Attendees of the Western Conservative Summit in Denver this June won't be able to meet with representatives from the Log Cabin Republicans, as organizers will not allow the gay GOP group to have an official presence at the event.
The Centennial Institute, a think tank affiliated with Colorado Christian University that puts the event together every year, said the Log Cabin Republicans cannot have a booth at an event that "promotes traditional family structure," The Associated Press reports. The institute's president, John Andrews, said a registration check for $250 has been returned to the conservative gay-rights group, adding, "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."
Thousands will come out to the three-day event to hear people like Gov. Scott Walker (R-Wis.) and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum (R) speak. It's the first time the Log Cabin Republicans have attempted to have a booth at the summit, and Alexander Hornaday, vice president of the group's Colorado chapter, says the move to block his organization is "short-sighted. What turns young people off from the right is a perception that the right is intolerant or anti-gay. This reinforces that perception."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
