Despite the fact that he’s just the third openly gay speaker to appear at a Republican National Convention, out Paypal billionaire Peter Thiel won’t be talking about his sexual orientation, says Trump’s convention manager, Paul Manafort:
“He’ll be talking about Donald Trump the man he knows and as a successful entrepreneur,” Manafort said.
“People are going to be speaking at this convention based on what they want to say, not on any particular sexual preference or things like that, so I don’t think that’s the basis for why he’s on the program,” he added.
JOIN US TONIGHT: Republican Convention 2016 — LIVEBLOG on Towleroad
Republican Party Chair Reince Priebus told the AP in an interview on Friday that Paypal billionaire Peter Thiel, who is openly gay, is “welcome” in the Republican Party though the platform is staunchly anti-gay:
“We’re still a party that believes that marriage is between one man and one woman, but it doesn’t mean that we’re going to kick people out,” he said, describing opposition to gay marriage as “one of the bedrock issues of our party.”
“I can’t win this race if I tell people that they’re not welcome in our party,” Priebus said when asked about Thiel. “He’s been a good help to our party and many candidates across the country. He’s a good Republican. He’s welcome in our party. Period.”
