TV Ad Calls Out Jim DeMint for Saying Gays Shouldn't Be Teachers

Sen. Jim DeMint

A new ad in South Carolina highlights Sen. Jim DeMint's belief that gay people shouldn't be allowed to teach — and his supporters want it off the airwaves.

The Post and Courier reports that the senator's supporters contacted Charleston-area television stations that are running the 30-second television commercials and asked them to stop.

“We are really thankful the TV stations see the value in what we’re doing, and, in that first salvo, have stood by us,” said Warren Redman-Gress, director of the Alliance for Full Acceptance, which is running the ads, according to the Post and Courier.

The ad asks, "What if you saw this headline? 'Senator Jim DeMint: Jews Should Not Teach Public School.' You wouldn't tolerate such blatant prejudice and persecution." The word "Jews" is then replaced on-screen. "But substitute the word gay and the reality is you do. Injustices like this happen daily."

It's one of three ads from the group that use the same tactic to call out antigay bullying and attacks on students for supporting civil rights as part of its larger point about homophobia and its result in discriminatory laws. The group is reportedly spending $30,000 to air the ads while raising money to keep the campaign going.

The DeMint ad references a comment the South Carolina senator made during a debate in 2004. But it wasn't the only time DeMint has said gays shouldn't be allowed to teach. In October 2010, during a speech at the Greater Freedom Rally of conservative voters, he fought back, complaining that "no one came to my defense" for his comments while whispering to him "that I shouldn't back down."

Watch the ad below.