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Campaign sign for Justice Horn, candidate for Jackson County Legislature, defaced with slur

A Kansas City activist who is running for a seat on the Jackson County Legislature said on Twitter Sunday that one of his campaign banners was defaced with a homophobic slur.

Justice Horn, who lobbied the Kansas City Council to create the city’s first LGBTQ+ Commission, is seeking to be elected to represent the First District on the Legislature.

Horn said someone over the weekend spray-painted a slur on a large campaign banner on display in the 4600 block of Campbell Street.

“I don’t know how much more blatantly that this was a hate crime,” Horn told The Star in an interview on Monday. “It was specifically targeted at me because of my sexual orientation.

“What bothers me the most is that it happened in broad daylight. They were so emboldened to do this. It was specifically a defacing to attack me not based on my policy or my candidacy but on me personally. It was the same as calling me the N-word.”

“It’s below the belt and it’s unfair,” he said.

Horn has not decided to file a police report or take down the sign. He said he plans to hold a news conference at 9 a.m. on Tuesday in front of the defaced campaign sign.

“It’s a big eye-opener to what it’s like running openly as a queer person,” Horn said. “This stuff is hard and we’re gonna face push back from folks who don’t change.”

The county’s first district covers downtown Kansas City, portions of the urban core and some parts of south Kansas City within the county’s boundaries.

This is the first time Horn has sought elected office.

Horn has been a frequent and an outspoken supporter of a number of progressive causes including LGBTQ+ rights and local law enforcement accountability.

In 2020, Horn helped organized local demonstrations following the death of George Floyd, who was killed by Derek Chauvin, a Minneapolis police officer.