A Southern California Republican party official is under fire after sending an offensive email depicting President Obama as a monkey.

The OC Weekly obtained the email with the controversial photo, which shows the president’s face superimposed over the head of a baby chimp in a chimp family photo. The caption beneath the picture read, “Now you know why no birth certificate.”

Marilyn Davenport, a tea party activist and elected member of the central committee of the Republican Party of Orange County, sent the email and said she has no plans to resign. Davenport said she found the picture amusing because of the questions surrounding the president’s origin of birth.

“I’m sorry if my email offended anyone, I simply found it amusing regarding the character of Obama and all the questions surrounding his origin of birth,” she wrote to committee members. “In no way did I even consider the fact he’s half black when I sent out the email. In fact, the thought never entered my mind until one or two other people tried to make this about race.”

Civil rights activists called on Davenport to step down and for the Republican party to apologize directly to the president.