Social conservatives are unhappy with
Republican talking head Ann Coulter's scheduled appearance at Homocon
2010, the first annual convention of gay conservatives.
One anti-gay group has urged the
conservative celebrity to back out of the event, while another has
revoked an invitation to speak at their conference.
Peter LaBarbera, president of Americans
for Truth about Homosexuality, urged Coulter to reconsider.
“As a fan of Ann Coulter, it pains me
to see her cave in to political correctness and lend credibility to
the phony homosexual 'conservatives' over at GOProud,” LaBarbera
wrote at his group's website. “Worse, Coulter is sending a
dangerous message to young Americans that homosexuality is OK. (It's
actually a sin.)”
Joseph Farah, editor and CEO of World
Net Daily (WND), announced Tuesday that he had dumped Coulter as
a keynote speaker for WND's Taking America Back National
Conference scheduled to take place next month in Miami.
Both men said they object to GOProud's
opposition to “Don't Ask, Don't Tell,” the 1993 law that bans gay
troops from serving openly, and support for gay marriage.
However, the group often supports
conservative values over gay rights. For example, GOProud ran ads
opposing Tom Campbell's bid to become the GOP nominee for the U.S.
Senate in California, despite his support for gay marriage. The
group said it opposed Campbell based on his record on taxes and
foreign policy. Instead, GOProud endorsed Carly Fiorina, who opposes
giving gay and lesbian couples the right to marry.
“Ultimately, as a matter of
principle, it would not make sense for us to have Ann speak to a
conference about 'taking America back' when she clearly does not
recognize that the ideals to be espoused there simply do not include
the radical and very 'unconservative' agenda represented by GOProud,”
Farah said.
Coulter, according
to WND, said she probably agrees with GOProud “more than I do
with at least half of my college audiences,” but added that “giving
a speech is not an endorsement of every position held by the people
I'm speaking to.”
Coulter is a syndicated columnist and
author of numerous anti-liberal books, including How to Talk to a
Liberal (If You Must): The World According to Ann Coulter.
Homocon 2010 will take place on
September 25 in New York City.