Rainbow bench painted black in strange act of vandalism
- midlandsrainbow
- 5 hours ago
- 2 min read
A bench decorated with a rainbow, in the Derbyshire town of Heanor, has been painted black in a strange act of vandalism. The bench, which actually has nothing to do with the LGBTQ+ community or Pride, was designed as a ‘Happy to Chat’ space as part of a 2022 campaign "to promote social connection and reduce the negative impacts of isolation", explains a spokesperson from Heanor and Loscoe Town Council. The bench was one of many similar seatings to be installed across the UK to tackle the ‘loneliness’ epidemic.
At the end of June, three years after the bench was first installed, however, someone painted over the bright colours, making the entire bench in Heanor black. The vandalism has covered the ‘Happy to Chat’ plaque found on the white cloud shape, as well as the rainbow itself.
Town clerk Andrew Sharpe said: “The plaque says, on the bench, happy to chat, sit here if you don't mind someone stopping to say hello.
"But obviously somebody has decided that they're not happy to chat on there.
"We will be repainting the bench as soon as we can. We won't let the actions of some people disturb what is a positive thing for the rest of Heanor and Loscoe.
"It's sad that some people just don't tolerate some things, and we will do our very best to get that back to its former glory."
While the true motives behind the vandalism are unknown, it is fair to say that the act is likely in response to the rainbow's link to the LGBTQ+ community; particularly in a year in which the UK has fallen to 22nd place of the ILGA-Europe's annual Rainbow Map due to its standing on LGBTQ+ rights and acceptance.
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