Nazis Deface Murals At Orlando’s LGBTQ Center

Brody Levesque reports at the Los Angeles Blade:

On Saturday, the LGBTQ Center of Orlando’s Zebra Youth murals were defaced with Nazi and white Christian nationalist symbols and anti-LGBTQ+ hate speech. A spokesperson for the Orlando Police Department confirmed that an investigation is underway.

The Center has been targeted before with incidents stretching back over a decade. In May of 2020, a Pulse memorial mural on the walls of the center was vandalized with white supremacist stickers and graffiti.

By mid morning volunteers were at the center to white-wash the hate speech and symbols and repair the damage. The volunteers were joined by Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan.

The Orlando Watermark reports:



Along with messages of hate, the vandals painted white nationalist symbols including swastikas and crosses. A sign was hung on one of the walls with “Knights of the Black Sun,” a known white nationalist group, written on it.

Dr. George Wallace, The Center Orlando’s CEO, says the attacks have left him “discouraged.” “There just seems to be an uptick with anti-gay rhetoric,” Wallace says. “It’s disheartening.” The Orlando Police Department was contacted and footage from security cameras from both buildings is being reviewed.