The organizers of Smyrna Pride have refused to let Georgia Log Cabin Republicans, a group that advocates for gay and lesbian rights in the Republican Party, have an official presence at the festival marketplace this June.

Georgia Log Cabin has a long history of being involved in Smyrna and Cobb County. One of its members was appointed to the Cobb County Arts board in 1999 and they have sponsored 11th Congressional District GOP events in Smyrna. To be included in Republican Party events, but excluded from a gay and lesbian event shows the progress Log Cabin has achieved while the gay community goes backwards with exclusion.

Smyrna Pride organizers Smyrna is Fabulous claim on their web site to support "an inclusive and safe environment" for "all members of the community" and prohibit "acts of non-inclusion." Yet at the same time they are excluding Georgia Log Cabin.

Smyrna is Fabulous claims they do not accept political sponsorships or vendors, yet their web site currently touts sponsorships from two Democratic politicians and they promote Democratic politicians on their social media. They also reportedly offered to let groups that exclusively support Democratic candidates join their marketplace for free. Excluding Log Cabin Republicans from an event on public property supported by public resources while offering to include left-leaning advocacy groups based on their viewpoints amounts to discrimination, which is illegal under state and federal law.

"There is no conceivable government interest that serves the public for Smyrna Pride to exclude advocacy groups that align with the Republican Party and conservative ideals but include similar groups that advocate for Democratic beliefs," writes Georgia Republican Party General Council Alex Kaufman.

Georgia Log Cabin Republicans Director of Policy Skyler Akins says, "Y'all means all, and inclusion means everyone. That applies equally to our Republican allies. Georgia Log Cabin Republicans call on Smyrna Pride to drop their hypocrisy and live up to their promises."