Colo. Christian College Defends Decision to Disinvite Pro-Gay Republican Group to Conservative Convention

The organizers of a well-known conservative convention in Colorado have stood by their decision to disinvite a conservative group that supports same-sex marriage.

The Colorado Christian University and the Centennial Institute have stood by their decision to not allow Colorado's Log Cabin Republicans to set up a booth at this year's Western Conservative Summit, a conservative convention being held in Denver in late June.

John Andrews, chairman of the convention and director at the Centennial Institute, recently said that his group, which is sponsoring the summit, chose to not allow the participation of the state's Log Cabin Republican group because they "advocate contrary to our agenda and our core beliefs."

"The Log Cabin Republicans exists to redefine the family," he told The Denver Post recently. "Log Cabin Republicans think gay marriage should be the law of the land, and Colorado Christian University doesn't believe it should be."

The decision to block the Log Cabin Republicans from participating in this year's summit has received criticism from some who argue that the summit is trying to silence their beliefs.

Michael Carr, secretary of the state Log Cabin Republicans, told the Colorado Statesman that the summit reportedly processed their $250 participation fee for the event, and then told them they could not attend.

"It is a pretty common issue we face," Carr said, adding "They'll take our money, but want us in the closet."

 "We should be expanding the tent, not excluding people who have shared ideas and philosophies. This is the most important time for us to be reaching out to all types of groups and people, all types of Republicans, all types of conservatives. Young people especially want to see a robust political debate and this dis-invitation is the exact opposite of that. Being perceived as anti-gay turns young people off even more than it does the general public."