A billboard advertising the London-based queer dance party Crossbreed was vandalized in what organizers have called an “act of queerphobia.”
The incident occurred on Wednesday, February 16th at 5:44 GMT, less than 48 hours from when it was posted. In footage obtained by Crossbreed, a cyclist is seen dismounting their bike and tearing the billboard down using a box cutter. The sign was hung underneath a bridge in the Shoreditch neighborhood of London outside Kachette, a multi-functional event space.
Crossbreed organizers shared the footage on Instagram with the suspect’s face blurred out, saying, “If any of us needed a reminder, queerphobia is on the rise; in the last five years, reports of transphobic hate crime has quadrupled, while ‘respected’ institutions like the Equalities and Human Rights Commission are actively working to undermine our right to use a bathroom.” They go on to say they want to find the person responsible so they can have a conversation with them and urge cis/straight attendees to support queer-owned businesses. Readers are also urged to make donations to various queer-rights groups.
The billboards were part of Crossbreed’s first large-scale party promotion. They read “We Believe In Queer Utopias.”