Rainbow Pride Tree In Inner West Sydney Vandalised
Image: The Rainbow Pride tree painted by Justin Bradley and his dad at Marrickville Golf Club was vandalised by homophobic bigots. Image: Instagram
A Sydney resident, who along with his dad painted a rainbow flag on a tree at the Marrickville Golf Club to celebrate Pride, was shocked when homophobes defaced it and painted a white cross over it. Locals have now decided to come together on Friday evening to restore the Rainbow Pride Tree.
This is the latest incident of homophobic bigots vandalising Rainbow Pride murals and flags in Sydney, which is currently hosting WorldPride. This is the first time that one of the largest Pride events in the world is being held in the Southern Hemisphere.
Last month, homophobes vandalised a WorldPride mural outside Wynyard station. On February 24, 2023, some bigots damaged the Rainbow stairs outside the Pitt Street Uniting Church. After parishioners repainted the rainbow stairs, they were again vandalised. The NSW Police is investigating both incidents.
Spending Afternoon With Dad Painting Pride Flag
Local resident Justin Bradley posted a photo of the tree in January to Instagram after he and his dad spend the day together painting the Pride Rainbow flag on the tree. “1 can of spray paint: $142.45. Spending the afternoon with your dad painting the pride flag on a tree at your local golf club: PRICELESS,” Bradley said.
On Thursday, Bradley had an update, that the Rainbow pride tree had been vandalised and a white cross painted over it.
“About nine o’clock this morning, my dad sent me a picture. The rainbow pride tree that he and I painted a few weeks ago had been vandalised. I felt sick to my stomach. This was clearly a vile act of vandalism perpetrated by some fool in the community whose only intention is to be aggressive,” Bradley said in a video.
‘We Won’t Let This Message Win’
Bradley revealed that he had never felt such homophobic acts would occur in his own community and neighbourhood.
“I’ve never felt like this before in my own community of the Inner West. Coming off the back of Fear Day and World Pride in Mardi Gras and my involvement in the diversity in education conference just yesterday I didn’t think it was something that would happen in the Inner West.
“Just when we think that the progression of LGBTQ rights is at an endpoint or that we are able to be complacent or that visibility and safe spaces, and inclusion, and safe education aren’t important, it just goes to show that this is an ever-present issue. It’s still in our community here in the Inner West of Sydney. And if it’s here, you can only imagine what it might be further in a more diverse range of places geographically.”
Bradley said that he and his dad will repaint the Rainbow Pride tree. “We won’t let this message win, we won’t let this rhetoric be heard. And it’ll be painted again,” said Bradley.
“Over the last seven weeks that it’s been painted, we’ve had countless number of people come and give us feedback about how much they love it. We’ve had thousands of people who have walked past it and who feel seen, that you’re allowed to feel celebrated. And we’re not going to let one person and his act of aggression and intimidation and violence.”
