Anti-Gay Hate Groups Boycotting CPAC 2011

As reported in Salon and on the conservative site, World News Daily, there is an anti-gay backlash and boycott of the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) 2011 meeting. Writes Justin Elliott at Salon.com:

Even as the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" this month marked a major victory in the gay rights struggle in the United States, a very different story is unfolding within the conservative movement, where anti-gay forces are growing more aggressive.


The latest flashpoint is a fight over the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, which regularly draws thousands of activists -- and would-be presidential candidates -- to Washington each February. At issue is the presence of the gay Republican group GOProud, which was (along with many other groups) a co-sponsor of last year's CPAC and will play a similar role this year. (continue reading here)

Some of the conservative groups who opted out of attending the February 2011 CPAC meeting because of GOProud's participation - the Family Research Council, Concerned Women for America, Liberty Counsel, the National Organization for Marriage, and Americans for Truth About Homosexuality - were officially labeled hate groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center recently because of their continued insistence on perpetuating disproved and false information about homosexuality.

I would like to believe the CPAC organizers were relieved to be rid of these hate group participants. However, after looking at their speakers' list:, which includes Gov. Haley Barbour, Andrew Breitbart, Liz Cheney, Ann Coulter, Sen. Jim DeMint, Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin, Sen.-Elect Rand Paul, Hon. Rick Santorum, and Sen. John Thune, I'm not sure they would have noticed the lack of crazy juice in their midst.  It is of note that both Newt Gingrich and Liz Cheny have sisters who are lesbians. Will they risk being a voice of reason in this group?