Press Release - October 11th, 2012

For Immediate Release

View Online: http://lgbtde.ms/WXVEH7

October 11, 2012
Contact: Jerame Davis
202-625-1382
jdavis@stonewalldemocrats.org

Log Cabin Republican Club in Florida Exploits Death of US Ambassador in New Ad

In an advertisement in the current issue of the Florida Agenda - a weekly LGBT newspaper distributed throughout central and south Florida - the Broward Log Cabin Republican Club of Florida attacked Democrats and President Obama using an image of the lifeless body of US Ambassador Chris Stevens in the aftermath of the attack on the US Embassy in Benghazi, Libya.

The ad can be found on page 27 of issue #151 of the Florida Agenda dated October 10, 2012. A screen capture of the ad can be found here: http://www.stonewalldemocrats.org/files/LCRBrowardAd.png

National Stonewall Democrats Executive Director, Jerame Davis, had the following response: 

"The Broward Log Cabin Republican Club of Florida has cravenly disrespected the life and legacy of a United States civil servant with this ad. Put bluntly, they have crossed the line of civil discourse and good taste by including an image of the corpse of slain US Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens being carried through the streets of Benghazi, Libya.

"Their shameless and callous use of the image of Ambassador Stevens' body aside, the confused hatchet men at Log Cabin are conflating a number of unrelated issues in order to attack Democrats and President Obama. First, they latch onto right-wing rumors that Ambassador Stevens was gay and then they insinuate that President Obama is responsible for the attack because he did not protect the Ambassador from 'Sharia Law'. 

"Then, in a very bizarre turn, they state their support for Israel as a 'beacon of hope' in the Middle East and urge voters to, 'support Israel in this hour of darkness: vote Republican!'

"It is simply unimaginable to me how any political message, let alone the muddy and ludicrous message of this ad, in any way justifies disgracing the memory of a man who gave his life in service to his country. This level of depravity and moral indifference must not be allowed to enter our political discourse.

"We call upon the Broward Log Cabin Republican Club of Florida to retract this ad and apologize to Floridians for subjecting them to this sort of degenerate messaging. We also call upon Log Cabin Republicans national office to repudiate this ad for the partisan detritus that it is."

UPDATE: Log Cabin Republicans national office has condemned the ad: http://www.bilerico.com/2012/10/fl_log_cabin_chapters_attack_ad_features_body_of_s.php

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National Stonewall Democrats is the national voice of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and allied Democrats, with more than 80 local affiliates across the nation. Stonewall Democrats works to elect more pro-equality Democrats regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity - and to improve the Democratic Party on issues important to LGBT Democrats.