Where White People Meet Billboard Removed Following Complaints

The billboard for controversial new dating site Where White People Meet has been removed, following complaints to the sign’s owner.

Over the past few weeks, the site, which seeks to connect straight white people, received a lot of attention after it erected the billboard next to a road in Utah.

And yesterday, the site used its Twitter account to explain that Compass Billboards, which owns the sign, had decided to pull the advert due to complaints.

The company tweeted: “It was NOT our decision to pull the billboard… What a shame,” and spoke of plans for finding a new advertising space.

It was NOT our decision to pull the billboard.”Compass Billboards” in Utah pulled it due to complaints. What a shame. Will have another soon

– White People Meet (@Meetwhitepeople) January 13, 2016

The advert, which appeared along SR 201 in West Valley City, featured a stock photo for a smiling white couple, with a message saying: “Join for free today! Paid memberships only $4.”

According to the site’s founder Sam Russell, Compass Billboards did not specify how many complaints it had received about the advert.

The billboard was pulled just one week after Russell defended the site, saying it wasn’t racially motivated.

In an interview with the Washington Post, he said: “It’s about equal opportunity. The last thing in the world I am is racist. I dated a black woman once. I helped raise a young black man. I just believe it’s hypocrisy to say ‘one group can do this, but another can’t.’”

He also told the Washington Post that on the 4th January, the site had 1,033 members.

Check out the full interview here.