Rob Smith served for 5 years in the United States Army as an Infantryman and deployed to both Kuwait and Iraq, earning the Army Commendation Medal and Combat Infantry Badge in the process. Rob is black, gay and recently has ‘come out’ as conservative because of the ‘outrage culture’ he said he has experienced within the Democratic Party.
According to Newsweek, Smith served in the military and is an Iraq war veteran. He actively protested the legalization of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” during the Clinton era and when Obama repealed the act, he was invited to the ceremony as a guest.
Army veteran Rob Smith: Saying I'm Conservative was harder than coming out as gay https://t.co/cPWJra0Egc pic.twitter.com/KWj5JCNGAU
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) December 6, 2018
Smith, a gay black man, said that coming out as a conservative was more difficult for him than coming out as gay. He said to Newsweek, “I know that five, 10, 20, 25 years from now, me being out as an openly gay conservative, an openly gay and black conservative will open doors for this to not be as shocking and surprising to people. It will open doors to people being unafraid to be open about their political beliefs in their own lives regardless of their skin color or their sexual orientation.”
When Army veteran Rob Smith came out as gay, it was a personal moment reserved for his family and close friends. When he came out as conservative, it was a public declaration that prompted an onslaught of racial slurs and rejection from the communities he’s championed.
Smith traced his journey to joining the Republican Party back to June 12, 2016, when 49 people were fatally shot at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando. As an openly gay man who was prominent in the LGBTQ rights movement, he wanted his fear to be met with a strong message against terrorism from his nation’s leaders. In the wake of the targeted attack, it was the Republican message that resonated with him.
The shooting may have been a “turning point” for Smith, but his decision to make a public declaration about his newfound political beliefs took a little more time. As a gay, African-American man he knew he’d be going against the grain and worried about the repercussions of speaking out against the political left. More
He recently wrote on Instagram
As a gay conservative black, he is more welcome in the ranks of Republicans than Democrats. Funny how Conservatives are more open-minded than Democrats today.
In the video below Rob Smith explains his “coming out as a conservative” to Jesse Watters.
Most of this post was first seen at GodfatherPolitics
Rob Smith served for 5 years in the United States Army as an Infantryman and deployed to both Kuwait and Iraq, earning the Army Commendation Medal and Combat Infantry Badge in the process. Rob is black, gay and recently has ‘come out’ as conservative because of the ‘outrage culture’ he said he has experienced within the Democratic Party.