Orem billboard proves alluring — to vandals

OREM — A billboard just off I-15 in Orem that appears to lobby passing motorists to support same-sex marriage was vandalized twice in two weeks.

The billboard, which shows a rainbow arching over a steepled church, asks the question: "Alternative Lifestyle?" And at the bottom of the roadside advertisement, a Web site — www.alternativeutah.com — is listed along with the words, " 'Til death do us part."

In the first incident, the poster covering the billboard was ripped down.

Since being replaced, however, it has been splashed with paint.

"I guess Utah County doesn't like that (sign) very much," said Kurt Horan, president and general manager of Simmons Outdoor Marketing, which put up the sign for a customer who requested anonymity.

Horan said he promised confidentiality to the customer— and intends to keep that promise — even though he fields numerous calls about the advertisement.

Is it a national group?

Is there an individual paying for the billboard or a number of people?

Are there local ties to the person or group paying for the ad?

Horan won't say.

The Web site is equally lacking in information — it basically shows the same picture and words seen on the billboards but also promises "More coming soon . . . " — but a new posting offers a reward for information about the defacing.

The Orem billboard is just one of several with the same message dotting the Wasatch Front.

Guy Larsen, the real estate manager for Reagan Advertising, said his company originally turned down a request to post the signs because it looked like it would generate controversy.

Since that time, Reagan Advertising has placed a similar sign in Ogden without incident, Larsen said, but he didn't know the individuals or group behind that placement.

Larsen said it's unusual for any advertiser to demand anonymity largely because customers usually pay around $1,000 a month for the space specifically to attract attention.

---

E-mail: haddoc@desnews.com