Hawaii Democratic Party’s LGBT Caucus wouldnt support Tulsi in the 2016 primary election.
[Fittingly for her narrative, though, the explanation for her changed ideology feints us back onto familiar territory–the military,” states the article. “It was, she says, the days in the Middle East that taught her the dangers of a theocratic government ‘imposing its will’ on the people. (She tells me that, no, her personal views haven’t changed, but she doesn’t figure it’s her job to do as the Iraqis did and force her own beliefs on others.)”
So after all this time, Gabbard still personally opposes same-sex marriage, but won’t say or do anything politically about it? This puts her campaign statement on same-sex marriage that we cited above in an entirely different light.
Golojuch said the LGBT Caucus still planned to interview Gabbard in person, but Gabbard’s staff cancelled that on July 17.
“It was just brought to our attention that your chairman and vice chairman have been campaigning for Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard’s opponent (please see examples below),” Erika Tsuji, Gabbard’s campaign press aide, said in an email to Golojuch (who forwarded it and others to MauiTime). “Therefore, there is obviously no need for any ‘who are we going to endorse?’ interviews. Tulsi has already submitted answers to your written questionnaire.”
As for the “examples” she mentioned, she included in her July 17 email were half a dozen links to Facebook posts Golojuch and LGBT Caucus Vice-Chairperson James Mateo had made in support of Chan Hodges. Golojuch insisted both to Tsuji and MauiTime that he and Mateo made those posts as individuals, not as officials for the LGBT Caucus.
“It appears that you have spent a lot of time researching James and my on-line postings and I am flattered that you are so interested in us,” Golojuch said in his emailed reply to Tsuji. “But the one thing is that none of those posts were done in our official capacity as Chair or Vice-Chair of the LGBT Caucus.”
In any case, Tsuji added in her July 17 email, Gabbard didn’t need the LGBT Caucus’ statement of support anyway.
“Considering Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard’s 100% record on LGBT issues in Congress, and the Human Rights Campaign [HRC] endorsing her re-election, it unfortunately appears that your leadership is out of touch with the majority of those in the LGBT community who appreciate Tulsi’s commitment to issues impacting the LGBT community,” she said in her email to Golojuch.
This really burned Golojuch. “Just so you know the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) does not speak for the entire or even a majority of the LGBTQ community, especially after they endorsed Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth’s republican challenger for the US Sentate [sic],” Golojuch added in his email to Tsuji.
“The HRC has been out of step with local politics and needs,” Golojuch told MauiTime. He also said he felt insulted that “a straight person” would try to school the Caucus on who they should support. And, he added, the Caucus had “reached out to” Gabbard during the 2013 Legislative Special Session on same-sex marriage, only to be rebuffed. “We were told that Congresswoman Gabbard doesn’t get involved in state politics,” he said, though he noted that Representative Colleen Hanabusa and Senators Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz had sent people to testify in support of the same-sex marriage bill.](https://mauitime.com/news/politics/heres-why-the-hawaii-lgbt-caucus-doesnt-support-rep-tulsi-gabbards-reelection-campaign/)
Was this article the product of a pedophiles smear campaign?