Is South Carolina 'so gay'? - South Carolina residents are upset over an advertising campaign to attract homosexual tourists

Is South Carolina 'so gay'?
Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 7/19/2008 4:15:00 AM

The majority of South Carolina residents are upset over an advertising campaign to attract homosexual tourists. The ad campaign was run in London for several cities. South Carolina was the only state with a role, and their ad said "South Carolina is so gay."





Oran Smith of the Palmetto Family Council notes those who heard the ad were surprised. "And it was a shock to everyone who heard about it, and the contract was immediately canceled and the individual who is responsible has resigned," Smith explains. A legitimate question is whether state tax dollars were used for the promotion. "Yes, this was taxpayer money, which was allocated through the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism," Smith adds.

State Senator David Thomas has called for an audit of the department, and Smith thinks that just might be a good idea. "There needs to be accountability to the legislature for the spending because they approved the spending," Smith contends. "And I think that every dollar that's spent to promote South Carolina should be spent in a way that's connected to South Carolina Values."

He points out that voters in South Carolina went to the polls and approved a constitutional amendment protecting marriage between a man and woman by a 78 percent margin. Smith believes it ought to be plain that residents of the state are not pro-homosexual.

"So there's a very strong feeling that the state law and state funds should not be going to promote the same-sex lifestyle -- and that contravenes the strong values of the state," Smith points out.