Jeff Schweers

Special to the Democrat

Motorists travelling south on U.S. Highway 19 into Perry in recent months could hardly miss the giant billboard.

Instead of the smiling faces of guys and gals drinking beer, the billboard broached a societal taboo. It depicted a cowering teen girl, accompanied by the slogan “She’s your daughter. Not your date.” Red letters proclaim, “We’re calling out incest.”

That message was part of a campaign by Refuge House of the Big Bend. It didn’t sit well with some folks on Taylor County’s economic development board. They wanted the sign taken down.

“It became controversial from an economic development standpoint because of a restaurant chain looking to locate in Perry,” said Malcolm Page, a farmer and Taylor County Commissioner on whose property the billboard was located. “The economic development folks said they didn’t want to come into the county if this is the welcome sign.”

Page, whose sister-in-law sits on the board of directors, had a chat with the economic leaders, and they worked it out with Refuge House to keep the sign up for the remaining six weeks of the lease on the billboard.

“I just appreciate Refuge House and all the efforts they made to raise awareness,” Page said. The county commission would support any additional educational activities that raised awareness about incest and let people know there is help for those who need it."

Refuge House launches campaign to combat incest

The incident gave Refuge House an opportunity to appear before the Perry City Council and explain the reason behind the campaign and the extent of the problem, said Meg Baldwin, executive director of the Refuge House. The non-profit agency provides services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault throughout its eight-county Big Bend region.

“We wanted to know what people felt,” Baldwin said. “We went door to door in the business community of Perry. People put posters up in their businesses, and it strengthened the partnership between us and them.”

Rather than identifying Perry as a community where incest occurs, the billboard and posters demonstrate a community taking a stand against this crime and voicing support for the survivors, Baldwin said.

“These folks are standing side by side with victims, saying this is a community that will not tolerate this kind of behavior,” she said.

Gary Yordon, whose company designed the billboards, said they were meant to be eye-opening and start conversations.

“I think it’s been helpful in raising awareness of an issue that people don’t know enough about,” Page said. “It’s a bigger problem than we thought it was. I never thought about it myself until the billboards started popping up.”



