As the world condemns Donald Trump, the silence from America’s biggest LGBT+ Republican group is deafening
Extremist Donald Trump supporters enter the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in Washington, DC. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty)
The Log Cabin Republicans, the largest LGBT+ Republican group in the United States, has said nothing about the US Capitol riots that broke out on Wednesday (7 January) – and the silence is deafening.
The world watched in horror on Wednesday when a violent pro-Trump mob descended on the Capitol, forcing lawmakers to be evacuated. Four people died, one of whom was shot by police.
The Capitol riots have left people across the United States stunned, with even some Republicans now calling Trump out and consigning his lies about election fraud to the dustbin of history – but one group has been notably silent.
The Log Cabin Republicans, which calls itself “the nation’s original and largest organisation representing LGBT conservatives and straight allies”, has been completely silent on the violent riots.
The group, which endorsed Trump for re-election ahead of the 3 November vote, is generally not afraid to speak out when Democrats do things that it views as wrong.
In recent weeks, the Log Cabin Republicans have taken the time to wish their followers a happy Christmas on social media, and to urge conservatives in Georgia to vote for Republican candidates Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue – both of whom went on to lose their run-off elections to Democratic candidates.
But the group has not managed to find the time to condemn pro-Trump white supremacists who stormed the Capitol in what has been called an “attempted coup”.
Even Richard Grenell has blasted those behind Capitol riots.
The group’s silence is deafening considering the number of Republicans that have spoken out against the violent riots. Even Richard Grenell, a loyal Trump ally who served as acting director of national intelligence, has criticised those who stormed the Capitol.
On Twitter on Wednesday night (6 January), Grenell shared a video of the extremist mob smashing windows and entering the Capitol, and wrote: “Identify these people and arrest them.”
He went on to say that all of those involved in the extremist mob should be prosecuted, saying their actions were “completely unacceptable”.
And he is not alone – various other Trump allies, including vociferous supporter Lindsey Graham, have now acknowledged that the president lost the election and that power must be transferred to Joe Biden, as is required by the democratic process.
When Congress reconvened shortly after 8pm local time (1am GMT), a number of Republican senators who had previously vowed to challenge the largely ceremonial certification process had a change of heart following the violent scenes at the Capitol. Some of those who were expected to object to the proceedings ultimately chose not to.
Trump does, of course, still have his ardent supporters within the Republican party, despite his open lurch towards full-blown fascism. More than 120 Republicans objected to the election result in Arizona during the certification process, despite the fact that judges across the United States have repeatedly dismissed Trump’s baseless lawsuits claiming that he was a victim of election fraud.
And yet, the Log Cabin Republicans remains completely silent.
Sadly, it appears that there was an LGBT+ presence among the extremist mob that stormed the Capitol on Wednesday.
Gays for Trump, a group of gay Trump supporters, waved Pride flags at the Capitol riots as white supremacists laid siege to democracy.
The group has fought tirelessly to support Trump, apparently ignoring his appalling track record on LGBT+ rights throughout his presidency.
PinkNews has contacted the Log Cabin Republicans for comment.
