CLEVELAND — The past year in American politics has been anything but conventional, and nothing illustrated that better than a strange party that took place near the GOP convention last night. The event entitled “WAKE UP” was hosted by “pro-Trump gay Republicans.” The get-together was listed in the app Eventbrite as one of the most popular events following the conclusion of the convention on Tuesday night.
The promoters of the event argued that the mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando by a Muslim shooter is “a giant wake-up call. As gay Americans, we could no longer stay silent about a barbaric ideology that wants us dead and that actively threatens the freedoms of all Americans. Organizing WAKE UP is our small way of fighting back — by raising awareness, speaking out, and having a fabulous time in the process.”
The event was promoted as featuring speakers such as Roger Stone, Ann Coulter, Geert Wilders, Pamela Geller, and the always controversial Milo Yiannopoulos (shown). Milo, as he is known by his followers, has made a name for himself by stirring up controversy and outrage wherever he goes. Milo is openly gay and does not shy away from engaging in politically incorrect discussions, which have gotten him labeled a racist by his critics. The fact that an openly gay man who regularly uses profanity is considered a “conservative activist” shows the strange political environment of 2016. Milo recently made national news when he was banned from Twitter; now he is planning a gay pride parade through a Muslim area in Stockholm.
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The New American attended the event but only saw speeches given by Wilders, Geller, and Yiannopoulos. Of the three speeches that were given, the recurring theme was that Muslim immigration and the threat of “radical Islam” is exposing the gay community to unnecessary danger. The New American spoke with Pamela Geller after her speech. Geller has received national attention for her very public opposition to what she sees as “creeping Sharia.” Geller led the opposition to the Islamic community center, which was known as the “Ground Zero Mosque,” near the former site of the World Trade Center. She also received national attention after she organized a “Draw the Prophet” cartoon contest in Texas, an event that was attacked by Muslims associated with ISIS, the first terrorist attack involving ISIS in the United States.
When asked by The New American why a traditional conservative would attend an event associated with homosexuality, Geller said, “I am not a traditional anything…. The foundation of all my ideas is individual rights…. My organization, the American Freedom Defense Initiative, is dedicated to freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and equality for all before the law.” Geller identified her central issue as “freedom and the gravest threat to our freedom, right now, is absolutely jihad and sharia.” Since the night’s event was billed as being pro-Trump, The New American asked Geller if she felt Trump’s proposed Muslim ban would address the issue. Geller responded by drawing a distinction between a complete ban and increased scrutiny. “I do believe that Muslims from jihad regions…. There should be a pause on that. We know that ISIS vowed to send a jihad army via migration. Would you eat from a jar of M&Ms if you knew that several were laced with cyanide? It’s just an incredibly suicidal policy. It’s insane.” This doesn’t mean that Geller supports a halt on all Muslim immigration though. “No, not all Muslim immigration [but rather] scrutiny from particular regions where Jihad is very prevalent.”
When asked about the refugee situation in Europe, Geller said, “It’s destroying Europe. Europe is doomed if they don’t take back their borders, take back their countries. The whole quality of life, the whole daily social fabric of the average European has disintegrated with incredible speed. It has really accelerated in the past year.” When asked what role U.S. foreign policy could play in addressing the situation, Geller suggested we “cut off all aid to any countries that are state sponsors of terror and … any nations that don’t respect individual rights.”
The event itself drew a couple hundred attendees and dozens of protesters outside. The protesters held up a sign that said “Queers Against Racism” and handed out pamphlets accusing the organizers of being “self-hating gays” engaged in Islamophobia. Even though the group on the inside was much larger than the group on the outside, it would appear that the protesters’ views are more closely aligned with those of the wider LGBT community. The 2012 election results showed that 75 percent of LGBT voters supported Obama over Romney, and there are no indications that Trump will fare any better this November.
