Montana tea party removes leader after anti-gay post

Mont. tea party removes leader after anti-gay post

MATT VOLZ, Associated Press Writer

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — The president of a Montana tea party group has been kicked out of the organization for an exchange on his Facebook page that appeared to condone violence against homosexuals.

The Big Sky Tea Party Association's board of directors voted Sunday to remove Tim Ravndal from the group after members learned of the online conversation in July that began with a comment about an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit over rights for same-sex couples.

Ravndal, who was elected to the position in...