San Francisco, Calif., Sep 27, 2007 / 11:25 am (CNA).- Following an uproar over its sponsorship of the annual homosexual event known as the Folsom Street Fair, Miller Brewing Company has pulled its support from the event.

The scuffle over the brewer’s sponsorship is over a poster for the fair that portrays half-naked sado-masochists as Christ and his disciples at the Last Supper.

After several groups voiced their opposition and outrage—among them Americans for Truth, The Catholic League and the Family Research Council—Miller withdrew their support saying, "While Miller has supported the Folsom Street Fair for several years, we take exception to the poster the organizing committee developed this year. We understand some individuals may find the imagery offensive and we have asked the organizers to remove our logo from the poster effective immediately," according to Cybercast News Service.

The group responsible for creating advertising for the “world’s largest leather event” said it was not intended to be either "pro-religion or anti-religion." The attempt to maintain neutrality didn’t convince the poster’s critics.

The ad promotes the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco -- essentially a multi-city block party for homosexuals. It shows a group of men and women scantily clad, at a long table, laden with sex toys and sado-masochistic implements.

In response to the ad, Peter LaBarbera, president of Americans for Truth (AFT) -- an organization that says it aims to expose and counter "the homosexual activist agenda" -- said the homosexual movement contains a strong anti-Christian element.

Peter Sprigg, vice president for policy at the conservative Family Research Council (FRC), also weighed in on the controversial poster.

Sprigg told Cybercast News Service that imitating "The Last Supper" to promote the event was "a very bad idea, and it's naïve of them to suggest that this is only a take-off of a work of art and think that it would not be offensive to people who worship the central figure in that work of art, namely Jesus Christ."

He said that using the image to promote a homosexual festival "would be bad enough, but when you look at the picture, you see that the people are dressed in a way suggesting they engage in sado-masochistic sex acts, which makes it even worse."

"Implicitly, Jesus' disciples are portrayed as sado-masochists, and how that could not be profoundly offensive to Christians escapes me," Sprigg added.

LaBarbera agreed. "What's worse even than this open and blatant anti-Christian bigotry is the fact that the city of San Francisco blocks off several city blocks for a festival that celebrates perverted, sadistic sex," the ATF president said.

"I've actually attended this event as a critical observer," he said. "I've seen booths where men are whipping one another" in what LaBarbera called "a sickening spectacle. It's interesting that it's tolerated and promoted by homosexual activists."

Catholic News Agency has learned that the festival will also hold an event called “The Last Supper With the Sisters,” which will make the mockery of the sacred Christian event.

On Friday, the Sisters will bring in porn stars to entertain the leather crowd. The big day is on Sunday, or what the Sisters call “the biggest and baddest fetish fair fundraiser in the world!”

The president of the Catholic League, Bill Donahue has responded to Miller’s support for the event saying, “Apparently, Miller has decided to side with a small band of depraved and bigoted gays against Catholics (25 percent of the population) and Protestants (60 percent of the nation). This is an ethical and marketing fiasco of colossal proportions. I will announce within the next day exactly what our game plan will be. The collision course that Miller wants with Christians is now on.”

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom also seems supportive of the sadomasochists as he personally ran a full-page ad in the event's 64-page program that reads: "To all organizers and attendees of the Folsom Street Fair, their families, friends, colleagues and visitors from home and around the world, have a great day and enjoy this wonderful and exciting event."

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