A quaint New Hampshire town is being torn apart by a series of colorful LGBTQ-themed murals that an openly anti-gay senator says carry “hidden demonic messages.”
The murals were installed last August by a nonprofit organization aimed at “beautifying dilapidated properties” in a neighborhood in the quaint old town of Littleton.
“It’s beautiful art,” Kelly Flanders told NPR of the images she now sees out her window instead of closed windows.
However, state Sen. Carrie Gendreau — who is also the city’s elected official and calls homosexuality an “abomination” — quickly went on the warpath over the images after seeing one depicting a LGBTQ inspired rainbow.
“What happened was not good,” Gendreau said in an earlier meeting, according to the Boston Globe.
“I encourage everyone to research what it actually means,” she said of the symbolism. “I don’t want this to happen in our city.”
Gendreau claimed that at least one of the paintings carried “hidden demonic messages” and “demonic symbolism” – bluntly telling the Globe that she believed “homosexuality is an abomination.”
“I am very concerned about what is infiltrating our community,” she said.
The feud quickly evolved into a push for all public arts in the city to be strictly managed, as well as a focus on LGBTQ theater troupes.
City Manager Jim Gleason, whose late son was gay, resigned in February, outraged by Gendreau’s views.
“My son is not an abomination,” Gleason told the jury to a standing ovation, referencing earlier remarks by the state senator, whom he accused of creating a toxic work environment.
The artist behind the murals, Meg Reinhold, said she was stunned by the hatred generated by images intended solely to provide beauty.
“If a viewer looks at these works and sees demons and darkness, what does that tell us about how they perceive the world? » Reinhold said.
With post wires
New York Post
