For the past two years, numerous vandalisms have been committed in the Long Beach area aimed mainly at businesses displaying LGBTQ+ positive stickers or merchandise.
Long Beach is a widely known safe-haven for the LGBTQ+ community, voted as one of the best cities in the United States for diversity and inclusion of this community in laws and policy. Featuring a variety of queer owned businesses, the LGBTQ+ Center of Long Beach as well as the LGBTQ cultural district, the city has been providing a safe space for this community for many years.
Not only that, many of the officials in Long Beach identify with this community. Most notably, former mayor Robert Garcia served Long Beach from 2014-2022 and he is an openly gay man. Currently, Garcia is the U.S. representative for California’s 42nd congressional district.
Although on the surface, Long Beach has been considered welcoming for diverse communities, due to an increase of anti-LGBTQ+ bills circulating in the United States, Long Beach has experienced an increase in homophobic and transphobic vandalisms and hate crimes.
On March 23, 2021, the beloved pride lifeguard tower was burned down in a case of suspected arson. The lifeguard tower had previously been painted in a rainbow design by multiple LGBTQ+ lifeguards as a symbol of inclusion in Long Beach in honor of pride month.
Mayor Garcia responded to the crime on social media, posting a message to the arsonist on Facebook.
“The fire is under investigation but I personally have little doubt this was an act of hate,” he wrote. “To whoever committed this act, we will rebuild it better and brighter.”
City officials such as Garcia and City Councilmember Cindy Allen were quick to replace the tower; the new pride tower was unveiled two months later. The alleged arsonist of the original tower was never caught.
In a news release, former Mayor Garcia called the new tower “a symbol of inclusion and love.” Officials also included the original artists in the unveiling of the new tower, allowing them to paint it in the theme of a gay pride flag for a second time.
Although the pride tower was replaced, the city of Long Beach appears to still be feeling the effects of the homophobic act. This time, the targets are small businesses featuring LGBTQ+ symbols or merchandise.
Three Long Beach business owners discuss their businesses and a few of the vandalisms they have faced in recent years.
The vandalism towards the businesses has included multiple windows being broken as well as graffiti spray painted on walls, doors and windows.
A spike in seemingly homophobic vandalisms in Long Beach occurred in 2022. Many business owners experiencing these occurrences believe that this spike may be a result of the increase of homophobic and transphobic bills circulating in the United States.
According to the American Civil Liberties Union, there are 469 anti-LGBTQ+ bills being proposed in the United States. These bills target the entire community, but there is a record number of bills targeting the transgender community specifically.
Transphobic bills have been introduced in multiple states in the past two years. For example, Oklahoma’s SB 129 bill, also known as the “Millstone Act” aims to prohibit doctors from providing gender affirming procedures to anyone under the age of 26. In the event that SB 129 passes, it will become a felony for doctors to provide this care.
One of the most well-known cases of homophobic legislation in recent years is Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law, also known as the “Parental Rights in Education” bill. This bill reads “Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade three or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”
This law was signed in March of 2022, and more than a dozen states followed Florida’s lead by attempting to pass similar laws in order to ban teachers from educating students about gender identity and sexual orientation. A few of these states include Alabama, Ohio, Missouri and Arkansas.
Although California has not introduced any of these bills, the impact of the legislation has impacted the community.
Lillian Li and Angeles Carbajal Betancourt, two LGBTQ+ students attending Long Beach State University, share their thoughts on anti-LGBTQ+ bills circulating the United States and how it impacts their own identities.
Carlos Torres, Executive Director of the Long Beach LGBTQ+ Center, has experienced an increase in negative phone calls received at the Center as well as vandalism on the outside of the building.
“During my two years here, we have received many phone calls from people sharing their negative opinions about this community,” Torres said. “People always have something to say about the work we’re doing and the resources we provide to members of the LGBTQ+ community.”
Torres believes that despite Long Beach’s LGBTQ+ friendly reputation, these anti-LGBTQ+ laws and bills have impacted the morale in the city as well as the public opinion of the queer community.
“We are very fortunate to live in a state that affirms who we are, but hate travels,” he said. “We all read the news. Although it might not affect our day-to-day life as much as less fortunate states, we still feel it as a community.”
Although many local businesses in Long Beach have faced allegedly anti-LGBTQ+ vandalisms, business owners remain hopeful that these crimes will dissipate as the homophobic and transphobic laws are denied in other states.
