A sign outside an auto repair shop in Florida with a homophobic phrase has caused backlash among the locals and on social media.
The sign appeared to have been put up during Memorial Day Weekend outside Rick’s Repair Shop, Tallahassee. It read, “Veterans Get a Day, Fags and Child Molesters Get a Month Why,” which appears to be referring to Pride Month, in June.
Jackson Peel, a representative of the Florida House Democrats , tweeted a picture of the sign, and publicly condemned the message.
Peel wrote, “This type of bigotry has no place in the Tallahassee Community.” It is an embarrassment, and Rick’s Repair Shop employees should be ashamed for their hurtful and foolish words.
The viral post that was shared on Sunday has been viewed more than 900,000 time and received hundreds responses.
Tyler Clark-McLendon is the board chair for Tallahassee Pride. He shared Peel’s Tweet and stated that the shop “choosed to have a hatred-filled Memorial Day.”
Tallahassee City Commission Jeremy Matlow criticized the business as well, sharing Peel’s Tweet and writing: “I don’t know what a sad, miserable person must have been in to spend the time to do this, but I’m sure that the majority of people in Tallahassee accept this hatred and respect freedom to be yourself, love whomever you choose, and support LGBTQ right every month of the calendar year.”
Peel reports that Rick Hughes, the owner of a local shop, is well-known in his community for posting controversial messages on the outside of his store.
Hughes could not be reached to comment.
Since then, Rick’s Repair Shop received hundreds of negative reviews and ratings on Yelp.
Yelp announced Tuesday afternoon that it had temporarily disabled new reviews on the shop’s webpage due to “increased attention from the public, which means people often come to this page in order to share their opinions about the news instead of actual customer experiences with the business.”
In Orlando, Florida, earlier this month, drivers were confronted with a violent, homophobic roadside message. A digital traffic sign, which appeared to have been tampered with, displayed the message, “KILL all GAYS.”
NBC affiliate WESH in Orlando reported that the Orlando police confirmed that an investigation is underway.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer condemned the hateful sign, calling it “disgusting,” and said “hate does not belong in Orlando.”
“To Orlando’s LGBTQ+ visitors and residents: You are respected and valued in this city,” Dyer tweet. “And we will not be deterred from our efforts to make our city inclusive for everyone.”
