TALLAHASSEE,
Fla.
—
The
Log
Cabin
Republicans
have
denounced
a
constituent
letter
sent
from
Florida
Gov.
Jeb
Bush’s
office
that
contains
anti-gay
language
and
refers
to
gay
rights
as
“special
rights.”
LCR,
a
gay
GOP
group,
issued
a
statement
last
month
condemning
the
letter
as
“out
of
step
with
mainstream
Florida
families”
and
calling
on
Bush
to
repudiate
it.
The
letter
says
Governor
Bush
“is
not
in
favor
of
extending
‘special
rights’
to
the
gay
and
lesbian
community.”
“In
the
past,
Governor
Bush
has
voiced
his
opposition
to
same-sex
marriages,
gay
and
lesbian
adoptions
and
the
extension
of
domestic
partner
benefits,”
the
letter
says.
“Since
taking
office,
the
governor’s
views
on
these
subjects
have
not
changed.
…
Gov.
Bush
believes
that
the
state
should
not
be
in
the
business
of
actively
sanctioning
this
particular
lifestyle.”
The
letter
is
signed
by
L.
O’Connor
in
the
governor’s
Office
of
Citizens’
Services.
Jacob
DiPietre,
spokesperson
for
Bush,
said
the
letter
reflects
Bush’s
views
on
gay
issues.
“The
governor’s
feelings
are
adequately
expressed
in
the
letter,”
DiPietre
said.
“[Bush]
does
respect
the
right
of
individuals
to
follow
their
own
hearts
or
choose
their
own
lives
within
the
framework
of
our
society.
He
does
not
believe
that
the
state
should
sanction
every
choice
through
legislation
to
advance
particular
issues
related
to
any
particular
subgroup
of
our
citizens.”
DiPietre
confirmed
that
Bush
is
“opposed
to
same-sex
marriage,
gay
and
lesbian
adoptions
and
domestic
partner
benefits.”
Meanwhile,
some
members
of
the
local
Broward
Log
Cabin
Republicans
say
they
will
not
contribute
money
to
the
Republican
Party
this
year
and
will
not
work
to
re-elect
the
governor’s
brother,
President
George
W.
Bush,
because
of
the
letter,
said
Andy
Eddy,
communications
director
for
the
Broward
Log
Cabin
Republicans.
“What
a
stupid
thing
to
do,”
Eddy
said.
“To
come
out
with
rhetoric
like
that
in
an
election
period
doesn’t
make
any
sense
at
all.
This
will
hurt
Republicans
nationwide.”
After
the
letter
became
public,
Eddy
said
several
members
of
the
Broward
Log
Cabin
Republicans
called
him
and
said
they
will
not
be
giving
any
money
to
the
party
this
year.
He
noted
that
in
the
past,
gay
Republicans
like
the
late
Richard
Fasenmeyer,
a
local
gay
businessman,
gave
thousands
to
the
Republican
Party.
Eddy
said
members
are
also
more
reluctant
to
volunteer
this
year.
It
could
all
translate
to
a
loss
of
votes
for
President
Bush
in
November,
Eddy
said.
Exit
polls
from
the
2000
election
indicate
that
Bush
received
an
estimated
1
million
gay
votes.
Eddy
said
the
letter
showed
a
lack
of
sensitivity
toward
the
governor’s
gay
constituents.
“To
me
as
a
politician,
it
would
make
sense
that
you
would
address
the
sensitivity
issue,”
Eddy
said.
The
letter
was
distributed
by
the
Log
Cabin
Republicans
to
the
group’s
members
and
was
also
sent
to
other
gay
activists
who
wrote
the
governor
asking
him
not
to
support
a
proposed
constitutional
amendment
to
ban
same-sex
marriage.
One
of
the
people
who
received
the
letter
from
Bush’s
office
was
Joe
McCallion,
a
long-time
member
of
the
Broward
Log
Cabin
Republicans.
McCallion
wrote
to
Bush
at
the
request
of
LCR,
which
encouraged
its
members
to
contact
elected
officials
asking
them
not
to
support
the
federal
constitutional
amendment
banning
same-sex
marriage.
The
constituent
letter
was
the
governor’s
reply.
In
the
past,
McCallion
said,
he
and
his
partner,
Jim
Rafferty,
have
been
heavy
contributors
to
the
Republican
Party.
McCallion
voted
for
Bush
in
2000.
But
the
letter,
coming
on
the
heels
of
President
Bush’s
support
for
a
constitutional
amendment
banning
gay
marriage,
was
the
“frosting
on
the
cake”
for
McCallion.
He
hasn’t
given
any
money
to
the
Republican
Party
this
year.
“The
letter
is
absolutely
outrageous,”
McCallion
said.
“It
sounds
like
it
came
directly
from
the
Christian
Coalition.”
McCallion
said
he
feels
betrayed
by
both
Bushes.
“Jeb
Bush
came
to
us
with
his
hat
in
his
hand
after
he
lost
his
first
run
for
governor
[in
1998],”
McCallion
said.
“He
assured
us
that
no
one
in
his
family
would
discriminate
against
the
gay
community.
And
he
lied.
He
double-crossed
us
as
far
as
I’m
concerned.”
McCallion
said
he
will
not
vote
for
President
Bush
because
of
his
public
support
for
a
constitutional
amendment
banning
gay
marriage.
Rafferty
said
he
has
ruled
out
voting
for
Bush
as
well.
“I
will
probably
sit
out
the
election,
or
I
may
vote
for
Kerry
or
for
the
Green
Party
candidate,”
McCallion
said.
“I’m
certainly
not
going
to
vote
for
someone
who
will
institute
discrimination
against
a
class
of
people
in
the
Constitution.
So
I’m
not
going
to
vote
for
George
Bush;
that’s
obvious.”
McCallion
thinks
his
position
reflects
the
feelings
of
most
Log
Cabin
members.
“I
don’t
think
anybody
in
Log
Cabin
is
going
to
support
Bush,”
McCallion
said.
“We’re
certainly
not
going
to
work
to
get
this
guy
elected.
“I
believe
the
Log
Cabin
Club
delivered
his
presidency
to
him
in
2000.
But
the
man
doesn’t
have
any
brains,
and
he
listens
to
a
bunch
of
idiotic
advisers.”
But
Christopher
Barron,
political
director
for
the
national
LCR
group,
emphasized
Jeb
Bush,
not
President
Bush,
is
responsible
for
the
letter.
“I
think
people
should
make
decisions
about
who
their
leaders
are
based
on
who
those
people
are,
not
who
their
relatives
are,”
Barron
said.
Barron
said
Log
Cabin
officers
have
contacted
Governor
Bush
asking
him
to
“distance
himself”
from
the
letter.
