Violent anti-LGBTQ graffiti painted over Arts Council murals on Cedar Street

SATURDAY, April 15 — Anti-LGBTQ graffiti was painted over two murals sponsored by the Arts Council of Greater Lansing under the Interstate 496 overpass at Cedar Street and the Grand River in Lansing.

“Fuck Trans Kids,” and “Stop Monkeypox Kill a Fag” were among the phrases covering up the murals. They have since been covered over with black paint and affirming messages for the LGBTQ community.

Last June, a display of pride flags on the City of Lansing welcome sign on Michigan Avenue near U.S. 127 was vandalized several times. Video of pride flags being burned was obtained with trail cameras, but law enforcement has not made any arrests in the case.

In February, gay-owned Strange Matter Co. closed for several days after receiving a threatening letter.

“It’s 2023 — this shit has to stop,” said Council member Ryan Kost, who represents the First Ward, where all the incidents occurred.  He spoke as he was taping a rainbow flag on the wall where the graffiti and response graffiti were painted.

One of the words painted on the murals was “fag.”

 “That’s a hateful word, and it comes with a lot of painful memories for me,” Kost, who is gay, said.

He expressed concern that the area where the graffiti incident occurred is obscured from observation and activity enough at night that a form of graffiti war may ensue, with various views on LGBTQ being spray painted on the cement walls, then replaced with a different view.

He said he is also concerned the rhetoric could lead to violence against the LGBTQ community.

Mayor Andy Schor called the graffiti “disgusting” and “hate speech.” He said the city will attempt to remove the graffiti, but if it cannot it will approach the artist who created the original murals and ask if they would like to create new ones.

Schor said in a text today, “The LGBTQ+ community is a very important part of Lansing and this is simply an attack on them.”