Is Trump the better candidate for LGBTQ people?

Jason Rantz ran into one of his old college rivals in Cleveland — current California delegate and former head of California Log Cabin Republicans Charles Moran.

Jason Rantz: Is Donald Trump compatible with gay Americans?

Charles Moran: Absolutely. Donald Trump is the most pro-gay candidate we’ve had in recent history as a nominee in the Republican party. While Hillary Clinton talks a lot about the things that she’s going to do, at the end of the day, it’s just a lot of talk … In 2000, when Trump was thinking about running for president, he actually sat down with the “Advocate,” American’s largest gay and lesbian news magazine, and did a full blown interview with them, which is the first time a major presidential candidate has actually sat down with national LGBTQ media.

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CM: Even if you look as recently as a couple of weeks ago when the GOP battle was going on about Caitlyn Jenner and the transgender bathrooms, he said Caitlyn Jenner can use whatever bathroom she wants to in any of his Trump properties. So if you look at his business record, he actually has a record going way back into being inclusive and being pro-LGBTQ.

JR: Does his acceptance of LGBTQ Americans indicate he’s not really conservative in the traditional sense?

CM: A fire breathing social conservative? Absolutely not. You’ve got a social conservative party in this country that is trying to drag us backwards. These are the people running the Never-Trump and the pro-Ted Cruz movement. They are all wrapped up together. And Donald Trump has openly said ‘I do not care about the Republican platform, I don’t have any intention of reading it or following it because I believe that the candidates are what represent the Republican party.’ I think he reflects most of American conservatives, which is have your life and live it the best you want without interference of the government telling you how to live.

JR: Why are there not more gay Republicans?

CM: Well, it’s such a small population to begin with. We’ve really let the Democratic party run the show on advancing LGBTQ equality because in a lot of ways, the Republican party has not been able to fine tune the message of individual responsibility, personal freedom, a strong national defense, and a small government all into a package that is palpable to the LGBT community … While our national platform may not be what we want it to be right now — every state has their own set of platforms for their Republican party. In California last year, we successfully removed all of the anti-LGBTQ language.

JR: Why is it taking so long? The RNC platform that was passed this week was incredibly anti-gay. It was against gay marriage.

CM: The problem is that — and Donald Trump has said this — I don’t care about the platform.

JR: But it sends a message.

CM: The messaging here is really what Donald Trump is trying to adjust. He is speaking directly to the voters and cutting everything on the side. Part of this is getting the rest of the party to realize it. I think that the party is getting there.

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CM: We don’t have to put a label on everything because in the Republican party we’re really not about labels. But there is increased opportunity here for gays and lesbians to be involved. Every year that goes by, it gets easier and easier to be a gay Republican because I think finally people are realizing that if you truly believe in small government, individual responsibility, personal freedom, and a strong national defense, you need to respect LGBT families because we bring a lot to the table as well.

Taken from Tuesday’s edition of the Jason Rantz Show on KIRO Radio. Edited for clarity. (SK)