To see the recently-appointed chairman of the Republican National Committee, Michael Steele, fumble his way through recent interviews is to see a breathing, corporeal manifestation of the GOPâÄôs platform, scrutinized by curious media heads. If he appears confused, erratic and illogical after one of those media heads asks him a question, thatâÄôs because he’s trying to sell a platform American voters handily rejected in the 2008 elections as one that’s politically viable. The party’s stance on same sex marriage is illustrative of this false advertising. During a recent interview, GQ asked Steele whether he thought homosexuality is a choice, and Steele said no. âÄúI think that thereâÄôs a whole lot that goes into the makeup of an individual that, uh, you just canâÄôt simply say, oh, like, âÄòTomorrow morning IâÄôm gonna stop being gay,âÄôâÄù Steele said. âÄúItâÄôs like saying, âÄòTomorrow morning IâÄôm gonna stop being black.âÄôâÄù With that recognition, it wouldnâÄôt be unreasonable to conclude that the Republican Party might be more sympathetic to the prejudice same-sex couples face in the country. Indeed, Republicans might even make a viable effort to eliminate legally-mandated discrimination against those couples. WhatâÄôs more, the 2008 Republican PlatformâÄôs stance on âÄúEnsuring Equal Treatment for AllâÄù appears to take a very progressive position toward equality. âÄúWe consider discrimination based on sex, race, age, religion, creed, disability, or national origin to be immoral, and we will strongly enforce anti-discrimination statutes.âÄù Nevertheless, the battered party holds onto its anachronistic beliefs that granting same sex couples legal rights will lead to the ruination of society: âÄúChildren in homes without fathers are more likely to commit a crime, drop out of school, become violent, become teen parents, use illegal drugs, become mired in poverty, or have emotional or behavioral problems,âÄù the platform states under âÄúPreserving Traditional Marriage,âÄù putting it in direct collision with the PartyâÄôs stance on âÄúEqual Treatment for All.âÄù Michael Gallagher, in a February radio interview, asked whether SteeleâÄôs party should favor civil unions, and Steele literally asked if the interviewer was crazy. âÄúNo, no, no. What would we do that for?âÄù Steele asked incredulously. âÄúWhy would we backslide on a core, founding value of this country? I mean this isnâÄôt something that you just kind of like, âÄòOh well, today I feel, you know, loosey-goosey on marriage.âÄôâÄù So Steele accepts that homosexuality is not a choice, but continues to discriminate against homosexuals? When it comes to same-sex marriage, the Republican Party is putting on a masquerade of grand scale, and Michael Steele its maladroit puppet. The question remains whether self-described party of equality will continue this farce in its 2012 platform.