AURORA, Colo. — An Aurora councilman said Thursday he is quitting the Colorado GOP in the wake of what he called the party’s “latest hateful stunt.”
In a Facebook post earlier in the day, Aurora Councilman Curtis Gardner said that while he largely tries to avoid commenting on partisan issues as City Council is a non-partisan job, he could no longer stay silent after the state Republican party sent a blast email to its supporters signed by party chairman Dave Williams Monday, in which the party accused the LGBTQ+ community of being “godless groomers” who want to harm children.
In a separate communication posted to the social media site X, formerly Twitter, the Colorado GOP also called for Pride flags to be burned.
“To be clear, God hates no one - not those in the LGBTQ+ community and not Dave Williams. These hateful comments are despicable,” said Gardner. “The Republican Party, and specifically the Colorado GOP, no longer stands for the issues that I care about - individual rights, fiscal responsibility, restraint of government, limited foreign intervention, and encouraging economic mobility.”
Politics
Colorado GOP faces backlash after anti-LGBTQ+ messages
Gardner confirmed to Denver7 Thursday afternoon he had left the party and now considered himself unaffiliated.
"I think it's become pretty clear that [the Colorado GOP is] not concerned with, you know, frankly, the values and the principles of Republicanism that got us to where we are today, you know, limited government and individual rights and fiscal responsibility," Gardner told Denver7 in an interview Thursday, adding it was not very clear to him what they stood for anymore. "I want to be part of a party that stands for individual rights and personal responsibility and fiscal responsibility, and that's what Republicans used to stand for. And that's not what this party stands for anymore."
Gardner also told Denver7 he's not the only Republican in Colorado who will move away from the party over the next several days.
"I think this was kind of a final straw for a lot of people... it's become very clear that the state Republican Party is just completely out of control," he said.
The councilman’s comments have added to the backlash the Colorado GOP is facing following the email blast earlier this week.
“It's really bad optics. It's a really bad message,” said Valdamar Archuleta, president of the Log Cabin Republicans of Colorado, a conservative LGBTQ+ group. "All it's doing is being divisive and non-inclusive, and that's not who we are as Republicans."
Abe Laydon, a Republican and a Douglas County commissioner, was also disgusted by the party’s messages.
"Reasonable Republicans respect freedom, dignity, and the humanity of all people. And we do better when we focus on including people and making a larger tent,” Laydon said.
The Colorado GOP chairman — who is also running for Congress in Colorado’s Fifth Congressional District — told Denver7 Wednesday he will not make any apologies for putting his name behind that message.
“We make no apologies for saying God hates pride or pride flags as it’s an agenda that harms children and undermines parental authority, and the only backlash we see is coming from radical Democrats, the fake news media, and weak Republicans who bow down at the feet of leftist cancel culture,” he said in a statement.
Denver7 has reached out to Williams for an on-camera interview so he can go on the record, in person, but we have yet to hear back.
"If you can't treat people with dignity or respect at a basic human level, then I don't think you, frankly, deserve to be leading a major political party," Curtis said.
