Human Rights Campaign targets Denver artist, then tries to apologize

Human Rights Campaign solicits local artist. Human Rights Campaign threatens local artist. Human Rights Campaign wants to apologize to local artist?
2 min. read

Human Rights Campaign solicits local artist. Human Rights Campaign threatens local artist. Human Rights Campaign wants to apologize to local artist?

Denver artist Craig Moodie makes furniture, home decor and woodblock flags and sells them in his Etsy shop. But his recent design got him in trouble with the law.

Moodie told 9News he has always felt passionately about LGBTQ rights. Some of his designs even feature rainbows and hearts to express his solidarity. More recently, Moodie released a design he called “Equality Sign.” Moodie told 9News he had plans to donate proceeds from the sign's sales to the victims of the Orlando shooting.

Unfortunately someone already had dibs on that design -- the nation’s largest LGBTQ advocacy and lobbying organization, Human Rights Campaign (HRC).

When HRC first reached out to Moodie, it was to request he donate a few pieces for a fundraiser. Moodie enthusiastically agreed.

Moments later, they contacted him again. This time through Etsy -- to claim copyright infringement, according to 9News.

“I just think the whole thing is just sending mixed signals,” Moodie told 9News. “I had great respect for the campaign and now not so much. They've kinda gone down in my estimations a little bit.”

After reading the original story, HRC insisted the situation was a misunderstanding.

Multimedia business & healthcare reporter Chloe Aiello can be reached via email at [email protected] or twitter.com/chlobo_ilo.

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