Washington, DC Transit Shelter is Defaced with Gay Slurs and Violent Imagery.
WASHINGTON, DC (September 22, 2017) –– An ad for Squirt.org has been subject to an act of homophobic vandalism. The poster, which was located on the platform of Shaw-Howard University Station of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), depicts two clothed men, one of whom has his arm around the other. The culprit used what appears to be a permanent marker to deface the two men, placing rifle scope marks on their foreheads. They also wrote the word "GAY" on one of the men's arms, and a gay slur on the other.
This isn't the first instance of vandalism faced by Squirt.org posters. In 2016 a video surfaced of an ex-marine in Miami shattering the glass on a transit shelter to remove and destroy an ad for the company. It is, however, the first time slurs have been written across the posters.
"We have never experienced this kind of homophobic vandalism on our billboards before," says Attila Szatmari, the Digital Business Director for Squirt.org's parent company, Pink Triangle Press. "This is our first campaign in Washington, DC since the Trump administration came to power and it is very sad to see the change in behaviour. It seems that some people feel that it is okay to spread homophobic messages. The Trump Administration needs to work on uniting America and making sure that people feel safe, regardless of their sexual orientation, race, or religious beliefs."
As of yet no one has taken responsibility for the incident. The campaign went up September 4th, and will run until October 1st. Squirt.org intends to continue to advertise across the United States, including Washington, DC.
Assets:
- Squirt.org Press Kit & logos