I wonder if the DaMayor was that state employee who OKayed this? 
State Employee Resigns over “SC Is So Gay” Ad Campaign | WSPA
State Employee Resigns over â?????SC Is So Gayâ??? Ad Campaign
By Robert Kittle
Published: July 11, 2008
The low-level South Carolina state employee who approved a controversial ad campaign aimed at gay tourists has resigned, according to state Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism director Chad Prosser. Posters in London subways say, â?????South Carolina is so gay. Explore an America most never see. From plantations to the Civil War. Golf to gay beaches.â??? Similar posters proclaim Atlanta, Boston, Las Vegas, New Orleans and Washington, D.C. as being â?????so gayâ???. The campaign is sponsored by Amro Worldwide, a company that specializes in â?????gay travelâ???, and is aimed at people who are in London for gay pride events.
But state tourism officials never approved the stateâ??????s participation in the ad campaign. Prosser says the agencyâ??????s independent contractor in the United Kingdom presented a proposal to a lower-level PRT employee, and that employee approved it as part of a larger package of tour-operator participations. As soon as Prosser and higher-level PRT officials found out exactly what the program was, they contacted their UK representative and said the state would not participate and no state money would go to the program. It would have cost state taxpayers almost $5,000.
â?????Our tourism marketing funds are for the purpose of bringing visitors to South Carolina, not for getting involved in various social agendas,â??? Prosser told News Channel 7. He says the lower-level employee resigned, and the agency is taking steps to make sure nothing similar happens again.
Palmetto Family Council president and CEO Dr. Oran Smith says, â?????South Carolinians donâ??????t care for their tax money to be invested in ways that they donâ??????t think is consistent with their values and I think promoting gay tourism is inconsistent with South Carolina values.â??? He says it also doesnâ??????t make financial sense to invest in something that doesnâ??????t match the stateâ??????s target audience, which is families.
Amro Worldwide says the â?????so gayâ??? campaign is to reverse the negative connotation of the phrase and to turn it into something positive.
Read Amy Woodâ??????s blog on the â?????so gayâ??? campaign
State Employee Resigns over “SC Is So Gay” Ad Campaign | WSPA
State Employee Resigns over â?????SC Is So Gayâ??? Ad Campaign
By Robert Kittle
Published: July 11, 2008
The low-level South Carolina state employee who approved a controversial ad campaign aimed at gay tourists has resigned, according to state Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism director Chad Prosser. Posters in London subways say, â?????South Carolina is so gay. Explore an America most never see. From plantations to the Civil War. Golf to gay beaches.â??? Similar posters proclaim Atlanta, Boston, Las Vegas, New Orleans and Washington, D.C. as being â?????so gayâ???. The campaign is sponsored by Amro Worldwide, a company that specializes in â?????gay travelâ???, and is aimed at people who are in London for gay pride events.
But state tourism officials never approved the stateâ??????s participation in the ad campaign. Prosser says the agencyâ??????s independent contractor in the United Kingdom presented a proposal to a lower-level PRT employee, and that employee approved it as part of a larger package of tour-operator participations. As soon as Prosser and higher-level PRT officials found out exactly what the program was, they contacted their UK representative and said the state would not participate and no state money would go to the program. It would have cost state taxpayers almost $5,000.
â?????Our tourism marketing funds are for the purpose of bringing visitors to South Carolina, not for getting involved in various social agendas,â??? Prosser told News Channel 7. He says the lower-level employee resigned, and the agency is taking steps to make sure nothing similar happens again.
Palmetto Family Council president and CEO Dr. Oran Smith says, â?????South Carolinians donâ??????t care for their tax money to be invested in ways that they donâ??????t think is consistent with their values and I think promoting gay tourism is inconsistent with South Carolina values.â??? He says it also doesnâ??????t make financial sense to invest in something that doesnâ??????t match the stateâ??????s target audience, which is families.
Amro Worldwide says the â?????so gayâ??? campaign is to reverse the negative connotation of the phrase and to turn it into something positive.
Read Amy Woodâ??????s blog on the â?????so gayâ??? campaign
