Venture capitalist and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel will host GOProud’s “Homocon” party in New York, a spokesman for the organization that represents gay conservatives told The Daily Caller Friday.
Thiel, who is gay, is well known for donating to libertarian causes and has agreed to hold the September 25th event for gay conservatives at his home in New York City. Fiery pundit and author Ann Coulter will headline the event, a fact that has proven contentious among some in the conservative movement.
“We are thrilled to have Peter’s support for our organization and excited that he will host this great event,” GOProud executive director Jimmy LaSalvia told TheDC.
The event’s sponsors include a number of prominent gay and straight conservatives, such as conservative radio host Tammy Bruce, Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist, Fox News contributor Margaret Hoover, John Hawkins of Right Wing News, CPAC Director at the American Conservative Union Lisa DePasquale, and former General Counsel to the National Republican Senatorial Committee Craig Engle.
The released list of Homocon sponsors arrives on the heels of the public announcement by Ken Melhman, former Republican National Committee Chairman and George W. Bush adviser, that he is gay. Melhman’s revelation has raised questions as to whether the Republican Party will become more accepting of gays and lesbians. While a GOProud spokesman told the Washington Blade that they have “talked to him [Melhman]” about possible collaboration, the group’s chairman Christopher Barron told TheDC that he could not elaborate further on whether Melhman would be a part Homocon.
GOProud sponsor Lisa DePasquale, who organizes the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, the largest gathering of conservatives in the country, told TheDC that she has seen a general shift in attitudes toward gays among conservatives.
“The movement in general has been supportive of lots of different groups,” she said, adding that she was not speaking on behalf of her organization. “Part of it has to do with younger generations of people now running the other [conservative] groups and I think that probably helps. Most people seem to be okay with it.”