Tag Archives: Rob Schlein

Dallas County Republican Party chair to address gay GOP group tonight

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Dallas County Republican Party Chairman Wade Emmert, right, and Metroplex Republicans Dallas President Rob Schlein

Say what you want about GOProud affiliate Metroplex Republicans Dallas — and we’re sure many of our readers have plenty to say — but the local LGBT Republican group does consistently manage to bring in high-profile speakers, which, in Texas, seems like an accomplishment in itself.

Back in April, Metroplex Republicans hosted gay Arizona Sheriff Paul Babeu — who later, despite dropping out of his congressional race amid scandal, quietly won re-election as sheriff in Pinal County.

Then, in October, there was Richard Grenell, the former spokesman for the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who went on to briefly serve as a national security spokesman for the Romney campaign.

A few weeks after that, there was state Sen. John Carona, who made news at a Metroplex Republicans meeting by becoming for the first Republican state legislator to support pro-equality legislation — before reportedly backtracking and going silent about the matter.

Which brings us to the group’s monthly meeting tonight, when it will host Dallas County Republican Party Chair Wade Emmert, who’ll provide post-election analysis.

“Wade has compiled some interesting statistics about this month’s national election,” Metroplex Republicans wrote in an email about the meeting. “I know many of us are dispirited about the results, but Wade will inform us of some victories that were hard fought.”

It’s not the first time Emmert has met with a gay Republican group — he’s pictured with Metroplex President Rob Schlein above, and back in January Emmert told the Dallas chapter of Log Cabin Republicans: “Don’t let anyone tell you the party doesn’t want you. Don’t let anyone tell you you’re not welcome in the Republican Party.”

And on that note, you may now continue saying what you want about Metroplex Republicans. But if you’d like to join them, their meeting begins at 7 p.m. tonight at Mattito’s Mexican Cafe, 3011 Routh St.

—  John Wright

Stonewall Dems to host watch party for 1st presidential debate at Pekers

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Schlein.Rob

Rob Schlein, president of Metroplex Republicans, says he believes Romney will win the debate because Obama is not prepared.

The first debate between President Barack Obama and challenger Mitt Romney — which some are calling a make or break moment for the GOP nominee — is Wednesday night in Denver. And the focus of the 90-minute affair will be domestic policy, meaning there’s a decent chance moderator Jim Lehrer will ask a question about marriage equality or some other LGBT issue. Either way, local gay Democrats plan to gather at Pekers on Oak Lawn Avenue for a watch party. From the Facebook page:

FREE EVENT — You know you’re going to watch the Debate between Pres. Barack Obama and that other guy… so why not enjoy it with other progressives and help us cheer President Obama FORWARD!

The watch party will be at Pecker’s 2615 Oak Lawn Dallas, TX 75219. The debate begins at 8CST. We will have some Obama merchandise for donations and a great time will be had by all!

For more questions please contact info@Stonewalldemocratsofdallas.org.

On the gay GOP side, Metroplex Republicans President Rob Schlein said he’s planning to watch the debate at home. Thomas Purdy, president of Log Cabin Republicans Dallas, couldn’t immediately be reached.

“Do I think it’s make or break? I think [Romney is] going to do just fine, and I think it’ll help him a lot,” Schlein told Instant Tea on Monday. “I don’t think Obama’s prepared. He has not done his debate prep, because he thinks he’s all that.”

Sounds like it’s on.

—  John Wright

Gay Republican wins Tarrant County precinct chair race

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William Busby, a 20-year-old Republican active in Fort Worth politics, won his precinct race Tuesday night against a longtime chair.

Busby won in South Fort Worth’s precinct 4256. He said he decided to run because the current chair has served for more than a decade and has rarely attended important events and committee meetings in the past year.

While open about his sexuality, Busby said he won the race without his opponent running an anti-gay campaign, despite few gay Republicans being open in his political circles.

“I’m pretty much one of the few,” he said, adding that his stronger presence in the party will help change any anti-gay attitudes. “I think it helps to bring openness to the party.”

Busby is one the few openly gay Republicans elected in Tarrant County, if not the first. And while he won with seven votes in a race that garnered 17 total votes, he said the impact was still important.

Dallas GOP leader Rob Schlein won his North Dallas precinct chair race after beating Homer Adams by five votes.

Schlein said Tuesday night that he was the first openly gay Republican to win contested primary in Texas, but gay Dallsite Paul von Wupperfeld said about a dozen gay Republicans were elected in contested precinct chair races in the early 90s in Travis County.

Von Wupperfeld said he served as a precinct chair in Travis County in the 90s and served on the platform committee in Travis County in 1990 and 1992. He was also elected as a delegate to the GOP state conventions in 1990, 1992 and 1994 and served as the state chairman of Log Cabin Republicans.

Von Wupperfeld moved to Dallas 16 years ago and is now a Democrat. He said Schlein was not even he first openly gay Republican elected in the county, as three men in the 90s were elected in Dallas County – Stan Aten, Keith Pomykal and P.D. Sterling. And while Schlein is the first openly gay Republican elected in at least 10 years, von Wupperfeld said it doesn’t reflect a changing, more inclusive Republican Party.

“The GOP in Dallas County is gone,” he said. “When they take all the hate language out of the platform and stop running anti-gay candidates and campaigns, maybe there’s change. Just electing one gay candidate is nothing.”

—  Anna Waugh

Rob Schlein beats Homer Adams in N. Dallas precinct chair race

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Log Cabin Dallas President Rob SchleinMetroplex Republicans of Dallas President Rob Schlein beat Homer Adams by five votes to win his North Dallas precinct chair – making him the only known openly gay candidate to win a contested Republican primary in state history, he said.

“I’m elated,” he said. “I couldn’t believe it.”

Adams led in early voting with 67 votes but Schlein went to his local precinct polling location Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. to talk to voters. He said many people told him they were voting for him because they didn’t like a recent mailer Adams sent out. He said he took that to mean it was likely an anti-gay flier.

By the end of the day, Schlein said he was up by 72 votes, leading to a final count of 256 to 261. The five-vote win was important to him, he said, especially after losing to Adams by three votes in 2010.

Precinct 1800, renamed after redistricting to 2041, is still in far north Dallas.

Adams, the husband of Eagle Forum President Cathie Adams, known as one of the most anti-gay voices in Dallas, has been precinct chair for the past 12 years.

Schlein said making history shows that his inclusive platform is appreciated by the Republican Party.

“It’s pretty sweet,” he said. “I think it shows the demographic shift that’s occurring so that the Republicans can remain a majority.”

 

—  Anna Waugh

Metroplex Republicans to join GOProud

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Rob Schlein

Metroplex Republicans of Dallas, which split off from Log Cabin Republicans amid controversy last year, has announced plans to affiliate with another national gay conservative group, GOProud. GOProud bills itself as “a national organization of gay and straight Americans who seek to promote freedom by supporting free markets, limited government, and a respect for individual rights.”

Rob Schlein, then president of Dallas’ Log Cabin chapter, invited two GOProud leaders to speak at a fundraiser in October. Schlein’s invitation, along with other factors including an op-ed he wrote saying he would support Texas Gov. Rick Perry for president over Barack Obama, prompted National Log Cabin Republicans to de-charter the Dallas chapter. Since then, the chapter has been rechartered under the leadership of Thomas Purdy, giving Dallas two gay Republican groups.

On Wednesday, Schlein sent over a press release announcing Metroplex Republicans’ plans to affiliate with GOProud. From the press release:

“Metroplex Republicans is one of the strongest and most influential local gay conservative groups in the country,” said Jimmy LaSalvia, GOProud executive director. “We are lucky to add them to the GOProud family.

“For years, Metroplex Republicans have been an incredibly important and influential player on the Texas political scene. They have built an impressive grassroots organization with long-standing and impressive political ties to the state and local Republican leadership,” continued LaSalvia.

“We are pleased to be able to announce our intention to affiliate with GOProud,” said Rob Schlein, President of Metroplex Republicans. “We have been admirers of the great work GOProud has done since their founding in 2009. In just three short years, GOProud has established itself as the leading voice nationally for gay conservatives. They have built bridges in the conservative movement, thought outside the box, and fundamentally transformed how the world thinks about gay conservatives. We are thrilled at the opportunity to join the GOProud family.”

“GOProud has been incredibly selective in addingaffiliates. We want only the absolute best to represent the GOProud brand on the state and local level – without question, Metroplex Republicans fits that bill,” concluded LaSalvia.

In related news, U.S. Senate candidate Lela Pittinger will be Metroplex Republicans’ featured speaker  at its monthly meeting next week. “Please do us proud by showing Lela a Texas-Sized ‘Metroplex’ crowd on Monday,” the group wrote in an email.

In February, Pittinger signaled during a debate that she’d be willing to meet with gay Republican groups, comparing it it to Jesus eating dinner with “sinners.” However, Pittinger also criticized former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert for appearing at gay Pride, saying, “Now while he [Jesus] ate dinner with them [sinners], I don’t believe he marched along with them as they were going down to have an orgy or have any sort of drunken revelries.”

—  John Wright

Scenes from Tuesday night’s kickoff for Dallas’ new chapter of Log Cabin Republicans

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State Board of Education member George Clayton

While many local GOPers were undoubtedly taking in election returns from Florida on TV, about 40 people showed up at Texas Land & Cattle on Lemmon Avenue in Uptown on Tuesday night for a kickoff party for Dallas’ new chapter of Log Cabin Republicans. As we reminded you Tuesday, National Log Cabin Republicans abruptly de-chartered, then re-chartered the local LCR chapter amid controversy back in October.

(Now that Log Cabin has relaunched, it’ll be interesting to see how the chapter competes with former President Rob Schlein’s spinoff, Metroplex Republicans of Dallas. And it’s worth noting that for the time being, while some major cities have none, Dallas now has two gay GOP groups.)

Those in attendance for Tuesday’s LCR kickoff included openly gay (and recently outed) State Board of Education member George Clayton, State Rep. Kenneth Sheets and Dallas County Republican Party Chairman Wade Emmert.

“Don’t let anyone tell you the party doesn’t want you,” Emmert told the group. “Don’t let anyone tell you you’re not welcome in the Republican Party.”

Continue reading “Scenes from Tuesday night’s kickoff for Dallas’ new chapter of Log Cabin Republicans” »

—  John Wright

New Log Cabin chapter kicks off tonight

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Vice President Lisa DeWitt, from left, Treasurer Van Freeman and President Thomas Purdy are among the board members for the new Dallas chapter of Log Cabin Republicans. (JOHN WRIGHT/Dallas Voice)

Three-and-a half months after National Log Cabin Republicans de-chartered the group’s previous Dallas chapter, the newly rechartered LCR affiliate will host a kickoff party tonight at Texas Land & Cattle on Lemmon Avenue in Uptown.

National Log Cabin Republicans booted the old chapter — and its President Rob Schlein — in October for engaging “in a consistent pattern of behavior that detracts from the mission of our organization.” Schlein had invited two leaders from GOProud, a competing national gay Republican group, to speak at the chapter’s annual dinner. He had also written an unsanctioned column published by Dallas Voice saying he would support Texas Gov. Rick Perry for president if Perry became the Republican nominee.

After the chapter was de-chartered by national, Schlein formed Metroplex Republicans of Dallas, which remains active. National Log Cabin, meanwhile, rechartered the Dallas chapter and installed 33-year-old Thomas Purdy as president. Purdy had been on the board of the old group.

“I just felt like it was important that the chapter and the brand continue in Dallas,” Purdy told Dallas Voice recently. “If I didn’t step in, I don’t know who would have. I feel like staying with Log Cabin I’m in a better position to affect change both on a local and national level.”

Continue reading “New Log Cabin chapter kicks off tonight” »

—  John Wright

Rob Schlein: “I will STILL vote for (Perry)”

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Schlein’s former group, the Log Cabin Republicans, disagrees.

—  John Wright

AUDIO: Rob Schlein on The Signorile Show

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Log Cabin Dallas President Rob Schlein
Rob Schlein

Last week Rob Schlein, president of the Dallas chapter of Log Cabin Republicans, went on The Michelangelo Signorile Show to discuss his recent op-ed for Dallas Voice in which he said he’d support Texas Gov. Rick Perry if Perry is the Republican nominee for president. Schlein also appeared Friday on Pink Noise: The Dallas Voice Radio Show to discuss the piece.

On Monday, Signorile posted audio of his interview with Schlein on his blog, The Gist. Listen by going here.

 

 

—  John Wright

Rob Schlein accuses Rick Perry of using wildfires as excuse to dodge presidential debates

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Log Cabin Dallas President Rob Schlein
Rob Schlein

Rob Schlein, president of Log Cabin Republicans Dallas, clearly doesn’t put a lot of stock in natural disasters.

In an op-ed for Dallas Voice last week, Schlein downplayed the threat of a federal marriage amendment, saying it is “as exaggerated as the the reported threat of Hurricane Irene.”

Then on Monday, after Texas Gov. Rick Perry skipped a presidential forum in South Carolina so he could return to Texas to deal with the wildfires, Schlein took to Facebook to question the governor’s motives.

“So is Rick Perry afraid of debating?” Schlein wrote. “Seems he’s discovered that the fires need his attention. Why is this a sudden priority just a few days before your debut on TV?”

In addition to Monday’s forum, Schlein was referring to Wednesday’s GOP presidential debate in California, for which Perry now says he’s undecided.

—  John Wright