Despite the precedent of holding their annual Spirit of Lincoln gala in Washington D.C., the conservative LGBTQ group Log Cabin Republicans (LCR) decided to hold the event in Florida this year so they could honor former First Lady Melania Trump. The group has undergone massive changes over the past few years due its decision to back Donald Trump and other far right extremists, causing a large number of members to ultimately leave the group completely.

Their decision to honor Melania Trump is certainly baffling. During her time as First Lady, the biggest contribution she made to the LGBTQ community was attempting to get her husband’s staff to display the pride flag on the White House during pride month. However, this attempt was unsuccessful, as the White House staff at the time refused.

Another one of the award recipients, Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, has been no more supportive of the LGBTQ community. For one, she has been outwardly against using gender inclusive language. On top of this, she has actively supported (with the backing of the rest of her party) candidates that were against marriage equality, such as Virginia Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin.

Another example is Rep. Chris Stewart (R – UT). The LCR gave him his award for his aggressive pushing of a bill in congress which has been actively opposed by not just LGBTQ groups around the nation, but most anti-LGBTQ groups as well! The bill has not been passed despite Stewart’s multiple attempts to bring it to the floor because it is not popular with either party.

Portion of Melania Trump’s acceptance speech last night after receiving the 2021 ‘Spirit of Lincoln Award’ from the Log Cabin Republicans for “encouraging individual responsibility, and ensuring equality under the law.” pic.twitter.com/D6AypTudWU

— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) November 8, 2021

All this is not surprising when taken into account the overall activity of the LCR during the past few years. Their focus has turned strongly to supporting extremist conservative takes, while they seem to neglect backing candidates that actually support rights for LGBTQ people. They have even endorsed several candidates that are staunchly and proudly anti-gay, despite the fact that they are an LGBTQ group.

Twitter had some thoughts:

Illegal-Immigrant Melania Trump received the ‘Spirit of Lincoln Award’ from the Log Cabin Republicans last night. 2 things wrong with this:

1. Melania would’ve sided with the Confederates against Abraham Lincoln in the Civil War.

2. Melania doesn’t know who Abraham Lincoln is.

— The Gen Z Perspective POD (@GenZPerspectiv) November 7, 2021

The evil Log Cabin Republicans, Trump's gay lackeys, honored Melania with their Spirit of Lincoln Award on Saturday. Melania said she'd rather have a Spirit of Benjamin Franklin Award, because "His face is on the $100 bill and he had what really turns me on in a man – gout" pic.twitter.com/VwIVfrlOwK

— Paul Rudnick (@PaulRudnickNY) November 7, 2021

Melania Trump is a racist birther who never did a single thing for LGBTQ people. This is why no one takes the Log Cabin Republicans seriously. They speak for a tiny minority of privileged people. Plus their award is hideous. https://t.co/FycDrFVcLy

— Victoria Brownworth (@VABVOX) November 7, 2021

https://twitter.com/Philip_Germain/status/1457448198793048064

This is why I have no interest in the "Log Cabin" Republicans. They don't fight for anything but themselves. They're full of it. Melania doesn't care about personal freedom. https://t.co/CcnNEAv55E

— Tired Of the Ignorance (@JulieCommute) November 7, 2021

I can't tell if this is a deliberate joke or not https://t.co/fBu7By0Yww

— Michael Scott Moore (@MichaelSctMoore) November 7, 2021

https://twitter.com/AlgernonBlackw3/status/1457309321944047617

https://twitter.com/GabiMccauley/status/1457249546552053766

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