The 2016 Republican National Convention wrapped up last night, and for obvious reasons, Donald Trump’s nomination acceptance speech (and his daughter Ivanka’s memorable introduction) are grabbing the majority of this morning’s headlines.
But just hours before the elder Trump’s lengthy address, another speaker made history and stirred up controversy with a speech that may well be discussed and dissected for years to come.
Silicon Valley tycoon Peter Thiel made his billions as a co-founder of PayPal and board member of Facebook.
Recently he made headlines after it was revealed that he bankrolled Hulk Hogan’s lawsuit against Gawker as part of his efforts to bring the online gossip network down.
Thiel admits he was motivated by a desire for revenge on Gawker for outing him as gay in a 2007 article.
Last night, Thiel became the first openly gay speaker to take the stage at the RNC.
Interestingly, he did so in one of the most high-profile time slots of the entire convention:
“Every American has a unique identity. I am proud to be gay,” Thiel said to applause from the conservative crowd.
“I am proud to be a Republican, but most of all I am proud to be an American.”
With regard to the party’s apparent insensitivity toward many of the issues faced by the LGBTQ community, Thiel says they only serve to compromise party unity and divert attention from more important issues.
“This is a distraction from our real problems. Who cares?” Thiel said.
“I don’t pretend to agree with every plank of our party platform.”
Obviously, millions of gay men and women disagree, and many took to social media to express their displeasure with Thiel’s speech.
Many of Thiel’s comments seemed especially tone deaf in the context of Trump’s later address, which many feel verged on hate speech at times.
But whatever your feelings about Thiel and his views, there’s no denying that his speech served its purpose – to get people talking, and send the message that this isn’t your father’s GOP.
