A quaint New Hampshire town is torn apart over a series of colorful LGBTQ-themed murals, which the openly anti-gay state says contain “hidden messages of the devil.” The senator argues.
The mural was installed last August by a nonprofit group that aims to “beautify blighted land” in the picturesque former mill town of Littleton.
“It’s a beautiful piece of art,” Kelly Flanders previously told NPR about the images seen through the windows rather than the boarded-up windows.
But state Sen. Carrie Gendreau (who is also the town’s elected official and calls homosexuality “an abomination”), saw the LGBTQ-inspired rainbow image and immediately called the image embarked on a war over
“What went up wasn’t good,” Jandreau said at an earlier meeting. According to the Boston Globe.
“I encourage you to research what it actually means,” she said of this symbolism. “We don’t want anything like that in our town.”
Jandreau claims that at least one of the paintings contains “hidden messages of the devil” and “satanic symbols,” and tells the Globe that she believes “homosexuality is an abomination.” I told the paper frankly.
“I am very concerned about what is fundamentally creeping into our community,” she said.
The feud quickly turned into calls for stricter control over all public art in town and a focus on performances by LGBTQ theater companies.
The town’s mayor, Jim Gleason, whose late son was gay, resigned in February, enraged by Jandreau’s views.
“My son is not an abomination,” Gleason told the selection committee, drawing a standing ovation, referring to previous statements by the state senator who accused him of creating a toxic work environment. .
The mural’s creator, Meg Reinhold, said she was appalled by the hatred caused by images whose sole purpose was to bring beauty.
“If viewers look at these works and see demons and darkness, what does that tell us about how they see the world?” Reinhold said.
with post wire
