Right Wing Convention Bans Log Cabin

Via the Associated Press:

Organizers of a conservative conference in Denver this summer have told a gay Republican group it cannot have a booth at the event. The Western Conservative Summit is scheduled for June in Denver, where thousands of conservative activists will gather to hear Republican presidential hopefuls like Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and former Pennsylvania Sen Rick Santorum speak. The event is organized by The Centennial Institute, a think tank affiliated with Colorado Christian University.

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.

Log Cabin says they are "stunned" to be rejected. More from the Denver Post:

The summit is sponsored by Colorado Christian University in Lakewood and its think tank, the Centennial Institute. Summit chairman and institute director John Andrews said Wednesday that the Log Cabin Republicans "advocate contrary to our agenda and our core beliefs." "The Log Cabin Republicans exists to redefine the family," he said. "Log Cabin Republicans think gay marriage should be the law of the land, and Colorado Christian University doesn't believe it should be." Log Cabin Republican members have been told they can still purchase tickets and attend the summit, scheduled for June 26- 28 at the Colorado Convention Center. "It is a pretty common issue we face. They'll take our money but want us in the closet," said Denver resident Michael Carr, a former state Senate candidate and secretary of the state chapter of Log Cabin Republicans.

The Human Rights Campaign is calling on Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker to pull out of the convention unless Log Cabin is allowed to have a booth.