Gay Radio Hosts Turn Possible Hate Crime Into Art

Two gay radio hosts in Los Angeles have turned a defaced billboard for their program into an inclusive piece of art, reports the Los Angeles Times.

A billboard advertising The Craig & Robbie Hour on Beverly Boulevard and La Brea was vandalized twice — first covered in purple paint, then shot with white paintball pellets. After the second vandalization, the radio hosts decided to hire local artist Jamie Ochoa to turn the defacement into "a message of hope," according to the Times. 

Craig Olson and Robbie Laughlin, whose program airs Thursdays at 5 p.m. on Global Voice Broadcasting, told the Times they believe the vandalism was motivated by antigay bias.

"Somebody had to take a gun, and I was a target. This felt more violent," Olsen told the Times. "I felt like somebody had smacked me across the face and said 'Get out.' But I wasn't going to roll over."

Olson hired Ochoa to incorporate the vandalized images into a hybrid of art and advertising that shows the two DJs wrapping their arms around the globe, surrounded by black and white images referencing various faiths, and a child holding a sign simply reading "Peace." 

Read more about the vandalism and how the gay radio hosts are fighting back here.