After her Pride flags were damaged for a second time and other parts of their business vandalized, a Tillsonburg, Ont., business owner said it’s only encouraging their community to be more vocal against hate.
“They’re not hurting anybody’s lives, like, mostly their own. If anything, allies will become more vocal because of them,” said Kelly Spencer, owner of Indigo Lounge and Wellness Centre.
On Monday, June 27, just after 6:30 p.m., she received a call from someone who said two people were lighting the Pride flags on fire outside her business.
When she got there, Spencer found the flags burned, a car in the parking lot with smashed mirrors, and a cut-up sign which read “hate has no home here,” along with a threatening note.
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“We warned you Bi—h – NC,” the note read.
“I think it’s a few small people, a small group of very loud, hateful people, because the outpouring of love has been a hundredfold. I have more flags up already – I even have more backup,” she said.
Spencer said the stuff that was broken can be replaced, but the incident did leave her and some staff with “a bit of fear” that they are working through, given the incident happened in broad daylight.
The act of vandalism came less than two weeks after the last pride flag she had hanging outside her store was also destroyed, and a similar threatening note was left.
Pride Flags burned outside the Indigo Lounge and Wellness Centre on June 27, 2022.
Supplied by Kelly Spencer
Smashed car mirrors outside the Indigo Lounge and Wellness Centre on June 27, 2022.
Supplied by Kelly Spencer
On Tuesday, June 14, Spencer arrived at work to see her pride flags slashed, burned and discoloured with a message left behind.
Sealed in a plastic bag, the letter was addressed to: “f—-t supporter / or f—-t.”
According to Spencer, the letter said, “if you continue to support f—-ts, this flag will be an allegory of what your house will end up to be.”
Oxford OPP could not say yet if they think the two incidents involved the same people but did confirm the investigation is open and ongoing in both cases.
The Oxford County crime Unit is also assisting with the investigation.
Spencer said a person who saw it happened said the suspects were dressed head to toe in black and appeared to be teenagers.
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When asked how she felt about the situation, she expressed sympathy for those involved.
“I’m currently at a place where I just feel mostly heartbroken for them to be so full of hate at such a young age. They’ve been given that message from somebody. Hate is taught, or they’ve had experiences in their life that have jaded them so much to be hateful,” Spencer said.
This is just the latest in several vandalism cases targeting Pride flags and the LGBTQ2 community in Norwich Township.
Spencer said she and some other business owners are trying to figure out the next steps to address the vandalism and underlying issue of hatred.
“It’s created a lot of conversations about how unacceptable this is and challenging many people’s own blind spots where this might be.”
– with files from Global News’ Amy Simon