In the video above, Owen Skornik-Hayes reports on the discovery of racist and/or anti-LGBTQ stickers and posters recently found in Great Falls.
Homophobic and xenophobic stickers were removed from street signs located at the crossroads of Third Avenue North and Seventh and Eighth Avenue on Friday afternoon.
The stickers read ‘White Lives Matter’ while others made claims of puberty blockers damaging intelligence by up to eight IQ points.
The stickers were found less than 100 feet away from St. Ann’s Cathedral and Whittier Elementary School.
Jasmine Taylor, a community activist, set out to remove the stickers, something she’s had to do repeatedly for a couple of years.
She said, “There’s a reason we’re standing by an elementary school. They’re trying to recruit young people, and we don’t want to help them in that.”
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Taylor said there's another reason behind the stickers: "The second is to make other people feel unsafe and unwelcome in the community.”
Earlier this month, the City of Great Falls decided not to issue a proclamation for Pride Month, angering some residents but lauded by others.
“I think what has happened is the city’s official stance on this has given permission and emboldened people that already discriminate against the LGBTQ community,” says Taylor.
Great Falls mayor Cory Reeves said on Facebook, “While I firmly believe in the equality for all individuals, I also believe the government should not be involved in matters concerning personal and private relationships… The government should never condemn nor celebrate who should love who.”
Taylor said, “June is Pride Month, and it’s not illegal to hate people because they’re queer. But vandalizing public property is illegal. So while the city may decide not to issue a Pride Month proclamation, it is still their responsibility to treat us equally. And that very much means protecting us when we’re being targeted by hate speech.”
Anyone who comes across xenophobic rhetoric on flyers posted around town is asked to report them to Taylor at the ‘What The Funk’ Facebook page if they are unable to remove them promptly.
