Residents of a Bristol street have rallied together to show support for their neighbors after a Pride doormat was vandalized with black spray paint in a hateful act of vandalism.
Pride Vandalizm
Residents of a Bristol street have rallied together to show support for their neighbors after a Pride doormat was vandalized with black spray paint in a hateful act of vandalism. Here’s the full story.
Children’s author Susie Day and her partner, new residents of the Bedminster suburb, had placed a rainbow doormat outside their home to celebrate Pride Month.
However, the doormat was stolen, prompting the couple to replace it and secure it to the floor.
Shockingly, the replacement doormat was defaced with black paint, obscuring the rainbow stripes.
Support From the Community
Susie Day reported the incident to the police and reached out to her neighbors for any information or video footage that could help identify the culprit.
As news of the vandalism spread among the residents of the street, they swiftly came together to demonstrate their support and solidarity.
Many neighbors purchased rainbow doormats of their own, intending to display them outside their homes.
The Bristol Post quoted Susie, who expressed her gratitude for the outpouring of support, “Everyone was really shocked, and we’ve had such great messages and people coming round to say how disgusted they were that someone would do this.”
The act of unity quickly gained momentum, with several neighbors following suit and placing orders for their own colorful doormats.
No Random Incident
In a heartwarming response, Susie commented on the growing support from her community, “So from just our rainbow doormat, there’s now going to be loads. That will be a really nice thing for us, to go out and walk down the street and see that there’s this support.”
Susie described the incident as “really horrible and invasive,” emphasizing that it made her and her partner feel unsafe in their new home.
The theft and subsequent vandalism felt personal, considering they had recently moved to the area. Susie shared her suspicions that the theft might have been random, but the targeted spray painting of the replacement doormat indicated otherwise.
“Horrible, and Invasive”
Susie Day’s tweet about the theft and vandalism quickly gained traction on Twitter, receiving over 2000 likes and drawing attention to the incident.
Fellow authors and LGBTQ+ activists expressed their support for the couple and highlighted the escalating levels of hate toward the LGBTQ+ community.
Patrick Ness, author of A Monster Calls, described the incident as a consequence of the resurgence of modern transphobia.
Dr. Finn Mackay, a senior sociology lecturer, expressed sadness at the act of vandalism, labeling it “horrible, and invasive.”
LD Lapinski, the author of the non-binary children’s book Jamie, described the incident as “stomach-turning,” further emphasizing the impact of the vandalism.
“Love Thy Neighbor”
Several Twitter users also shared their support.
One user wrote, “Evil countered is a good thing. I love that not only did the neighbors replace the couple’s vandalized rainbow mat but every single household on the street got one in solidarity. “Love thy neighbor” loveliness.”
Another user commented, “Lots of sick, sad people are still around and so prehistoric! Imagine being so insecure you need to do this?”
The post Lesbian Couple’s Pride Doormat Vandalized in Homophobic Attack – See How the Community Rally Around This Couple first appeared on Wealthy Living
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Anton Gvozdikov. The people shown in the images are for illustrative purposes only, not the actual people featured in the story.
Source: The Pink News