Wait, there’s a GOP presidential candidate who doesn’t think bashing LGBTQ+ people is how to win?

Most Republican presidential candidates are staking a large part of their campaigns on two issues: Donald Trump and attacking LGBTQ+ rights.

But what if there was someone who has eschewed the two GOP scripts meant to appeal to the worst in Americans? Former Texas congressman Will Hurd is the guy you’re seeking.

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Scott has consistently opposed same-sex marriage, LGBTQ+ non-discrimination protections, and school accommodations for transgender students.

During his time in Congress, Hurd was one of a handful of Republicans who voted in favor of the Equality Act, a bill that would have ensured full civil equality for LGBTQ+ people. Since leaving office, he’s castigated Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis‘ barrage of disgusting attacks on the community, DeSantis’s attempt to be more hateful than Donald Trump.

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“It would be hard to make the case if Ron DeSantis was the Republican nominee that folks in Black and Brown communities would support him,” he said in a recent interview on NBC.

“Folks in the LGBTQ community won’t support him because of his hateful rhetoric towards my friends in the LGBTQ community. Then he hired a guy who had known for being anti-semitic and then wrote it and created a video that they tried to propagate on their system. Then he had to be fired. So this is a trend. One is an exception, a three is a trend and this is a big problem.”

Let’s keep the focus on what really matters, defeating our enemies and securing a better future for America.

Join my team and get me on the GOP debate stage in August with a $1 donation today. https://t.co/tMMYO5wtG1 pic.twitter.com/VeMuVNe9Nt

— Will Hurd (@WillHurd) July 13, 2023

And, most importantly, he’s spoken out on the campaign trail and in interviews about America’s priorities – and that demonizing LGBTQ+ people shouldn’t be one of them.

A moderate anti-Trumper, Hurd hasn’t been popular on the campaign trail as the former president. He’s been booed by the MAGA crowd repeatedly and targeted by Trump himself.

Donald, I served on the front lines of the war on terror, then in Congress. I’ve dedicated my life to fighting for America. You turned down your opportunity over some bone spurs and then applauded an assault on America on Jan. 6. pic.twitter.com/C5obCRs7uj

— Will Hurd (@WillHurd) July 30, 2023

This isn’t to say that Hurd is the best presidential candidate. He’s still a Republican and his beliefs aren’t shared by the majority of GOP politicians. He doesn’t have Trump’s ruthless ability to get cowardly congressmembers to fall in line and obey his every whim. And while the tpesident has their own power, their priorities can quickly get stymied by Congress and the courts.

He might not disagree with some of those decisions, either. After the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a web designer who faked a request from a gay couple to develop a wedding site, Hurd tried to stake a position in the middle.

“This is a decision that makes me uncomfortable, but I think it was the right call, partly because we should protect expression and speech even if it makes us uncomfortable and we disagree with it,” Hurd said in an interview with MSNBC. 

“I personally disagree with the anti-LGBTQ sentiments that were expressed in this case,” he added while trying to argue that the decision would allow queer designers to refuse to work for anti-LGBTQ+ activists.

As Alex Reimer wrote at Queerty, “In a more sane universe, Hurd’s common sense messaging would break through to Republican and Republican-leaning voters. But taking the moral and ethical stance isn’t always popular.”

“He may not win, but at least he can probably sleep at night. There’s value in being on the right side of history.”

Help me stand up to Trump on the August debate stage.

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Link: https://t.co/tMMYO5vVQt pic.twitter.com/OtdrODkpRo

— Will Hurd (@WillHurd) July 27, 2023