CHARLESTON, S.C — A new political ad emphasizing U.S. Senator Jim DeMint’s previously stated belief that LGBT people shouldn’t be allowed to teach in schools has angered DeMint supporters because, they claim, it falsely portrays the Senator as anti-Semitic.
The video ad, which has been airing on Charleston-area television stations since the end of June, begins with a hypothetical question: “What if you saw this headline? ‘Senator Jim DeMint: Jews Should Not Teach Public School,’” and then swaps the out the word “Jews” for the actual headline, that read “Gays Should Not Teach Public School.”
The ad is a reminder of a comment DeMint (R-S.C.) made in a debate during his 2004 U.S. Senate campaign, when he was quoted as saying openly gay teachers should not be allowed in public schools.
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Charleston’s Post and Courier newspaper reported that the DeMint’s supporters have contacted local television stations running the 30-second television commercials, demanding that they pull the ad.
Warren Redman-Gress, executive director of the Alliance for Full Acceptance, a Charleston-based LGBT and straight allies organization, which paid for the controversial ad, said he was “really thankful the TV stations see the value in what we’re doing, and, in that first salvo, have stood by us.”
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The Alliance group is reportedly spending upwards of $30,000 to air the ads, while continuing to raise money to keep the ad campaign going.
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