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Log Cabin Republicans 'Normal Gay' party moved for 'safety' reasons
Palm Springs / Log Cabin Republicans
The Palm Springs event was forced to change venues after backlash online.
The Coachella Valley chapter of the conservative LGBTQ+ organization Log Cabin Republicans is scrambling after an event the group hosts titled "A Normal Gay Social" was called out online and forced to change locations.
The event was supposed to take place at a popular Palm Springs eatery and lounge, The Tropicale, but has now changed to an undisclosed location.
In a now-deleted post about the venue move, the Log Cabin Republicans chapter said, "Unfortunately, many local social media posts have encouraged bad behavior towards our group and this location. It is for the safety of all attending and for their staff. The decision to change locations was mutually agreed to," per LGBTQ Nation.
The phrase "normal gay" rattled some LGBTQ+ folks on social media. Although the original Log Cabin post announcing the venue change was taken down, LGBTQ+ Nation captured a few of the reactions. "When I first saw the flyer, my main issue was the use of the term ‘normal’. Many posted the same sentiment. I guess this group considers me abnormal. Something I’ve dealt with all my life," one user wrote.
"'Change of Venue' because you can’t get anyone to host your racist 'event' and quit playing right into their hands," another added.
The group has since put up a new event flyer that does not have a location and has an updated description. The post has taken a page from the musical Hamilton (which often added commas in the middle of lyrical phrases to change meanings) and added a comma in between "normal" and "gay" in an apparent attempt at a turn of phrase. (Older posts about previous events still show "Normal Gay" without a comma.)
The post also explained its use of the term, which refers to a 2024 interview from Vice President JD Vance, when he told podcast host Joe Rogan, "I wouldn't be surprised if me and Trump won, just the normal gay guy vote, because they just wanted to be left the hell alone."
The chapter stated, "Maybe it was more an attempt at humor… understandably, not found funny by everyone. We know the term 'normal' can be triggering based on our past experiences as it can be used as an insult by comparison."
"For some gay conservatives, JD Vance offered a form of validation and this was well received," the explanation continued. "Democrats have clung to a narrative that the republicans hate us, or even want us dead. In using this phrase it disproved that argument. Gays and lesbians have a place in this party. We aren’t just tolerated… we are equal. Let’s take the win and recognize the progress."
The post specifically does not mention transgender members of the LGBTQ+ community, who have been a particular target for the Republican party since President Trump took office this year.
According to exit polls, 86 percent of LGBTQ+ voters pulled the lever for Vice President Kamala Harris, compared to just 12 percent who voted for Trump. That was a sharp decline in LGBTQ+ support for Trump, who got 27 percent of the demographic's vote in 2020. Harris was also the most popular candidate among queer voters in the past five presidential elections, per The Advocate.
Mey Rude is a journalist and cultural critic who has been covering queer news for a decade. The transgender, Latina lesbian lives in Los Angeles with her fiancée.
Mey Rude is a journalist and cultural critic who has been covering queer news for a decade. The transgender, Latina lesbian lives in Los Angeles with her fiancée.
TERFs are totally missing the point of Sam Rockwell's 'White Lotus' monologue