San Diego Woman Urges Boycott on Rose Parade Over Gay Wedding

A San Diego woman is not happy with plans for the upcoming annual Rose Parade. Not one bit.

Karen Grube is calling for a boycott of the popular event because two men from Los Angeles are scheduled to be married on a float called "Love is the Best Protection," the Pasadena Star News reports.

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation is sponsoring the cake-shaped float, in order to help raise awareness of HIV infection in the gay community, but Grube believes the float should be removed from the New Year's parade. She's gone as far as to call corporate sponsors to gain their support in case the wedding goes as planned.

Grube has also created a Facebook page called "Boycott the 2014 Rose Parade" to get others on her side.

"Gay marriage is illegal in over 30 states, why would they promote something that is blatantly illegal?" Grube wrote. "That's just stupid."

As of this writing her Facebook page has 227 likes. She says she doesn't believe the Rose Parade should be involved in a "political agenda."

"It used to be a family thing, to get up on New Year's Day morning and watch the parade," she said. "It no longer is."

Same-sex marriage has been legal in California where Grube resides since Proposition 8 was struck down by the United States Supreme Court in June.

Earlier this month ABC News reported that Aubrey Loots, 42, and his partner Danny Leclair, 45, will tie the knot as nearly 68 million people watch, which will mark the first time a same-sex couple marries during the Rose Parade's 125-year history. The men, who have been dating for 12 years, won the opportunity after they entered a contest at a wedding expo in October.

The men have reacted to the negative attention regarding their wedding, and say it hasn't brought down their spirits.

"It's something that they don't understand and so I expected it," Leclair said, according to the Pasadena Star News. "We're not dissuaded or upset or concerned. We're simply acknowledging it."

"There's a lot of people who think we're doing this as a political statement," he added. "It couldn't be further from the truth. Our stance is love is love and love will save lives."

AHF President Michael Weinstein said that those boycotting the event should respect "the law of the land" and said the non-profit organization is making a political statement.

"There are as many opinions in the world as there are people, but our motivation is to validate the love that exists between same-sex couples and what we believe is the importance of validating these relationships in terms of protecting, particularly gay men from HIV and other STDs," he said, as quoted by the newspaper. "We think the more we promote stable, long-term relationships, the better it will be."

Officials from the Tournament of the Roses released a statement, supporting the couple's wedding.

"Like all of our sponsors and float designers, AHF continues to help make the Rose Parade a premier event through original and creative expressions that connect to parade themes - as this float does," the statement reads.

That apparently isn't sitting too well with Gruber who yet again took to Facebook to slam the statement.

"I was appalled to see the prepared statement from the Tournament of Roses that the 'welcomed' the float," she wrote. "Good grief! Can they be that clueless? The article allows comments."

According to the newspaper, Grube is not motivated by her religious beliefs, but simply does not agree with having a wedding, gay or straight, take place at the parade.

Grube's most recent Facebook posting reads:

"The traditional Tournament of Roses parade may be the victim of the most recent attack of political correctness. Two gay hairdressers have won a lottery to have their wedding on a float during the 2014 Rose Parade. The theme of this years parade is 'Dreams Come True.' In this case it may be more like a nightmare for the sponsors of the parade and the organizers. If the same folks who have supported Phil Roberson's biblical stand on marriage against A&E decide they'll spend New Year's morning at sunrise services instead of watching the parade, and people avoid going to the parade, that could spell the end of this tradition. They've already destroyed the Boy Scouts. Lets NOT let them destroy the Rose Parade. What can you do? See the first comment for this post."

According to Wikipedia , The Rose Parade, officially the Tournament of Roses Parade, is "America's New Year Celebration" held in Pasadena, California, a festival of flower-covered floats, marching bands, equestrians and the Rose Bowl college football game on New Year's Day (but moved to Monday if New Year's Day falls on a Sunday), produced by the non-profit Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association.