In the early hours of May 23rd, sinners and saints, LGBTQ bars, mainly serving the queer and trans community of Adams Morgan, were broken.
The intruder smashed the glass at the front door, gained the entrance, then stole a bottle of alcohol, turned off the electricity in the bar, and left the back door no. ajar.
They also scrawled homophobic slur on the wall.
The restaurant employee above the bar was the first to notice the intrusion after going downstairs to investigate why the building was not powered.
They then called Blair Nixon, co-owner and manager of the sinner and saint, to inform him of the intrusion.
The metropolitan police station is investigating the intrusion as suspected of a hate crime. So far, no arrests have been made.
Nixon called vandalism “disappointing” and spoke about it. Washington Post, “If there are people in your space that aren’t supposed to be there, that’s scary.”
The vandalism happened a few weeks before DC Black Pride weekend and Washington was scheduled to host WorldPride, an international LGBTQ festival that attracts hundreds of thousands of LGBTQ visitors and allies to the district.
Rather than silence from the attack, the bar co-owners wanted to defy the destroyers and send a message that they could not be pushed away.
Nixon has posted photos of bandarism on social media and writes on Instagram post, “To the cowardly sick who invaded and scribbled: Your fear is loud, but our pride is great. This space remains strange, rebellious and unbeautiful.”
“This space exists to protect and celebrate the queer and trans-bipoch communities. This attack only strengthens our resolve,” the Post continues. “We will not be silent. We will not be threatened. We will promote our rebellion to those who have tried to hurt us. To our community: We will see you, we will love you, we will continue to fight for you.
The post caused a flood of comments from patrons and community members who offered to assist with repairs and protect security guards outside the bar.
Sinners and Saints launched a GofundMe page and tried to raise $9,000. So far, it has raised over $7,800.
Nixon said Washington Post The vandalism of sinners and saints emphasizes the need for bars to cater to strange communities of colour and trans communities.
“D.C. has one of the biggest strange communities in the world, and the important thing to note is that acceptance of the LGBT community is amazing,” he said. “But like many other situations, acceptance of people of color and the trans community is lagging behind, and our entire mission is to provide a space where the larger and marginalized communities of the LGBT community can feel safe.”
Twelve hours after discovering the vandalism, the bar cleaned up the trash and opened it to the public, with dozens of people cramming the bar’s dance floor on Friday night.
Nixon said he is considering framing slurs that remain on the wall as a way for the owner to regain his power and prove how they will face hatred.
“We don’t want to send a message that we can be oppressed,” he said. “We don’t want to shake you. We don’t want to go down. We want to make sure we stick to our mission.”
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
