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While the Republican party traditionally maintains a predominantly anti-LGBT stance, one person in the party is actively trying to change that narrative.
Dom Gelsominio, an Idaho Republican who has run for both state house and city council, spoke up on Saturday at his party’s convention demanding that they remove a plank about support for the “traditional” definition of marriage. He took the floor saying that he believes the party has “abandoned [their] values.”
“Scripture tells us, in John 15:13. ‘This is my commandment: that you love one another as I the Lord have loved you,” he said, with a Bible in hand. “God loves all his children unconditionally and I have been taught always that this is what I should believe. What gives the government any authority to say otherwise?”
Gelsominio, who said he’s a lifelong Christian who attends church every week with his mother, says he “believes in a nation where freedom and liberty are allowed to flourish.” He also told The Advocate that fortunately, “strength comes in numbers” and the number of people of people who showed support and encouragement afterward far outweighed the number that grumbled.
“I feel if the motion to divide had been made and the planks could’ve been debated separately from the overall platform report, it could’ve turned out differently,” he said. “But the motion made after I spoke was to approve the platform as a whole, which succeeded.”
Gelsomino’s notoriety has risen significantly since his speech, so hopefully, next time he runs for state legislature he’ll have more success. He says he doesn’t plan on giving up on his efforts to evolve the party.
“I believe that as we continue to speak out using professionalism, class, compassion, and tact, we can inform and change hearts and minds in the future,” he said.
