FFRF and its Metropolitan Chicago chapter put up 14 freethought billboards in Chicagoland in December and January, with six more scheduled to be placed in March. Eleven went up in December and three in January. (All are shown here, along with Evan Kane’s on this issue’s front page. Billboards featuring “Friendly Atheist” Hemant Mehta and Tom Cara, chapter director, were featured in December’s Freethought Today.)
Bob Elmore, photographer and chapter board member, commented: “As Tom Cara might attest, there isn’t much I wouldn’t do for the cause of FFRF, and providing some decent photos of the billboards was a true pleasure. We’re all really proud of Tom’s commitment to furthering the message here in the Chicago area and look forward to recruiting more new members who might respond to our efforts and aren’t afraid to show their true colors.”
One billboard was somehow deemed “offensive” by a landowner whom Clear Channel was leasing space from and had to be moved to a different location. It featured Alan Wagner and his message, “I put my faith in science.”
“It’s hard to believe someone would be that offended by a slogan that says that,” commented Cara.
FFRF, which has more than 800 Illinois members, debuted the “Out of the Closet” billboard campaign in 2010 in Madison, Wis. Chicago is the 12th city for the campaign.
