A professor of anthropology at the University of Iowa has found herself in hot water after responding to an email sent out by a campus Republican group with the simple inflammatory message, "F*** YOU, REPUBLICANS."
The response was prompted by an email promoting "Conservative Coming Out Week" that was sent to the entire University of Iowa community. The email advertised a week of conservative events, such as the showing of a movie to honor George W. Bush.
Ellen Lewin, a professor of Anthropology and Gender & Sexuality Studies, said she found the email "extremely disturbing and offensive" because it mocked the the pro-labor protests in Wisconsin and animal rights.
"This is a time when political passions are inflamed, and when I received your unsolicited email, I had just finished reading some newspaper accounts of fresh outrages committed by Republicans in government," she said in an email to the Republican group after the incident. "I admit the language was inappropriate, and apologize for any affront to anyone's delicate sensibilities."
Lewin was also upset that the group had appropriated the language of the LGBT rights movement, despite Republicans general disapproval of same-sex marriage.
The Iowa Republican published the emails after the incident.
"I have been sufficiently chastened by this incident that I can assure you it will not happen again," she wrote in an email to political science professor Timothy Hagle, the faculty adviser for the University of Iowa College Republicans. "I am adept at cursing silently to myself (or to my dogs), a skill that is necessary these days when one reads the newspaper. I think I was in a particularly bad mood yesterday when that message came, but I will censor myself in future."
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