Drivers in Tallahassee on a rural route saw a sign outside of a repair shop trying hate speech as a marketing ploy with their roadside signage for Memorial Day. The sign contained both a homophobic slur and a homophobic message.
Jackson Peel—Democratic Director Of Communications for the Florida House of Representatives—heard of the sign and drove out to verify its existence. Peel took a picture of it and shared it on Twitter.
Peel posted:
"This kind of bigotry should have no place in our Tallahassee community."
"It is an embarrassment and the people at Rick's Repair Shop should be ashamed of their foolish, hurtful, and wrong words."
@JaxPeel/Twitter
The sign read:
"Veterans get a day"
"[Homophobic slur] and child molesters get a month"
"Why"
Many condemned the sign.
But there were those who support homophobia and were proud to declare so publicly.
Meanwhile, Jackson Peel was putting in the work responding to people who defend hate speech online.
People familiar with the Tallahassee region—and this shop in particular—expressed a lack of surprise about the sign.
Someone said the messaging sounded familiar.
Signs supporting the LGBTQ+ community were put up across the road.
Barry Manilow/Facebook
Barry Manilow/Facebook
Barry Manilow/Facebook
Barry Manilow/Facebook
Barry Manilow/Facebook
Barry Manilow/Facebook
Barry Manilow/Facebook
Barry Manilow/Facebook
Barry Manilow/Facebook
Barry Manilow/Facebook
Barry Manilow/Facebook
@GavinNewsom/X
@el-asador-aleman/Bluesky
@bluecarcharadon/Bluesky
@brucef0rte/Bluesky
@j-man/Bluesky
@derpyllama/Bluesky
@jemm33/Bluesky
@skipbidder/Bluesky
@humanspareparts/Bluesky
@greendietien/Bluesky