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The Truthful Witness Campaign, a project of the New York Christian Coalition, had planned to rent a billboard on state Route 299 in New Paltz and post an advertisement provided by the Connecticut-based Stephen Bennett Ministries. The billboard was to feature a black-and-white photograph of Bennett with his wife and two children alongside the statement "Wonderful husband. Loving father. Former homosexual. Jesus Christ changes lives."
Bennett says he abandoned his homosexuality after a religious conversion.
The Truthful Witness Campaign, formed in response to same sex-weddings performed this year in New Paltz, was in the process of raising the $4,000 needed to rent the billboard from Highway Displays Inc. when, according to campaign coordinator Diane Garrison, officials from Highway Displays told her they would not allow the ad because of its content.
On Tuesday, the billboard firm's general manager, Jeff Hartman, confirmed that he and company owner Sandra Schwartz had rejected the ad after receiving a single complaint call following media coverage of planned advertisement.
"I believe it would be too controversial and it could cause our company some problems," said Hartman, whose family-owned company has about 600 billboards around the Hudson Valley. "We're vulnerable in that all of our assets are in full view on public roads. They are susceptible to graffiti and vandalism, and you have to deal with local governments and local people. We are a local company and we have to get along with our neighbors."
Hartman said the company learned its lesson last spring when it received numerous complaints about a billboard ad for radio station WPDH's morning show that featured a bikini-clad woman.
"We're being a little more vigilant than in the past," said Hartman, noting the company steers clear of hot-button issues like abortion.
Garrison said she was disappointed by the decision.
"I can understand that they don't want to be controversial," she said. "But one phone call is one phone call. All political messages offend one person or another, but they go up all the time."
Garrison said that the Truthful Witness Campaign will continue to look for billboard space in the area and has been in touch with a local branch of the media giant Clear Channel to discuss renting one of its boards.
Ed Evans, general manager of Clear Channel Outdoor, said on Tuesday that the company would have no problem with the proposed advertisement as long as it could review the content.
Garrison said the Truthful Witness Campaign also has contacted Bennett, who suggested the group print up smaller signs to be displayed on front lawns.
"We're still going at it," Garrison said. "We've raised $800 so far and we're not going to give up that easily."
