Gay Republicans are divided on a
controversial ad which featured an image of slain Libyan Ambassador
Chris Stevens' lifeless body to attack President Barack Obama on gay
rights and Israel.
The campaign ad was produced by the
Broward County Log Cabin Republicans, the local chapter of gay GOP
group Log Cabin Republicans.
Under the headline, “Where is the
outrage now?” the group attacked the Obama administration for not
protecting Stevens: “If the Obama Administration isn't going to
protect Gay/Gay-friendly American citizens from the terror of Islamic
radicalism, what makes you think they will protect us from Shariah
Law … ANYWHERE?”
“SUPPORT ISRAEL IN THIS HOUR OF
DARKNESS,” the ad continued. “VOTE REPUBLICAN!”
The ad is a nod to rumors that Stevens
was gay which surfaced days after his death at the hands of an angry
mob who stormed the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.
R. Clarke Cooper, the executive
director of the Log Cabin Republicans, condemned the ad in a letter
to the Florida Agenda, the paper which ran the ad.
“[T]here are plenty of reasons to
vote Republican to protect U.S. interests and human rights abroad,
but the obscene ad in this publication is fallacious, grossly
inappropriate and irresponsible,” Cooper wrote.
Andy Eddy, a spokesman for the Broward
County group which created the ad, told Bilerico.com that he stood by
the ad.
“If you mean in support of Israel,
and if it saves one life of a young innocent individual like a
Matthew Shepard, or anyone else who was or could be murdered, or will
be so badly and wrongly mistreated because of intolerance based on
sexual orientation, U.S. citizenship, religion, etc., I personally
do,” he
said.
Also in support is Jimmy LaSalvia,
executive director of gay GOP group GOProud.
“[I]t's clear that LCR Broward
understands, like we do, that the greatest threat to gay people in
the world is the spread of radicalized Islam,” LaSalvia told gay
weekly the Washington
Blade.