Provo construction sign altered to read ‘God Hates Gays’

A Provo, Utah road sign along I-15 was altered to read “God Hates Gays,” late Wednesday night.

The signs are maintained by individual contractors who have the messages approved by the Utah Department of Transportation, said UDOT spokesperson Mindy Nelson.

“This is not a Provo City sign and of course it does not reflect the opinion of the city. I personally find it very offensive. Despite every effort to prevent it, sometimes signs like this get hacked. The city has contacted the team working on this construction project and they are looking into it,” said Provo City spokesperson Helen Anderson.

Equality Utah condemned the incident and issued the following statement, “Equality Utah views the incident regarding the I 15 construction sign as an act of outright bias which has no place in our community. Messages like this reaffirm the need for inclusive statewide nondiscrimination protections for all Utahns, including LGBT people. After speaking with both Provo City and UDOT we understand that this was an egregious hacking of state property, and join them in denouncing this unacceptable message. This situation is another demonstration of the need for further dialogue to understand the LGBT community, as this incident clearly does not represent Utahns nor our common values of respect and dignity.”

The board was hacked sometime after 10 p.m. and the message was taken down before 5:30 a.m. The construction team has been alerted and UDOT is taking steps to ensure it does not happen again anywhere in the state.