Brody's Notes... National Log Cabin Republicans Dissolve Dallas Chapter

Robert Schlein
via The Dallas Voice

By Brody Levesque | WASHINGTON D. C. -- After a board meeting Tuesday, the national Log Cabin Republicans organisation dissolved its Dallas, Texas chapter after a series of issues and missteps by the Dallas chapter's president, Robert Schlein.

In a phone interview Saturday, Christian Berle, Deputy Executive Director of the National Log Cabin Republicans told LGBTQNation that "there were a number of times and incidents that the leadership in the Dallas group had endorsed positions that contravened our stated policies."

The latest hubris that propelled the national organisation to take drastic action came after the Dallas chapter's Schlein appeared on the Michelangelo Signorile radio programmme last month. During a back and forth with Signorile on GOP party platform issues, Schlein steered clear of LGBTQ equality rights instead discussing GOP platform issues regarding national security, Social Security, and the economy:

"What good are rights if you don't have a job?" asked Schlein.

Signorile pointed out that LGBTQ people aren't protected from workplace discrimination and could easily lose any job, Schlein said antidiscrimination laws don't matter either.

"Texas is a right-to-work state. So as an employer, which I am, I can fire anybody at will," he claimed.

"You cannot fire somebody for being African-American," Signorile objected.

"Well, I wouldn’t tell them," Schlein said.

"You wouldn’t tell them, but you’d do it anyway?" Signorile asked.

"I’d find a reason if I wanted to fire them," Schlein said, defending discrimination against black people while trying to prove an antidiscrimination law would make no difference to LGBT people.

Schlein's comments provoked a firestorm of protest over what many perceived as being racist remarks.

Berle told LGBTQNation the action taken is simply because the leadership in the Dallas chapter had consistently undermined the credibility, effectiveness and mission of Log Cabin Republicans through their actions.

"The Dallas leadership engaged in a consistent pattern of behavior that forced our Board of Directors to and dissolve the current chapter and start over rechartering a new chapter with fresh leadership," he said.

Berle declined to comment on Schlein personally saying that the national organisation had made numerous efforts for reconciliation for the good of the greater Log Cabin organisation.

The Log Cabin's national Executive Director R. Clarke Cooper said in a statement released late Wednesday that the previous Dallas chapter has been de-chartered, and the new Dallas chapter will be led by Thomas Purdy as president and a new board..

“After all due consideration and efforts at reconciliation, the [LCR national] board of directors have decided to begin anew, ensuring that our mission of fighting for freedom can be at its strongest in Dallas and across the country,” Cooper said.

Schlein claims he's being pushed out for inviting the leaders of GOProud to speak at an upcoming event telling the Dallas Voice Thursday that he “didn’t see it coming at all. I knew yesterday that something was cooking, and I got the official word this morning.”

“We will continue to work on behalf of gay conservatives in Dallas, and the Grand Old Party dinner will go on,” Schlein added. “We are looking forward to putting on a great event with Chris Barron and Jimmy LaSalvia as our guest speakers.”

“We will continue to work on behalf of gay conservatives in Dallas, and the Grand Old Party dinner will go on. We are looking forward to putting on a great event with Chris Barron and Jimmy LaSalvia as our guest speakers.”

The Voice reports that Schlein plans to launch his own group for gay Republicans, which he'll call Metroplex Republicans.