Peter Thiel is set to admonish the GOP for refusing to embrace LGBT rights on stage here tonight.
The tech billionaire will declare to the Republican National Convention that he is proud to be gay, a source familiar with Thiel’s remarks told CNN. He’ll be the first speaker in the party’s history to do so at an RNC.
He plans to warn the party against fighting unnecessary culture wars, the source said, and tell Republicans to let people use whichever bathroom they want to use.
Those remarks will come in the context of a call to focus on the economy and on an anti-war foreign policy, the source said. He’ll explain his support for Trump — making his libertarian leanings clear and arguing that Trump is the best choice on those issues.
Thiel’s direct confrontation of the Republican Party over its refusal to moderate its position on same-sex marriage, transgender rights and more will come in a high-profile speaking slot:
He’s set to take the stage in the 9 p.m. ET hour Thursday — three speakers before Trump — and plans to speak for about five minutes.
Thiel’s speaking slot is alongside other Trump friends who are wealthy businessmen or have climbed the ranks in his companies. Tom Barrack, a long-time Trump friend, real estate investor and head of the investment firm Colony Capital, is also on Thursday night’s docket.
He’ll be the first openly gay speaker at a Republican convention since then-Rep. Jim Kolbe, R-Arizona, in 2000. But Kolbe didn’t address his sexuality in his remarks.
A source familiar with the speech also said the speech is a way for Thiel to address critics in Silicon Valley, who are largely supportive of Hillary Clinton and becoming increasingly vocal critical of Thiel’s connection to the GOP. Last week, 145 tech leaders signed an open letter, expressing their concerns about Trump.
According to the source, Thiel will use the speech as an opportunity to highlight the success in Silicon Valley and why he believes Trump is the best candidate to spread that success throughout the country.
