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A college GOP leader from a well-known political family has upset some older Republicans in Alabama by supporting gay marriage.

Stephanie Petelos' remarks have some Republicans trying to change the party's bylaws on Saturday. They want to make sure members of the party's steering committee, like Petelos, would face removal if they speak out against platform issues without committee approval.

Former Tuscaloosa County Commissioner Don Wallace said the Republican Party has steadfastly defended traditional marriage in its platform, and party leaders shouldn't use their official positions to speak out against cornerstones of the party. "A little higher responsibility comes with being on the steering committee," he said.

Others say it's an overreaction.

"She's in college. Come on," said State Board of Education member Mary Scott Hunter, R-Huntsville.

Hunter has sympathy for what the younger Petelos is going through. On Monday, the Madison County Republican Executive Committee passed a resolution condemning her support of the Common Core education standards. Those standards are opposed by the Republican National Committee, but Hunter favors keeping them as part of Alabama's educational standards.

Hunter said Petelos' remarks and Common Core are symptoms of a Republican Party adjusting to its new status as Alabama's majority party. She said there are some members who want to narrow the party, while others, including her, want to make it more welcoming.

"What this is about is control," she said.

Battles for control have been very public. In February, the State Republican Executive Committee re-elected Bill Armistead as party chairman even though the Republican governor, lieutenant governor and House speaker endorsed his opponent.

Petelos is the daughter of Tony and Teresa Petelos. Her father was a Republican legislator for 11 years, ran the state Department of Human Resources for a Republican governor, served as mayor of Hoover and is now county administrator for Jefferson County. Her mother served as a Jefferson County circuit judge.

In April, Petelos was elected chairwoman of the College Republican Federation of Alabama — a position that automatically puts her on the state party's steering committee. That same month, the Alabama Republican Party recognized her on its website as a "Rising Republican Star."

Then in June, she praised the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning the Defense of Marriage Act and spoke in support of gay marriage. "I think a lot of people would be actively for it if they didn't live in fear of backlash from party leaders," she said.

She also said the party's continued emphasis on religion gets in the way of issues young people could get behind, like the economy.

"The majority of students don't derive the premise of their argument for or against gay marriage from religion because we're governed by the Constitution and not the Bible," she told al.com.

She followed up in July at a Young Republicans convention in Mobile by saying she believes "all people deserve to be treated equally under the law."

Some state party leaders who opposed the Supreme Court's decision didn't like her remarks. Petelos said they worked out an agreement with her where she wouldn't talk about gay marriage any more, and the party wouldn't take any action against her.

Since then, Petelos has stayed out of the spotlight, saying in a written statement, "I am going to continue upholding my agreement with them."

But Wallace and another member of the State Republican Executive Committee are trying to address it by proposing a bylaws change for consideration at Saturday's Republican Executive Committee meeting in Montgomery. The executive committee is made up of more than 400 people who meet twice a year to decide party issues. The 21-member steering committee meets more often to handle administrative and day-to-day matters.

The Young Republican Federation of Alabama's executive committee and Alabama Minority GOP have approved resolutions opposing the change. "It is our belief that the party should be a place where a diversity of opinion is a good thing, not something to be punished," said Phillip Brown, chairman of the Minority GOP.

Republican state Sen. Cam Ward of Alabaster, who served on the National Republican Platform Committee in 2012, said the proposed bylaws change "is just plain wrong." He said even though he disagrees with Petelos about gay marriage, the party must respect her right to free speech.

"I do not think our party establishment should seek to stifle the voices of dissent in our ranks," he said.

Wallace said he's not sure how the vote will go Saturday, but he hopes the party will at least reaffirm its support for traditional family values. http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/College-Republican-upsets-some-olde
r-GOP-members-4755700.php

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Alabama GOP won't silence gay marriage proponent

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama's Republican Party decided Saturday against a rule meant to silence a young party leader who supports gay marriage, even though the party doesn't share her view.

Stephanie Petelos, chairman of the College Republican Federation of Alabama, created a furor in the party when she supported the U.S. Supreme Court's decision overturning the Defense of Marriage Act and said more young people would take the position if they didn't fear a backlash from party leaders.

After passionate comments from both sides Saturday, the State Republican Executive Committee cast a lopsided voice vote to reject a proposed rule change aimed at Petelos' remarks. It said that no member of the party's steering committee may publicly oppose any resolution passed by the party's executive committee.

Executive committee member Bonnie Sachs of Double Springs, who proposed the rule change, said steering committee members such as Petelos should be held to a higher standard of not publicly criticizing the party's positions, including traditional marriage.

"If we are going to serve on the Republican steering committee, we need to do so in such a way that we don't go to the media with an agenda that we may have," she said.

Party Chairman Bill Armistead said, "We cannot have party leaders standing up and denying what our platform says."

Several speakers said they don't share Petelos' view, but the party must defend her First Amendment right to express it.

"We're not the Taliban. We're not the Third Reich," executive committee member Clay Barclay of Mobile said.

"It's about free speech," added Phillip Brown of Birmingham, chairman of the Alabama Minority GOP. http://www.gulflive.com/newsflash/index.ssf/story/alabama-gop-wont-sil
ence-gay-marriage-proponent/1122f03279874259b5158d94dacb1953

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