Reject the Gays, Says Va. Congressman

A Virginia House Republican is causing friction among colleagues by pushing the House GOP campaign to withhold support for the party's gay candidates.

According to Think Progress Rep. Randy Forbes is urging the National Republican Congressional Committee to not support any gay candidates.

Politico reports that this could affect the campaigns of 2014 openly gay Republican candidates, such as Richard Tisei, who is running again in northeastern Massachusetts, and Carl DeMaio, a San Diego former city councilman running for Dem. Rep. Scott Peters' seat.

Despite Forbes' pleas, many Republicans have donated campaign funds to Tisei and DeMaio, with House Majority Leader Eric Cantor donating $10,000 to DeMaio in June, and Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy giving $5,000.

"GOP leaders can do whatever they want to do," in terms of donating to gay candidates, Forbes told Politico. But he does not want them to contribute to campaigns, saying, "There would be a different situation if they tried to force other members to give money."

Forbes said that he did not want the National Republican Congressional Committee - funded through tens of millions of dollars in dues from House Republicans - to donate to gay candidates.

Politico asked Forbes if he would withhold contributions to the NRCC if they backed DeMaio.

"I'm not going to be hypothetical on what we would or wouldn't do at this particular point in time because you've got a lot of scenarios," he said. "I don't think we've had primaries and nominations to nominate people. So I don't want to prejudge."

But NRCC Chairman Greg Walden of Oregon did not equivocate in saying, "Our decisions on the Republican nominees we support will not be based on race, gender or sexual orientation but will be based on the strength of their candidacy and their ability to defeat Democrats."

Forbes, who is vying to be the next chair of the House Armed Services Committee, has received a zero score on HRC's Congressional Scorecard.

He also co-sponsored the anti-gay "Marriage and Religious Freedom Act," refused to implement non-discrimination protections for gay employees in his own Congressional office, supports a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage throughout the nation, and in 2007, opposed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, arguing that protecting gays from being fired would "destroy the institution of marriage."

Watch a video of Forbes arguing against ENDA below: