Image Credit: SUBMITTED/getawake.ca

The company that leased a controversial billboard on Westbank First Nation land decided to take it down after public backlash, but claims it was bullied into the decision.

A B.C. Billboards spokesperson didn't identify themselves, but said the anti-SOGI billboard sparked a "bullying" campaign in news media shortly after it was posted.

"We have leased space to members of the gay community for their businesses, happily. This is not about that," he said. "But the issue is what's happening in schools."

While he said any questions about the billboard itself should be directed to GetAwake.ca, the organization behind the advertising, he said he examines every lease before it's posted. He also defended the advertiser's right to free speech.

READ MORE: What SOGI 123 is – and what it isn't

"There's an enormous amount of bullying of free speech right now across all media," he said. "We use the Canadian Charter of Freedoms and Rights as our guide, and this individual has been well within that."

B.C. Billboards leased the controversial advertisement to GetAwake.ca. It has a graphic of a woman with pink hair wearing a facemask in front of an LGBTQ flag.The website further explains the billboard is questioning the "indoctrination" of students with policies like SOGI-123 and "ideologies like critical race theory."

The people behind GetAwake.ca didn't identify themselves when iNFOnews.ca asked about their COVID-related billboards in December. When asked about the substance of those advertisements, they responded to say the ads were simply "posing questions that are meant to start conversations."

B.C. Billboards took the anti-SOGI signage down Wednesday. The company spokesperson wouldn't confirm who made the decision, but a Westbank First Nation spokesperson said the company ultimately made the choice. The sign was on a Westbank member's private land.

"While the billboard is on private land and WFN can not confirm any involvement of the landowner in the removal of this ad, WFN did receive a large volume of complaint letters and reached out to the signage company who ultimately made the decision to remove it," an emailed statement reads.

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It was first posted Feb. 6 and quickly became a controversial topic before it was removed Feb. 14.

"We applaud the power of the LGBTQ+ community in coming together to see this ad removed," the Westbank spokesperson said. "WFN is an inclusive community and encourages people to speak out when they see something they feel is wrong."

B.C. Billboards said the sign was vandalized a day before it was taken down.

There was $3,000 in damage, including the sign's structure, the unnamed spokesperson said.

"So there's a police report that's going in," he said. "We're pretty sure we know who the person is and there was a threat made. So there's another element to this whole thing."

READ MORE: Why the sexual orientation policy in Kelowna schools is not 'propaganda'

Kelowna RCMP wasn't immediately available to comment on allegations of vandalism or threats.

LGBTQ+ organization Advocacy Canada is rejoicing after the billboard was removed.

“We’re incredibly happy that people in Kelowna, West Kelowna, and the surrounding area spoke up to bring awareness to the agenda of anti-queer propaganda which is to have us be invisible,” chair and co-founder Wilbur Turner said.

GetAwake.ca appears to see the conversation and controversy around the billboard as a partial success.

"In the 10 days this billboard was Live, the campaign had over 250,000 views on social media, 10,000 visits to our website, and generated news coverage across Canada which showed overwhelming ratios of public support," its website says. "Speaking about verboten subjects in Canada gets you cancelled. We firmly believe in the right to free speech and the rights of parents to raise their children how they see fit without interference from government and activist organizations."

They promised they "aren't going anywhere" and haven't removed any of their COVID-related billboards. The B.C. Billboards spokesperson refused to comment on the other GetAwake COVID-related billboards.

iNFOnews.ca reached out to Ad Standards to comment on the billboard, but a spokesperson did not respond in time for publication.

— With files from Dan Walton

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