Republican Women that Support Gay Rights

Prior to the Presidential election Texas native and registered Republican Kelly Clarkson, who also loves and supports her LGBT friends, broke ranks with her party, very specifically over the Romney / Ryan tickets antigay stance, and endorsed President Obama. Around the same time Meghan McCain, outspoken Republican and daughter of former Republican Presidential nominee John McCain, announced she would fight for marriage equality as part of the Young Conservatives for Freedom to Marry. Since they are both accomplished, and let’s face it, in our estimation, hot Republican women who support LGBT folks, that got us thinking about other hot Republicans who love us. Here they are. 

 1. Barbara Pierce Bush Former President George W. Bush’s daughter Barbara, one of the Bush Twins, joined New Yorkers for Marriage Equality. "I'm Barbara Bush and I'm a New Yorker for marriage equality," she says in a PSA for the group. "New York is about fairness and equality and everyone should have the right to marry the person that they love. Join us." 

2.Sarah Michelle Gellar Adored by fangirls and boys alike for embodying the kick-ass titular character in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which featured one of television’s groundbreaking lesbian couples with Willow and Tara, Sarah Michelle Gellar said at a junket that it drives her crazy when her good friends, gay couples, who’ve been together for 18 years are not acknowledged in the eyes of the law. 

3.Angie Harmon  Lesbians love Rizzoli and Isles, in which Angie Harmon plays a tough-talking cop opposite Sasha Alexander. In 2010 Angie appeared on Chelsea Lately and told  LGBT ally Chelsea Handler that even though she’s a Republican she loves “the gays.” “Since I had come out and said I was a Republican, I needed to come out and tell people that I like gay people,” Angie said. 

4.Susan Lucci One of the timeless divas of daytime Susan Lucci’s All My Children character Erica Kane struggled, like many parents do, when her TV daughter Bianca came out in a benchmark storyline. In her book All My Life: A Memoir Susan says that Bianca’s storyline struck a nerve with her prompting her to become more passionate about LGBT equality.

5. Britney Spears It’s no secret that gay men in particular have long been drawn to pop darling Britney Spears' catchy dance tracks but it’s good to know that she returns the love. When Out magazine asked her about her views on same-sex marriage in 2011 she said, "I think everyone should be treated equally."

6.Elisabeth Hasselbeck Conservative The View co-host has had her share of tiffs with her more left-leaning co-hosts throughout the years including Rosie O’Donnell, Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg but when it comes to gay marriage she says she supports it.
"I am not ultra-ultra-conservative on every issue. I actually support gay marriage," Elisabeth said, according to The Huffington Post. 

7. Shannen Doherty Shannen Doherty’s been a gay icon since she played Heather Duke in the 1988 cult classic Heathers before she moved on to playing beloved angst teen Brenda Walsh in Beverly Hills 90210. In an interview with the Huffington Post this past May Shannen was unequivocal in her support of marriage equality.
“I believe that we live in a free country -- or at least we're supposed to be living in a free country,” Shannen said. “Two men, two women should be able to get married. It's not about your sex, it's about love and commitment. No state has the right to tell someone, ‘No, this is not legal in the eyes of the state.’ That is the most ridiculous statement in the world when you then go and preach that this is a free country. That is mind boggling to me.”


8.  Kelly Clarkson Lesbian rumors have long followed a previously interminably single Kelly Clarkson and while she’s not gay she supports her LGBT fans and friends to the point where she endorsed President Obama in the recent election primarily because of his stance on marriage equality. Since the election Kelly’s even released the infectious “People Like Us,” that could be perceived as her “gay anthem.”

9. Meghan McCain  The outspoken daughter of former Presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain, Meghan has always shared her love and support of LGBTs from her hitting up an NRA gun show with Rachel Maddow to recently joining the leadership committee of Young Conservatives for the Freedom to Marry. 

10 .  Jessica Simpson Do a quick search of “Jessica Simpson, gay marriage” online and hundreds of articles exploiting the rumor that her father Joe Simpson is gay will turn up. But the pop, reality and fashion has long been a friend to the LGBTs. In fact, back in 2010, before she found love and became a mama, Jessica told the women of the The View that she and her gay best friend, celebrity hair stylist, Ken Paves – who was in the audience at the time-- had a back-up plan to parent a child together if they didn’t have kids by the time they were 40.