Controversial billboard vandalized
10:30 AM CST on Tuesday, February 21, 2006

(KMOV) -- A controversial billboard seems to have been vandalized overnight.

The sign is on Highway 44 near the Vandeventer exit.

It is advertising a conference by a Colorado Evangelical group that says homosexuality is a choice and is not genetic.

fantastic! i have to drive by that every day on my way to work. what does it say next to the flag?

Big hugs to whoever did this. I'm sure most GLBT people that see it will be smiling ear to ear. Most of those that will say it's sad this vandalism happened will be smiling in private too ;)

Well, these actions warm the fire in my heart and make me feel less isolated, but I must say that the 'gay movement' as a whole alienates me - and while I think morality should be attacked, I don't think we need to be ''affirming GLBT identies'' (let me explain, as this probably sounds like the opposite of what I mean)
what I mean is that we should do away with IDENTITY (that constraining monster that it is)
and let people be able to do what they want - wether it's loving or fucking someone of the opposite or same sex, or whatever.
I'm not middle or upper class, I don't think our responses to the scary heterosexist culture we live in needs to be sponsored by bud light or pepsi (or novak's/freddies/attitudes) or anything like that - I think we need to all fight (like those who did these actions) against those things that destroy us in our own ways.

I am glad that the fight is still alive and will continue to be, and carry on, as long as there are people fighing for the issues at hand like the ones at the protest on Saturday.
Stay up and stay true.

I find "stay classy's" comments confusing. Could you help me understand what you mean? You said, "I think we need to all fight (like those who did these actions) against those things that destroy us in our own ways." But you also said that IDENTITY is a constraining monster. Aren't you IDENTIFYING yourself as someone who fghts against things? Do you feel constrained to fight against things or is that what you really want to do? I identify myself as someone who like to mix things up, question, be skeptical. Which is why I commend you and your desire to fight against constraint, but I wonder about your definition of what is constraining you. I apologize if I sound like I'm trying to be annoying, I'm really actually trying to understand you.

Hahahah! I don't like the damaged one, but I do love the one with the banner. Nice work!

I wonder if these were the same guys who were promoting the "choose straight" thing at CPAC (the conservative political action conference). We paid to send a group of 'crashers in, to report back on the idiocy of the right-wing; if you're interested, here's the report (from the Indymedia DC site, where it was featured center-column…not "censored" as I'm sure it would have been under the St L indymedia site's proposed censorship policy):

http://dc.indymedia.org/newswire/display/132570/index.php

sh(A)ne

As it turns out, DC indymedia has a newswire posting policy very similar to St. Louis:

dc.indymedia.org/newswire/display/132570/index.php

Thanks for the link to the Bureaucrash action. Looks awesome.

the graffitti said:
'right wing scum, your time has come!'
I don't know why they covered part of it up with the rainbow flag, not that I don't like the rainbow flag.

This is more about this event in a newswire posts that precedes the Feb 25th protests:

http://www.stlimc.org/newswire/display/1301/index.php

Also check out the petition against Focus on Family.

this is just plain bull..... what if god was gay who anyone question it then

I love the banner idea. The thing about the religious fundamentalists' concept that being gay is a choice confuses me. I never made a choice about my sexuality except to decide that I could be out and proud rather than hiding in a closet. I am who I am.

Congratulations, this story is now on the global IMC newswire:

www.indymedia.org/en/

Archive:
newswire.indymedia.org/en/newswire/archive.shtml

I heard a very interesting point about these billboards: Focus on Family posted them explicitly as provocation. They went up well after it was too late for folks to register for the conference, so it's pretty clear the intended audience was the rainbow flag-waving, purple paint-slinging crowd. Congratulations, sadly, on being spun, and letting Focus on Family appear as victims.

At any rate, the are now pics of the protest outside the 2/25/2006 conference in the Media Gallery

pic6
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pic1

I think the whole debate between people being born queer or choosing to live a queer life is stupid. If anything, encouraging people to take the side of being born a certain way seems to only encourage normalicy. It allows people not to have to take responsibility for their own feelings and tendencies, as they can write it off as a predesitined way of life they have no control of. I don't know whether or not I choose to be queer, but I do know I'm glad I am and hate the society that tells me to not like it, as well as the folks in the GLBT community who want to make me out to be just like everyone else - capable of getting married, having kids, getting a six figure income. That shit's sick. I'm happy living in a way that's a threat to morality and I hope others cherish their sin and crime.

Hooray to whoever trash the billboard - baited or not - and boo to whoever wrote about billboard "modifacation" and the "positive" message and the "peaceful" protest.

Indeed, not gay as in happy, but queer as in fuck you!

Kudos to the billboard's "new" editor! Rather than spread words of exclusion, hate, and bigotry; a message of acceptance, tolerance, and social justice is conveyed.

i think its inspiring the way they use the euphamism, "jus' asking questions..." to conceal a n agenda of gay-bashing the way we use it to conceal an agenda of treason.