Photo by Tom Morgan.

The billboard looms over the corner of Olentangy River Road and Riverview Drive. It reads “Holy matrimony is one man and one woman.” No one seems to know where it came from or who put it up, but the meaning is clear.

“We can’t ignore that that’s an anti-gay message, but it has that plausible deniability built into it,” said Tom Morgan, a local gay activist and organizer. Morgan characterized the billboard’s use of the phrase “holy matrimony” as a subtle way of framing marriage equality as a religious issue rather than a legal one.

Morgan said that he and his friends are mostly ex-members of gay rights organizations, which he says have earned the nickname “Gay Inc.” in some circles, due to the fact that it’s often hard to trace the usage of the money generated by such groups. Morgan is proud that the local response to the anti-gay billboard was done “without mailing lists.”

When the billboard first appeared, Morgan and his fellow activists encouraged people to drive out and take photos of themselves with both it and equality flags in the frame. Soon, however, they realized the response had to be more powerful.

“That’s not even big enough,” said Morgan. “Let’s set up our own billboard.”

Morgan set up a GoFundMe.com account and within a few days the group received all the money they would need for their own billboard. The activists approached Clear Channel about using billboard space somewhere in Columbus. Morgan said the company was very helpful and supportive of the project while other billboard companies declined.

With the project funded and a location on Dublin Road chosen, the only decision left would be who to feature on the billboard. The activists had already decided to feature a gay family from the area, but the choice of which family “was actually a point of debate amongst a lot of people,” said Morgan.

The activists argued over what the race, sex and economic status of the billboard family ought to be. They ultimately reached the conclusion that the billboard should feature a lesbian couple.

“Women are marginalized in our society on a daily basis, and lesbians are definitely marginalized,” said Morgan. “Why not feature a lesbian couple with children on the billboard?”

When Valerie Mailman, owner of the t-shirt company Local Liberation, got a call from Morgan saying he was looking for a Columbus family to put on the billboard, she asked him, “Who did you pick?” He then explained that he wanted her, her partner Shannon Piper, and their two daughters.

“We thought it was like the greatest honor ever,” said Mailman, who was upset to see something like the “holy matrimony” billboard appear without explanation in a progressive city like Columbus.

“Shannon and I did not like that in our community,” said Mailman.

Morgan had a long conversation with Mailman and Piper about their family appearing on the billboard, warning them about the potential dark side.

“It’s definitely possible that some church group will lose their minds and go ‘the children!’” said Morgan. “They decided that for them, the positives outweigh the negatives.”

“We’re so honored and proud that they asked us to do this,” said Mailman. “We feel like we’re part of history in the making here.”

On Wednesday, the activists will hold a rally at the site of the new billboard, near the corner of Dublin Rd. and Grandview Ave. The billboard will stand there until Oct. 5, when Morgan hopes that, with more funding, it can be moved to another location in Columbus. In the meantime, Morgan and his compatriots have already gotten inquiries from similar groups with similar situations. An anti-gay billboard recently went up near Nashville, and people there have asked Morgan for tips on how to respond.

“I learned so much about the billboard world I never knew,” said Morgan.

For ongoing discussion on marriage equality in Ohio, CLICK HERE to visit our Messageboard.