SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Log Cabin Republicans (LCR) today announced a changing of the guard as their Chairman, John Musella, steps down effective immediately. Musella, in his resignation letter to the Board of Directors cited, “It’s time for a new generation of Log Cabiners to lead the way in California. I’m pleased to be able to turn over a much stronger organization than I inherited.”
Musella became Chairman on March 1, 2015, the day LCR California was officially chartered by the California Republican Party, ushering a new era for the largest statewide LGBT Republican organization in the Nation.
Musella is credited for not just pushing through the effort for the chartering of Log Cabin but most notably for leading the charge for the removal of all the anti-LGBT language from the California Republican Party (CRP) Platform in the Fall of 2015. Musella helped build a broad-based coalition of conservative leaders to work with Log Cabin on making the platform changes under the group’s moto, “Inclusion wins.”
“When I first joined LCR more than five years ago, my main goal was to work to remove the anti-LGBT language from the CRP Platform,” Musella said. “Previous attempts by LCR had failed, but the key to our success this time was building a broad-based coalition and working with conservative members of our party.”
On his first day as Chairman, the California Republican Party voted by over two-thirds to charter Log Cabin Republicans California for the first time in our more than three-decade history. “Our leadership and members stood strong on the shoulders of all those who came before us in the fight for inclusion and equality within the Republican Party,” Musella said.
“I’ve known John Musella for years and he has been a tremendous asset to Log Cabin Republicans California,” said Assemblyman Scott Wilk. “As the Founding Chairman of the Chartered Log Cabin Republicans California, John has lead the way for a more inclusive California Republican Party.”
Musella was also a strong advocate for legislation in Sacramento supporting LGBT equality. At the organization’s Spring Board meeting, Musella pushed through unanimous Board approvals for a host of legislation sponsored by Equality California that worked to improve the lives of LGBT Californians. He then worked with Republican legislative offices in Sacramento to help build bi-partisan support for the successful passage of that legislation.
“I believe strongly in working together and finding common ground to get things done,” said Musella.
As Chairman of Log Cabin Republicans California, Musella was the first LCR Chairman to hold an official position on the Executive Committee of the CRP and the first LCR member to be an official representative of the organization to be named as a Republican Elector for the Electoral College from California.