Public Advocate of the United States

Public Advocate of the United States

Founded	1978
Founder	Eugene Delgaudio
Type	Nonprofit 501(c)(4) [1]
Tax ID no.	52-1112449 (EIN)
Focus	Public education
Location	P.O. Box 1360 Merrifield, Virginia 22116 [2]
Area served	United States
Members	4
Revenue	$1,561,374 (2016) [3]
Employees	3
Website	publicadvocateusa.org

Public Advocate of the United States is an organization founded in either 1978 or 1981 (disputed) ^{[4] [5]} by Eugene Delgaudio. It advocates religious conservative policies in American politics. ^[1] The Southern Poverty Law Center has designated the organization as a hate group for its anti-gay activism. ^[6]

Platform

The organization's platform includes: ^[1]

• A federal traditional marriage (man-woman) amendment to the Constitution to defend traditional marriage from assaults from those who claim to promote "same sex marriage";
• School prayer and the freedom of religious expression in public places;
• Faith-based and community initiatives;
• Pro-life legislation;
• The promotion and protection of the Boy Scouts, organized sports and other activities that reinforce morality, accountability and leadership in our youth;
• Tax cuts, reduction in spending by the federal government and the exposure of wasteful "pork barrel" spending for the benefit of liberal special interests or for social engineering for worse;
• Equality under the law, without regard to color, race, creed, sex or religious beliefs.

Principals

• Eugene Delgaudio, founder and President
• Mark Clayton, Vice President and 2012 Tennessee Democratic Party nominee for U.S. Senate ^{[7] [8]}

In 2005, Delgadio said that he was the only full-time employee of the organization. ^[9] On its 2010 tax form, Public Advocate reported $1.07 million in total revenue, and that it paid $158,682 to Eugene Delgaudio & Associates, as an independent contractor. ^[10]

Anti-gay activism

In early 2012, the organization was designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), on the basis of its anti-gay activism. ^[6]

In September 2012, the SPLC sued Public Advocate in Denver, Colorado, federal court over a mailer sent to some Colorado primary voters in 2010. The SPLC's client was a gay couple who were married in a civil ceremony in Connecticut. The mailer included a modified version of the couple's engagement photo, taken of them kissing with the Brooklyn Bridge as a backdrop. The photo had been copied without permission from the couple's blog and edited to appear as if they were kissing with snow-covered pine trees surrounding them, with bold words on a red background saying "State Senator Jean White's idea of "Family Values?"." ^[11] In April 2014, a judge ruled that Public Advocate had not legally misappropriated the image, but that there was a plausible copyright infringement; in June 2014, the parties settled, with the photographer paid $2,501.

In March 2014, Public Advocate's attorney submitted a subpoena request seeking detailed information from the SPLC about the criteria, research, and decision process that was used to issue the "hate group" designation. ^[12]

See also

• List of organizations designated by the Southern Poverty Law Center as anti-gay hate groups

References

1. "About Us". Public Advocate of the United States. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
2. "Public Advocate Of The United States" . Retrieved October 23, 2018.
3. "2016 Federal Tax Return for Public Advocate of the United States" (PDF). GuideStar. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
4. "Public Advocate of the United States - GuideStar Profile". www.guidestar.org. Retrieved 2018-10-23.
5. "About Us | Public Advocate of the U.S." publicadvocateusa.org. Retrieved 2018-10-23.
6. Gibson, Caitlin (March 26, 2012). "Loudoun Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio's advocacy organization designated a 'hate group'". The Washington Post . Retrieved June 24, 2012.
7. Cass, Michael (August 3, 2012). "Tennessee Democratic Party disavows Senate nominee". The Tennessean . Archived from the original on August 5, 2012. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
8. "Tennessee Judge Order: Public Advocate V P Mark Clayton Protects Minorities In Memphis Against Liberals' Bigotry | Public Advocate of the U.S." www.publicadvocateusa.org. Retrieved 2018-10-23.
9. "Raising Funds by Attacking 'Radical Homosexuals'". www.connectionnewspapers.com. April 19, 2005. Retrieved 2020-07-26.
10. "Is Eugene Delgaudio Running a Scam in Your State?". Shadowproof. 2012-11-03. Retrieved 2020-07-26.
11. Susman, Tina (September 26, 2012). "Gay couple shocked to find their faces on anti-gay mailer". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved September 26, 2012.
12. Gibson, Caitlin (2014-03-04). "Loudoun's Delgaudio fights back against 'hate group' designation". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2020-07-26.

External links

• Public Advocate USA official site