Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker plans to deliver the keynote address to a Washington D.C. gathering of Log Cabin Republicans, which advocates for homosexuality-friendly policies within the GOP.
Log Cabin Republicans calls itself “the national largest Republican organization dedicated to representing LGBT conservatives and allies.”
The $250-a-head “Spirit of Lincoln ‘18” event is scheduled for Tuesday, October 2 – 35 days before voters in Massachusetts decide whether to repeal the so-called Bathroom Bill that makes gender identity a protected class when it comes to public accommodations.
Supporters of the law say it ensures basic rights of people who identify with a gender other than the one that corresponds to their biological sex. Opponents say it threatens the safety and privacy of women and girls because it allows biological males who identify as women to use public bathrooms and lockers rooms meant for females.
Baker, who is also on the November 2018 general election ballot, supported same-sex marriage when he first ran for governor in 2010 (unsuccessfully), as well as in 2014 (when he won).
Other Republican politicians reportedly expected to appear at the Log Cabin Republicans event include 15th-term U.S. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of south Florida (who is retiring) and U.S. Senator Todd Young of Indiana (who won his first term in the Senate in 2016).
