In the early morning hours of May 17, drivers in Orlando were greeted with an electronic sign that read: KILL ALL GAYS.
The sign, usually reserved for construction updates and the like, was in Orlando’s Medical City near Lake Nona Boulevard, according to Fox 35.
Police responded to the sign and are still unsure who put the messaging on it. A spokesperson for the city told the news station that the sign was out in anticipation for a 5K run in the area the following weekend. The city contacted the barricade company and the sign was taken down the same day.
Carlos Guillermo Smith, a former state representative who is now running for the Florida Senate, posted a photo of the sign on Twitter and wrote, “This is NOT the place I call home. It’s not Orlando, it’s not Florida. It’s a dystopian upside down world contrived out of an era of unchecked political extremism and overt bigotry. I refuse to be a bystander. We will not let hate win.”
Fellow Orlandoan Rep. Anna V. Eskamani also tweeted in response to the sign: “This happened in Lake Nona — the homophobia and transphobia needs to stop. The rhetoric is already bad, the policies dangerous — and all of it has and will translate into violence.”
If you have information about who tampered with the sign, please call the Orlando Police Department at 321-235-5300.