Black, gay Army veteran explains why he's 'coming out' as conservative

A gay, black army veteran has "come out" -- as a Republican.

Rob Smith served for two tours in the Middle East, and was even arrested at the White House protesting the "don’t ask, don’t tell" policy that banned gay soldiers in the military, and wrote a memoir called “Confessions of a ‘Dont’ Ask, Don’t Tell’ Soldier.”

Now, he’s telling the Daily Mail he’s "coming out" as conservative because he’s sick of the “outrage culture” of Democrats, especially how Kanye West was treated when he embraced Donald Trump.

“I just looked at this whole thing and said well if it can happen to Kanye, it can happen to anybody!” Smith said.

He says his path to conservatism started a year ago when he read Florida senator Marco Rubio’s Book, "American Dreams" and was shocked that what he saw as the humanity and depth of the Senator’s ideas could come from a conservative.

Smith says it’s important to come out as conservative to show people that blacks and gays don’t have to be Democrats and to counter the narrative that all conservative Republicans are racist.

“I do believe in strong borders, I do believe that we need to start having real conversations about the illegal immigration situation in this country. And when you say that, you are called a racist," he said. "I am not the first black, gay Republican. I’m just the one that’s going to take the heat for saying it publicly.”