I’ve always believed the safest place for gay people was among conservatives and I continue to believe that. Unfortunately, at a time when this nation needs all hands on deck, The American Conservative Union has decided that some are not allowed to be on that deck. The ACU, which hosts CPAC, has caved to the right wing among the conservatives. Jimmy LaSalvia, Executive Director of GOProud, received the following letter:
Dear Mr. LaSalvia,
The American Conservative Union is preparing to open registration and announce sponsorship opportunities for our Political Action Committee (CPAC) 2012.
As a courtesy to your organization, a previous co-sponsor of CPAC, this letter serves to inform you that GOProud will not be invited to participate in a formal role for CPAC events scheduled during the 2012 election cycle.
As always, GOProud members are welcome and encouraged to attend as individual registrants. We look forward to sharing more information on our speakers and agenda for CPAC 2012 soon.
Sincerely,
Gregg Keller, National Executive Director, American Conservative Union
Wow! I’m speechless. So many questions. Have any other groups been disinvited before? To be fair, The John Birch Society was also disinvited for 2012. Why did Mr. Keller leave out the reason for the disinvite? Does CPAC think this will bolster their attendance? Supposedly, attendance went down with GOProud being allowed to sponsor the event and man a booth. I would wager to bet that attendance will really drop now. No gay conservative like myself will attend and I planned to be there in 2012 since it is such an important year. I guess it all comes down to the big bucks from other conservative stalwarts like The Heritage Foundation. I’ve thought highly of Heritage in the past, but not after they boycotted CPAC. This country is about inclusion. Conservativism is about individual freedom. What is the difference between living under a Marxist utopia or a Theocracy? Both are equally dangerous. GOProud issued the following release in response:
Statement from the GOProud Board of Directors
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, the Board of Directors of GOProud, the only national organization representing gay conservatives and their allies, issued the following statement:
“We are deeply disappointed at the decision of the American Conservative Union to bar GOProud from participating in CPAC. They are well within their right to do so, but a decision like this will have consequences.
“For the last two years, GOProud has sought to support CPAC and keep the conservative movement united. Unfortunately, elements inside and outside of ACU have pushed their own narrow, divisive and sometimes personal agenda. They have done so at the expense of the conservative movement.
“What is truly sad is that this troubling development takes place at a time when we should be united and focused on defeating Barack Obama.
“GOProud has been and will continue to be an outspoken proponent of conservative values and conservative policy. This organization will continue to work to bring conservatives of all stripes together to save this country and defeat the left. Obviously, that work will no longer be done at CPAC, but it will be done.”
And those consequences are already being felt. At the Smart Girl Summit being hosted in St. Louis, MO. this weekend, Andrew Breitbart stated during an address he was delivering that he would be skipping CPAC because of this decision. Bravo Breitbart!
Diane is a conservative libertarian gay blogger and radio host. She not only blogs here at her home blog “Freedom’s Wings Politics,” but also contributes to various blogs and websites around the Internet. Host of the Freedom's Wings Show launched in January 2009. Co-host of Big Dawg's Music Hour. She is an original co-founder of the Conservative Alliance Media Network. Member of the Big Dawg Music Mafia Brigade. Active member of GOProud, Smart Girl Politics and Tea Party Patriots. Proud member of the Red State Talk Radio Network, Con Air Radio Network and broadcaster at From The Right Radio and Liberty Bell Radio. 
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I refuse to go to CPAC due to their excluding gay people. I hope GOProud and other allied groups form a counter event “on the same day”. I have a suspicion that proper notice and great advertisment, more people would turn out for the more Libertarian leaning conference. What CPAC needs is some good ole free-market competition. I would give a thousands bucks and I know many others who would also. Host the event in DC and people will show up, I am certain of it.
This is disappointing. I was the Smart Girl Summit when Breitbart mentioned this, and the ladies their were overwhelmingly in agreement. I’ve had issues with CPAC anyway due to David Keene’s “pay-to-play” kinds of antics with FedEx, but this gives reason for further non-support.
When so-called conservative groups exclude or include on the basis of demographics of sociological identifications, it only makes them seem like liberals. Conservatives may disagree with one another on the “gay” issue, but shutting out groups is not the way to handle it. Additionally, to be perfectly honest, GOProud’s stance on gay marriage is nothing if not constitutional. Regardless of what one may think of homosexuality on a personal level, the Constitution would lead the way in showing that the issue of gay marriage is to be determined by the states.