The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) has a reputation as the place where the movement’s big names and aspiring stars go to mingle and impress one another, and where presidential hopefuls joust for favor from right-wing activists and media organizations.

This year, Republican members of Congress and spotlight-seeking media personalities tried to one-up each other over who could indulge in the most contemptible transphobia. Combined with right-wing anti-trans legislation and a sharp increase in anti-trans rhetoric generally, CPAC was a dangerous escalation. It should be denounced and countered as strongly as possible.

As alarming as CPAC’s pervasive transphobia was, there was one equally important fact about this year’s conference: it was a total flop. The poorly attended weekend-long event showed a conservative movement increasingly beholden to its most loathsome figures and unable to speak coherently to anyone but its most devoted (and unhinged) supporters.