Most gay and lesbian voters will vote for Democrats in November. But, unlike in the last two presidential elections, GLBT Republicans have some hope that even if McCain/Palin win they will look out for our interests.

Certainly, the Log Cabin Republicans, a national GLBT Republican organization, is optimistic. It endorsed McCain at the Republican National Convention.

The club’s endorsement of McCain is founded on several of his past actions; however, optimism with regard to Palin is less substantiated.

In 2004, McCain’s position proved pivotal to the GLBT community when, after re-capturing control of the U.S. Senate, the right wing wanted Republicans to change a long-standing Senate rule requiring 60 votes to close debate on such matters as judicial nominations. The rule change would have prevented Democrats from using the filibuster to prevent confirmation of anti-gay judicial nominees. McCain opposed that move, refusing to join Republicans who wanted to change the Senate cloture rule.

The right wing also wanted to remove Republican Sen. Arlen Spector as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The right wing has never trusted the pro-gay and pro-choice Spector and would have preferred keeping Strom Thurmond as chair (even though Thurmond had died). McCain worked to keep Spector.

This proved important, because Spector helped vet judicial nominees, including Supreme Court nominees such as Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Samuel Alito who, although conservative in many ways, are not homophobes and have taken pro-gay actions in the past.

And, of course, McCain was one of a few Republicans to vote against a Constitutional amendment that would have banned states from allowing same-sex marriage.

Further, McCain’s first choice for vice-president was Independent Joe Lieberman, whose record in support of GLBT issues mirrors Hillary Clinton’s. When the right would not support Lieberman, rather than choose a safe white guy, McCain chose Palin, albeit a right-wing darling, but one whose experiences as a woman challenging gender stereotypes may give us reason to hope.

Optimism as far as Palin is concerned, however, has yet to be substantiated. Despite having told ABC news last week that she respects the GLBT community and may have gay and/or lesbian relatives in her “diverse” family, Palin has not taken a public position about her views regarding GLBT issues such as gays in the military. She may even have vetoed a domestic partnership bill in Alaska.

And, while GLBT voters may be encouraged that she acknowledges that civil rights laws (including Title IX prohibiting gender bias in schools and colleges) made it possible for her to succeed as a woman in stereotypically male endeavors such as moose hunting and becoming a TV sports reporter, this does not necessarily mean she is sensitive to GLBT issues.

Still, the fact that Palin is even able to run for vice president may indicate that the Republican Party has evolved.

In 1980, when Republican stalwart Ronald Reagan was running for president, it opposed the Equal Rights Amendment, which would have amended the Constitution to prevent federal and state governments from engaging in gender bias. Conservatives in the Republican Party opposed the amendment because a “woman’s place in the home” and sufficient states agreed that the amendment failed.

Whether, however, the Republican party has actually progressed or its choice of Palin as vice presidential candidate is merely an attempt to win votes from those to whom gender is the criterion for support remains to be seen.