Milo Yiannopoulos Proposed a Gay-Conservative Alliance and the Pro-Trump Crowd Loved It
'The left does not own homosexuals anymore,' said Yiannopoulos. 'We're your gays!'
You might not have expected the crowd at a rally outside the Republican National Convention to cheer an out-and-proud gay man who bragged about his good looks and sex life. But in the age of Donald Trump, anything is possible: even a conservative Christian audience going gaga over Milo Yiannopoulos.
"The left does not own homosexuals anymore," Yiannopoulos, an editor for Breitbart and provocative campus speaker, told the crowd. "We're your gays."
"You're our gays!" someone in the crowd echoed. Others cheered.
Yiannopoulos, who affectionately refers to Trump as "daddy," argued that religious conservatives and gays should set aside their differences in order to focus on the common enemy: radical Islam, identity politics, leftism, and of course, Lena Dunham.
"Donald Trump is best placed to end the tyranny of political correctness in this country," said Yiannopoulos. "Many Trump supporters and Republicans have their challenges with the gay thing. But there's a world of difference between refusing to bake a cake and opening fire [on a gay nightclub]."
Despite Yiannopoulos's offer of friendship between gays and conservatives, the 2016 Republican presidential platform remains stunningly anti-gay—even for the GOP. It includes language in support of gay conversion therapy and asserts that a "traditional two-parent household" is best for children. It also calls for the Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage to be overturned.
In an interview with Reason earlier today, long-time Trump friend and supporter Roger Stone pointed out that once the convention is over, Trump will be free to disregard aspects of the platform with which he disagrees. Stone suggested that LGBT issues were one such aspect. Still, it's shaky ground on which to begin a gay-conservative alliance.
Yiannopoulos wrapped up his remarks by calling on Americans not to cower before radical Islam.
"Die on your feet or live on your knees," he said, before adding, "well, I do live on my knees. That's alright. As long as I'm not facing Mecca, I'm alright with you guys. I mean, I might have been by accident. I don't think God would mind, I was calling his name the whole time. I'm sorry, that was too far. Don't encourage me."
Watch a video of Yiannopoulos's speech below.