This is sooooo typical of our dear governor, Billy Bob:

Janklow may kill Adopt-A-Highway

By LEE WILLIAMS Argus Leader

published: 8/3/01

Gov. Bill Janklow may terminate the state's Adopt-a-Highway program rather than fight a possible lawsuit by a gay and lesbian group that wants to participate.

Under the program, hundreds of groups in the state agree to pick up trash along a chosen stretch of highway in exchange for a sign along the road.

The Sioux Empire Gay and Lesbian Coalition applied for a busy stretch of Highway 38 west of Sioux Falls. The Department of Transportation refused the request because SEGLC is an advocacy group.

The Sioux Falls group and the American Civil Liberties Union of the Dakotas are considering a lawsuit over the issue, which has started to attract national attention.

But Janklow said Thursday he plans to review the program in light of the threat of litigation.

"It's sad we live in a society where everybody is looking for a lawsuit, everybody is trying to earn legal fees," the governor said.

The SEGLC points out that organizations such as the South Dakota Animal Rights Advocates, the American Association of Retired Persons and several political groups have had the familiar blue and white highway signs put up by the state.

Janklow said his concern isn't driven by the sexual orientation of the members.

"I'm going to take a look at the whole program. I hate to kill a program because some people want to show off a lot of things," he said. "It's got nothing to do with my personal feelings about anybody's lifestyle. It's just, what it really comes down to is, I just don't think these things are worth having lawsuits over."

Barb Himmel-Roberts, president of the SEGLC, said Janklow's response is immature and smacks of homophobia.

"It's childish and will look childish to everyday, common people," said Himmel-Roberts, who made the original request for the sign. "It's really too bad that the governor would foster an atmosphere of hate by doing this."

Taking down all the signs will cause groups like the Boy Scouts, 4-H and area churches to look down upon the SEGLC, Himmel-Roberts said.

"He has made us a scapegoat," she said. "It is a typical attorney move, and I do applaud him for manipulating the system to his benefit. It takes the heat off of him and his department, who are refusing to follow the law and the First Amendment."

Republican State Sen. Dick Hainje of Sioux Falls said it's reasonable for the Department of Transportation to have rules governing who gets the signs. But if an advocacy group such as SEGLC took the case to court, the organization likely would win, he said.

"It's safe to say that if you are going to allow advocacy groups then you have to be ready to allow advocacy groups that would be unpopular with some people," said Hainje, the assistant majority leader in the Senate. "The Adopt-a-Highway program doesn't seem like a place to set social policy."

The Rev. Jesse Moore, pastor of Son Rise and Ridgecrest Baptist churches said he is usually a big backer of Gov. Bill Janklow but doesn't think the state should deny the group a sign.

"I may not agree with the homosexual lifestyle, the Bible teaches that it's a sin, but when it comes to a constitutional issue such as this, they hold the same rights as anyone else," said Moore. "I am a big supporter of Gov. Janklow, but on this one, I think the governor needs to take a step back."

It was never the group's intent for the application to end up in court, said Himmel-Roberts. The purpose was to let other gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender people know they aren't alone in the world.

"We're not looking for a lawsuit," she said. "We merely wanted to pick up trash off a highway, with recognition. The recognition we wanted was not for us. It's for people new to the area, or who are recently discovering their sexual orientation."

The ACLU has said it is reviewing the case and plans to make a decision by late this month on whether to pursue it.

The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals, which includes South Dakota, recently ruled that the state of Missouri had to admit the Ku Klux Klan into its Adopt-a-Highway program.

The ACLU said it's an issue of free speech, and that the state cannot pick and choose among the types of groups that get the recognition signs.

The governor's comments hit the gay and lesbian community hard.

"It's ridiculous. I'm in shock," said Kathy Knobloch, who runs The Center, which provides counseling for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. "He'd rather kill the program than give us a sign. It's not a gay or lesbian issue, to me. It's about freedom for all. Nobody has the right to discriminate."

David Fischer, an SEGLC member who lives in Aberdeen, was upset by the governor's comments.

"It's pretty reactionary, for what we are attempting to do," Fischer said. "It's kind of a shock to me to hear that kind of comment from the governor of any state, since all of this began over a gay issue. Perhaps he has a personal problem with the gay lifestyle, or the things we're trying to accomplish."

Himmel-Roberts said her workload as SEGLC president has quadrupled since the controversy started and her phone is ringing off the hook.

Thursday morning she was interviewed by the New York Times. Thursday afternoon, she spoke out on a nationally syndicated radio show.

National gay and lesbian groups are calling with support and offers of help.

"Every call I've gotten - every call - has been positive," she said.

Assistant city editor Patrick Lalley and the Associated Press contributed to this story. Reach reporter Lee Williams at lwilliam@argusleader.com or 331-2318

ARGUS LEADER

-- Anonymous, August 04, 2001