Gay Republican complains about not getting LGBTQ+ org’s endorsement despite anti-trans statements

A gay Republican in New Jersey is complaining that his identity didn’t secure him an endorsement from an LGBTQ+ organization despite his anti-transgender statements.

Out entrepreneur Curtis Bashaw won the GOP primary to run for a U.S. Senate seat left open by the resignation of Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ). Garden State Equality, a large LGBTQ+ organization in the state, released its endorsements yesterday, and it backed the Democrat, Rep. Andrew Kim (D-NJ), instead of Bashaw, in the Senate race.

Related:

New Jersey governor protects trans youth seeking health care with executive order

The Garden State is becoming “a safe haven for those seeking or providing gender-affirming health care.”

“It’s absurd,” said Jeanette Hoffman, a spokesperson for the Bashaw campaign. “There’s a historic opportunity to elect the first openly gay U.S. Senator in New Jersey history, and Garden State Equality made their endorsement based on partisan politics.”

Your LGBTQ+ guide to Election 2024

Stay ahead of the 2024 Election with our newsletter that covers candidates, issues, and perspectives that matter.

Daily

Weekly

Good News

While his campaign argued that his identity should have been enough to get him the group’s endorsement, Garden State Equality Action Fund chair Jeannine Frisby LaRue explained that the group’s endorsement came down to the answers each candidate gave to the group’s policy questionnaire.

“While Curtis Bashaw’s potential election to the U.S. Senate would indeed be historic, after careful review of his responses to our questionnaire, it is clear that his positions do not meet our criteria for being a true pro-equality candidate,” she said in a statement. 

“As a woman of color who has broken barriers in my own career, I understand the importance of representation. However, representation alone cannot outweigh the need for leaders who prioritize the safety and well-being of the LGBTQ+ community, especially our youth. Curtis Bashaw’s responses fell short of the commitment we require from those seeking our endorsement.”

The group didn’t say exactly what policy positions they were referring to beyond “our youth” – trans youth have been under repeated attack in state legislatures across the country for the past several years – but Bashaw has made anti-LGBTQ+ statements in the past. Earlier this year, Bashaw, a Trump supporter, complained about how “parental rights” are being diminished by gender-affirming surgery being performed on children without parental consent, something that is not happening and is a myth made up to argue against trans rights.

In a June interview with the Washington Examiner, Bashaw complained about trans people participating in school sports, referring to trans girls as “biological males.”

“It’s a difficult thing for women to have biological males competing in female sports,” he said. “These social issues are raised to a prominence that is exhausting people.”

Kim, on the other hand, is a co-sponsor of the Equality Act, which would add sexual orientation and gender identity as protected categories in federal civil rights law.

Garden State Equality also endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president, as well as the Democratic candidates in the state’s twelve congressional districts.

Don't forget to share: