Darwin’s Austin Lane rainbow mural vandalised during Top End Pride March
Hate speech sprayed onto the walls of a rainbow artwork during the Pride March has angered the Top End queer community.
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Darwin’s queer community has again become the target of homophobic hate speech, with vandals targeting a beloved mural during the annual pride festival.
A mural celebrating the LGBTQI+ and sex worker community was vandalised on Saturday, at the same time a thousand people came together for the Top End Pride march.
During the celebration of love unknown vandals sprayed ‘Fake pride, fake love’ over the Austin Lane rainbow flag mural.
This is the third time the artwork has been vandalised, with two similar homophobic attacks occurring within the space of days in April.
Within hours members of the Queer community reclaimed the painting, transforming the words to read “Have pride, make love”.
Top End Pride marketing director Drew Tweddle said there were two groups in Darwin on Saturday — one celebrating love, the other hate.
“A small group of Darwinites are spending their Saturday expending unnecessary hate towards a people living their authentic truth,” Mr Tweddle said.
“A much larger group ... were spending their Saturday embracing joy by celebrating love in all forms at the biggest event dedicated to acceptance that Darwin’s ever seen.
“I’d invite your readers to ask themselves which party they’d rather attend.”
Equality Minister Lauren Moss, who also attended the march, said hate speech had “absolutely no place in the Northern Territory”.
“As Territorians, we are proud of our diverse and welcoming communities and every person in the community has the right to live free of discrimination,” Ms Moss said.
Ms Moss said Top End Pride and fabALICE Festival provided spaces for all Territorians to celebrate the queer community.
Complaints about inequality hit record-breaking levels last year, according to the NT Anti-Discrimination Commissioner’s latest annual report.
There were 77 complaints alleging Territorians had suffered discrimination because of their sex, sexuality and gender in 2021-22, a sevenfold increase over four years.
Ms Moss said recently passed amendments to the Anti-Discrimination Act would provide “equality for all Territorians”.
The past three acts of vandalism have all been repaired by volunteers following callouts on social media.
A City of Darwin spokeswoman said graffiti on privately-owned property was the responsibility of the owner.
“If it’s on private property and is offensive or discriminatory, we will contact the owner to have it cleaned, or ask for permission to clean it up,” she said.
“Other times, the community acts to clean it up.”
“City of Darwin strongly condemns this discriminatory and offensive behaviour.”
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