Anti-LGBTQ Vandals Target Long Beach Pride – Mayor Vows City Will Not Bend To Hate
“Darkness is always attracted to the light. Will it stop us? No” (Tonya Martin, Long Beach Pride)
Featured Image: courtesy of Long Beach Pride
This past weekend, vandals drew a swastika, anti-LGBTQ messaging, and the word “MAGA” on a utility box in front of the Pride building in Long Beach, CA. Long Beach police are investigating this as a hate crime, and plans to ensure that those responsible will be held accountable.
“Yesterday’s vandalism on a utility box in front of the building of Long Beach Pride — the nonprofit that produces our City’s beloved Pride festival and parade — was not just an attack on a symbol, but an attack on our LGBTQ+ family, friends, and neighbors. This vile act of hate has absolutely no place in Long Beach,” Mayor Rex Richardson said in a statement on X.
Long Beach Pride has grown to one of the largest pride celebrations in the State of California. Next year will mark the 43rd year of serving the community. The organization has been a beacon of unity and joy for decades, but it has seen its share of threats.
“At the beginning, it was a battle with wearing bulletproof vests and bricks being thrown at our founders, as many of us have experienced,” Tonya Martin, President, Long Beach Pride, shared with GO. “Unfortunately, the founders are no longer with us, but in spirit they have never left.”
On this latest targeting, Martin shares, “Personally, it has been devastating being that the threat is serious and in our front yard. As President, I hold a great responsibility to the safety and well-being of our community.”
Long Beach Pride, Day 2 Parade, 2025, Courtesy of Long Beach Pride
“For the Long Beach Pride Organization, we are a very tight family and with all families, it is during the difficult times that we turn to each other. The act of hate has been difficult and shocking for all of us but the warmth of our community has empowered us with strength,” Martin says. “We have received so many wonderful words of love that it overshadows every word written on that utility box.”
The vandalism was reported around 5:42 p.m. on Saturday, September 20th. The graffiti has since been removed by the City, and local artists will repaint the utility box with a positive statement.
Does Martin feel that the organization was specifically targeted?
“Yes, I do. Darkness is always attracted to the light,” she tells GO. “Will it stop us? No
Image via Twitter
