Founded | 1978 |
---|---|
Founder | Eugene Delgaudio |
Type | Nonprofit 501(c)(4)[1] |
52-1112449 (EIN) | |
Focus | Public education |
Location |
|
Area served | United States |
Members | 4 |
Revenue | $1,561,374 (2016)[3] |
Employees | 3 |
Website | publicadvocateusa |
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]
The organization's platform includes:[1]
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]
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]