Image by Flickr user Just Taken PicsImage by 20080802_digging.jpg Looks like the media will keep digging until they're hands our a bloody mess on this one.

'So gay' and 'So won't die'. Using the Freedom of Information Act, several news organizations now know that knowledge of the "so gay" advertising campaign was far more widespread than originally indicated.

The Palmetto Scoop has copies of the e-mails available.When the story of the gay-focussed ad campaign first broke Chad Prosser, Director of the South Carolina Department of Parks, seemed to play aloof hoping the story would die. Prosser stated after the campaign broke that:
I do not believe that it is appropriate to use state tourism marketing funds to support any specific social agenda, nor would we ever knowingly do so.

But it seems the campaign was already know of and when the person who OK'd the campaign tried to have South Carolina removed from it, Prosser said to not have it canceled.

Read more stories on this subject in our 'so gay' topic page.
So, what's it mean? Somebody made a trivial political mistake involving $5,000 and not only have we managed to make it known that South Carolina is most certainly not-so-gay, but that many non-gay individuals make think twice before visiting a state that seeks to push gays away so much.

Mind you, I'm not trying to say we should or shouldn't have advertised in the campaign, only that the reaction has been so disproportional that we're bludgeoning the state's tourism reputation, and the reputation of its residents.

The dust has pretty well settled over the 'South Carolina is so gay' ad, but Colbert wanted to get his say in on the matter. A pretty entertaining say, at that.

And, pushing folks away is the last thing we need when tourism is declining.