The Republican Party platform, updated last month for the first time since 2016, moved away from the party’s longstanding opposition to same-sex marriage.
In the party’s previous platform, there were at least five references to marriage only as a union between “one man and one woman.”
A section of the new platform, titled “Strengthen American Families,” states: “Republicans will promote a Culture that values the sanctity of marriage, the blessings of childhood, the central role of families, and supports working parents. We will put an end to policies that punish families.”
Many took it to mean that there was a party softens his stance on gay marriage Noting the growing public support for same-sex marriage, even among Republicans. However, some academics and critics say the language in the new platform is almost synonymous with previous “one man and one woman” references and shows no change.
The Republican National Committee did not respond to multiple requests for comment on whether the language in the new platform should include same-sex couples.
Charles Moran, President Log Cabin RepublicansDescribing itself as “the nation’s largest Republican organization dedicated to representing LGBT conservatives and allies,” the change says the party has “come full circle” and is intentionally embracing same-sex couples.
“The Republican Party had constitutional bans on gay marriage in the 2004 presidential election, and now we’re in a place where, 20 years later, the GOP platform is completely preoccupied with where society is, and frankly, most people, Republicans, respect LGBT equality, too. I appreciate the language. It speaks of service to the sanctity of marriage; this includes our marriages.”
Moran described the platform as “the Donald Trump platform for the modern Republican Party,” one that is “broader and less isolating, and still specifically for LGBT people.”
But Robin Maril, associate professor of constitutional law at Willamette University, said LGBTQ people should not see the language change “as a victory in any way.”
Maril noted many instances over the past half-century in which the phrase “sanctity of marriage” has been used by clergy, Republican officials and lawmakers to ban same-sex marriage.
In 1978, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops “Agreed Statement on the Sanctity of Marriage”, defined marriage as a union that “unites a man and a woman” and an important foundation for having children.
Decades later, in 2004, after a Massachusetts court ruled that the state should allow same-sex couples to marry, President George W. Bush called the court’s decision “deeply troubling,” the Los Angeles Times reported at the time.
“Marriage is a sacred institution between a man and a woman,” Bush said statement. “If activist judges insist on a court-ordered redefinition of marriage, the only alternative will be a constitutional process. We must do what is required by law to protect the sanctity of marriage.”
A few weeks later, Bush announced his support for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.
Then, in 2006, Alabama voters “Alabama Sanctity of Marriage Amendment,” made it unconstitutional for the state to recognize or perform same-sex marriages or civil unions.
According to Marill, the phrase “sanctity of marriage” “inherently excludes” same-sex couples.
“In fact, by being able to use that language, they’re excluding them without having to come out and say it,” Maril said.
Gabriele Magni, associate professor of political science at Loyola Marymount University and director of the school’s LGBTQ+ Policy Research Initiative, agreed with Marill, adding that using a more vague term like “the sanctity of marriage” allows the party to avoid outright excluding LGBTQ Republican voters. it also satisfies conservative and religious voters.
Magni noted that the marriage section of the GOP platform also includes phrases such as “the blessing of childhood” and “the foundational role of families,” a reminder of the party’s previous positions on marriage and emphasizing the importance of childbearing and the traditional nuclear family. this excludes same-sex couples.
“When you read the lines, it’s clear that they’re referring to procreation as the goal of the family,” Magni said.
Moran described the examples Marill gave of how the “sanctity of marriage” has historically been used as “dark references.”
“That’s why I will no longer go down the path of recognizing left-wing academics who try to separate Donald Trump and any progress made by the Republican Party,” Moran said. “It’s nonsense, and the most important thing here is that it includes our marriages and relationships.”
Several other mentions of LGBTQ people in the new GOP platform are aimed at transgender people, who in recent years have been the target of hundreds of bills seeking to limit their access to public restrooms, sports teams and identification documents that match their gender identity. and limiting or denying access to transition-related health care.
A section of the updated platform, titled “Knowledge and Skills, Not CRT and Gender Indoctrination,” says Republicans will “use Federal Taxpayer Dollars to dismantle schools that engage in inappropriate political indoctrination to our children,” echoing conservative efforts in recent years to restrict LGBTQ indicates. -inclusive curricula and notify parents before a student uses a different name or pronoun.
And the section titled “Republicans Will End Left-Wing Gender Insanity” states that Republicans will continue to support efforts to ban trans girls and women from participating in women’s sports, ban taxpayer funding for gender-affirming surgeries, “End taxpayer-funded schools. promoting gender transition” and “reversing Biden’s radical rewrite of Title IX Education and restoring protections for women and girls”.
Moran said Log Cabin Republicans support restrictions on transitional care for minors, which have become law in 25 states.
“As I describe it, 80% of this country supports equality for L, G, B and T, but there have to be some guardrails around that, including protecting women’s spaces, women’s sports and protecting the title. IX, parental consent at every level, and no permanent gender transition under the age of 18,” Moran said.
Magni said parts of the new platform that mention LGBTQ people, including the phrase “sanctity of marriage,” are a marked change from the rhetoric used in Republican primaries this year. He said Republican presidential candidates are trying to be seen as the most conservative, but the party itself may be trying to cater to more moderate voters and more voters. A majority of voters who support LGBTQ protections rights.
“I think they know that if they want to win the election and if they want to win swing states, they have to convince some moderate or independent voters to vote Republican,” Magni said. “They’re not going to convince them by adopting extreme positions on LGBTQ+ rights. They prefer these topics not to be at the center of the conversation, and that’s probably why they don’t mention them very often or very openly on the platform.”
The platform’s use of the phrase “sanctity of marriage” instead of an overtly exclusionary definition of marriage could help same-sex married LGBTQ Republicans “feel better about their voices,” Maril said.
“But I think it’s not going to be based on history or how the term has been used socially or legally in the last 20 years,” he said.
For more from NBC Out, sign up for our weekly newsletter.