Online, Democratic critics unsheathed their knives. “Your org has accomplished nothing in 40 fucking years as the GOP has gone from bad to worse to Trump on your watch,” the activist and advice columnist Dan Savage wrote in response to a cheery tweet from Angelo celebrating the night. “Go fuck yourselves Log Cabin Republicans,” Savage wrote.

At the Mayflower, after a few minutes of post-speech networking chatter, much of the room cleared out.

Outside the grand ballroom two women in pantsuits walked down the wide marble hallway from the party. They casually held hands for a moment, then unclasped as they approached the crowded lobby.

Next to the front door stood a group of men in well-cut suits in shades of charcoal. It was impossible to tell if they were they from the Log Cabin event or part of the Mayflower’s regular carousel of business guests.

And that, the Log Cabin Republicans would tell you, is exactly the point.

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