Transphobic vandals attack Pride mural with ‘heartbreaking’ anti-trans slogan -TGN

A commissioned Pride mural in Swansea was vandalized with the message ‘two genders only’. (tash.art/Instagram)

LGBTQ+ murals in Swansea have been vandalized and covered in homophobic and transphobic messages. In an attack, the queer artist said it proves the need for more representation.

Coastal Housing, a charity providing low cost rental accommodation in and around Swansea, commissioned Natasha John to create LGBTQ inclusive artwork for Pride Month.

But after the murals in King’s Lane in the city center were created, they were daubed with transphobic and homophobic messages.

Graffiti on the trans element of the Pride Progress flag read “only two genders”.

John told PinkNews, “I was heartbroken to see the work vandalized, especially during Pride month.

“It appears that the focus of this hate has been on the trans community, which is going through extremely difficult times right now.”

John said that no one in the LGBTQ+ community should be excluded and that is why Pride remains a protest and “we have a long way to go”.

After the vandalism, John took to Instagram and wrote, “It’s absolutely heartbreaking to find out that someone has defaced the Pride Progress flag and thrown something at the characters.”

John added that the vandalism proves “why we must continue to spread representation, inclusion and positivity throughout the LGBTQ+ community.”

Speaking to ITV, the artist added: “Pride Month is meant to celebrate inclusivity and positivity and not to exclude any particular group within the community LGBTQIA+ community.

“Even though Pride month is over, these issues still exist. What happens now? How are we going to work together as a community to make sure trans and non-binary people don’t feel left out?

“This is more than Pride month. I think it’s something you have to think about throughout the year and not just for a month.”

John cleaned up the mural, fixed the trans flag element, and removed any offending stickers.

The possibility of the artwork being targeted was one the John and Coastal Housing had discussed, with the artist stating “it could potentially be considered controversial, but you hope society has changed a bit”.

‘We are gutted to see this kind of hate’

Debbie Green, CEO of Coastal Housing, told PinkNews: “We were gutted to see this kind of hate on our doorstep, targeting a community that includes members of our team and (with whom) we as a company stand with us.

“King’s Lane is a thoroughfare for many of our employees and reactions include anger, hurt and frustration that such prejudices still exist in the city in 2023.

“Obviously, after deploying the Pride Progress flag, we felt responsible to quickly address the damage as soon as we learned about it. We have also filed a police report.”

Last month, a lesbian couple were left “heartbroken” after their Pride doormats were stolen and vandalized. After the attack, they spoke out about the support they received from their neighbours.