Conservative celebrity Sarah Palin autographed a frisbee for openly gay presidential candidate Fred Karger at the Iowa State Fair.

Karger, who in 2008 founded Californians Against Hate to expose big donors to California's gay marriage ban, Proposition 8, was excluded from participating in Fox News' Thursday night GOP debate.

He appeared at The Des Moines Register “soapbox” event on Friday, where he told roughly 80 people, one of the lightest turnouts of the day, that “If you are concerned about growing the party, we need to welcome people in.” He also praised Iowans for “allowing loving couples to marry,” The Des Moines Register reported.

Karger told On Top Magazine that he “got heckled” at the event but didn't give any details.

“Been trying to remember all I ate over the day: corn dog, bacon on a stick, snickers ice cream, fried mac 'n cheese, pork chop, apple sauce, beans and chips (dinner) and several tootsie rolls,” he said.

Karger added that he ran into former Alaska Governor and tea party favorite Sarah Palin at the fair.

“I ran into Sarah Palin on the midway,” he wrote in an email. “Handed her a Fred Fisbee, told her I was running, she wished me good luck and with her sharpie in hand autographed the Frisbee.”

(Related: Gay uncle's suicide motivated Fred Karger to run for president.)