This past weekend, Washington, DC welcomed the national convention of a group I haven’t had a lot of nice things to say about in the past. The Log Cabin Republicans took my fair city by storm, with a series of sessions and speeches that have had serious reverberations around the gay blogosphere.

What made this year’s conference interesting were the surprising faces that headlined the event. Could the strong show of support from more moderate parts of the Republican Party indicate a sea change? Is this the beginning of a new GOP?

I’m not willing to concede my long-held belief that the very existence of the Log Cabin Republicans validates the discriminatory and hateful positions of the GOP.

But I am impressed that the Log Cabin Republicans were able to draw such interesting, and diverse, allies from their party to speak to their conference. The top three appearances of the weekend, in order of surprise-factor and significance:

3. Meghan McCain

Meghan McCain’s appearance at the Log Cabin convention has certainly drawn the most headlines, but not because it was particularly surprising. Her relatively progressive stances on most social issues, including marriage equality, keep me from being shocked at her participation. I was, however, surprised at her exuberance. She tweeted about her nervousness and excitement in the days leading up to her appearance, and delivered a thoughtful speech to the crowd.

That her mother Cindy attended the convention with Meghan was, perhaps, more interesting.

2. Christy Todd Whitman

The former governor of my former home state also spoke this past weekend to the Log Cabin Republicans, and her speech was hard-hitting about specific policies. She made three specific demands to the Republican Party: that they remove the anti-marriage equality language from their party platform, that they work to reverse DOMA, and that they oppose DADT. Those are strong positions for any former Republican governor, and she followed it up with one of the best lines of the conference:

“I am not saying to Christian conservatives, ‘There is no place for you,’ I am saying, ‘Please stop saying there is no place for us.’”

(h/t JoeMyGod)

1. Steve Schmidt

Steve Schmidt is probably the least well-known name on this list, but his appearance definitely represents something important for the Republican Party. Former advisor to Governor Arnold Schwartzeneggar and Senator John McCain, Steve Schmidt is one of the top strategists in the Republican Party. He appeared at the convention, he indicated, because he loves and supports his gay sister and his relationship with her helped shape his view on equality issues.

While Meghan McCain and Christine Whitman might have higher profiles, they’re both progressive on most social issues. Both have been tagged RINOs (Republican In Name Only) by other members of their party. But Steve Schmidt is a little different. To me, Schmidt represents the change any of us can affect just by coming out to those around us. So kudos to Steve– and his sister– for thinking outside the box.

Schmidt says in the interview that his views on gay rights were influenced by his knowledge of a gay person– his lesbian sister– and his understanding of the difficulties and discrimination she faces.

In a perverse moment, Schmidt quotes former Vice President Dick Cheney to make his argument.

“I think one of the most tragic things in the world [is] when people are closeted and are denied their sexuality and this incredibly important part of their lives and the destructive potential of that action,” he said. “And I’ve come to believe over time that, as Dick Cheney said, freedom for everybody means freedom for everybody.”

The interview is wide-ranging, and provides interesting insight into the man behind the McCain Presidential campaign.