Posted to the Gay Star News
Written by Andrew Potts
April 30, 2014
Lorence Wenke, who spent six years in the Michigan state House of Representatives as a Republican, has announced that he has switched political affiliations to the Libertarian Party and that he intends to run against his former party to try to win a state senate seat.
Wenke cited two reasons for leaving the party – the first being its treatment of gays and lesbians.
‘The Republican Party leads the movement in Kalamazoo County, our state, and in our nation to discriminate against our gay family members, friends and neighbors,’ Wenke said in a statement outlining his reasons for leaving the party made public five days ago.
‘I support the constitutional right of our gay family members to enjoy the same rights as our heterosexual family members. In 2004, I was one of two Republican legislators out of 63 to vote against the addition of the Marriage Protection Amendment to Michigan’s Constitution.
‘I was the only legislator to call it what it is – discrimination against our gay brothers and sisters. At that time, three local Republican legislators with gay brothers never said a word in support of gay rights. I challenge them with this question: “If you will not stand up for your own family members, who will you stand up for?”’
It’s part of a growing trend. The NSGOP is shooting themselves in both feet with their extreme social retro-retardedness, big spending welfare hypocrisy which goes completely against their rhetoric, and prolonged wars abroad that long outlive every excuse dreamed up to justify them. More and more of their grassroots supporters are noticing, although not nearly enough yet.
I recall that the last time the Libertarian Party elected somebody to a seat in a state legislature, which was in Vermont back around 2000 or 2002, the Libertarian Party candidate who got elected to this position quit the party within a few months of holding office and joined the Republican Party. The reason given for this individual quitting the LP was that he disagreed with the Libertarian Party’s position on gay marriage.
It’s good to see somebody going the other direction over this issue.
I hope that’s not the only difference he has with the Republicans, but hey, it’s a start…
Bizarre. Something redid my header. Again.
Bravo! Running for the current or former State Rep seat might be a better chance to win, but there could be election law issues.
Good man! Same reason I left the GOP.