BY HILARY GROUTAGE SMITH
THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE

Travelers on Interstate 15 are being hit square in the face with a thought-provoking message: Someone you know and love is gay.

The message comes in the form of billboards placed at 3900 South and Point of the Mountain. They are the work of PFLAG (Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays).

"There are lots of people who don't know that someone they know is gay. This is not just a reminder for them, it's a revelation," said PFLAG member Boyer Jarvis.

A longtime community activist, Jarvis said he joined the group several years ago because he is a "recovering homophobe."

In high school, he said, he thoughtlessly made all kinds of homophobic remarks, and that is exactly the behavior he hopes the billboards will help quell.

"It is my belief that nobody is born with a language. Nobody is born a homophobe," he said. "A baby hasn't any attitude about sexuality or orientation at all.

"Then the baby grows up and hears grown-ups expressing their beliefs and attitudes."

The billboards have been a priority for PFLAG for several years, but raising the $30,000 to finance them was challenging. They did not plan to have the signs in place in time for the 2002 Winter Games, but are pleased with the coincidence.

"It's a simple message, but it's something that people need to see," Jarvis said.