Conservatives like to cling to the First Amendment and freedom of speech when it serves them, but the minute you criticize one of their sacred cows, they’ll act like they’re completely unfamiliar with the concept of free expression.
Such is the case in Arizona, where artist Karen Fiorito designed a controversial anti-Donald Trump billboard which has drawn national attention. The billboard features an image of the alleged president with two mushroom clouds and Nazi swastikas transformed into dollar signs. On the reverse side of the billboard is the word “Unity” in sign language.
Fiorito says she expected backlash, but wasn’t prepared for the threats against herself and family:
“I’ve been called a communist, a Satan worshiper. I’ve been told I’m a ‘very, very sick person.’ I’m not sure what that means. I haven’t been answering the phone. My husband has because he’s not afraid to talk to anyone, but he told me he received a couple death threats this morning…He said, ‘They were coming to get us with their boys.'”
The artist was commissioned by a local art gallery as part of an arts festival to come up with a design which would then be placed on a billboard, and she says she likes her work being accessible to so many people:
“Billboards are perfect because you don’t have to go to a gallery to see it. You’re creating a dialogue with the public. You’re reaching people you’d never reach with your artwork.”
Fiorito also noted this isn’t the first time she’s been threatened for her artwork. In 2004, she created a design for a billboard which called George W. Bush a liar:
“I’ve had people tell me they’re going to come rape me and kill me.”
Here’s the billboard that’s drawing so much attention:
Featured Image Via Facebook
