Defining marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman has been a cornerstone of Republican policy for decades but is notably absent from proposals backed by former President Trump that will be voted on at the Republican National Convention next week.

It's a dramatic shift for a Republican party that has long used its opposition to same-sex marriage as a way to rally social conservatives — and reflects a broader shift in society's views of same-sex relationships and how much Trump has transformed the Republican Party.

The party platform's language in no way fully supports same-sex marriage or gay rights, and in fact many queer rights groups have accused the platform of being particularly dangerous to transgender people and young people, and of being virulently anti-LGBTQ+.

“Nobody cares what's in the party platform, it's what action is taken,” said Rep. Robert Garcia, an openly gay man from Long Beach. “If you look at the House of Representatives, the number of anti-LGBTQ bills is at historic levels.”

Still, removing same-sex marriage from the platform was a victory LGBTQ+ Republicans had long sought.

“This is a platform that is inclusive of many communities, including LGBT Americans. It promotes the sanctity of marriage but does not exclude our marriages,” said Charles Moran, president of Log Cabin Republicans, a Republican group founded in California in 1977 that advocates for gay rights and has faced varying degrees of acceptance and opposition within the party.

“It's a pro-family platform, but it also gives space to our families,” said Moran, a Republican National Convention delegate from San Pedro.

Democrats argue the platform change is a pointless move designed to whitewash concerted efforts by Republicans to restrict the rights of gay and transgender Americans.

Citing efforts in Congress and state legislatures, Garcia said Republicans have gone from attacking education and books that teach the history of homosexuality, “to attacking health education, to attacking something as simple as Pride celebrations, to explicitly attacking transgender families, to rolling back protections for everything from workplace rights to the active dehumanization of people.”

The Republican Party's proposed platform mentions marriage only once, in a paragraph on family: “The Republican Party will promote a culture that values ​​the sanctity of marriage, the celebration of childhood, the foundational role of the family, and supports working parents.”

The 2016 platform, the last one adopted by the Republican National Committee, includes nearly 20 references to marriage.

“The data and facts lead to an inescapable conclusion: every child deserves to have a married mother and father,” the platform said, also criticizing the Supreme Court's 2015 decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.

The 2024 platform was approved by the party's committee on Monday and is significantly shorter than previous versions at just 16 pages. Notably, it removes previous language opposing abortion after Roe v. Wade was overturned. “We are proud to support family and life,” the platform says, but also says the issue should be decided by individual states. This policy shift has drawn the most attention and criticism from conservatives.

But some Republicans, including former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and the National Christian Legislative Assembly, have lamented the lack of marriage language.

“We were in disbelief when we heard there was a coordinated effort to whitewash the Republican platform on the issues of life and marriage,” John R. McGravey III, a South Carolina congressman and the association's Palmetto State chairman, said in a statement before the platform committee vote.

“I sincerely hope that delegates to the Republican National Convention will not compromise these important principles,” he added.

The issue is due to be voted on next Monday, the opening day of the party's convention in Milwaukee, but given President Trump's support for the proposal, it is almost certain to pass.

Sasha Issenberg, author of “Engaged: America's Quarter Century Fight for Same-Sex Marriage,” said Trump's views were not surprising.

“A party platform is a political document and Trump is very pragmatic in this area,” said Issenberg, a political science professor at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Same-sex marriage does not polarize voters the way it did 20 years ago, Isenberg said, adding that “it is clear” that Trump “is not a terribly moralistic person about the sanctity of marriage, nor is he a real prude on sexual issues.”

Republican opposition to same-sex marriage has been an effective vote-gathering tactic in the past, such as when then-San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom allowed gay couples to get marriage licenses in 2004. Several other local officials have taken similar steps.

President George W. Bush, who was running for reelection at the time, jumped on the issue and characterized the actions as “lawless,” Issenberg said.

State constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage are on the ballot in more than a dozen states, and some Democrats have blamed Newsom's actions in part for Democratic candidate John Kerry's loss to Bush.

Newsom, now the governor of California, rejected the Republican policy changes.

“Come on,” he said. “The American people will not be fooled. This is just an election-year ploy to hide an illiberal agenda.”

A few years ago, Newsom was an outlier among Democrats on LGBTQ+ issues: Two decades ago, his party's platform didn't explicitly call for same-sex marriage rights, saying the issue should be left to the states (though the 2004 platform did oppose Bush's efforts to push a constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between a man and a woman).

In the 2008 Democratic presidential primaries, nearly every Democratic candidate, including then-Senators Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden, opposed same-sex marriage.

By the 2012 campaign, both Obama and Biden had voiced their support for same-sex marriage, reflecting a dramatic shift in attitudes nationwide.

According to a Gallup poll, in 1996, 27% of Americans believed same-sex marriages should be recognized as valid. Earlier this year, that number had risen to 69% in the same poll.

Issues such as gender-affirming medical care and transgender athletes remain far more controversial among voters, which partly explains the Republican Party's polarized stance on LGBTQ+ issues, Isenberg said.

Indeed, the proposed platform pledges to ban men from participating in girls' sports, not allow taxpayer funds to be used for gender reassignment surgery (which the platform calls “gender change surgery”), and institutes other prohibitions targeted at the transgender community.

Still, the Republican Party is showing signs of becoming more accepting of people who aren't heterosexual: In 2016, Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel made history by announcing from the podium at the Republican National Convention that he was gay. (Openly gay men have spoken at the convention before, but without mentioning their sexual orientation.)

As president, Trump appointed Richard Grenell to be ambassador to Germany and then acting director of national intelligence. Grenell, who did not respond to requests for comment, was the highest-ranking openly gay person to serve in a Republican administration.

Grenell, a Republican National Convention delegate from Manhattan Beach, is scheduled to speak at the party's convention on Wednesday and is likely to take a senior position in a second Trump administration.

The Trump family has also supported Log Cabin, particularly former first lady Melania Trump, who has been a featured speaker at fundraisers for the organization, including events held at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and Trump Tower in New York City.

On the same day that the Platform Committee approved the new platform, two events in New York City raised $1.4 million.

“It is important that we do not allow society to define us based on superficial characteristics and instead focus on the shared values ​​that bind us as Americans,” she said in a transcript of excerpts of her remarks at the second event. “Log Cabin Republicans have played a vital role in advocating for this message, and I am proud to stand with you all.”