The religious right has grown apoplectic over what it sees as the harbingers of its demise: gay conservatives. The emergence of the GOProud, a right-wing group of conservatives that support gay rights, is spurring a civil war between conservative bigwigs. This summer, WorldNetDaily publisher and proud “birther king” Joseph Farah and right-wing ranter Ann Coulter launched into a hyperbolic squabble after Coulter agreed to keynote GOProud’s inaugural “Homocon” conference. Fearful of GOProud’s impending “coup” of the conservative movement, Farah even called for extra security at his WND conference panel “is GOProud conservative?” because, as his loyal followers noted, GOProud could bring its “radical gay” supporters to help in its “infiltration of the conservative movement.”

Ever vigilant against “twisted and dangerous” threat of gay conservatives, right-wing groups are now repudiating any person, place, or thing that may associate with these wolves-in-sheep’s-clothing, most notably the American Conservative Union’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). Despite receiving flak last year for their association with GOProud, CPAC organizers recently confirmed that GOProud will be a “participating organization,” at next year’s conference, “the second highest level of participation. As a ‘participating organization,’ GOProud has a voice in planning the conference.”

The possible presence of gay people sparked the far-right American Principles Project to instigate a growing boycott of CPAC in November. Yesterday, WND announced that the Family Research Council and the Concerned Women for America are now the most high-profile conservative groups to join the boycott:

Two of the nation’s premier moral issues organizations, the Family Research Council and Concerned Women for America, are refusing to attend the Conservative Political Action Conference in February because a homosexual activist group, GOProud, has been invited.

“We’ve been very involved in CPAC for over a decade and have managed a couple of popular sessions. However, we will no longer be involved with CPAC because of the organization’s financial mismanagement and movement away from conservative principles,” said Tom McClusky, senior vice president for FRC Action.

“CWA has decided not to participate in part because of GOProud,” CWA President Penny Nance told WND.

FRC and CWA join the American Principles Project, American Values, Capital Research Center, the Center for Military Readiness, Liberty Counsel, and the National Organization for Marriage in withdrawing from CPAC.

The far-right Americans for Truth about Homosexuality president Peter LaBarbera, who is also boycotting CPAC, finds it “gratifying to to see FRC and CWA respond appropriately to CPAC’s moral sellout of allowing GOProud as a sponsor.” “By bringing in GOProud, CPAC was effectively saying moral opposition to homosexuality is no longer welcome in the conservative movement.”

This increasingly popular censure of CPAC is not just limited to GOProud itself, but to lawmakers as well. As Right Wing Watch notes, CPAC isn’t just “one of the largest gatherings of right wing activists,” but a long-standing, popular “platform for Republican presidential candidates.” Indeed, possible 2012 GOP presidential candidates Gov. Haley Barbour (MS), Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin, Gov. Tim Pawlenty (MN), Rep. Mike Pence (IN), and Sen. John Thune (SD) are slated to speak at CPAC next year. Sens. Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Thune have already come under fire for their association with GOProud.

GOProud has dismissed this kind of far-right thinking before as “clearly out of the mainstream.” However, given the GOP’s number one priority and its penchant for “out of the mainstream,” Republicans may not have room for GOProud’s brand of thought, no matter how conservative.

In the past two years, WorldNetDaily (WND) publisher Joseph Farah — the self proclaimed “Birther King” — has made a name for himself promoting “birther” conspiracy theories and sponsoring billboards questioning President Obama’s citizenship. But in August, Farah made news by booting Ann Coulter from her speaking role at his “Taking Back America” conference after learning that she planned to address GOProud, a right-wing group for gay conservatives. Reacting to her dismissal, Coulter mocked Farah as a “publicity whore” who peddles “birther nonsense.”

Because of the Coulter controversy, GOProud sent one of its founders, Chris Barron, to debate Farah over the topic, “Is GOProud conservative?” That debate took place last weekend at the WND conference in Miami attended by ThinkProgress. In full display of his paranoid style, Farah called in security officers to wave metal detectors over members of the audience before the debate. Several audience members and loyal WND readers told ThinkProgress that the extra security was warranted because Barron could bring his “radical gay” supporters to the debate.

During the debate, Farah called into question the conservative credentials of Sens. Tom Coburn (R-OK) and John Thune (R-SD) for associating themselves with GOProud. He also called for an outright ban on any gays serving in the military — openly or not:

FARAH: I would actually agree with you. I’d like to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell also. But I think we should go back to banning from the military.

BARRON: I’m sure you can understand as a veteran of the United States Air Force reserves, I find that more than just a little insulting.

FARAH: Well, you know, lots of military leaders who have looked at this. Commissions and others have determined that they’re getting the best and the brightest without recruiting from homosexuals.

Watch it:

Before the event, ThinkProgress spoke to GOProud board member Jimmy LaSalvia, who said WND is “clearly out of the mainstream.” He also expressed disbelief that WND had ordered additional security for the event.

Earlier this month, the new gay conservative group GOProud vowed to put the “fun” back in politics at next month’s inaugural Homocon Conference by featuring special guest, right-wing pundit Ann Coulter. In an apparent lack of imagination, GOProud Board Chairman Christopher Barron said he “could not think of any conservative more fun” than the “the right-wing Judy Garland,” a nickname Coulter suggested herself.

Fellow right-wing groups have rebuked her decision. Rick Scarborough of right-wing Christian group Vision America said Coulter “can’t hold herself forth as a defender of traditional values while playing footsie with homosexual groups.” Scarborough called on conservatives to boycott her books to show “this betrayal to our values is not without cost.” Americans For Truth About Homosexuality President Peter LaBarbera asked Coulter to reconsider speaking to the “phony homosexual ‘conservatives.’” To him, it is akin to speaking before “Republicans for Responsible Porn Use” and sends a “dangerous message to young Americans that homosexuality is OK. (It’s actually a sin.)”

But the right-wing publication World Net Daily landed the biggest blow to its “superstar” contributor yesterday when it dumped her as a keynote speaker for its Taking America Back National Conference next month. In a “gut-wrenching” decision, WND CEO Joseph Farah said he had to drop Coulter for abetting GOProud’s “infiltration of the conservative movement” with its “twisted and dangerous ideas” and validating its “coup” by helping GOProud raise money. Coulter fired back, saying she speaks for groups all the time that she does not endorse, including WND, who is “nuts on the birther thing”:

“Asked by Farah why she was speaking to GOProud, Coulter said: “They hired me to give a speech, so I’m giving a speech. I do it all the time.”

Farah then asked: “Do you not understand you are legitimizing a group that is fighting for same-sex marriage and open homosexuality in the military – not to mention the idea that sodomy is just an alternate lifestyle?”

Coulter responded: “That’s silly, I speak to a lot of groups and do not endorse them. I speak at Harvard and I certainly don’t endorse their views. I’ve spoken to Democratic groups and liberal Republican groups that loooove abortion. The main thing I do is speak on college campuses, which is about the equivalent of speaking at an al-Qaida conference. I’m sure I agree with GOProud more than I do with at least half of my college audiences. But in any event, giving a speech is not an endorsement of every position held by the people I’m speaking to. I was going to speak for you guys, I think you’re nuts on the birther thing (though I like you otherwise!).”

In response to LaBarbera’s censure, GOProud Board Chairman Christopher Barron scoffed, “If Mr. LaBarbera spent less time obsessing about gay sex and hanging out at gay Pride events,” then maybe he would not be so “completely clueless” about “what Ann has actually written and said about gay people and gay conservatives.”

Indeed, Coulter is loud and proud in her gay-bashing. At this year’s CPAC, Coulter denounced “liberal elites” by launching a bigoted attack against Assistant Deputy Secretary for Safe and Drug-Free Schools Kevin Jennings. She is also comfortable throwing anti-gay slurs at her political enemies, calling Al Gore a “total fag” in 2006 and then-presidential candidate John Edwards (D) a “faggot” in 2007. Such open hostility begs the question of why GOProud would want to provide her a platform. Unless, of course, this is the group’s idea of “fun.”