Anarchists? Gays Vandalized HRC Store On Anniversary of Stonewall

  LGBTQ Nation •

A Washington D.C. Human Rights Campaign store was vandalized in the late night or early hours of Wednesday by self-described “rowdy queers” who chose the date to coincide with the 42nd anniversary of the Stonewall Riots.

“HRC’s DC Action Center and Store was vandalized last night with paint on the front windows and an LGBT group has claimed responsibility for the crime,” according to a statement released by the HRC.

“It’s unfortunate that after a marriage win in New York that represented an unprecedented coming together of LGBT groups, some are more interested in fostering division in the community.”

Photos: Brody Levesque, for LGBTQ Nation

The damage was mostly cosmetic, and consisted of pink paint splattered on the store front windows, and the word “Stonewall” scrawled in pink paint on the concrete sidewalk in front of the store.

A group claiming responsibility — calling themselves “The Right Honorable Wicked Stepmothers’ Traveling, Drinking and Debating Society and Men’s Auxiliary” — released a rambling manifesto-style press release, and said they targeted the HRC because the organization “hordes money and does nothing useful.”

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) gift shop in Dupont Circle in Washington, DC is a god awful monstrosity. We were in there yesterday and between wiping our genitals on the clothing and discovering that the snow globes wouldn’t properly fit up our bums, we got to thinking:

“This place would look great with a bit of shattered glass and splattered paint.”

So we strapped on our riot chaps, poured pink paint into light bulbs, grabbed hammers, and went party party party! all over that tacky testament to the transformation of radical queer liberation into consumer junk.

We’ve got good reason. This week marks the 42nd anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. [...]

The modern LGBT movement owes its success to three days of smashing, burning, punching, and kicking–all of it happily indiscriminate–and the confrontational tactics of groups like ACT-UP that followed in the decades since. Yet, somehow we’ve forgotten our riotous roots. [...]

Why, you’re asking, did we specifically target the HRC, a massive national gay rights non-profit as opposed to vomiting urine on Rick Santorum or something equally fun?

Put simply, they suck. What do they suck? Cash. Lots of it.

Reactions from community leaders was swift, and condemned the group’s actions, with most comments terming the action “juvenile.”