• Couple sues after finding their engagement photo in an anti-gay marriage ad
    106 replies, posted
[t]http://abcnews.go.com/images/US/ht_brian_tom_original_wn.jpg[/t] [t]http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/ht_brian_tom_altered_dm_120712_wg.jpg[/t] [url]http://abcnews.go.com/Health/gay-couple-hate-group-misusing-engagement-photo/story?id=17329214[/url] [quote=ABC]Brian Edwards and Tom Privitere, a New Jersey couple whose photo of them kissing at their engagement party was altered and turned up in an anti-gay unions mailer 2,000 miles away, have filed a lawsuit against a group called Public Advocate of the United States. They are seeking a court order alleging that the non-profit organization violated the law by the unauthorized use of the photo. They have also asked for damages, costs and attorney fees, according to the lawsuit filed today in the U.S. District Court in Colorado. The couple received legal assistance from the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which lists Public Advocate as a hate group. "This case is about the defilement of a beautiful moment by a group known for demonizing the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community," said Christine P. Sun, SPLC deputy legal director. "This was just a cheap way for Public Advocate to avoid having to pay for a stock photo to use in their hateful anti-gay attack ad. It was nothing short of theft." The lawsuit was also filed on behalf of photographer Kristina Hill of Kristina Hill Photography, who owned the copyrighted photo. Their photo had been posted on Edwards' personal blog and was originally set against the backdrop of the New York City skyline. But the doctored photo showed the gay couple standing in a snowy Colorado setting and was used in a political campaign to attack a Republican who supported civil union legislation. The tagline for the ad, which was sponsored by Public Advocate of the United States, was: "State Sen. Jean White's Idea of 'Family Values?'" White later lost the primary. "I cringe every time I look at what once was one of our favorite photos," said Edwards, 32, in a statement from SPLC. "All I see now is the defiled image used to attack our family and our community. All we want is justice for the pain that Public Advocate has caused us." "We are heartbroken that our images may have been seen by gay and lesbian youth in Colorado and were left feeling ashamed of their sexual orientation because of it," Privitere, 37, said in the SPLC statement. "We hope that this group is held accountable for its reprehensible and hateful anti-gay attacks." Privitere works in entertainment ticketing and lives with Edwards, a college administrator, in Montclair, N.J. The couple has been together for 12 years. The SPLC sent a letter to Public Advocate and its president, Eugene Delgaudio, in July warning that it was investigating the case. The letter demanded confirmation that the group cease using the photo. Neither Delgaudio nor Public Advocate responded to the letter, according to SPLC. Public Advocate, based in Falls Church, Va., never had permission to use the photo, according to Hill, who runs her own wedding photography business. The couple learned the photo had been taken without authorization from a friend who saw it in a mailer from Sen. White and called them in June. SPLC's criteria for listing hate groups is based on those who "demonize" a class of people with "misinformation and lies," according to Heidi Beirich, director of the SPLC Intelligence Project. Such groups include the Ku Klux Klan, anti-Semitic organizations, neo-Nazis and black supremacy groups. "There are only a handful of anti-gay groups," said Beirich. "We don't list those who are against gay marriage or the Biblical prescription against gay marriage -- only the groups that are engaged in demonizing propaganda and lies about the gay community and basically lying about them to make them pariahs." Previous campaigns by Public Advocate include: • A fundraising letter asking recipients to "imagine a world where police allow homosexual adults to rape young boys on the streets?" • Comparing same-sex marriage to bestiality. • Suggesting having gays as Boy Scout leaders is "the same as being an accessory to the rape of hundreds of boys." • Characterizing campaigns to stop anti-LGBT bullying as "requir[ing] schools to teach appalling homosexual acts ... force private and even religious schools to teach a pro-homosexual agenda." Public Advocate president Eugene Delgaudio, who is head of the board of supervisors for Loudon County in Virginia, told ABCNews.com n July that the ad campaigns are only "colorful language and hyperbole." He didn't respond to a request for comment today on the suit. Edwards and Privitere hope the incident is a teachable moment. "We want to use this as an opportunity to educate people and show them that a gay couple can and do have loving relationships," said Edwards. "This sort of thing has a trickle-down effect," said Privitere. "I think of all the closeted gay high school students who got mail that day and felt disheartened that they would never have a family and the parents on the fence about whether to accept their gay child for who they are. That hurts. "These people are spreading lies, and I want them [recipients of the mailers] to know they have our support," he added.[/quote]
The Public Advocate of the United States can go die in a fire.
Look at those two...men.. they are kissing! Somebody stop them I don't want to see it! Jokes aside, it still baffles me reading about these people existing in considerable numbers over at the united states.
How disgusting! Violating their privacy and personal lives like that! Especially in a piece of hatred in the media!
I would feel just awful if someone did something similar to me. I hope they win this.
Just noticed the title says mad instead of ad Fuck's sake At least it almost fits
she shoulda just replied to the ad with "yeah"
[QUOTE=smurfy;37911070]Just noticed the title says mad instead of ad Fuck's sake At least it almost fits[/QUOTE] Not anymore.
family values means nothing except maybe this [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh2sWSVRrmo[/media]
Just fucking give LGBT people equal rights. SERIOUSLY how fucking hard can it be? I hope that Public Advocate fucking pays for this. Sorry about the excessive swearing....but damn, why is hate sown so deeply in the US?
[QUOTE=smurfy;37911070]Just noticed the title says mad instead of ad Fuck's sake At least it almost fits[/QUOTE] mAds are ads that make you mad.
[QUOTE=Solo Wing;37911132]Just fucking give LGBT people equal rights. SERIOUSLY how fucking hard can it be? I hope that Public Advocate fucking pays for this. Sorry about the excessive swearing....but damn, why is hate sown so deeply in the US?[/QUOTE] because the bible says gays are bad
[QUOTE=Solo Wing;37911132]Just fucking give LGBT people equal rights. SERIOUSLY how fucking hard can it be? I hope that Public Advocate fucking pays for this. Sorry about the excessive swearing....but damn, why is hate sown so deeply in the US?[/QUOTE] do you want a US-wide cooties epidemic on your hands?
[QUOTE=Fatfatfatty;37911154]because the bible says gays are bad[/QUOTE]Does separation of church and state mean NOTHING?
[quote] A fundraising letter asking recipients to "imagine a world where police allow homosexual adults to rape young boys on the streets?[/quote] Why is it so hard for these people to understand that paedophilia and rape are completely different than being gay.
[QUOTE=Solo Wing;37911348]Does separation of church and state mean NOTHING?[/QUOTE] Not in the USA, no.
[QUOTE=Fatfatfatty;37911154]because the bible says gays are bad[/QUOTE] Yeah, people who have bad eyesight too, why aren't they outlawed?
[QUOTE=Solo Wing;37911348]Does separation of church and state mean NOTHING?[/QUOTE] In the US, yes.
[QUOTE=usaokay;37910954]Two guys fucking each other in the ass is not my business.[/QUOTE] I might be reading this out of context but nice job at trying [b]really[/b] hard to be as passive-aggressive as possible. Either you were trying to be funny or do you have a problem with homosexuals, usaokay? You say "it's not your business", right, it isn't, but what you said prior to that has a pretty condescending and judgmental tone to it.
[QUOTE=Jacam12SUX;37911470]I might be reading this out of context but nice job at trying [b]really[/b] hard to be as passive-aggressive as possible. Either you were trying to be funny or do you have a problem with homosexuals, usaokay? You say "it's not your business", right, it isn't, but what you said prior to that has a pretty condescending and judgmental tone to it.[/QUOTE] As a gay person I can verify there is ass fucking involved [sp]but not with me :c[/sp] [editline]4th October 2012[/editline] Jokes aside this story's pretty old
[QUOTE=usaokay;37910954]Two guys fucking each other in the ass is not my business.[/QUOTE] That's not even what the whole point is. LOTS of gay couples don't even have sex. A relationship isn't defined by whether or not you have sex with your partner.
[QUOTE=usaokay;37910954]Two guys fucking each other in the ass is not my business.[/QUOTE] I wish people would stop sexualizing homosexuality
Saw this picture months ago, glad there's a lawsuit. [QUOTE=Jacam12SUX;37911470]I might be reading this out of context but nice job at trying [b]really[/b] hard to be as passive-aggressive as possible. Either you were trying to be funny or do you have a problem with homosexuals, usaokay? You say "it's not your business", right, it isn't, but what you said prior to that has a pretty condescending and judgmental tone to it.[/QUOTE] It also reeks of apathy.
What goes on between two consenting adults in a private bedroom is no business of politicians, the state or anybody else. Let's just have LGBT rights equality already, it's not that fucking complicated.
I would sue for the terrible photoshop alone
[QUOTE=Fatfatfatty;37911154]because the bible says gays are bad[/QUOTE] Actually it doesn't, that passage most people interpret as being about gays was actually about sleeping in a woman's bed, which was a bit of a big deal back then.
STOP destroying the FAMILY!
[QUOTE=Solo Wing;37911348]Does separation of church and state mean NOTHING?[/QUOTE] Not if the religion is Christianity. "Separation of Church and State? Obviously the people who wrote that law didn't feel the need to specify that Christianity is exempt since it was so OBVIOUS! Heresy!"
if gays can marry than why can't cars???? checkmate atheists
Shame their special day is tainted by this. What they do with their lives aint anybody elses business but theirs.
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