Black LGBTQ Pride event vandalized at Atlanta hotel, police say

3 weeks ago 15

Aug. 29, 2024, 4:11 PM UTC

By Matt Lavietes

Atlanta police are investigating an act of vandalism that damaged property belonging to organizers of an LGBTQ Pride event dedicated to celebrating Black queer communities globally.

The Atlanta Police Department said in a statement Wednesday that the incident happened at a hotel in midtown Atlanta, where an event for Global Black Pride was taking place.

Authorities added that a preliminary investigation indicated that an intoxicated guest of the hotel caused the damage late Tuesday evening, and that they are still “following up on leads regarding the identity of the suspect and are working to determine why the suspect caused the damage.”

NBC’s Atlanta affiliate, WXIA-TV, reported that a since-deleted video on social media showed tables, pamphlets and pride flags scattered on the floor at the hotel.

Global Black Pride condemned the incident in a post on Instagram on Wednesday, calling it an “act of hatred.”

“Healing and joy are our priorities in a world that often harbors hate,” the group wrote. “We will not be deterred, and we will not allow hate stop us from celebrating our pride and resilience.”

“When we fight, we win,” it added.

The Global Black Pride festival, which started Tuesday and will end Monday in Atlanta, includes workshops, art exhibits, a health conference and several marches. It began during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and is celebrated every two years. The 2022 event, the first held in-person, was in Toronto.

This year’s celebration headliners include Tony-winning actor Billy Porter and Nigerian singers Yemi Alade and Omawumi.

More than half of Black LGBTQ U.S. adults live in the South, according to a January 2021 report from the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law. Of the Atlanta metropolitan area’s population of about 6 million people, roughly 194,000 identify as LGBTQ, according to March 2021 data from the institute, though that data was not broken down by race.

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Matt Lavietes is a reporter for NBC Out.

Aug. 29, 2024, 4:11 PM UTC

By Matt Lavietes

Atlanta police are investigating an act of vandalism that damaged property belonging to organizers of an LGBTQ Pride event dedicated to celebrating Black queer communities globally.

The Atlanta Police Department said in a statement Wednesday that the incident happened at a hotel in midtown Atlanta, where an event for Global Black Pride was taking place.

Authorities added that a preliminary investigation indicated that an intoxicated guest of the hotel caused the damage late Tuesday evening, and that they are still “following up on leads regarding the identity of the suspect and are working to determine why the suspect caused the damage.”

NBC’s Atlanta affiliate, WXIA-TV, reported that a since-deleted video on social media showed tables, pamphlets and pride flags scattered on the floor at the hotel.

Global Black Pride condemned the incident in a post on Instagram on Wednesday, calling it an “act of hatred.”

“Healing and joy are our priorities in a world that often harbors hate,” the group wrote. “We will not be deterred, and we will not allow hate stop us from celebrating our pride and resilience.”

“When we fight, we win,” it added.

The Global Black Pride festival, which started Tuesday and will end Monday in Atlanta, includes workshops, art exhibits, a health conference and several marches. It began during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and is celebrated every two years. The 2022 event, the first held in-person, was in Toronto.

This year’s celebration headliners include Tony-winning actor Billy Porter and Nigerian singers Yemi Alade and Omawumi.

More than half of Black LGBTQ U.S. adults live in the South, according to a January 2021 report from the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law. Of the Atlanta metropolitan area’s population of about 6 million people, roughly 194,000 identify as LGBTQ, according to March 2021 data from the institute, though that data was not broken down by race.

For more from NBC Out, sign up for our weekly newsletter.

Matt Lavietes is a reporter for NBC Out.

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