For the second year in a row, vandals have targeted rainbow flags lining New York City’s Stonewall National Monument, a site synonymous with the LGBTQ rights movement. It's like someone stole the history book and replaced it with a blank journal. Between Thursday evening and Friday morning, 160 flags were broken, both inside and outside the monument, located in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village neighborhood (NBC).

New York City Councilmember Erik Bottcher, who represents the district and is openly gay, didn't waste time posting photos of the broken flags on Instagram and X. Bottcher succinctly summed up the community's sentiment, stating, “Anyone who thinks this will intimidate or silence our community is badly mistaken. Hateful acts like this merely strengthen our resolve.” So, vandals, congrats on accomplishing precisely the opposite of what you intended.

Mayor Eric Adams also condemned the vandalism, stating that “hate has no place in our city”. Adams had just finished celebrating Pride Month by hosting LGBTQ activists and lawmakers at Gracie Mansion on Thursday evening—nothing says "Pride Month kickoff" quite like cleaning up after the narrow-minded revelry of vandals.

New York Attorney General Letitia James weighed in, calling the vandalism “disgusting.” She responded to Bottcher's images on X of the damaged flags, making it clear that New York’s top legal officials stand against such actions.

Let’s pause for a history lesson that these perpetrators might've missed. The Stonewall National Monument comprises Christopher Park and the Stonewall Inn. This iconic bar was the flashpoint of the June 1969 riots, often considered the cornerstone of the modern gay rights movement. Yes, the very notion that these flags were vandalized on such hallowed grounds is like spray-painting graffiti on the Liberty Bell—and equally eloquent.

The incident is only the latest in a troubling series of attacks on Pride-related symbols. For instance, over 200 Pride flags were recently stolen from Carlisle, Massachusetts, and 14 Pride banners were slashed in Poulsbo, Washington. Showing their versatility, vandals in Newberg, Oregon went for the ol’ pellet gun approach on a Pride flag displayed at a library. Historical insight and creativity don't seem to go hand in hand, do they?

Last year showcased at least 145 incidents of harassment, vandalism, and assault during Pride Month nationwide. It appears some people are going out of their way to set records no one asks for.

In closing, it's worth noting that vandalizing something so symbolic of resistance and resilience only strengthens the resolve of the targeted group. It’s like trying to suffocate a fire with a bellows—completely counterproductive and rather illuminating of the vandals’ own ignorance.