A recent report in The Hill finds the latest anti-LGBTQ campaigning by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is separating the homophobic presidential hopeful from the support of conservative LGBTQ political leaders; specifically, “a bizarre video widely seen as inflammatory” that touts Trump’s “support for the LGBTQ community” and celebrates DeSantis as a champion of anti-LGBTQ discrimination.
Yvonne Dean-Bailey, a former Republican state legislator from New Hampshire [and one of the conservative LGBTQ politicians interviewed in the article], said her plans to back DeSantis as the GOP nominee in 2024 were dashed by Friday’s video, which she said solidified her already-waning support for the Florida governor’s campaign.
“This was the final nail in the coffin,” said Dean-Bailey. “At this point, I can’t see myself voting for DeSantis.” She said she is likely to vote for a third-party candidate in 2024.
Dean-Bailey, who is openly gay, said she was initially drawn to DeSantis’s candidacy by his criticism of pandemic-era lockdowns and mask mandates and his plans for the economy.
“He really set himself apart as like, this future of the Republican Party,” she said. “This is somebody who can really kind of cross the political divide and work on those issues that are important.”
“He’s since led this conversation on the culture war that is so unattractive to me,” Dean-Bailey added. “I don’t even want to call myself a conservative anymore. I don’t identify with these people.”
Read the complete story in The Hill here.
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