S.E. Cupp Pulls Out of CPAC Until Groups Representing Gay Republicans Are Embraced

(TheBlazeTV)

TheBlaze TV's S.E. Cupp on Tuesday announced she is pulling out of CPAC until the annual conservative gathering welcomes GOP groups that support gay marriage. Two prominent groups representing gay Republicans, GOProud and Log Cabin Republicans, will reportedly not be in attendance at CPAC.

"I go to CPAC every year. I love speaking there. It's a great opportunity for conservatives, young and old from all over the world, to get together and sort of touch base," Cupp said on MSNBC's "The Cycle."

CPAC has reportedly permitted groups advocating for gay marriage to attend, however, they are unable to sponsor the event. Cupp said that is a bit of a "cop-out" on the issue.

"We should be lucky to be having these guys do any work instead of turning them away. I don't think we can afford that right now," she said."

"Ive been thinking about this a lot, and I know a lot of people on my side of the aisle have been struggling with this for some time now too," she added. "I've been scheduled to speak at CPAC this year, and I don't think I can until this issue is reconciled and figured out."

Cupp said Republicans are divided on gay marriage, an issue that the party can "no longer seem to avoid." She explained that several Republicans, including four former governors, have signed a legal brief arguing that gays have a constitutional right to marry. The brief will be submitted to the Supreme Court this week in support of a lawsuit to overturn California's Prop 8, which limited marriage to the union of a man and a woman.

Cupp told TheBlaze that she has "enjoyed a wonderful relationship with CPAC for years" and even called the annual event "a highlight" of her year.

"But as a proponent of gay rights, CPAC's decision to sideline GOProud and Log Cabin Republicans makes me increasingly uncomfortable," she said. "These are conservatives who have had to work doubly hard to advance conservative messages and we should be rewarding them with positions of prominence."

She continued: "Further in the interest of inclusion, it strikes me that now more than ever we should be celebrating our intellectual diversity, not suppressing it. It seems like we're hardly in a position to be marginalizing any kinds of conservatives, let alone ones who have been so courageous in the face of adversity."

Cupp said CPAC has every right to offer sponsorships and speaking opportunities to whomever it wants, "but until the conference stops shaming some of its most valuable advocates, it's unfortunately not an event I can take part in.​"

This story has been updated