Gay Radio Hosts Turn Hate Into A Message Of Hope

After a billboard was vandalized twice, Craig Olsen and Robbie Laughlin of “The Craig & Robbie Hour” opted to have a local artist turn the defamation into a “message of hope.”

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Gay Radio Hosts Turn Hate Into A Message O...
Stacy Lambe

Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times Via: latimes.com

First erected in July, the radio show’s billboard near the corner of Beverly Boulevard and La Brea Avenue was covered in purple paint over the summer. The replacement was later pelted with paintballs in November. But after the second hate crime, co-host Craig Olsen opted not to have the advertisement reprinted. Instead, he commissioned artist Jaime Ochoa to turn the hate into a piece of art.

“I wanted to turn this [gay] hate crime into a positive message for the community,” Olsen tells FishbowlLA.

The investigation following the November vandal has resulted in no leads. While Olsen remains on edge, he’s clearly more confident now that the billboard has been enhanced by the artwork. The co-host is reminding people in the neighborhood that “[they] belong here.”

“It’s almost like my holiday card to my community,” he tells the Los Angeles Times while being photographed in front of the billboard. “I want the person who did this to walk by and see that I made it better.”

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    5 Responses So Far

    • HankFranklin 4 months ago

      the first incident sounds like a hate crime but the paintball thing is a bit much. paintballing a sign isn’t a hate crime it’s what happens when bored kids have a car and paintball guns.

    • Paul DePetris thinks Gay Radio Hosts Turn Hate Into A Mess... is Win  about 4 months ago
    • jinabunny thinks Gay Radio Hosts Turn Hate Into A Mess... is Win  about 4 months ago
    • andrem2 thinks Gay Radio Hosts Turn Hate Into A Mess... is Win  about 4 months ago
    • janice!   Gay Radio Hosts Turn Hate Into A Mess... and thinks it’s Cute, OMG & Win  about 4 months ago
    • foxyray thinks Gay Radio Hosts Turn Hate Into A Mess... is Win  about 4 months ago
    • jakef2 thinks Gay Radio Hosts Turn Hate Into A Mess... is Win  about 4 months ago
    • 2themaxe   Gay Radio Hosts Turn Hate Into A Mess... and thinks it’s Win & OMG  about 4 months ago
    • Abbzey   Gay Radio Hosts Turn Hate Into A Mess...  about 4 months ago
    • Cwoodlief21   Gay Radio Hosts Turn Hate Into A Mess...  about 4 months ago
    • lizzielala   Gay Radio Hosts Turn Hate Into A Mess...  about 4 months ago
    • kefkai 4 months ago

      See, I don’t get why this has to be a “hate crime” hate implies that there is some membership in a group that they’re part of in this case gay. Why can’t they just hate them because they don’t like the two radio show hosts in general? Or maybe they say stupid things on the radio or maybe even insensitive things that offend people? I don’t know from the sounds of it there’s nothing that identifies this in particular as being because they were gay. MLK did say “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” Maybe though I’m an idealist.

    • cath3 thinks Gay Radio Hosts Turn Hate Into A Mess... is Win  about 4 months ago
    • Tralfamadore   Gay Radio Hosts Turn Hate Into A Mess...  about 4 months ago
    • silverhellion thinks Gay Radio Hosts Turn Hate Into A Mess... is Win  about 4 months ago
    • jasonbondshow thinks Gay Radio Hosts Turn Hate Into A Mess... is Win  about 4 months ago
    • TheLifeORiley thinks Gay Radio Hosts Turn Hate Into A Mess... is Cute  about 4 months ago
    • amy swiney   Gay Radio Hosts Turn Hate Into A Mess...  about 4 months ago
    • kirbygirrl thinks Gay Radio Hosts Turn Hate Into A Mess... is Win  about 4 months ago
    • msmartin01   Gay Radio Hosts Turn Hate Into A Mess...  about 4 months ago
    • mushabon thinks Gay Radio Hosts Turn Hate Into A Mess... is Win  about 4 months ago
    • sabinab   Gay Radio Hosts Turn Hate Into A Mess... and thinks it’s Win  about 4 months ago
    • RunningonPixieDust thinks Gay Radio Hosts Turn Hate Into A Mess... is Win  about 4 months ago
    • heathere7   Gay Radio Hosts Turn Hate Into A Mess... and thinks it’s Win  about 4 months ago
    • Troy   Gay Radio Hosts Turn Hate Into A Mess...  about 4 months ago
    • andrea thinks Gay Radio Hosts Turn Hate Into A Mess... is Win & OMG  about 4 months ago
    • sunnys3 thinks Gay Radio Hosts Turn Hate Into A Mess... is Win  about 4 months ago
    • soxi thinks Gay Radio Hosts Turn Hate Into A Mess... is Win  about 4 months ago
    • mariannen   Gay Radio Hosts Turn Hate Into A Mess...  about 4 months ago
    • Em0987654321 thinks Gay Radio Hosts Turn Hate Into A Mess... is Win  about 4 months ago
    • marshallp   Gay Radio Hosts Turn Hate Into A Mess... and thinks it’s Win  about 4 months ago
    • Anghellik37   Gay Radio Hosts Turn Hate Into A Mess...  about 4 months ago
    • gerwynl 4 months ago

      Hate crime feels like a stretch. F*wits throwing paint on your billboard is a universal pain in the arse and people will vandalise anything bolted down or otherwise. If I get mugged its not a hate crime just cos I’m a poof. Maybe I’m over thinking that.

    • lyndseym 4 months ago

      people over seas? or anyone who doesn’t live in California or visited LA since July.

    • SteelRenegade 4 months ago

      It would’ve helped if there was a ‘Before’ and ‘After’ photo of what it used to look like and the changes made to it now. How are people overseas supposed to know what the original billboard had printed on it before the ‘makeover’ - ugh!

    • berenice thinks Gay Radio Hosts Turn Hate Into A Mess... is Win  about 4 months ago
    • Andrea N thinks Gay Radio Hosts Turn Hate Into A Mess... is Win  about 4 months ago
    • SitaSky thinks Gay Radio Hosts Turn Hate Into A Mess... is Win  about 4 months ago
    • chriscodc thinks Gay Radio Hosts Turn Hate Into A Mess... is Cute  about 4 months ago
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