NOM Got Little Notice At CPAC

While there was definitely no shortage of ugly anti-gay declarations from the stages of CPAC last weekend, Michelangelo Signorile reports that NOM itself got little notice.

Oh, those heady days of 2012 for the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC)! That was the year that Maggie Gallagher, the former president of NOM, walked the corridors of CPAC like religious-right royalty, a warrior princess marching into battle against the encroaching homosexual invaders. She moderated a panel in the main ballroom, a major event that included 89-year-old Eagle Forum founder Phyllis Schlafly, the Christian right's very own Queen Mum, and was focused on how to "protect marriage" from the homosexual assault. And last year Brian Brown, NOM's current president, sat on a panel focused on defending "traditional marriage" that was moderated by Cleta Mitchell, the archenemy of GOProud and all things gay, and an influential board member of the American Conservative Union (ACU), which hosts CPAC. [snip]

This year at CPAC there was no panel focused on the evils of gay marriage, nor were Maggie Gallagher or Brian Brown anywhere to be found. NOM, which has reportedly been having major financial issues, operating with a $2-million deficit, did have a small table in the basement of the hotel with the other exhibitors, though nothing as grand as the massive, expensive booths and tents of the gun-rights groups or the anti-tax activists. At the NOM table two chirpy 20-somethings handed out fliers as very few people stopped by. When I was there, one of them was being challenged on marriage equality by a 20-something CPAC attendee. When I asked for a NOM spokesperson, they called upstairs, and NOM's Chris Plante, who'd once said that gays "turn children into little teacup dogs" as an "accessory," came down. He was quite disturbed about the lack of any panel on "traditional marriage" at CPAC.

Hit the link and read the full piece.