'Fairies' billboard backfires for St. John's opera company
The St. John's-based production company Opera on the Avalon is apologizing for an outdoor billboard that struck some people as homophobic.
The company's billboard for its upcoming production of A Midsummer Night's Dream said the show is "Filled with more fairies than St. John's on Pride Day."
The billboard, on Bonaventure Avenue in central St. John's, sparked a flurry of comments on Tuesday on Facebook and Twitter.
Cheryl Hickman, artistic director of Opera on the Avalon, said the sign will be pulled down.
"We apologize," she said. "That wasn't our intent. We don't want to offend anyone."
Hickman said the sign was meant to be humorous.
"We are an inclusive company and we want everyone to come see our shows and to enjoy these, and if anyone is offended, we want to address that right away."
Reaction to the billboard was divided on social media.
"We've made so much progress to eliminate discrimination in our city & province. Opera on the Avalon have taken a huge step backwards," Adam Quirk said on Twitter.
"As a gay man, I don't really mind," Matthew Smith wrote in a comment on CBC Newfoundland and Labrador's Facebook page. "It's a joke! Lighten up."
Here are some other responses:
