Paypal billionaire Peter Thiel made some remarks about the culture wars tonight during his Republican Convention Speech and announced to the crowd that he is a gay Republican.
READ THIS: Peter Thiel: Billionaire RNC Speaker, Gay Man, and Guest of Neo-Fascist
But first he insulted transgender people:
“Now we're told that the great debate is who gets to use which bathroom. This is a distraction from our real problems. Who cares?”
Unclear if he's saying “who cares?”— as in the fight over bathroom legislation is dumb— or “who cares?” as in he's for transgender rights.
— Towleroad (@tlrd) July 22, 2016
And then he moved on to make an historic announcement (for a Republican convention), and notable because the GOP platform supports conversion therapy for gay people, among other hateful planks:
“I am proud to be gay. I am proud to be a Republican. But most of all, I am proud to be an American.”
The platform includes provisions supporting state laws to restrict transgender rights on bathroom use, and support of conversion therapy for gay people. It also says “that ‘natural marriage' between a man and a woman is most likely to result in offspring who do not become drug-addicted or otherwise damaged.” The platform calls for overturning the SCOTUS marriage decision and makes references to appointing judges ‘who respect traditional family values.'”
RELATED: 2016 GOP Platform Lays It Bare: Today's Republican Party is an Anti-LGBT Hate Group
Added Thiel:
“I don't pretend to agree with every plank in our party's platform but fake culture wars only distract us from our country's decline, and nobody in this campaign is being honest about it but Donald Trump.”
Watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QQPNW8d23Q
Here's the crowd's reaction to Thiel's ‘gay' announcement:
A view from the floor of #RNCinCLE as @peterthiel says he's proud to be gay. pic.twitter.com/IvgesNPSWT
— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) July 22, 2016
However, it made American Family Association spokeshater Bryan Fischer very sad indeed:
The would-be First Family is all in for the anti-family LGBT agenda. May God help us. #GOPinCLE https://t.co/Z5P8bG7nii
— Rev. Bryan Fischer – Host, Bryan Fischer Podcast (@BryanJFischer) July 22, 2016
