Charles Moran, the president of the Log Cabin Republicans, has offered a candid look into his group’s relationship with the new speaker of the House, Mike Johnson. Talking to Business Insider he spoke about the challenges and opportunities faced by LGBTQ+ Republicans in today’s political arena. Throughout the interview, Moran spoke about his desire to work with the speaker, even though Moran admits he, like many in the U.S., was unfamiliar with Johnson before he became a speaker. Since he ascended to the role, Johnson’s past has been discovered to be littered with anti-LGBTQ+ comments and policy positions. Johnson’s history includes advocating for the criminalization of gay sex, linking rampant homosexual behavior to the fall of the Roman Empire, and involvement with a group promoting the damaging and discredited practice of conversion therapy. Despite these positions, he now holds a prominent role as the highest-ranking elected Republican in America and Moran too does not shy away from dismissing concerns over Johnson’s anti-LGBTQ+ worldview. Talking to the media outlet he justified his stand by saying that in 2003, neither President Obama nor then-Vice President Biden were supportive of LGBTQ+ equality. Hillary Clinton was not an exception either. So Moran said he will give Johnson the “benefit of the doubt.”
