Family Research Council, Concerned Women for America and others to skip CPAC because of inclusion of gay Republican group GOProud

As the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) begins today and runs through February 12, there is a conspicuous absence in its ranks. Illustrating the split between social conservatives and libertarians within the Republican Party, the Family Research Council and Concerned Women of America, along with The American Principles Project, The National Organization for Marriage, The Capitol Research Center, Liberty Counsel, Liberty University and the Center for Military Readiness decided last November to boycott this year's CPAC  because of the inclusion of GOProud back in November, 2010. The boycott was reported and supported by World Net Daily in late December, with social conservative Peter LaBarbera stating at that time:

"Excellent. It is gratifying to see FRC and CWA respond appropriately to CPAC's moral sellout of allowing GOProud as a sponsor," said Peter LaBarbera, president of Americans for Truth about Homosexuality, the nation's best-known organization dedicated exclusively to opposing the homosexual political agenda.

"By bringing in GOProud, CPAC was effectively saying moral opposition to homosexuality is no longer welcome in the conservative movement," said LaBarbera. "Would CPAC bring in an organization specifically devoted to promoting abortion and pretend it's conservative?"

GOProud is dismissing the boycott today saying:

"The truth is that it's five boycotters and 10,000 people who are attending the conference, so we're celebrating the 10,000 people and not the five who are boycotting," GOProud Board Chairman Chris Barron told RealClearPolitics. "It would be a little like us announcing we were boycotting the DNC, even though we never participating in it. Most of the organizations speaking out weren't CPAC sponsors last year, so who the hell cares if they're boycotting, quite frankly?"

Not all social conservative groups are boycotting.  As we reported back in January, the American Family Association decided to attend anyway. saying

Here's the truth … and this is why some of the GOProud controversy at CPAC is kind of interesting to me.  Christians get all uppity about not being where homosexuals may be … "We're not going to be there because there may be gay people there."

But we have no problem with ignoring adultery and other forms of sexual, forbidden activity in our churches, countenancing activity that we know is going on, knowing that men that are sitting in our aisles are serving on elder boards when they in fact are utilizing pornography.

We've made the gay garden the boogie ground."

GoProud's mission statement reads:

GOProud represents gay conservatives and their allies. GOProud is committed to a traditional conservative agenda that emphasizes limited government, individual liberty, free markets and a confident foreign policy. GOProud promotes our traditional conservative agenda by influencing politics and policy at the federal level.

Dakota O'Leary

Dakota O'Leary is a freethinker, and often sassy, scholar of theology and literature. She got her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Theology from the State University of New York College at Buffalo, and her Master of Arts degree in Theology and Literature from Antioch University-Midwest. She is a contributing writer focusing on eschatology, biblical prophecy, and general religious news. Dakota is a co-host of the God Discussion radio show, offering insight to the news stories of the week. We like to call her "our in-house Biblical prophecy expert" as her articles on eschatology have received over 200,000 views on God Discussion.

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