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NEW YORK, September 28, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Conservative commentator Ann Coulter stayed true to her reputation for courting controversy during an address to homosexual conservatives in New York on Saturday, telling them that they did not need special rights and that marriage was the union of a man and a woman.
According to reports, Coulter charmed her audience of 150 at the HomoCon fundraiser for GOProud with a number of jokes, admitting that it must have been difficult to come out of the closet and tell their parents that they were conservatives.
But then the outspoken pundit said to her audience, “I should warn you: I've never failed to talk gays out of gay marriage."
Talking Points Memo reported that Coulter explained to the crowd that she supports marriage as the union of a man and a woman, because the institution is fundamentally about the procreation of children.
Coulter then stated frankly that keeping marriage defined and restricted to heterosexual couples does not violate homosexuals’ civil rights. She also said that same-sex “marriage” was “foisted on Americans by the courts."
Marriage, she said, “is not a civil right — you’re not black.”
Coulter wryly commented that the well-moneyed homosexual community hardly looked like an oppressed group – especially when compared to other minorities that have had a long history of social oppression.
"Blacks must be looking at the gays saying, 'Why can't we be oppressed like that?'" said Coulter.
During a question and answer session with GOProud chairman Chris Barron, Coulter appeared to agree that politicians who support traditional marriage, but embrace no-fault divorce, are engaging in hypocrisy, and that pro-marriage politicians should advocate the repeal of no-fault divorce laws.
The event, which was sponsored by GOProud, was held at PayPal founder Peter Thiel’s luxurious apartment overlooking New York’s Union Square. Politico described GOProud as a gay Tea Party “with well-tailored dark suits in place of revolutionary war garb.”
Coulter also went after federal social welfare policies, which she blamed for further breaking down society by breaking down marriage. Coulter credited the rise in single-parenting as a reason more young people are turning to crime, and blamed the government’s welfare policies for "the subsidization of single parenting" and causing the decline of marriage in the black community.
Coulter also told the HomoCon audience that they ought to support the pro-life movement, since “as soon as they find the gay gene, you know who's getting aborted."
She also took on sex-education, and said that most parents want their children to learn reading and writing and not about the "homosexual lifestyle."
In the lead up to the event, many speculated that Coulter would shy away from social conservative issues, and instead focus on “common ground” fiscal matters, which most of the GOProud members would support. Coulter’s decision to appear at the event was not itself without controversy; she actually lost an invite to speak at “Taking America Back” conference on September 17 in Miami, Florida, hosted by WorldNetDaily, after it was announced that she had accepted the invitation.
However, Bryan Fischer, a spokesman for American Family Association – speaking for himself on his blog – had only words of praise for Coulter’s address at the GOProud event, and apologized for criticizing her for agreeing to the appearance.
"Ann took them straight on and gave them some straight talk I doubt they were ready for,” said Fischer.
"So Christians are too tolerant to make fun of gays, homosexuals have no civil right to marry, and homosexuals can’t claim oppressed minority status. This from the keynote speaker at HomoCon, who got at least five figures to get right in the grill of her hosts.
“Ann, all is forgiven. Humble pie has never tasted so sweet,” wrote Fischer. “You are no longer the ‘Joan of Arc of homosexuality,’ as I described you last month, you are now Daniella of the Lion’s Den.”
“We didn’t invite her here because we agree on everything,” said GOProud Executive Director Jimmy LaSalvia, according to the Daily Caller (DC). “We invited her here because we know she gives a great speech and we had a great dialogue on that subject tonight.”
For her part, Coulter told the DC that she was trying to persuade conservative homosexuals that marriage really was not their issue.
“The truth is,” she said, “they’re already against gay marriage, they just wont admit it publicly. I’m trying to get these gays to come out of the closet.”
