Searching for Pink Elephants:
Why Young Women Should Join the GOP

The prevailing question confronting me on the streets of Chelsea, the West Village and Midtown Manhattan during my arduous four-month City Council campaign was not “For what do you stand?” but “You’re a woman. How could you possibly be a Republican?”

It came as a shocker – never having asked myself this question throughout my Southern childhood, my four years at Wellesley or my eighteen years in New York City. I found solace in the company of my Log Cabin volunteers who were harassed alongside me with similar query: “How can you be a gay Republican?”

These assumptions are long-standing. A recent Business Week article addressed the issue of divorce and female voters. It is a topic I know well, as a middle-income, divorced mother whose divorce had a severe impact on my economic well-being. And yet I did not recognize myself in the article, which was subtitled, “Being single pushes them to the left.” If the numbers say that women are more likely to vote Democratic after a divorce, why do I stand against the statistics?

On the local level, having lived under the Koch, Dinkins and Giuliani administrations in New York City, there seemed to me to be no question of which policies best served women. After Giuliani entered office, I no longer worried that I might be raped coming home late at night. I no longer worried that a drug dealer would harass me as I hurried to my off-Broadway theater company on 42nd Street. Republican policies had brought about significant changes in the economic environment and quality-of-life in my city which directly impacted me – especially as a woman – on a daily basis. Those policies also reinvigorated the economy, allowing me to breeze back into the worlds of business and technology, and helping me regain the empowerment that is so important after a divorce.

On the Federal level, I had watched a sitting President and his wife engulfed in an endless string of tawdry scandals and denials, elevating discussion of semen-stained dresses to the level of national debate. Who could call this the advancing of women’s place in society? As a counterpoint, consider Rudoph Giuliani, who, when faced with public disclosure of his extramarital affair, introduced his girlfriend to the press. You may not agree with his marital morality but you have to admire his adherence to truth and the way in which he took responsibility for his actions.

When I announced my candidacy for New York City Council, serious debates ensued between me and my close (and mostly Democratic) female friends over the hot-button issue of abortion. Like them, I am pro-choice. However, I was shocked by their complete refusal to even consider or recognize other points of view. Even if another woman’s religious beliefs compel her to take a pro-life stance, my Democrat girlfriends were ready to burn her at the stake. This, from people who preach tolerance.

Out of the many confrontations I had during my campaign, out of the many myths and insults directed at Republicans by people who do not understand what we represent, I founded a political organization: the TR Group, named for Teddy Roosevelt. TR is a particularly appropriate patron saint given that his inauguration in 1905 was a model of diversity, bringing together coal minters, cowboys, Indians and students, along with the usual delegations of the wealthy and powerful. (Ironically, his birthplace is only four short blocks from our headquarters.)

Our mission statement spells it out in the plain language TR made his hallmark: The TR Group brings together New York Republicans of all backgrounds, ethnic groups, religions and sexual orientations, united in their efforts to develop, advocate and implement the Republican message of individual rights, limited government, free-market economics and responsible social progress.

Individual rights. Limited government. This seems to directly impact upon my life as a woman. We are a party that counts as valued members both pro-choice and pro-life voters. We are a party, however, that believes that the government is limited in its reach into citizens’ personal decisions, bedrooms and pocketbooks to the extent that those actions do not endanger others.

We believe that the welfare of society is best served by allowing an organic economic system to run its course. This impacts my potential as a female entrepreneur and wage earner. We are a party that believes in change, but that which is thoughtful and responsible. As a mother and a working woman, I can tell you that responsible social progress is true feminism.

While many women still need convincing that their interests as women are in sync with Republican ideals, the message is being heard. Last week Bill Fling, my inspiration and a veteran political activist, excitedly raised his hand to speak at our first big executive presentation. We all thought he was going to congratulate us on our excellent plan, but he had different ideas.

“In thirty years, I’ve never seen this ratio at a Republican meeting before,” he exclaimed. We all wondered aloud what he meant before he answered his own question: “Women to men.”

We looked around the room, and it was true. Of the twenty or so people gathered there that night – culled from the ranks of up-and-comers and soon-to-be New York power brokers – half were of the female persuasion.

My fervent wish is that, very soon, the TR Group’s mission will be simplified to read as follows: “The TR Group brings together New York Republicans united in their efforts to develop, advocate and implement the message of individual rights, limited government, free-market economics and responsible social progress.”

We won’t need to list the subcategories anymore. Now that’s responsible social progress.