Days after learning of a controversial billboard being erected in Chatham-Kent, several local folks started planning to counteract any negativity with #signsoflove.
Chatham Coun. Brock McGregor and his wife Whitney started discussing what to do, and involved friend John Lyons.
“Brock and Whitney came up with this idea on Saturday (Aug. 25) after the big billboard caused them to think about something that we could do,” Lyons said. “We had to do something.”
The billboard, which was located just outside Dresden, read, “God says no to homosexuality & abortion.” It came down early last week.
Despite its removal, the McGregors and Lyons went ahead with their planning on how to get people to use the hashtag “signsoflove” in social media.
“Emotions were running high on the weekend. People were angry,” Lyons said. “We thought rather than running out there with a flamethrower, how could we take the high road and bring as many people as possible together to say one little piece of a script?”
Lyons said they put together the script for a video of 20 people and asked folks to stop by Hub Creative Group Aug. 27 and 28 to read from the script.
“It was such a short-notice project. It turns out we had almost 50 people come through Hub Monday and Tuesday. They all wanted to be part of this,” he said.
The instant support is appreciated, Lyons added, but what’s really needed is extended support on social media.
“The real call to action is to get people to post on social media using the hashtag ‘signsoflove.’ Let’s drown it (the billboard) out with the only signs that really matter, and that’s signs of love,” he said. “If we can flood the market and flood Chatham-Kent, we can show people the real sign in Chatham-Kent.”
Lyons encourages people to post on social media pictures of their partner, spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend, or even a friend out for a coffee – photos they may very well have posted normally – but tagged with #signsoflove.
And while the billboard has been removed, Lyons said the sentiment lingers.
“It’s great that the sign’s down, but we didn’t take down hatred and prejudice and intolerance. That remains, unfortunately,” he said. “A lot of eyes are on Chatham-Kent right now and not in a good way. Let’s flip that.”
