LAURENS COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) — A new billboard located off I-385 is intended to promote a message of inclusion and acceptance, according to the organization Alliance for Full Acceptance (AFFA).

The billboard reads, “REJOICE! GOD LOVES TRANS KIDS.” It is part of a month-long campaign by AFFA.

There are six billboards in the state. Some others in the Lowcountry read, “GOD LOVES LGBTQ+ PEOPLE.”

“We’re hoping to use this as a way to communicate with South Carolinians, both those who may need to be challenged just a little bit and also those who have felt sort of neglected and even pushed away by their faith communities,” Chase Glenn, the Executive Director of AFFA, explained.

Glenn said AFFA was inspired to begin the campaign after anti-LGBTQ+ bills were proposed in South Carolina’s state legislature.

“Often, the people who are introducing and supporting these bills use religion as a shield and a scapegoat,” Glenn said. “That’s not okay. They don’t own the narrative on religious messaging as it relates to LGBTQ+ people.”

However, the billboard’s message is not accepted by everyone.

“I think it sets a bad precedent for who we are as Laurens County residents,” Luke Rankin, the Chairman of the Laurens County Republican Party, said. “We’re a Christian community. We believe in God. We believe in biblical family values.”

Glenn said AFFA is considering putting more billboards up in the Upstate, including in Spartanburg County.

To learn more about AFFA and its campaign, click here.