Former intern who rushed to Giffords’ rescue target of anti-gay political campaign

Opponents seeking to unseat Daniel Hernandez Jr. from a local school board in Arizona are using anti-gay material in their campaign.

One flyer says, “Put a REAL man on the Sunnyside Board,” states that Hernandez is “LGBT” and asserts “We need someone who will support Sports and cares about our kids. We don’t need someone who HATES our values.”

A second flyer says Hernandez only cares about taking away guns from people.

Both are encouraging support for the recall of Hernandez from the Tucson-area school board. To hold a recall, petitioners need to collect about 1,300 signatures by mid-December.

Hernandez gained some national notice in politics in 2011. He’s the openly gay former intern who rushed to care for Gabriele Giffords after a shooting outside a supermarket where she was holding a congressional meet-and-greet.

RightWingWatch, a campaign affiliated with the liberal People for the American Way group, reported that four Sunnyside Unified School District members are targeted in one recall effort, launched over the members’ support of a school superintendent. Another recall effort has been launched against two members who opposed the superintendent, including Hernandez.

“But the tactics being used against Hernandez are unusual,” RightWingWatch said, referring to the flyers.