Why dont conservatives want gays apart of their party?
Executive summary
Conservative parties and movements contain a range of views about LGBTQ+ people: some conservative groups and leaders explicitly organize to include LGBT members (LGBT+ Conservatives exists as a party-affiliated group) while a powerful strand of contemporary conservative policy-making — exemplified by Project 2025 and affiliated organizations — advocates rolling back federal protections for sexual orientation and gender identity (Project 2025 calls for eliminating SOGI protections) [1] [2]. Reporting and advocacy groups say Project 2025 would “virtually erase” LGBTQ+ people from federal protections and is backed by far‑right coalitions that prioritize religious‑freedom and child‑protection rhetoric [3] [4].
1. Why the question matters: political identity vs. policy priorities
Some conservatives want to include LGBT people in their ranks as voters and activists; others prioritize policy positions and ideological priorities that clash with LGBT‑rights agendas. LGBT+ Conservatives explicitly exists to give LGBT people a voice in the party and to represent conservative values within the LGBT community [1]. At the same time, powerful policy blueprints emerging from conservative institutions propose removing or narrowing legal protections for sexual orientation and gender identity — a tension between inclusion of individuals and opposition to specific legal rights [1] [2].
2. Project 2025 as an organizing document: what it proposes
Project 2025, promoted by conservative think tanks and coalition partners, lays out a 900‑plus page “Mandate for Leadership” that recommends ignoring or reversing the effect of Bostock v. Clayton County (the Supreme Court decision extending Title VII protections to sexual orientation and gender identity) and seeks to eliminate SOGI language across federal agencies and programs [2] [3]. Critics describe the plan as attempting to “virtually erase” LGBTQ+ people from federal protections and to remove inclusive language from agency guidance and funding [3] [4].
3. The ideological drivers: religious liberty, traditionalism, and governance
Sources show key conservative actors frame the issue around religious‑freedom, traditional understandings of sex and family, and limiting federal involvement in schools and health care. Project 2025 explicitly calls for defending the “First Amendment right of those who would discriminate against LGBTQ+ people,” reflecting a prioritization of religious‑liberty claims over SOGI protections in its recommendations [2]. Advocacy groups note that many Project 2025 partner organizations have long histories opposing LGBTQ+ advances and that the project unites those efforts into a coordinated federal agenda [4] [5].
4. Political strategy and the culture wars
Conservative leaders and coalitions have used rhetoric about children, sports, and medical care to mobilize voters — a strategic frame that has carried electoral weight. TIME and other outlets trace this rhetoric to older “save the children” arguments used historically to oppose gay rights and link current Project 2025 proposals to similar child‑protection language that seeks removal of SOGI protections in education and employment [6]. That strategy separates many conservatives who do not have personal antipathy toward individuals from those who support policy rollbacks as a political tool [7].
5. Internal diversity: conservatives who welcome LGBT participation
Not all conservatives oppose LGBTQ+ inclusion. LGBT+ Conservatives positions itself as an official channel within the party advocating for LGBT members and allies; individual conservative politicians have appointed openly gay aides or supported marriage recognition even as policy debates continue [1] [8]. Reporting notes examples of openly gay figures working with or inside conservative administrations, and contemporary conservative electorates include people who prioritize economic or small‑government issues over social restrictions [8] [7].
6. The competing narratives in plain terms
Advocates and watchdogs portray Project 2025 and its coalition as an organized attempt to strip rights and erase inclusive language; they cite specific policy prescriptions and the names of partner organizations [4] [3]. Conservative defenders frame these proposals as necessary to protect religious liberty, parental rights, or the integrity of sex‑segregated institutions; Project 2025 itself calls for defending the right to decline services on conscience grounds [2]. Both narratives appear in current reporting and are driving the debate [2] [3].
7. What reporting does not settle
Available sources do not mention universal motivations for every conservative or fully explain why individual conservative voters hold particular beliefs; they document institutional agendas (Project 2025) and show intra‑party groups that welcome LGBT members [2] [1]. Sources do not claim all conservatives want exclusion; reporting highlights a divide between inclusionary conservative currents and a coordinated policy effort led by influential conservative institutions [1] [4].
Bottom line: inclusion of LGBT people in conservative parties exists in practice, but a significant and organized policy movement within contemporary conservatism — most visibly Project 2025 and its coalition partners — advocates removing or narrowing SOGI protections and uses religious‑liberty and child‑protection frames to justify those proposals [1] [2] [3].