Log Cabin Republicans to start N.M. chapter to represent state party's LGBT members

Sep. 3—As the nation's largest and oldest organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender conservatives and their allies, Log Cabin Republicans has nearly 80 chapters in 40 states.

New Mexico, however, wasn't among them.

Until now.

The 47-year-old organization, which has more than 10,000 members nationwide, is starting a chapter in the Land of Enchantment — part of an effort to build a more inclusive GOP and elect more Republicans.

"One of the [states] where we obviously haven't had an opportunity to put kind of the flag in the ground is New Mexico," Charles Moran, president of the Washington, D.C.-based organization, said in an interview Thursday.

Moran said it only "makes sense" to expand into New Mexico, a state with "cultural centers" like Santa Fe and Albuquerque and where gay Republicans, such as state Rep. John Block of Alamogordo, are making inroads in politics.

"I'm from Los Angeles originally, and one of the running jokes is the gays have their first house wherever they live, their second house is in Palm Springs and their third house is in Santa Fe," he said.

"As more and more people are moving to the state and you've got these incredible cultural opportunities, you're naturally going to attract more LGBT people, and as you have more LGBT people engaging, you're going to have people of differing political values," Moran added.

While the LGBT abbreviation has grown, with many in the community using LGBTQIA+ — an acronym that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual, with the "+" representing other identities and allies — Log Cabin Republicans continue to use only "LGBT," which Moran said the group believes is already all encompassing.

The official launch of New Mexico's Log Cabin Republicans chapter will be Sept. 10 in Albuquerque.

The event will feature Richard Grenell, considered the highest-ranking openly gay Republican in the country. Grenell is former ambassador to Germany and former acting director of national intelligence under former President Donald Trump.

Grenell "is the first openly gay Cabinet-ranked person in a presidential Cabinet — it is not Mayor Pete," Moran said, referring to U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who previously served as mayor of South Bend, Ind.

Block, who represents one of the most conservatives parts of the state, said he's helping organizers get the chapter off the ground.

"It's so awesome to see a national group looking at New Mexico and seeing a really big potential to turn New Mexico red," he said. "It's critical to build coalitions, especially in this election, which is going to be in the margins. ... I think Log Cabin Republicans decided to come to New Mexico because they truly believe, like I do, that our state is on the map, and we're on the cusp of turning our state around."

Moran agreed, saying Republicans consider New Mexico a purple state.

"We have national polling that shows that for the first time ever ... gay voters are actually going to consider [quality-of-life] issues as much or more than gay rights issues, largely because so many of these things have been settled, so that shows a maturing of the gay voter," he said. "That is an opportunity for us to slide in."

While there are several Democratic lawmakers in New Mexico who are openly gay, including Sens. Liz Stefanics of Cerrillos, Leo Jaramillo of Española and Carrie Hamblen of Las Cruces, there are fewer prominent public officials who are Republican. Notable exceptions include Block and former Española Mayor Javier Sánchez.

Marshall Martinez, executive director of Equality New Mexico, said any institution that tries to make itself more inclusive deserves credit. But he said the GOP has proven to be anything but inclusive toward the LGBTQ community.

"If we look at what the Republican Party has turned into now — Project 2025, the incessant attacks on LGBTQ rights across the country — what is the purpose of a Log Cabin Republicans organization when there is clearly no room in the Republican Party right now for anyone to pursue basic freedoms and happiness as a queer person?" he asked.

Block disputed the Republican Party supports Project 2025 — a package of policy proposals to overhaul the federal government put together by the Heritage Foundation — saying Republicans at all levels, including former president and current presidential candidiate Donald Trump, have distanced themselves from what he called a "radical platform." Democrats have made opposing Project 2025 a major theme of this year's campaign and sought to tie Trump to it.

"The Republican Party has disavowed itself from Project 2025," Block said.

The Republican Party of New Mexico said GOP values resonate with voters.

"We stand for protecting our freedom and the Constitution, a secure border, safe streets, fiscal responsibility resulting in low inflation and solvent Social Security, defending the life of the unborn, and peace through strength to keep us out of unnecessary wars," the party said in a statement.

A poll released by the LGBTQ media advocacy group GLAAD in March found LGBTQ registered voters are highly motivated in November and overwhelming preferred the Democratic candidate at the time, President Joe Biden, over former President Donald Trump.

"According to analysis in The Washington Post, LGBTQ voters in 2020 were 7% to 8% of the overall electorate, a turnout that played a decisive role in President Joe Biden's win in the close contest swing states," GLAAD reported in March.

Block contends Democrats take their votes for granted and have failed to deliver. Voters from various demographics have "turned toward the Republican Party because they see the results," he said.

"They look at their pocketbooks; they have less money. They see the price of food; it's more expensive. They see their neighborhoods; they're ravaged with crime and blunder," he said. "We have a Democrat Party that's in shambles, that installed its presidential nominee like a toilet."

While Block advocates for equal rights, he nonetheless called the Democrats' policies extreme.

"They support letting kids get abortions without their parents' consent, and they support letting men in women's bathrooms and girls' locker rooms," he said. "In the last legislative session, they passed millions of dollars to put tampons in boys' bathrooms, the exact same legislation that was copy-pasted in New Mexico from Minnesota that [Minnesota Gov. and Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz] signed into law, so these kinds of radical, extreme issues that they want to frame as gay issues are not. At the end of the day, not all demographics are monolithic."

Follow Daniel J. Chacón on Twitter @danieljchacon.