Hornet, a gay social network, today announced a new billboard campaign aimed at fighting the divisive rhetoric spouted by anti-LGBTQ organizations across the United States. Using watchdog groups such as the Southern Poverty Law Center as a roadmap, Hornet will focus on the “headquarters of hate” beginning on Thursday, June 8 in Washington D.C., followed by Topeka, Kansas, and Colorado Springs, Colorado.
“We are erecting these billboards across the country to draw attention to places from where hateful rhetoric and influence on anti-LGBTQ legislation stem. The billboards are a beacon of hope for the LGBTQ residents of these areas and a reminder to local leadership that we will not be silenced and we will not be erased,” notes Hornet President Sean Howell. “The 2016 elections created a divisive atmosphere in our country, and, by all accounts, hate crimes against minority groups have been on the rise. As a community, we will not be torn apart. We will continue to thrive and resist attempts by any groups to reverse the progress made over the last decades.”
Over the course of the summer, Hornet will strategically raise billboards close to the headquarters of the most notorious anti-LGBTQ hate groups in the country. The imagery for each billboard will feature a same-sex couple or set of friends who represent the millions of Hornet community members who have found a safe space to connect and congregate. A short tagline will be tailored to each city’s anti-LGBTQ organization. The first group of organizations Hornet will highlight are The Family Research Council, Westboro Baptist Church and the Focus on the Family.
In addition to its new billboard campaign, Hornet also serves as an information platform for the LA PRIDE #ResistMarch and a number of community driven social cause efforts. Earlier in 2017, Hornet became the first gay app to merge events, original content and social networking, and it will use that functionality to provide critical logistical information to millions of active users who are interested in voicing opposition to discriminatory policies at the federal, state and local levels.
