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Fury as gay poster is vandalised
3:06pm Wednesday 20th February 2008
Comments (22)A BILLBOARD aimed at tackling homophobia in Blackburn's schools has been vandalised with abusive graffiti.
The advertising panel underneath the railway bridge in Darwen Street is to highlight the work of Stonewall, the organisation which promotes equality for lesbians, gay men and bisexuals.
Six hundred billboard panels across the country depict the message 'Some people are gay. Get over it!' The posters first appeared on billboards on Monday, February 11, and will stay up for two weeks.
Stonewall is using them to highlight their Education for All campaign to tackle homophobic bully-ing in schools.
Chris Gibbons, senior education officer at Stonewall, said: "Sadly, the vandalism of a small number of the new Sto-ewall billboards is a reminder that homophobia still exists in our society and highlights the need to address the issue in schools and in our communities.
"However, we are enco-uraged by the overwh-elmingly positive response we have rece-ived to this campaign.
"It's clear that people think anti-gay discrimi-nation is unacceptable and want schools to tackle homophobic bullying. "
PC Kevin Little from the Gay Police Association said that the abuse written on the poster was classified as a hate crime by the police.
He said: "The police would appeal for infor-mation on who has done the graffiti and anybody can report it."
George Haworth, secretary of the 4 Health Group, which supports lesbians, gay men and bisexuals in Blackburn, said: "The defacing of the billboard makes us really angry.
"It's 2008 now and people are still obviously not happy with a poster saying get real and get with the reality of today.
"We have done a lot of work in schools with Stonewall in the past and it's obvious that a lot more education needs to be done.
"Adults too need educating, not just children.
"There are a variety of reasons why people write such offensive things: sometimes it's hate, sometimes it's religiously orientated, but it's all ignorant."
Nobody from Blackburn Police was available to comment but anyone with information about the vandalism can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or 0845 1 25 35 45.
Your Say YourLancashire Telegraph
mick, great harwood says...
5:30pm Wed 20 Feb 08
mike rigby, blackburn says...
6:59pm Wed 20 Feb 08
I could'nt agree more:this is a waste of money.
rjp3, USA says...
8:33pm Wed 20 Feb 08
Another bad aspect of humanity - gay men who enjoy the freedom OTHER'S gained for them by work to reduce homophobia - then call these billboards a waste of money. About as selfish as one can get.
BLT, Blackburn says...
9:25pm Wed 20 Feb 08
Though the poster suffered serious injuries,they were not life-threatening...
ononsg, says...
7:10am Thu 21 Feb 08
Get over it
Ben, says...
10:17am Thu 21 Feb 08
rainbow, lancashire says...
12:12pm Thu 21 Feb 08
lol = laugh out loud. When I saw this I immediately though that it was teenagers. Working, as I do with young people the work "gay" is used to mean stupid, thick, crap. Which in itself needs to be challenged but isnt the same as violent, agressive abuse.
The fact that we live in a world were both exist perhaps proves the importance of Stonewall and its campaigns.
Rock, B'Burn says...
1:11pm Thu 21 Feb 08
jules lesbehavinu, blackburn says...
2:45pm Thu 21 Feb 08
LET BASHER, THANKFULLY NO LONGER IN THE AREA says...
4:37pm Thu 21 Feb 08
A BILLBOARD aimed at tackling homophobia in Blackburn's schools has been vandalised with abusive graffiti .
OK WHATS THE OFFENDING VANDALISED GRAFFITI... (DRUM ROLL PLEASE)....
ITS THE WORDS NO!!!!
For fooks sake get real and get a life... LET this is shoddy reporting and who gives a flying FOOOK anyway... OFFENSIVE GRAFFITI MY ARSE!
Laura, USA says...
4:44pm Thu 21 Feb 08
Nigel St. Hubbins, Darwen says...
5:01pm Thu 21 Feb 08
jcb, says...
6:38pm Thu 21 Feb 08
Matt, says...
8:51pm Thu 21 Feb 08
JWSwift, USA says...
10:59pm Thu 21 Feb 08
For those who wrote your posts saying that the adverts were all a waste of time and money, it was obviously not such a waste since you felt it necessary to waste YOUR precious time to chime-in with your comments. If it was truly such a waste, it was a waste of their own time and money and not yours, so why get so worked-up that you feel it necessary to take your own time and effort to respond? (Although in your own defense, it's apparent that many of you didn't take very MUCH of your time to stop and think about your reaction or put it into a very coherent sentence.)
Beth, Blackburn says...
11:45pm Thu 21 Feb 08
PSUdain, USA says...
6:11am Fri 22 Feb 08
jcb wrote:Actually, as far as I can tell, you just did proclaim your "heterosexuality" to the whole internet...but you know...whatever.
Now, as far as i'm aware, you can't tell by just looking if someone is gay or not, so why should anyone want to tell me they're gay? I don't go around telling people i'm heterosexual, I just get on with my life, so why can't gays? People mix in supermarkets, cinemas, pubs, in the workplace and no one needs to know your sexual orintation. I no more want to know if someone is gay than i want to know if Joe Bloggs had it 7 times with his wife last night.
And for the most part people don't run around telling you they're gay. And if I were to express any kind of public affection which so common among straight couples, then you'd know I'm gay without proclamation of any sort. I'd wager that there are all sorts of ways you make known your heterosexuality. Ever comment on a "nice looking girl"? Ever talk about your significant other/spouse? If married, do you wear a wedding band? Have picture of your significant other/spouse on your desk at work? If you could say yes to any of those, then either eat your serving of crow or stop "going round telling people hetero."
But even at that, knowing someone is gay is nothing like knowing that "Joe Bloggs had it 7 times". Being gay is a thing about relationships, not just sex (you know, just like being straight is about more than sex?). The vandalism: not that offensive. Your reduction of my complex emotional life to just sex: extremely offensive.
CENSORED, stalag 9 says...
4:48pm Fri 22 Feb 08
Some people are Intelligent get over it!
gay?, blackburn says...
12:30pm Sat 23 Feb 08
jcb, says...
8:47pm Sun 24 Feb 08
latia, 71295 says...
5:43pm Thu 29 May 08
VANDALISED: The billboard in Darwen Street, Blackburn
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Robbie, Manchester says...
4:30pm Wed 20 Feb 08
and this is what i say
"some people are homophobic, get over it"
you will never change everyones views, and personally i dont want to.
this is a total waste of money which would have been better spent on rasieing hiv awareness.