Charlotte’s Log Cabin Republicans

Ever wonder how many people in the LGBTQ+ community identify as a conservative, a Republican or maybe even a Trump supporter?

Given the long history of intolerance, discrimination and even violence lobbed at us from that part of of our population, ever wonder how anyone in the LGBTQ+ community could fall in line as a supporter of a political party and a section of American society that most progressives and centrists see as the oppressor?

Lesbian, gay and bisexual Republicans exist. They really do, though the numbers of transgender Republicans are unknown. Caitlyn Jenner, perhaps?

Here are the statistics referencing lesbians, gay men and bisexuals known to be registered Republicans. According to surveys conducted in 2024 and early 2025 in the United States, approximately 15 percent of the roughly 9 to 20 million LGBTQ+ registered voters identify as Republicans.

Let’s take a look at the overall party affiliation among LGBTQ+ Voters: approximately 15 percent of the community is registered with or identifies as Republican. Roughly 50 percent identify as Democrats and about 35 percent identify as Independent, third-party, or undecided.

In short, approximately 85 percent of individuals in the LGBTQ+ community do not identify as Republicans. But not everyone agrees with those statistics.

There are no specific figures for registered Republicans in the LGBTQ+ community in North Carolina or Mecklenburg County. However, Google estimates across the state there are approximately 57,000 gay Republicans.

In a 2024 interview with Christian Paz of the news website Vox, author Neil J. Young, (“Coming Out Republican: a History of the Gay Right”) shared his thoughts on the topic his book explores.

“The proliferation of more people who identify as LGBTQ will mean a growth of people who identify as gay Republicans,” Young offered. “Because there will probably be a lot more people who are comfortable to be out and to be recognized as gay Republicans in a way they weren’t in the past.

“The biggest misconception is that there aren’t that many of them,” he said, in reference to LGBTQ Republicans. “The overwhelming idea is that all LGBTQ people are Democrats or have politics that align them with the left.”

Young confirms what appears to be the standard across the board for Republicans in our community: “… the big consistency is that this is mostly a story of white gay men, especially at the activist level.”

And according to Young, being gay is part of their identity that most simply don’t feel is a big deal. “They would say, I’m an American first. I’m a conservative first. I’m a Christian who just happens to be gay.”

That gives us an idea of how Republicans in our community view themselves and justify supporting and collaborating with a group that typically opposes them.

But what about North Carolina? More specifically, what about the Charlotte Mecklenburg area?

At one time there was a North Carolina Log Cabin Republican group, though little information on the official organization can be found online. Charlotte does have a Log Cabin Republican chapter. 

Even though the city has largely remained a stalwart of progressive thought and a stronghold for the Democratic party throughout the 21st century, it wasn’t always that way.

Since its official founding and chartering as a town in 1768, Charlotte has long struggled to find its identity.

In the 19th and 20th centuries it was many things: a gold mining boom town, a steel and pipe foundry colossus, a textile giant and eventually, it became what it is largely recognized as today, the second largest banking center in the country.

What was consistent throughout that era? Capitalism at its most intense, wealth classism, not much attention paid to the arts or history and a nearly pious devotion to religion. 

Indeed, Charlotte was recognized as “The City of Churches” during that same period, reportedly having the highest per capita concentration of churches in the United States and the highest attendance rate for worship services in the country (an estimated 80 percent).

Much of those values add up to a constant for leaders and the wealthiest of the Republican party, which made the city a natural frontrunner in center conservative culture. The number of conservatives in the Queen City have dropped substantially as Charlotte has diversified and transplants have flocked to the city, which has refinished area politics with a predominant left-leaning slant.

To put a human face on gay conservatives and Republicans in Charlotte, we spoke with two members of the Log Cabin Republicans of Charlotte (LCRC)

Steven Bates is LCRC ‘s events coordinator. “I plan all the events, all the get-togethers and everything like that,” Bates offers. “So far I think we have around 200 followers on Facebook (across two pages, one private and one public) and 100 paid subscribing members that are in the Charlotte Mecklenburg area.”

For Bates and many other members of the group, the Log Cabin Republicans of Charlotte Facebook group is more of a social club for like-minded individuals, and much less of a political action organization. Content from their Facebook group indicates the private membership page was created in August of 2024.

“We’re still in our infancy in that respect, and we’ve been trying to determine a direction to take. I think most of our members are wanting to be more of a social chapter rather than a political affiliate. But, you know, being under the name Log Cabin, we are a political affiliate of the Log Cabin Republicans. For 2026 we want to look into volunteering and doing things like that around Charlotte. We just haven’t pinned down actual volunteer work yet.”

One of their group pages requires members to be a registered Republican in order to join. That page is set to private. The other group, which is public, can be viewed by anyone and is filled with posts about upcoming social events.

Barrett Klutts is also a member of CLCR. Although he does not serve in an officially titled role in the group, he is happy to share his thoughts on Trump and the Republican party and act as a spokesperson for Barrett Klutts, an openly gay man and a Republican.

If you’re a long time Charlotte resident and his name sounds familiar, that’s likely because his last name once frequently appeared on real estate signs across Charlotte.

These days his focus is on transportation. He also enjoys spending free time with other members of the Charlotte Log Cabin Republicans.

“I just recently joined the Log Cabin Republicans because they were kind of like-minded people,” says Klutts. “And I realized, I really like these guys.”

Klutts doesn’t temper his words when it comes to his thoughts on the current administration and his support for Trump and company.

“I’m gay and I’m married. I’m not concerned about the government coming after a couple that has been together for [so many] years,” Klutts says. “I’m just really not concerned.

“And if you believe 10 percent of our population is gay, I don’t think that their big focus is on just the 10 percent. I think it’s focused on the country as a whole and we’re part of that 100 percent.

“Still, I know Trump is an imperfect man,” Klutts continues. “He doesn’t come across as a loving, caring or kind person. He just comes across as real matter of fact, my way or no way, which I really dislike. 

“But I think he’s what we needed at the time. I do think he’s compassionate and he’s bringing Christ back into our country. And for me first and foremost, that’s important. I’m an avid believer of God, family and country, in that order.

When it comes to encouraging minority community members to join the Log Cabin Republicans, Klutts says Trump has made the world a better place.

“The proof is in the pudding, he says matter of factly. “I look at my 401k and my mother’s 401k and I can see the results. I mean, this guy’s been in office not even a year yet and I’ve seen more done in one year than I have with probably any president that I can remember, except for Ronald Reagan.

“I would also tell them that if you believe in less government and less control of your body and the things that you do, you should pick Republican. If you believe in less intrusion on your life and paying less taxes and more freedom, it only makes sense that you would want to vote for the Republican party.” 
For more details on the  Log Cabin Republicans of Charlotte, visit their Facebook pages or their website at https://cltlcr.com/.