The Charles C. Francis Collection includes documentation on the politics of gay rights during George W. Bush’s presidential election and first four years of the Bush administration including protests by the Log Cabin Republicans during the Texas Republican Convention in 1998, the Austin 12 meeting on April 13, 2000, the Bush campaign’s initial outreach to gay Republicans, the creation of the Republican Unity Coalition (RUC), fundraising and campaign contributions, calls for acceptance and party unity from Senator Alan K. Simpson and President Gerald R. Ford, criticism of gays from Rick Santorum and the far right, the Supreme Court's decision in Lawrence v. Texas,  and President Bush's support for an amendment to the Constitution to ban gay marriage. The collection also documents the advocacy and outreach activities of the Republican Unity Coalition, a gay rights group working to make the Republican Party more inclusive for conservative gays and lesbians. The Charles C. Francis papers are composed of personal notes, emails, print media coverage of the RUC’s activities, press releases, speech drafts, and event-planning documents. Of particular note is the correspondence amongst its principals and other officials. This includes Bush Administration officials Karl Rove and Karen Hughes, as well as President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush; supporters and members of the RUC advisory board Mary Cheney, David Rockefeller, Trammel Crow, Jr., Mary Matalin, Senator Alan K. Simpson, and President Gerald R. Ford; and media figures Andrew Sullivan, Hastings Wyman, and Diane Sawyer.