Washington, D.C., political bar takes down Republican symbol after fierce backlash

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A newly opened politics-themed bar in Washington, D.C., was forced to remove a GOP political symbol from its building after facing community backlash.

The bar, called "Political Pattie's," reportedly angered some locals by featuring a GOP elephant, along with a Democratic donkey, as part of its logo painted on the front of the building. Locals attacked the bar on social media, saying a business with the GOP symbol wouldn't be welcome in an area surrounded by gay bars, according to The Washingtonian.

Just before its grand opening on Tuesday, "Political Pattie's" removed both party symbols, saying they realized the "red elephant" symbol "was hurtful to the community."

"Soon after our logo was painted on our building’s facade, we realized that the representation of the red elephant was hurtful to the community," owners Andrew Benbow and Sydney Bradford wrote in a statement posted on social media. "And out of respect, we decided to change the logo, removing both the donkey and the elephant."

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The Republican Party (GOP) elephant mascot sits on display in the exhibition hall during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland, U.S., on Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. (Getty Images)

Benbow and Bradford are a couple who are on opposite sides of the political aisle, though both are supporting Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. They were surprised by the backlash to the bar, saying they had hoped it would encourage discourse and "promote unity," according to Roll Call.

The co-owners said in the statement they intend to keep the bar's original name and repaint the word "Political" in larger blue letters "to balance out" the red door and window. They also defended the bar's bipartisan theme and said they had been unfairly judged by critics.

"Political Pattie’s aims to be a fun, inclusive space that pokes fun at politics, not the pain politics often causes," the couple said.

"We view the online backlash that we’ve recently received to be mean spirited, especially considering our original and continued intent to be a space that is welcoming to ALL people, including members of the LGBTQ community. We do not tolerate homophobia, transphobia, racism or any other form of bigotry. As Black Americans, anything else would be antithetical to our very existence," they continued.

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A Democratic donkey and a Republican elephant outside the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C. (Photo by: Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) (Getty Images)

The co-owners also reiterated their right to run the business in this location and said the backlash was emblematic of society's rush to judgment.

"What has been happening online to Pattie’s directly resembles what happens in society daily. Our business was judged by its outside appearance before anyone ever took the chance to learn what we were about on the inside. All too often racial minorities, members of the disabled and LGBTQ communities, and others are victims of these sorts of prejudgments, which can lead to tragic outcomes," the statement continued.

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