Drag Race star’s Manchester mural vandalised with homophobic slurs again
Divina De Campo’s mural in Manchester’s Gay Village has again been defaced (@divinadecampo/ Instagram)
A mural of Drag Race UK finalist Divina de Campo in Manchester’s gay village has been vandalised with anti-queer graffiti for the second time.
During her time on Drag Race UK and beyond, Divina De Campo has proven that she’s far more than a red wig and a silver dress with her of activism, constant empowerment of minorities and political protests against the treatment of queer people.
It made sense, therefore, that she should be one of several key LGBTQIA+ figureheads to receive a mural in Manchester’s Gay Village, in 2019, to help honour her legacy and drag excellence.
It makes less sense, however, that the mural – which was designed by street artist Akse – has been again defaced with vile homophobic slurs, yesterday (15 July), after an initial attack three years ago.
In a clip posted to Divina’s Instagram profile, graffiti which reads, “Die,” can be seen across her forehead, and the phrase, “F*gs f*ck off!” is written across her cheeks and nose.
Divina’s caption to the post reads: “We still live in a world where people think this is OK. I’m so disappointed by the people in power who have given credence to those who do this and those who hate us. We still need Pride more than ever…
“I’ll get it sorted so we don’t have this sort of stuff written about us in the village..
“So, here’s a thing. When people say we don’t need Pride, we still have this happening. What a world,” Divina said in the video.
She has been supported in the comments by members of the LGBTQ+ community and allies, including trans actress Charlie Craggs, who wrote: “Awful handwriting,” and former Gogglebox star Rev. Kate Bottley, who said: “I’m sorry this happened. I hope you’re OK. Thank you for being in the world and making it shine brighter.”
The mural was previously defaced with the number “666” and the word “dirty” in 2021, along with neighbouring artwork of gay World War II codebreaker Alan Turing and Manchester drag queen Foo Foo Lammar.
Divina spoke out at the time, telling fans: “People are still now going, ‘Oh why do you need Pride?’ It’s stuff like this: this is the reason we have Pride because there’s still a lot of homophobia out there.
“And unless you are completely living under a rock, unless you’re totally unconnected to what’s going on, then you can see there’s a huge swathe of transphobia in the press as well.”
