Are Gay Conservatives Welcome at CPAC?
| Wed Dec. 30, 2009 10:24 AM PST
In February, conservatives from around the country will gather in Washington for the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, a major pow wow for aspiring candidates and activists alike. Anyone looking to run for the GOP presidential nomination for 2012 will likely be there to greet the faithful. But socially conservative Christians, including Jerry Falwell Jr. and the American Family Association, are threatening to boycott the influential event this year. Why? Because the American Conservative Union, which organizes CPAC, has allowed a gay group to co-sponsor the event. GOProud members, like the usual CPAC attendees, are committed to free markets, individual freedoms, and limited government. The group was formed by gay conservatives who found the Log Cabin Republicans too liberal for their tastes. But in mid-December, Liberty Counsel's Matt Barber started spreading the alarm about GOProud's participation in CPAC. He wrote in an email:
“I was disturbed to learn that CPAC is allowing the ‘Republican’ homosexual activist group GOProud to sponsor a booth at the 2010 conference. Among other things, GOProud advocates in favor of both ‘gay marriage’ and ‘civil unions,’ against pro-marriage constitutional amendments ; is pushing for the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ and advocates in favor of federal ‘partnership benefits’ for homosexuals. This group is pushing a radical leftist agenda that is an affront to the GOP platform, conservatism and, most importantly, the Word of God.”
Liberty Counsel and others have given CPAC organizers an ultimatum, threatening to urge all social conservatives to withdraw from the event if GOProud isn't booted. To its credit, CPAC seems to be standing firm. Jimmy LaSalvia, GOProud's executive director, says that while the program has yet to be set, his group has all the privileges of any other co-sponsor at this point, and he directed me to a statement from CPAC director Lisa De Pasquale, who said in response to the boycott threats, "CPAC is a coalition of nearly 100 conservative groups, some of which may disagree with one another on a handful of issues. But, at the end of the day, we all agree on core conservative principles.... After talking with their leadership and reviewing their website, I am satisfied that they do not represent a “radical leftist agenda,” as some have stated, and should not be rejected as a CPAC cosponsor."
CPAC's response sets up an interesting dynamic: Will conservative Christians follow through on their threat and give up their kingmaking role at CPAC and influence on the 2012 presidential election just because they don't want to be in the room with a few gay guys? My guess is that they will suck it up and still show up in force in February.
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Comments
It isn't about "a few gay guys"
Submitted by avannavon on Wed Dec. 30, 2009 10:56 AM PST.
Most conservative Christians believe that homosexuality is a sin and teach their children the same. But they do not "hate the sinner" and they don't have homophobia, either.
What they aren't willing to "suck up" is the attack on marriage that most of them perceive coming from homosexual demands in that regard. While a great many conservative Christians support "equality under the law" they see no reason to redefine the meaning of marriage to achieve that.
And that is where the pedal hits the metal.
Gay couples cannot procreate. They are never going to be the basis of the human race or of the family. Too bad, but that goes with the turf and with the choices and the biology and all the rest of it. The "sucking up" needs to come from the gay community, which needs to face this fact:
"Marriage" means something different from what gays have or CAN have, because it includes the physical combining of two individuals to make new life, and there is no point in calling an eggplant a zucchini just to indulge someone's fantasies.
Gays can have equal protection without calling it a "marriage" ---so come up with a semantic equivalent and let it go. Otherwise, you are just inflaming a useless debate over the nature of reality.
What marriage is, in the context of our struggle.
Submitted by Rich (not verified) on Wed Dec. 30, 2009 5:34 PM PST.
The LGBT population cannot achieve equality under the law without the fundamental right of marriage. Marriage is not about religion, or procreation, or a family institution...marriage is a bundle of rights and responsibilities recognized by the States and the Federal government. If you want to give it a religious component for your own satisfaction in your own marriage, fine...but it is a civil contract to which all Americans should have equal access, there is no disputing that. As such, we, the LGBT population of the US, are entitled to exactly the same rights, benefits, privileges and immunities as are the non-gay population, including the name. It's called equality...try to get your mind around the concept if you can.
Typical. Gays can't
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed Dec. 30, 2009 7:24 PM PST.
Typical. Gays can't procreate so marriage should be out of the question for them.
Amazing that this is still being used after having been successfully refuted like only billion a times and is still being presented as if it's fresh and something we haven't heard a billion times before.
The conservative strategy. Ignore the obvious lack of logic to your argument and act as if a counter argument has never been made.
Typical. Gays can't
Submitted by Terry C - NJ (not verified) on Sat Feb. 20, 2010 11:59 AM PST.
Marriage isn't just about procreation.
Women don't need men to support them financially anymore.
Some people just don't seem to understand that this is the 21st Century.
And these "gay conservatives" are SO being used.
Homosexuality is a biological imperative
Submitted by leafsong1 (not verified) on Thu Dec. 31, 2009 9:24 AM PST.
It is an essential part of mammalian survival strategy, one that helps mammals deal with grave existential threats associated with overpopulation. It is the rest of us that should feel threatened by the opposition to homosexual rights in the religious communities; opposition to homosexual rights is a violent assault on the Human Race, one that will cause millions on innocent children to die slow, horrible lingering deaths due to starvation and disease. Their blood is on your hands due to your irresponsible post. Read a book or blow your useless, worthless brains out, baby killer.
Oh yes Einstein....
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri Jan. 1, 2010 1:49 PM PST.
Gays do not give a rats ass about what "conservative christians" think. If straight marriage is so wonderful then why is there a 50% divorce rate. Straight marriage is a real gamble and children are the victims. Straights do not own the word marriage, and not all procreate.
The children of divorced families do poorly in school and are forced to suffer step-parents (total strangers introduced as a parent). You can pontificate all you want, but we will have marriage and/or ban divorce. So there!
Marriage is an outdated institution
Submitted by Terry C - NJ (not verified) on Sat Feb. 20, 2010 12:01 PM PST.
The 50% divorce rate in the US, UK and Canada prove this.
We have conservatives who think divorces should be made more difficult to obtain.
How about doing away with marriage?
"Can't Procreate"
Submitted by hollyhund (not verified) on Fri Jan. 1, 2010 7:36 PM PST.
Your statement that a guy couple should not marry because thay can't procreate just bothers the heck out of me! If two people love one another, who are you to decide they can't be married! Let God be the judge!
Because of health reasons, I could not procreate with my husband of thirty five years but we adopted 5 wonderful kids who were "procreate d" and later left to make it in this world without parents! They are all loving, tax paying citizens of this wonderful country!
If a gay couple, and I know may, wish to marry and adopt, why are you judging them!
I am a Christian, but feel we are not the ones to judge! If every word in the Bible was taken literally, this would be a terrible place to live. Stop trying to dictate who and how people love- just admire that they do!
blah blah blah -- check out
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed Dec. 30, 2009 11:49 AM PST.
blah blah blah -- check out the gay bashing at MoJo in response to his blog post about Karl Rove's divorce. He's a closeted gay according to the Liberal Progressive MoJo readers.
Maybe you should've shitcanned this dog bites man post and discussed something closer to home -- how much daily homophobia and hypocrisy is there in progressive circles?
Is there? Maybe.
Submitted by QMF (not verified) on Wed Dec. 30, 2009 10:09 PM PST.
"how much daily homophobia and hypocrisy is there in progressive circles"
Is there? Maybe. But I bet there's a lot less at MoJo or Kos than I can find at The Weekly Standard, the Corner, or Red State.
blah blah blah -- check out
Submitted by Terry C - NJ (not verified) on Sat Feb. 20, 2010 12:02 PM PST.
how much daily homophobia and hypocrisy is there in progressive circles?
YOUR side has the market cornered on it.
Flippin religion ruins
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed Dec. 30, 2009 7:24 PM PST.
Flippin religion ruins everything. I got my marriage license from the government, not a church, and had the ceremony performed by a justice of the peace. If conservative christians don't want gays to marry don't perform the ceremony and shut up about it.
Those same conservatives believe in the constitution and limiting government interference in their lives but apparently haven't heard of the 14th amendment. You can keep Christ in Christmas but keep him out of my government.
Gay Conservatives
Submitted by 4gb sd card (not verified) on Wed Dec. 30, 2009 11:50 PM PST.
My criticism is that [the gay movement] isn’t just asking for civil rights; it’s asking for recognition and acceptance of an alternative lifestyle which I do not believe society can condone, nor can I....
My criticism is that [the gay
Submitted by Andrew (not verified) on Thu Dec. 31, 2009 10:01 AM PST.
My criticism is that [the gay movement] isn’t just asking for civil rights; it’s asking for recognition and acceptance of an alternative lifestyle which I do not believe society can condone, nor can I....
______________________
So by that logic I should not accept your lifestyle as an asshole. No more assholes get to marry, sorry society cannot take it any longer.
Equal protection
Submitted by Pam in Taos (not verified) on Thu Dec. 31, 2009 1:42 PM PST.
avannavon said:
"Gays can have equal protection without calling it a "marriage" ---so come up with a semantic equivalent and let it go."
Why, then, do you think that so many religious right folks seem to be against civil domestic partnerships??
Bigotry is bigotry. You may
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu Dec. 31, 2009 8:35 PM PST.
Bigotry is bigotry. You may dress it up as "deeply held religious belief" but it is still bigotry.
My marriage had no religious nonsense associated with it and my wife and I had no interest in procreating. Is that a sham marriage? I si t not valid in the eyes of conservative chistianists?
argument fail
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon Jan. 4, 2010 7:04 AM PST.
This [small government] group is pushing a radical leftist agenda that is an affront to the GOP platform, conservatism and,
most importantly, the Word of God.”
So there is a group that thinks government interference should be limited in everything from commerce and medicine to schools and peoples love lives.
And there is another group that thinks that the word of one flavor of god is more important than quote "the GOP platform, conservatism". This group wants to make a big change to the constitution regarding marriages, and teach a radical reinterpretation of the constitution regarding religion thus transforming a government holding up the traditions of enlightenment era deist founders who were horrified by supposedly god appointed European kings and constitutionally bound their government to secularism.
And just remind me, aren't these homophobia leveraging groups often mormon groups that write extensively about mormonism (which amends the bible with the book of their prophet Joseph Smitt) as the state religion of the US?
And which group complains about the conservativism of the other again? Who are the radical ideologues looking to transform society again?
These people literally write there are things more important than conservatism as the key of their key argument for why they should, and other conservatives should not be allowed at a conservative gathering.
Argument fail!
As for the "homosexuals dont procreate and procreation is the point of marriage" thing I hate to brake it to people but this is simply true. Thats why the pastor, when I was a young boy, in anticipation of my inevitable hetero marriage, toke me to the confession booth and administered a standard pre-marital fertility test. I mean pastor bob said I was so pretty he could see how I would make someone very happy some day and he had to be quick to check me out... I mean, we all went trough that and the people who failed the fertility test dont get to merry, right?
china shelving
Submitted by dexion racking (not verified) on Thu Jan. 14, 2010 10:53 PM PST.
No
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon Jan. 18, 2010 1:42 AM PST.
Conservatives are not a Progressive people they are stead fast in their values and they are un-changing. Groups like GO Proud are intentionally trying to infiltrate Conservatives to drive a wedge with Conservatives. Their is not other reason for this. Lisa De Pasquale at CPAC needs to be fired for her lack of faith in Conservatism.
No one can be half conservative you are either conservative or not.
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