‘Cowardly’ thugs repeatedly vandalise town’s rainbow crossing proving homophobia is alive and well even under lockdown
Homophobic trolls say they will continue defacing the rainbow crossing (Change.org/Jeremy Boulton)
Residents of an Australian town have been appalled to see a rainbow pedestrian crossing repeatedly defaced with tyre skid marks left by “homophobic” thugs.
The rainbow crossing was painted in the coastal town of Wollongong last year to counteract homophobia in the community, but instead it seems to have highlighted it.
Shortly after it was unveiled the crossing was quickly marred by tyre marks from speeding cars, despite the road having a 10/kmph speed limit.
The city council repainted it vowing it would return “brighter than ever,” but their efforts were met with online trolls proudly declaring their intention to vandalise it again – and soon the skid marks reappeared blacker and thicker than before.
As nearby residents complained of cars screeching over the crossing well into the night, the locals decided they’d had enough.
They have now lodged a petition with the city council, urging them to install CCTV cameras next to the crossing so that police can catch the “cowardly” culprits once and for all.
“We call upon Wollongong City Council to install CCTV cameras to capture the number plates and faces of the homophobic vandals who purposely leave skid marks on the rainbow crossing,” reads the petition.
“Installation and monitoring of CCTV cameras at this location would prove that Wollongong City Council is serious about accepting the diversity of its community.”
The petition, which has been signed by more than 1,100 people so far, has been backed by the town’s deputy mayor Tania Brown.
She told Illawarra Mercury extra surveillance cameras would help to “protect this asset, decrease the antisocial behaviour and show that Wollongong City Council is serious about accepting the diversity of its community”.
“This is personal to a lot of people in the community,” she said previously.
“It is an important visible symbol and there are people in our community who are still very much affected by homophobia – the trolls will always be out there – so having a physical symbol to show that everyone is welcome is so important.”
