CLEVELAND (AP) – Republican officials rejected an emotional plea Monday to back off the GOP’s opposition to same-sex marriage, renewing the party’s embrace of religious conservative values as delegates prepared to welcome Donald Trump to their national convention.
Republicans who gathered to shape their party platform in Cleveland this week also refused to reverse their opposition to bathroom choice for transgender people, exposing a rift with their presumptive presidential nominee – despite internal warnings that social conservative policies on gay rights alienate voters.
“All I ask today is that you include me,” said Rachel Huff, a Republican delegate from Washington, D.C., who is openly gay.
“If our party wants a future … we must evolve,” she said, her voice cracking with emotion.
Asked to respond to Huff, Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin later explained that opposition to same-sex marriage has “been the longtime tradition of the Republican Party.”