Eugene Delgaudio - Involvement With Public Advocate of The U.S.

Involvement With Public Advocate of The U.S.

Delgaudio was a board member of the conservative youth group Young Americans for Freedom. In 1981, he started Public Advocate of the U.S., a conservative activist group known for its street theater and its protests opposing taxes and homosexuality. He has staged numerous protests outside the U.S. Supreme Court and U.S. Capitol including a "Perverts for Cellucci" rally opposing the nomination of Paul Celucci as ambassador to Canada, a man-donkey wedding to support the Federal Marriage Amendment, and a "Kennedy Sobriety Checkpoint" to draw attention to Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy's (D-RI) car accident. In August 2007, he introduced a resolution asking the county administrator to determine which county services could be denied to undocumented immigrants. Delgaudio has also controversially asked Muslims if they "come in peace" and whether they pledge allegiance to the United States.

In 2010, Delgaudio issued a fundraising letter in which he reported the following:

One stormy night I drove to a mailshop hidden deep in a nearly deserted stand of warehouses. I'd heard something was up and wanted to see for myself. As I rounded the final turn my eyes nearly popped. Tractor-trailers pulled up to loading docks, cars and vans everywhere and long-haired, earring-pierced men scurrying around running forklifts, inserters and huge printing presses. Trembling with worry I went inside. It was worse than I ever imagined. Row after row of boxes bulging with pro-homosexual petitions lined the walls, stacked to the ceiling. My mind reeled as I realized hundreds, maybe thousands, more boxes were already loaded on the tractor-trailers. And still more petitions were flying off the press. Suddenly a dark-haired man screeched, "Delgaudio what are you doing here?" Dozens of men began moving toward me. I'd been recognized. As I retreated to my car, the man chortled, "This time Delgaudio we can't lose." Driving away, my eyes filled with tears as I realized he might be right. This time the Radical Homosexuals could win.

In 2011, Delgaudio also issued another fundraising letter in which he stated: "You see, the Homosexual Lobby and its billionaire donors are flush with cash. When Congressmen and Senators see the power and riches of the radical Homosexuals, they get tempted. You'd be surprised how many politicians are already bought and paid for." This e-mail also contained an image of what appeared to be a rainbow-colored bloody hand and body. Delgaudio acknowledged that his organization was the source of the email and the image. When asked about it, Delgaudio said that it looked like paint to him and that the homosexual lobby had doctored his rainbow-colored image, changing it to red.

Public records and media reports indicate that Public Advocate of the United States supports conservative— and primarily anti-gay—causes through only two activities: sending fundraising messages via e-mail and traditional mail; and paying Eugene Delgaudio more than $150,000 per year. Although his personal website claims that Public Advocate has an annual budget of $2.7 million, 2010 tax records of the organization indicate an income of only $1,071,623.

Public Advocate was designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center in March 2012. On July 11, 2012, the SPLC sent Delgaudio a cease-and-desist letter associated with what they claimed was his unauthorized use of and modification of a photograph of a gay couple's engagement photo. On September 26, 2012, SPLC filed a federal lawsuit against Public Advocate, seeking damages for its use of the engagement photo.