At the Conservative Party's convention in Calgary in November, supporters queued up outside a chic lounge blocks from the convention centre. Music throbbed and lights flashed inside as the doorman stopped them: the party was full and the only way new people could get in was if somebody else left.

The biggest after-hours event at the Conservative Party convention last fall wasn't Finance Minister Jim Flaherty's hospitality suite. Nor was it a shindig thrown by a major lobbying firm. The party everyone wanted to go to is one that, 10 years ago, many wouldn't have imagined: one that celebrates the prominence and prevalence of gay Conservatives. Organizers call it the fabulous blue tent.