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Murals at two LGBTQ+ non-profit organizations, The Center Orlando and Zebra Youth in Orlando, Florida, were vandalized on Saturday, August 26, 2023. Both the artworks were spray painted with hateful messages and nazi symbols. Needless to say, as soon as they heard about it, netizens were left aghast by the news of the vandalism.
In a statement given to Fox 35, The CEO of The Center Dr. George Wallace gave a statement to Fox 35 about the vandalism. Dr. Wallace said that he was "disheartened" by the hateful messages spray-painted all over the building.
"Knowing that it’s from an extremist hate group is troublesome, but Orlando will not let hate win," Dr. George Wallace added.
The two organizations are situated right across each other on Mills Avenue and have several murals on their facade in support of the LGBTQ+ community.
The Center Orlando focuses on spreading awareness and empowering the queer community through advocacy, education, and providing support. Zebra Youth's mission lies in supporting the youngsters within the community.
On closer inspection, one of the vandalized murals was tagged under the name Knights of the Black Sun, a white nationalist group. However, this remains unconfirmed.
"Florida is back in the 60's": Orlando LGBTQ+ mural vandalism leaves netizens worried, blame Florida laws
As news of the two murals being defaced spread, several internet users spoke in support of the two organizations and their goals. The incident also sparked a discourse on the recent anti-LGBTQ+ trend in the state under Governor Ron DeSantis.
The original tweet was made by @TizzyEnts and had a number of people commenting and resharing the same. Most people were furious about the vandalism and others called for the Governor to take some action against the vandals.
Aftermath of the vandalism
However, it is worth noting that this isn't the first time such an incident has occurred in the community. Despite that, the non-profit organizations assert that they would remain resilient and a "beacon of light" for the community and said that the vandalism was sad and infuriating.
In his interview, Wallace added that police were reviewing security footage. He added that they would not let hate win and would keep fighting and educating people.
Following the incident, Orlando Mayor, Buddy Dyer released a statement on Twitter. The mayor spoke out against the incident condemning the perpetrator and adding that "hate has no place in the city."
Later in the day, State Representative Anna Eskamani shared photographs on her official IG account. The images showed the artist, Kim Murphy, City Commissioner Patty Sheehan, and staff from Zebra Youth repainting the murals and covering up the hateful graffiti.
No other statements were made or recorded at the time of writing this article.
