Credit: RISSA TRENT / FACEBOOK
The latest mindless message posted outside Northridge Auto Repair is getting a lot of ink lately. Owner Jay Linn — the president of Olmsted Falls City Council and something of a conservative gadfly among the enlightened Lorain/I-480 commercial district — doesn’t seem to mind. He’s said that his signs have always brought in good business, and this latest iteration is no different.

“If you don’t know who you identify as pull down your pants and look,” the sign reads, in dubious semantics. (“Who” has an unintelligible placement here, for instance, though we can all pretty easily grasp that Linn is trying to tell his transgender neighbors to fuck off.)

He did, oddly, find time to tell the Chronicle-Telegram that he has a gay brother. “I don’t share his views in sexuality, and he doesn’t share mine,” Linn told the paper. “But we’re brothers.” It’s unclear what he meant.

Protesters have shown up outside the auto garage and on Facebook, denouncing this as a message of hate or, at the very least, just a bizarre non-sequitur for passing motorists.

From the C-T:

Since [1979], he’s had messages directed at Dennis Kucinich, sports teams and an array of other issues.

Linn said he takes jabs as he sees fit. He believes his simple messages lighten the moods of countless commuters as they hop on the highway near his shop to head off to the daily grind in Cleveland.

“I have to tell you this is the best sign I’ve ever had,” Linn said. “There’s been 30 or 40 people who have stopped in today, taken business cards and told me what great signs I do. They’ve stopped in, shook our hands and said keep up the great work. A couple made appointments for cars.”

Feel free to let him know how much he’s “lightened your mood” on Yelp, Facebook and with your wallet.

This article appears in Feb 1-7, 2017.

Eric Sandy is an award-winning Cleveland-based journalist. For a while, he was the managing editor of Scene. He now contributes jam band features every now and then.

21 replies on “Olmsted Falls City Council President Says Anti-Transgender Message Has Been Great for His Business”

  1. More importantly, how do we get this dickwad off of the city council? Olmsted Falls is my hometown and I’m absolutely ashamed – this kind of hts and intolerance does not represent our city.

  2. The guy is a cheap imitation of the shock-jock junk that a Pearl Road sign company plasters on its billboard.

  3. Aren’t you special, Veronica?!?!?
    Who made you judge and jury?
    A lot of people love his signs. I say leave the man alone. He’s not hurting anyone.
    But calling him a “dickwad”, that’s hurtful.
    Take your post and shove it!

  5. Hey Terri,

    Aren’t you special, Terri?!?!?
    Who made you judge and jury?
    A lot of people love what Veronica is saying.. I say leave the woman alone. She’s not hurting anyone.
    But telling her “Take your post and shove it!”, that’s hurtful.
    So GO F–K YOURSELF!

  9. Terri I’m disgusted at your defense of someone you don’t even know who has exhibited such questionable character. OF Is tiny township where sentiments like that can richochet quite dangerously and dramatically. City council members should be uniting the community, not trying to be divisive. I pretty much said the same thing as Veronica but tried to keep it classy just for you….in spite of the fact you told her to shove her comment, which, quite frankly, doesn’t really make you sound classy or intelligent. By the way, he actually is hurting people in this case.

  11. Stahhhp. It’s just the truth. If the truth offends you what does that say about you? It’s funny because it’s true.

  13. Encouraging people to post fake business reviews on Yelp and Facebook is pathetic. Not only does it defeat the purpose of reviews, but it’s actually fascist behavior. The regressive left must crush anyone that disagrees with them and libel and slander them.

  15. As much as I disapprove of the sign and it’s message, we do live in a free country with the freedom of speech. If you don’t like it, don’t go there. I know I won’t be.

  16. This asshat is a poor imitation of that bozo over on the East Side (East 55th?) who painted anti-Semitic slurs all over the walls of his business. Whatever became of that shmuck? Wasn’t he forced out of business or forced to paint his building?

    Unfortunately, now that Agent Orange is in power, these douchebags think it’s okay to crawl out from under their garbage cans and be even more douchey. Right here in North Missitucky.

    This mofo needs to relocate to somewhere else…somewhere that finds this behavior acceptable…like Indiana. Better still, somewhere even further away. Maybe Oklahoma. Or Texas.

    Chuckles the Clown

  20. Learn the difference between SEX and GENDER because your sign claims they are the same thing but they are definitely not!!!

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