Log Cabin Republicans battle with CPAC organizers

Log Cabin Republicans claim they have been shunned by the Conservative Political Action Conference — again.

“Make no mistake: LCR is actively being prohibited from sponsoring CPAC,” the group’s national Executive Director Gregory T. Angelo said in a statement Thursday.


The organizers of the annual conference, which begins Feb. 25, hotly deny that and say they are dedicated to creating an inclusive event.

This is the third consecutive year that the Log Cabin Republicans — a group representing gay conservatives — have alleged that they have been blocked from sponsoring CPAC. Before 2013, when Angelo became executive director, the Log Cabin Republicans sponsored CPAC-related events (such as a “ Scotch and Cigars” reception in 2012) but did not sponsor the main conference itself.

Angelo said that The American Conservative Union — the group that organizes CPAC —“has the right to invite or not invite whoever they want to [CPAC], but they should be honest about the reasons why.”

The Log Cabin Republicans accuse the ACU of “hiding behind a fig leaf stating gay people are welcome as guests” — when actually, they say, the intention is the opposite. According to Angelo, his group has tried to sign on as a CPAC sponsor “time and again” and has met the criteria for doing so but has been denied for various reasons.

“The only conclusion that can be made is that the organizers of CPAC do not feel gay people can be conservative,” Angelo wrote, rattling off a laundry list of conservative positions his group has taken in recent years.

ACU fired back in a statement to POLITICO on Thursday saying that the Log Cabin Republicans did not even apply to be co-sponsors for the 2015 event.

“Had they applied, they would have been subjected to the same review as every other application,” ACU Chairman Matt Schlapp said. “All conservatives, including gay conservatives, are welcome to be at CPAC. In fact, we have invited main stage and break out panelists who are conservative and gay, and we thank them for their contribution to our movement and CPAC 2015.”

In an interview with POLITICO, Schlapp doubled down on his statement, saying that inclusion of conservatives with a variety of viewpoints has been a focus of his since he assumed his role as chairman.

“I want to be a chairman that doesn’t shut down discussion but encourages discussion, especially among conservatives,” he said.

Schlapp said that while the Log Cabin Republicans were never denied sponsorship, the group disagrees with ACU on whether the Republican party should become more conservative or more moderate.

“It’s a great discussion to have, but at CPAC it’s about bringing conservatives together,” he said. “It’s not a Republican event, it’s a conservative event.”

Organizers also say that CPAC is, for the first time, publicly encouraging gay conservatives to attend. Two openly gay conservative commentators are scheduled to address the crowd from the main stage: Radio host Tammy Bruce will speak on strategic communications, and how conservatives can get their message out; and columnist Deroy Murdock will talk on “America’s Security in the Age of Jihad.”

“If we didn’t want to include gay people at CPAC, we wouldn’t be including gay people at CPAC, and we are,” Schlapp said.