Hundreds of people came together Sunday
to protest a controversial billboard in Richmond, Virginia which
claims that “nobody is born gay.”
The billboard on Interstate 95 includes
an image of identical male twins under the caption: “Identical
Twins: One Gay. One Not. Nobody is born gay.” The billboard was
erected by the ex-gay group Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays
(PFOX), which promotes the message that gay people can – and should
– change their sexuality.
People gathered at the Gay Community
Center of Richmond (GCCR) for a photo shot in protest of the
billboard.
“It's like we put out the gay Bat
signal, and everyone showed up,” Robyn Bently, chair of SAGE, which
advocates for LGBT seniors, told gay monthly GayRVA.
“People are tired of gays getting bashed. Showing up was the
right thing to do … this is a time of year when everyone's really
busy and they showed up anyway.”
Bill Harrison, executive director at
the GCCR, said that the photo taken Sunday might be used in a
campaign to counter the billboard's message.
(Related: Model
in “nobody is born gay” billboard says he's gay, not a twin.)