One of many pride banners vandalized in Vanderhoof. This one, along with others, has been cut in half

By Tommy Osborne

Pride vandalism

“I don’t think anyone is proud of it:” Vanderhoof reacts to recent pride vandalism

Jun 20, 2024 | 4:44 PM

VANDERHOOF – More than 20 “share the love” pride banners have been vandalized in Vanderhoof over the last couple of weeks, leaving some community members disappointed.

“It was so nice seeing the flags. And then a few weeks ago, I noticed that all of the pride flags and none of the other ones were cut in half, so it was pretty disappointing,” said Vanderhoof local drag performer Devin Lytle.

“I just wish that these people would mind their own business, and if they don’t want to do gay things and they don’t like gay things, they can just stay away from it,” he continued.

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Vanderhoof RCMP say the vandalism caused thousands of dollars in damages, but beyond the monetary concerns, Vanderhoof Acting Mayor Ken Young is also concerned about the message this sends.

“It’s hurtful and it’s destructive. And really, the amount that we’re seeing now, it can be categorized as a hate crime in terms of just the ongoing, systematic focus on these banners,” Young said.

Young says Vanderhoof Council has had several discussions with the RCMP, and added there have been citizen patrol groups looking to stop this. However, he says it’s hard to monitor, as it takes place at varying times and can sometimes happen as early as 3:00 a.m.

“It is quite concerning because in Vanderhoof we have a great community here and a lot of folks who care passionately about their community, but this is no way to to really deal with an issue that you may feel opposed to,” Young said.

Looking ahead to the rest of Pride Month, Lytle said he plans on performing in a pride event on June 29. While he added there are some reservations about the event due to the vandalism, he still plans on taking the stage.

“I don’t think that the queer community or those allies of our community should back down from what this person is trying to achieve. They want to silence us, and they want us to cower away and make ourselves seem lesser, and that’s not what’s going to happen,” Lytle said.

Despite the disappointment felt due to the damage of the banners, both Young and Lytle say this is not indicative of Vanderhoof as a whole.

“It’s disappointing that people have to to see that these things are happening here in Vanderhoof because we pride ourselves as being an open and welcoming community. So to have these types of things happen, I don’t think anyone is proud about it. And we need to find a way to make it stop,” Young said.

“This one group is trying to really paint the town in a negative light when it’s not how the town is,” Lytle said.

Young added he believes this is just one person or a small group vandalizing the banners, and says everyone has the right to express how they feel, but no right to damage public property and make people feel unwelcome and unsafe.

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