support of Trump in October 2018, saying he “relentlessly attacked” the trans community by rolling back protections for trans students and banning trans people from the U.S. military. However, in 2021, she said, “Obviously I would support” Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.

During her barely existent 2021 campaign for California governor, she came out against allowing trans girls to participate on sports teams matching their gender identity. Jenner and other conservatives who share her view believe that pubertal changes give trans girls unfair physical advantages over their cisgender opponents and “erase” women’s hard-won victories in sports. Critics of this position point out that sexism and poor funding are the actual issues harming women’s sports.

Jenner has attacked at least one trans athlete and celebrity by misgendering them. She has also claimed that the “radical left” (meaning Democrats) has “hijacked and politicized yet another minority group” by supporting trans people. Some LGBTQ+ activists have criticized her for chasing headlines and encouraging transphobia while being out of touch with the lives of trans people who are not millionaires.

Pahlavi advocates for Iranian queer community during gala speech

In his speech at the LCR gala, Pahlavi spoke of the “Iranian LGBT community, who have been forced to live in fear and silence for 44 years [under]… a state policy to wipe them out.” He added, “In Iran, the clock has been turned back to the Dark Ages. Under these, LGBT individuals have been stormed, hung by construction cranes in public squares, tortured and raped in jail, forced to undergo gender reassignment surgeries and other aspects of war crimes.”

He mentioned that Sunni Muslims, Shiite Muslims, atheists, and Jewish people living in Iran do not support anti-queer violence in the region, commenting, “The Iranian people, gay or straight, conservative and liberal, religious and secular, moderate. Republicans, rural and urban, have come together as one united nation in their fight against a criminal regime that has occupied our great nations for far too long. They truly deserve your outspoken award, because not only are they speaking out for their freedom, they are fighting for it.”

“We envision a future with the rise of citizens — irrespective of their gender, faith or sexuality — will have their fundamental human rights respected,” he continued. “We envision a future where Iranians, Israelis, and Arabs can live side-by-side, not only in peace or in prosperity, a coalition of the willing to replace this regime.”

Pahlavi’s plea for regime change in the region somewhat echoes anti-Iranian “homonationalist” sentiment common around pro-gay conservatives. Homonationalism sometimes points to foreign governments’ policies against the LGBTQ+ community as justifications for military violence against people of color, immigrants, Muslims, and others, in both the U.S. and in foreign countries.

The LCR has been compared to “Jews for Hitler.” It has defended Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill by comparing its opponents to pedophiles who have “wet dreams of gender fluid, indoctrinated, and groomed children.” The group’s president, Charles Moran, has written op-eds opposing transgender civil rights and also the Equality Act, legislation seeking LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination protections. Earlier this year, the group named a straight self-described homophobe as one of its ambassadors.

The group’s executive director, Jerri Ann Henry, called U.S. President Donald Trump’s numerous anti-LGBTQ+ policies “hiccups.” The organization also endorsed 14 anti-LGBTQ+ Republicans during the 2018 midterm elections and 12 anti-LGBTQ+ extremists in 2020, including Donald Trump, Mike Pence, and a woman who thinks pedophiles are part of the LGBTQ+ community.

More recently, Texas LCR members joined armed extremists to protest a drag show. The national organization continues to praise Trump and never condemned his incitement of the January 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

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