Penn frat under fire for including Beyoncé sex doll in holiday photo

A University of Pennsylvania fraternity has issued an apology for posting a Christmas photo to Facebook on Sunday that included a black blow-up sex doll.

The photo depicted 29 members of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity – none of them African American - posing with what was described as a Beyoncé sex doll.  According to the Daily Pennsylvanian, one of the members had received the as doll a gag gift during a Secret Santa event.

In an apology obtained by the Daily Pennsylvanian, the group said the Beyoncé sex toy was "distasteful." The apology continued: "Once removed from the packaging, it bore no semblance to the artist beyond skin color, adding to its offensive nature."

A consortium of Penn minority groups condemned the photo as a "misogynistic, racist offense." They have demanded that the fraternity be punished.

Penn officials did not immediately return a request for comment. A spokesman for the fraternity could not be reached.

The Penn student newspaper reported last night that the frat is currently under investigation by campus officials and the frat's international organization.

"We are deeply concerned by this image," Phi Delta Theta international spokesman Sean Wagner wrote in a statement emailed to theDP.com. "Phi Delta Theta is a values-based organization and the lack of judgment associated with this image indicates a disconnect from those same values."

Until the investigation is completed, operations of the Penn chapter have been suspended, according to theDP.com.