FORT WRIGHT, Ky. — Residents and city officials are standing up against in Fort Wright, after a lesbian couple says their home was targeted by vandals in September.
“I noticed blue spray paint on the side of our house coming around the corner,” Elise Sebastian said. “Before Hannah (Elisa’s wife) could even pull into the driveway, I said, ‘Let me out. Let me out. I have to get out. I have to see what happened.'”
That’s when Sebastian and her wife Hannah Windhorn saw what it said: “Hell is real.” The message was spray painted right next to the pride flag flying outside their house.
“We're just trying to be here and live our lives and exist,” Windhorn said.
Windhorn and Sebastian have had their pride flag stolen before, but have never experienced something like this. They said the incident was initially intimidating, especially for their 11-year-old daughter.
“She was hard to calm for hours,” Sebastian said. “I needed to stay with her just walking throughout our house, taking her up to her bedroom. She wanted me right there with her.”
Police officers observed the graffiti and wrote up a report, but have not yet identified those responsible. There were no witnesses or ring doorbell cameras that captured it, according to the police report.
Since then, Sebastian and Windhorn have spent hundreds of dollars to upgrade their security equipment.
“We won't tolerate it,” said Scott Shryock, who lives a few doors down. “Their statement is not representative of this community, or at least my and my family's perception of this community.”
Shryock and his family handed out small pride flags to neighbors after the incident.
“My wife had the idea of just simply getting some pride flags, walking around the neighborhood,” he said. “And going door to door explaining, ’This is what happened. You may or may not be aware of it. And as a little show of support for this family, would you please put out this flag? Or at least would you take this flag?”
Fort Wright City Council took action too. Members unanimously approved a resolution condemning the actions of those who painted the message.
“We’re very shocked, very surprised, very disappointed, very concerned,” said Fort Wright Chief Administrative Officer Jill Cain Bailey. “This is not activity that we have seen previously.”
In a letter, Mayor David Hatter said he was “outraged” and “disgusted” by the incident. He noted police had increased patrols in city neighborhoods to send a message that “this behavior will not be tolerated.”
Bailey said the city is currently exploring the possibility of adopting a Fairness Ordinance, which is a law that prohibits discrimination of LGBTQ+ individuals in various spheres.
There were at least 356 incidents of anti-LGBTQ+ hate and extremism in the U.S. between June 2022 and April 2023, according to data collected by the Anti-Defamation League and GLAAD.
“When we think about Kentucky specifically, we've seen a couple incidents of harassment and vandalism where maybe somebody's pride flag has been destroyed or taken down,” said Kelly Fishman, a regional director with the Anti-Defamation League.
Fishman said incidents that take place at a victim’s home can be especially traumatic.
“That is a place where we're supposed to be able to go and feel safe,” she said.
Sebastian and Windhorn have washed the paint off their house. Their flag is still standing.
“I think if anything, we're probably prepared to be more prominent and more involved in the community now,” Sebastian said.
“Hate has no home here,” Windhorn said.
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