The House Republicans' attempt to promote their Snapchat-based coverage of Tuesday's State of the Union address has backfired hilariously.
In a blog post announcing what they're calling #SnapOfTheUnion, the GOP incorporated a gif of HitFix writer Louis Virtel snapping his fingers during an appearance on "Jeopardy!" in May 2015.
The problem? Virtel, who is openly gay, is not a Republican and has no interest in his image being used to support the GOP.
The writer fired off a series of tweets that made his opposition clear.
It was a particularly ironic gif choice given Virtel's one regret about his "Jeopardy!" appearance. In a HitFix blog post published shortly after the broadcast, Virtel wrote that he wished he'd been able to say that he was gay on the air. Still, he was happy he'd hinted at his sexuality through his mannerisms -- such as the aforementioned finger snap.
"As a kid growing up in the suburbs who venerated everything about 'Jeopardy!', I would've loved seeing an expressive gay contestant own his homosexuality as well as the buzzer," he wrote. "I'll never get that chance again, but I take some comfort in having exhibited my sexual orientation through a few glaring clues."
We'll venture a guess and say that wasn't quite the message the House Republicans intended to send to their Snapchat followers when they used Virtel's image.
Better luck next time, GOP!
H/T Slate
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