I needed to catch myself up on where the GOP stands on the issue of gay rights. While I live in a community dominated by openly LGBT people, I thought it was only fair that I began with the platform of the Grand Old Party (GOP) – aka the Republicans, and those who favor their views.

Q: Where does John McCain stand on Gay Rights?

McCain’s Presidential Web site does little to answer the question. Under the Issues Tab, there is no mention of gay or civil rights. Keep a close eye on the page and you will come across the Human Dignity and the Sanctity of Life tab. Herein lies the mention of civil rights for gay Americans.

In a McCain Administration, one can expect that the President would protect marriage to be between a man and a woman – and nominate judges into the Supreme Court who would honor that belief. Most notable, McCain was caught in cross fire not long ago over whether gay and lesbians should be allowed to adopt. At first, he came out in opposition of it – when he answered “yes” to the question: should adoption happen within a "traditional couple?"

"Sen. McCain's expressed his personal preference for children to be raised by a mother and a father wherever possible…However, as an adoptive father himself, McCain believes children deserve loving and caring home environments, and he recognizes that there are many abandoned children who have yet to find homes. John McCain believes that in those situations that caring parental figures are better for the child than the alternative."

From a Web site called On the Issues, McCain received a less than favorable rating – which is concluded by his voting record, very fittingly, on the issues.

Q: Next Up: You have Heard about the Log Cabin Republicans. Who are they and what do they say?

On September 2^nd, the Log Cabin Republicans endorsed John McCain. Who are the LCR you ask? Great question. These past few days I have made it my job to figure it out. I mean a gay Republican – does that make sense?

LCR’s motto is to build inclusion for gay and lesbians from within the Republican party. The name of the organization comes from Abraham Lincoln, who “was born in a log cabin.” But no mention of if he was actually gay…just the house.

LCR’s support President Bush’s position towards the GLBT community. In their own words, the 2000 campaign of then-Governor George Bush was “notable for its lack of anti-gay rhetoric,” and his decision not to do anything about an executive order from the Clinton Administration to allow discrimination against gay and lesbian federal workers was acclaimed.