Dontae Blake, of Bend, at last year's Pride event. The 2018 celebration will be held in Drake Park Saturday at noon.(Ryan Brennecke/Bulletin file photo)

Flyers put up this week in and around Bend falsely attempt to tie local gay pride activities to pedophilia.

A colorful poster appearing to be an official announcement of this weekend’s Central Oregon Pride event contains misleading information and was not authorized by the organizer, the Human Dignity Coalition, according to board director Jamie Bowman.

Bowman said she started receiving phone calls and text messages about the poster at about 9 a.m. Tuesday.

It bears a logo of the North American Man/Boy Love Association, an organization that advocates to legitimize “consensual” relationships between adults and minors, along with an image of 10-year-old New York City-based drag performer Desmond Napoles.

There’s also a logo of the Bend Messianic Jewish congregation House of Covenant, which contains a Star of David.

Bowman was “horrified” when she saw it.

“The date and time and location are all correct,” she said. “Which makes it more disturbing.”

She thinks whoever is behind the poster is attempting to discredit gay activism by associating it with something vile.

The Human Dignity Coalition has organized the annual festival in Bend for 14 years. Gay rights groups have long condemned NAMBLA.

The logo representing the Human Dignity Coalition on the poster is unfamiliar to Bowman. She’s heard that similar flyers have popped up recently in the Portland area, leading her to suspect a “traveling troll.”

She and fellow board members have together removed more than 60 of the flyers posted around Bend. She encouraged others to take them down.

Bowman said in a statement that the flyers were self-printed at Postal Connections in Bend by an unidentified person who paid in cash.

Central Oregon Pride will be held starting at noon Saturday in Drake Park and will feature booths, musical performances and speeches.

The free event will have a “kid zone,” but not a “kiddie zone,” as the poster falsely claims, Bowman said.

— Reporter: 541-383-0325, gandrews@bendbulletin.com