Gay Republicans locked out of conservative conference because of "diametrically opposed beliefs"

By Walter Einenkel

It's hard when the political party you want so badly to be accepted by is homophobic. It's even tougher when their homophobia is directed at you because you are homosexual. This is the problem faced by Log Cabin Republicans all of the time. Add the Western Conservative Summit, scheduled for June this year in beautiful Denver, Colorado, to the list of Log Cabin rejections. Conservative luminaries like Scott Walker and Rick Santorum are slated to speak at the event.

"On Wednesday, the president of the Centennial Institute, John Andrews, said his group had returned a $250 registration fee that the Log Cabin Republicans had sent in to secure a booth at the three-day summit. Because the group advocates for gay marriage, it cannot have an official presence at an event that promotes traditional family structure, he said.

"'We'd love to have them attend the summit and be in the discussion. But we have to draw the line at a formal relationship between two organizations with diametrically opposed policy beliefs,' Andrews said."

By "We'd love to have them attend," John Andrews means "We don't want anything to do with you because you are gay." The English language is tricky, guys. In the Centennial Institute's defense, the Log Cabin Republicans have never asked to be a part of the conference before, so the Institute hasn't had to worry about being totally grossed out by them before. Also, the GOP's string-pullers are old and they cannot help but grip onto their archaic social views -- even in the face of the changing views within their own party's youth.

"Today, 61% of Republicans and Republican leaners under 30 favor same-sex marriage while just 35% oppose it. By contrast, just 27% of Republicans ages 50 and older favor allowing gays and lesbians to marry."

The problem with the Republican platform is systemic. When your fundamental ideology is that you are fine on your own and your ideas were good for your dad and dad's dad, and your slave-owner dad's dad's dad, it doesn't leave much in the way for the natural change in generations, as history continues to wash your bigotry into the ocean of time.