Trump and Cruz make out on giant billboard in GOP convention city
In Cleveland, Ohio, right on West 25th Street, there's a massive picture of Donald Trump and Ted Cruz making out. Sharing a tender moment, the two are locked in an embrace, their eyes closed as Cruz ruffles Trump's inimitable mane and blue hearts float off into the sky.
Looming large over southbound traffic not far from where the Republican Party (or at least a smattering of its members) will gather Monday for its 2016 convention, the sign will no doubt also ruffle a number of feathers.
The billboard, which is emblazoned with the words "Love trumps hate. End homophobia," is the work of Planting Peace, a global nonprofit "founded for the purpose of spreading peace in a hurting world." It's a response to the party's checkered history when it comes to LGBT rights.
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"What Donald, Ted and the Republican platform either fail to realize, or realize and just don’t seem to care about, is that their words and actions toward our LGBT family -- especially LGBT children -- have meaning and impact," the group say in a statement.
"LGBT children hear these messages telling them they are nothing but second class citizens and are left feeling somehow broken or 'less than.' We challenge the GOP to think about how many times their children could hear messages like these and not be impacted or question their value and worth."
The group says it's calling for an immediate change to the party platform regarding LGBT rights. "Never again shall a negative, hateful message be uttered in the name of 'religious freedom,'" the group said.
The Trump pic is not the first time Planting Peace has made a stand. In April, it posted a billboard in North Carolina responding to the state's HB2 law striking down anti-discrimination legislation extending rights to the LGBT community.
And in Jackson, Mississippi the organization posted the sign posted below in protest of the state's Religious Freedoms Bill allowing people to cite religious objections exempting them from having to offer wedding services or employment, among other things, to LGBT people
Planting Peace told Mashable that the Ohio billboard will remain up for one month.
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Topics Donald Trump Elections
Tim Chester was Senior Editor, Real Time News in Los Angeles. Before that he was Deputy Editor of Mashable UK in London. Prior to joining Mashable, Tim was a Senior Web Editor at Penguin Random House, helping to relaunch the Rough Guides website and other travel brands. He was also a writer for Buzzfeed, GQ and The Sunday Times, covering everything from culture to tech and current affairs. Before that, he was Deputy Editor at NME.COM, overseeing content and development on the London-based music and entertainment site. Tim loves music and travel and has combined these two passions at festivals from Iceland to Malawi and beyond.
