2016 electn: Supreme Court's gay marriage cisn prompts ndidate repons on Twter - POLITICO

Contents:

• JEB BH, 2016'S GAY-FRIENDLY REPUBLIN
• JEB BH’S WAR ON GAY ADOPTN
• JEB BH TO MEET WH ANTI-GAY ACTIVIST WHO THKS LGBT RIGHTS ULD LEAD TO A NEW HOLOT
• JEB BH PRINTIAL MPAIGN, 2016/GAY RIGHTS
• THIS GAY COUPLE IS TROLLG JEB BH TO FIGHT FOR LGBT RIGHTSHERE'S WHY THEY HIJACKED THE 'JEB BH FOR PRINT' {FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.25 "GRAVY",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NONE;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#FFFFFF;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}{FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.25 "GRAVY",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NONE;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#FFFFFF;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}ISSUBY KRISTA MASICJUNE 17, 2015/11:44 {HEIGHT:HER;DISPLAY:-WEBK-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-FLEX;DISPLAY:-MS-FLEXBOX;DISPLAY:FLEX;POSN:RELATIVE;-WEBK-FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;-MS-FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;-WEBK-ALIGN-EMS:CENTER;-WEBK-BOX-ALIGN:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-ALIGN:CENTER;ALIGN-EMS:CENTER;-WEBK-BOX-PACK:CENTER;-WEBK-JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-PACK:CENTER;JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-WEBK-TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;-MS-TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;} IMG{HEIGHT:100%;WIDTH:100%;OBJECT-F:VER;}{HEIGHT:574PX;WIDTH:1020PX;}GETTYBY KRISTA MASICJUNE 17, 2015 / 11:44 AM{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"NEWSARTICLE","HEADLE":"THIS GAY COUPLE IS TROLLG JEB BH TO FIGHT FOR LGBT RIGHTS","THUMBNAILURL":","DATEPUBLISHED":"2015-06-17T15:44:02.000+0000","DATEMODIFIED":"2015-06-17T15:44:02.000+0000","IMAGE":{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","URL":","WIDTH":1920,"HEIGHT":1080},"URL":","THOR":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","NAME":"MTV"},"MAENTYOFPAGE":{"@TYPE":"WEBPAGE","@ID":"},"PUBLISHER":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","@ID":","NAME":"MTV","URL":","LOGO":{"@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","URL":","WIDTH":1280,"HEIGHT":720}},"CREATOR":"KRISTA MASIC","ARTICLESECTN":"ISSU"}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}A UPLE OF SELF-INTIFIED GAY "TECH BEARS" BOUGHT THE DOMA BACK 2008. NOW THAT JEB BH -- WHO HAS OPENLY CLARED HIS OPPOSN TO MARRIAGE EQUALY -- IS ACTUALLY NNG FOR PRINT, THE UPLE IS G THE SE AS A PLATFORM TO DISCS LGBT EQUALY AND RIGHTS FOR LGBT {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}"LET'S HAVE A CHAT, SHARE VIEWPOTS, AND LEARN OM EACH OTHER," THE HOMEPAGE READS. "SO MANY TIM WE FD OURSELV SUATNS WHERE WE N'T RELATE TO EACH OTHER, DON'T UNRSTAND EACH OTHER, OR FEEL LIKE THERE'S NOBODY WHO WANTS TO LISTEN TO OUR POT OF VIEW. LET'S CHANGE THAT."{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}THE DOMA IS OWNED BY CJ PHILLIPS AND CHARLIE RAWATER, WHO LIVE OREGON. ON THEIR OWN WEBSE, THEY WRE, "WE'RE A UPLE OF HIGH-TECH BEARS WHO BOTH WORK THE MICROPROCSOR-SIGN DTRY, Y YOU ULD SAY WE'RE JT A UPLE OF NERDS."{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-FLEX;DISPLAY:-MS-FLEXBOX;DISPLAY:FLEX;-WEBK-BOX-PACK:CENTER;-WEBK-JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-PACK:CENTER;JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;POSN:RELATIVE;PADDG-BOTTOM:56.49999999999999%;} .TWTER-TWEET-RENRED, {M-WIDTH:65%;WIDTH:TO !IMPORTANT;} {WIDTH:100%;} {MARG-LEFT:TO !IMPORTANT;MARG-RIGHT:TO !IMPORTANT;} IMG{MAX-WIDTH:100%;WIDTH:100%;} > IAME{BORR:NONE;MAX-WIDTH:100%;} > *{MAX-WIDTH:NONE !IMPORTANT;POSN:ABSOLUTE;HEIGHT:100% !IMPORTANT;WIDTH:100% !IMPORTANT;}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}"BEG PART OF THE TECH MUNY, WE THOUGHT WOULD BE SORT OF FUN TO E THE TER TO PUT A MSAGE OUT THERE ABOUT EQUALY AND WHAT REAL LIFE GAY UPL FACE," PHILLIPS SAID A YOUTUBE VIO PRODUCED BY KENH COLE. "SO WHEN THE OPPORTUNY PRENTED SELF, WE GOT THE WEBSE "{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}IN AN TERVIEW WH GAWKER, THE UPLE EXPLAED THE BT REACTN THEY'VE EVER GOTTEN OM THE {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}"WE RECEIVED AN EMAIL OM A GRANDMOTHER WHO HAD STUMBLED ONTO THE SE WHO’D NEVER MET AN OPENLY GAY UPLE," THEY SAID. "SHE WAS SURPRISED AT HOW NORMAL WE SEEMED! THAT’S EXACTLY OUR GOAL FOR THIS SE..."{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-FLEX;DISPLAY:-MS-FLEXBOX;DISPLAY:FLEX;-WEBK-BOX-PACK:CENTER;-WEBK-JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-PACK:CENTER;JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;} .TWTER-TWEET-RENRED, {M-WIDTH:65%;WIDTH:TO !IMPORTANT;} {WIDTH:100%;} {MARG-LEFT:TO !IMPORTANT;MARG-RIGHT:TO !IMPORTANT;} IMG{MAX-WIDTH:100%;WIDTH:100%;} > IAME{BORR:NONE;MAX-WIDTH:100%;} > *{MAX-WIDTH:NONE !IMPORTANT;}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}"OF URSE JEB BH DON'T HAVE A VERY GOOD RERD ON GAY RIGHTS," RAWATER SAID THE YOUTUBE VIO. "WE ARE NOT A SE THAT BASH ANYBODY. WE'RE NOT BASHG JEB BH. BUT WE'RE WANTG TO REALLY TE PEOPLE AND LET THEM KNOW THAT WE'RE HUMANS, WE HAVE LIV, AND WE WANT THE SAME RIGHTS AS EVERYBODY ELSE."{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}IN SE YOU'RE STILL WONRG WHAT A "BEAR" IS, CJ AND CHARLIE HAVE A LOVELY EXPLANATN UP ON THE "ABOUT" SECTN OF {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}"MANY YEARS AGO, THERE WAS A MOVEMENT BORN OM A SIMPLE SIRE TO BE PART OF A MUNY," THEY EXPLA. "MANY GAY MEN FELT THAT THEY DIDN'T F WH THE STEREOTYP OF THAT TIME BEE THEY WEREN'T THE PRETTY GYM BODI WH FARRAH FAWCETT HAIR AND SMOOTH FAC. HENCE THE BIRTH OF THE BEAR MOVEMENT. EVERYONE WAS WELE! BIG GUYS, LTLE GUYS, HAIRY GUYS, SMOOTH GUYS, BUFF DUS, CHUBBY DUS, YOUNG MEN, OLD MEN... AND THOSE THAT ADMIRED THEM!"{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}"ALMOST EVERYONE ON THIS PLA WANTS TO FEEL LIKE THEY ARE PART OF A MUNY. WE NEED ACCEPTANCE OUR LIV. WE NEED TO KNOW THAT WE'RE NOT ALONE ON THIS PLA FULL OF PEOPLE."{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;CLEAR:BOTH;}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;MARG:0 TO;WIDTH:90%;M-WIDTH:288PX;MAX-WIDTH:1440PX;M-HEIGHT:194PX;}LATT NEWS
• WATCH: JEB BH IS FOR ANTIGAY FLORISTS, NOT LGBT RIGHTS
• JEB BH LLS FOR ‘RPECT’ GAY MARRIAGE BATE

JEB BH, 2016'S GAY-FRIENDLY REPUBLIN

He had spent years helpg printial ndidat urt the nservative Christian voters who domated Iowa's first--the-natn uc, but he had grown creasgly nvced that his party was on the wrong si of the marriage bate, both morally and the mpaign over, Kochel — who cled to ment for this story — began turng up at gathergs for pro-gay Republins, llg on the GOP to mornize s social agenda, and appearg on lol TV talk shows, mandg to know why the party of "eedom and liberty" shouldn't support marriage rights. As turned out, Jeb Bh Bh officially lnch his printial bid later this year, he will likely do so wh a mpaign manager who has urged the Republin Party to adopt a pro-gay agenda; a chief strategist who signed a Supreme Court amic brief argug for marriage equaly California; a longtime adviser who once enuraged her mister to stick to his guns preachg equaly for same-sex upl; and a munitns director who is openly an extent that would have been unthkable past electns, one of the leadg ndidat for the Republin printial nomatn has stocked his ner circle wh advisers who are vol proponents of gay rights. And while the Bh mp says his platform will not be shaped by his litenants' personal beliefs, many the monied, morate, rporate wg of the GOP — cludg pragmatic donors, secular polis, and other members of the tablishment — are cheerg the early hir as a sign that Bh will posn himself as the gay-iendly Republin the 2016 addn to Kochel, who is expected to n the natnal mpaign, Bh has hired Tim Miller, a star munitns and rearch operative who is gay; longtime ai Sally Bradshaw, whose support for her pro-gay preacher recently showed up a New York Tim profile; and Mike Murphy, the veteran GOP nsultant who joed other proment Republins signg a 2013 brief llg on the Supreme Court to overturn California's same-sex marriage ban, Proposn 8.

What mak this band of operativ unique is not jt that they support gay rights, but that many have ma their missn the past to brg the party along wh his team place, Bh has attracted a wave of early support om many of the party's most proment gay rights advot. "He wants to do the rpectful, human thg, " said one of the Republins, a donor who requted anonymy to ment on private, as many observers expect, the Supreme Court l this June to extend marriage rights to all same-sex upl natnwi, some of Bh's pro-gay donors are hopg he will e the moment to fully pivot toward an embrace of marriage equaly — turng himself to the first ser pro-gay GOP printial ndidate.

JEB BH’S WAR ON GAY ADOPTN

Aufhser, well known GOP circl for his gay rights advocy, strsed that he don’t speak for Bh, but ntend that the ndidate would benef om openg up about how he now views the marriage issue.

JEB BH TO MEET WH ANTI-GAY ACTIVIST WHO THKS LGBT RIGHTS ULD LEAD TO A NEW HOLOT

"At the same time last month, as Bh’s home state of Florida was hostg s first same-sex unns, he released a statement that was wily noted for s mollifyg tone, urgg "rpect for the good people on all sis of the gay and lbian marriage issue — cludg upl makg lifetime mments to each other… and those of who believe marriage is a sacrament and want to safeguard relig liberty. He is already viewed wh ep spicn by many nservativ for his posns on immigratn and Common Core tn standards; addg gay issu to the baggage uld be what tips the sl om beg an ocsnally tratg but acceptably darg McCa-like maverick, to an elist, Huntsman-like squish.

JEB BH PRINTIAL MPAIGN, 2016/GAY RIGHTS

And they believe that if Republins nomate a ndidate who is perceived as anti-gay, that will be a liabily the 2016 electns. "The party's most proment pro-gay mega-donor, hedge-fund billnaire Pl Sger, has yet to pick a 2016 horse — but some Bh sirs believe his early gtur toward LGBT cln will help give him an si track to the vtor's sh. "While Bh and his team weigh jt how far he should go his LGBT support this electn, some pro-gay Republins are already llg the mpaign a marked improvement om 2012, when Romney faced a noisy backlash om social nservativ outraged that he had hired a gay man to serve as his foreign policy spokman.

But his pleas did no go unheard, and spe the ernor’s bt efforts, Oll is now a story is one of many that play out the email exchang between Bh and his staff—which the Florida Center for Invtigative Reportg recently ma searchable—and giv an trigug view to how the then-Florida ernor stggled to expla his opposn to adoptn rights for LGBT also shows that Bh and his top advisors were acutely aware of ternal nsistenci the state’s policy on same-sex adoptn and foster 1977, Florida beme the only state the untry to proactively ban gays and lbians om adoptg. Thanks part to the dogged anti-gay activism of former Miss Oklahoma Ana Bryant, the state implemented legislatn sayg sexual orientatn alone uld disqualify prospective parents om law faced a urt challenge durg Bh’s time as ernor. But years later, the adoptn ban was fally ’s email exchang wh gay nstuents durg the adoptn fight dite that his rhetoric on the topic was refully crafted.

THIS GAY COUPLE IS TROLLG JEB BH TO FIGHT FOR LGBT RIGHTSHERE'S WHY THEY HIJACKED THE 'JEB BH FOR PRINT' {FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.25 "GRAVY",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NONE;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#FFFFFF;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}{FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.25 "GRAVY",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NONE;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#FFFFFF;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}ISSUBY KRISTA MASICJUNE 17, 2015/11:44 {HEIGHT:HER;DISPLAY:-WEBK-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-FLEX;DISPLAY:-MS-FLEXBOX;DISPLAY:FLEX;POSN:RELATIVE;-WEBK-FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;-MS-FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;-WEBK-ALIGN-EMS:CENTER;-WEBK-BOX-ALIGN:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-ALIGN:CENTER;ALIGN-EMS:CENTER;-WEBK-BOX-PACK:CENTER;-WEBK-JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-PACK:CENTER;JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-WEBK-TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;-MS-TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;} IMG{HEIGHT:100%;WIDTH:100%;OBJECT-F:VER;}{HEIGHT:574PX;WIDTH:1020PX;}GETTYBY KRISTA MASICJUNE 17, 2015 / 11:44 AM{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"NEWSARTICLE","HEADLE":"THIS GAY COUPLE IS TROLLG JEB BH TO FIGHT FOR LGBT RIGHTS","THUMBNAILURL":","DATEPUBLISHED":"2015-06-17T15:44:02.000+0000","DATEMODIFIED":"2015-06-17T15:44:02.000+0000","IMAGE":{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","URL":","WIDTH":1920,"HEIGHT":1080},"URL":","THOR":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","NAME":"MTV"},"MAENTYOFPAGE":{"@TYPE":"WEBPAGE","@ID":"},"PUBLISHER":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","@ID":","NAME":"MTV","URL":","LOGO":{"@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","URL":","WIDTH":1280,"HEIGHT":720}},"CREATOR":"KRISTA MASIC","ARTICLESECTN":"ISSU"}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}A UPLE OF SELF-INTIFIED GAY "TECH BEARS" BOUGHT THE DOMA BACK 2008. NOW THAT JEB BH -- WHO HAS OPENLY CLARED HIS OPPOSN TO MARRIAGE EQUALY -- IS ACTUALLY NNG FOR PRINT, THE UPLE IS G THE SE AS A PLATFORM TO DISCS LGBT EQUALY AND RIGHTS FOR LGBT {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}"LET'S HAVE A CHAT, SHARE VIEWPOTS, AND LEARN OM EACH OTHER," THE HOMEPAGE READS. "SO MANY TIM WE FD OURSELV SUATNS WHERE WE N'T RELATE TO EACH OTHER, DON'T UNRSTAND EACH OTHER, OR FEEL LIKE THERE'S NOBODY WHO WANTS TO LISTEN TO OUR POT OF VIEW. LET'S CHANGE THAT."{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}THE DOMA IS OWNED BY CJ PHILLIPS AND CHARLIE RAWATER, WHO LIVE OREGON. ON THEIR OWN WEBSE, THEY WRE, "WE'RE A UPLE OF HIGH-TECH BEARS WHO BOTH WORK THE MICROPROCSOR-SIGN DTRY, Y YOU ULD SAY WE'RE JT A UPLE OF NERDS."{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-FLEX;DISPLAY:-MS-FLEXBOX;DISPLAY:FLEX;-WEBK-BOX-PACK:CENTER;-WEBK-JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-PACK:CENTER;JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;POSN:RELATIVE;PADDG-BOTTOM:56.49999999999999%;} .TWTER-TWEET-RENRED, {M-WIDTH:65%;WIDTH:TO !IMPORTANT;} {WIDTH:100%;} {MARG-LEFT:TO !IMPORTANT;MARG-RIGHT:TO !IMPORTANT;} IMG{MAX-WIDTH:100%;WIDTH:100%;} > IAME{BORR:NONE;MAX-WIDTH:100%;} > *{MAX-WIDTH:NONE !IMPORTANT;POSN:ABSOLUTE;HEIGHT:100% !IMPORTANT;WIDTH:100% !IMPORTANT;}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}"BEG PART OF THE TECH MUNY, WE THOUGHT WOULD BE SORT OF FUN TO E THE TER TO PUT A MSAGE OUT THERE ABOUT EQUALY AND WHAT REAL LIFE GAY UPL FACE," PHILLIPS SAID A YOUTUBE VIO PRODUCED BY KENH COLE. "SO WHEN THE OPPORTUNY PRENTED SELF, WE GOT THE WEBSE "{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}IN AN TERVIEW WH GAWKER, THE UPLE EXPLAED THE BT REACTN THEY'VE EVER GOTTEN OM THE {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}"WE RECEIVED AN EMAIL OM A GRANDMOTHER WHO HAD STUMBLED ONTO THE SE WHO’D NEVER MET AN OPENLY GAY UPLE," THEY SAID. "SHE WAS SURPRISED AT HOW NORMAL WE SEEMED! THAT’S EXACTLY OUR GOAL FOR THIS SE..."{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-FLEX;DISPLAY:-MS-FLEXBOX;DISPLAY:FLEX;-WEBK-BOX-PACK:CENTER;-WEBK-JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-PACK:CENTER;JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;} .TWTER-TWEET-RENRED, {M-WIDTH:65%;WIDTH:TO !IMPORTANT;} {WIDTH:100%;} {MARG-LEFT:TO !IMPORTANT;MARG-RIGHT:TO !IMPORTANT;} IMG{MAX-WIDTH:100%;WIDTH:100%;} > IAME{BORR:NONE;MAX-WIDTH:100%;} > *{MAX-WIDTH:NONE !IMPORTANT;}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}"OF URSE JEB BH DON'T HAVE A VERY GOOD RERD ON GAY RIGHTS," RAWATER SAID THE YOUTUBE VIO. "WE ARE NOT A SE THAT BASH ANYBODY. WE'RE NOT BASHG JEB BH. BUT WE'RE WANTG TO REALLY TE PEOPLE AND LET THEM KNOW THAT WE'RE HUMANS, WE HAVE LIV, AND WE WANT THE SAME RIGHTS AS EVERYBODY ELSE."{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}IN SE YOU'RE STILL WONRG WHAT A "BEAR" IS, CJ AND CHARLIE HAVE A LOVELY EXPLANATN UP ON THE "ABOUT" SECTN OF {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}"MANY YEARS AGO, THERE WAS A MOVEMENT BORN OM A SIMPLE SIRE TO BE PART OF A MUNY," THEY EXPLA. "MANY GAY MEN FELT THAT THEY DIDN'T F WH THE STEREOTYP OF THAT TIME BEE THEY WEREN'T THE PRETTY GYM BODI WH FARRAH FAWCETT HAIR AND SMOOTH FAC. HENCE THE BIRTH OF THE BEAR MOVEMENT. EVERYONE WAS WELE! BIG GUYS, LTLE GUYS, HAIRY GUYS, SMOOTH GUYS, BUFF DUS, CHUBBY DUS, YOUNG MEN, OLD MEN... AND THOSE THAT ADMIRED THEM!"{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}"ALMOST EVERYONE ON THIS PLA WANTS TO FEEL LIKE THEY ARE PART OF A MUNY. WE NEED ACCEPTANCE OUR LIV. WE NEED TO KNOW THAT WE'RE NOT ALONE ON THIS PLA FULL OF PEOPLE."{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;CLEAR:BOTH;}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;MARG:0 TO;WIDTH:90%;M-WIDTH:288PX;MAX-WIDTH:1440PX;M-HEIGHT:194PX;}LATT NEWS

And perhaps the most tellg exchange is between Bh, his staffers, and Jsie, a gay man then livg Florida wh his long-term partner, emailed the ernor on Feb. “I unrstand that the media sometim will show only the bad si of people, such as the drag paras on gay day, and other negative thgs of that nature, ” he ntued.

“While I rpect the great diversy of our state, and have not been a vol opponent of the gay and lbian liftyle, I am not favor of liftg the ban on gay and lbian adoptns, ” wrote Yablonski his suggted rponse for ntued to say that placg a child “an alternative environment, as lovg may be [sic], ” would be “an addnal challenge for that child to face. “I am ncerned about the obv nsistency the fact that we allow gay upl to bee foster parents, but not to adopt children, ” she wrote. ”Bradshaw then emailed, “Don’t you remember the about [Kathleen Kearney, then-secretary of the Florida Department of Children and Fai] prentg an award to a gay uple for beg stellar foster parents?

”Yablonski then cleared up that the state had a “don’t ask don’t tell” policy on gay foster parentg, and that as a rult children were placed wh gay foster his proposed rponse never went out. The ernor wrote that he opposed anti-gay discrimatn and hate, but didn’t thk barrg gays om adoptg was a type of discrimatn.

WATCH: JEB BH IS FOR ANTIGAY FLORISTS, NOT LGBT RIGHTS

”And a few days before the 2002 re-electn, another gay supporter emailed Bh to exprs support and ll for him to change his stance on adoptn.

“It seems that practilly all people the gay muny thk that if you are gay that you mt vote for the mocratic ndidate, ” wrote Bob Frz. Perhaps you should rethk your posn on gay adoptn and perhaps there may be another issue or two that I would like to see you take a different posn on, but no ndidate is perfect. Talkg Pots Memo reported this week that, per UCLA mographer Gary Gat, gay adoptn has even stronger public support than gay ’s perhaps unsurprisg, then, that Bh has softened his rhetoric on the issue.

JEB BH LLS FOR ‘RPECT’ GAY MARRIAGE BATE

“Prevly, I opposed gay adoptn, but has sce bee the law our state, and I rpect that cisn, ” he told Polifact fai like the Olls, that’s good news. " And he has warned that the Republin Party, whose nomatn he may seek next year, is too often labeled "anti-gay.

"We have enough special tegori, enough victims, whout creatg even more, " he the edorial, published the Miami Herald that summer, Bh drew a parallel between legal protectn for gays and the qutn, "[Should] sodomy be elevated to the same nstutnal stat as race and relign? " Bh wrote the piece rponse to a Herald edorial suggtg that he and his opponent the Republin primary, Anr Crenshaw, held views on homosexualy that ma them bigots. "Bh long ed the language of victimizatn to scribe LGBT his 1995 book, Profil Character, Bh scribed the "gay rights movement, " "femist movement, " and "black empowerment movement" as "morn victim movements.

The full text of Bh's 1994 edorial reads as follows:The Miami HeraldJune 22, 1994 — WedndayJEB BUSH: NO SPECIAL LEGAL STATUS FOR GAYSRe the June 20 Herald edorial Bigotry and s mouthpiec about the gubernatorial ndidat' posn on homosexualy and special legal rights for homosexuals: Homosexualy is wrong, but is also wrong to discrimate agast homosexuals employment, hog, etc., solely on the basis of sexual preference. The statement that the ernor mt stand up for all people on all matters is jt public policy qutn is whether homosexuals serve special legal protectn om otherwise legal, private acts of discrimatn, which protectns are not available to smokers, drkers, children, redheads, Midwterners, Democrats, veterans, nudists, etc.