Neighbour pens ‘hateful’ letter over rainbow flag in backyard: 'Absolutely fuming'
Two sisters are 'fuming' after being delivered a letter demanding that they stop showing support for the LGBTI+ community.
A woman’s show of support for the LGBTI+ community has divided her neighbourhood, with one resident so furious they penned a letter showing their “concern”.
Summer Irvin’s rainbow flag is set up in her backyard, overlooking a popular walking track at Coomera Waters on the Gold Coast.
She had raised the flag to tie in with Mardi Gras and Sydney’s WorldPride event, but it caught the attention of one group of neighbours who wrote a letter demanding she remove it.
“Our community in Coomera Waters is a wholesome community and not a queer community and nor does it promote queer conduct – especially to children,” the letter read.
“As a neighbour who is proud to live in Coomera Waters and its wonderful community I respectfully request that you take down the said cloth immediately and or asap.”
The letter writer said they often walk the path behind Ms Irvin’s home with their children and find the flag “offensive, unsavoury, abhorrent, corrupting, divisive, outrageous and disgusting”.
They also suggested replacing the rainbow flag with the Australian flag to show “patriotism” instead.
Ms Irvin wasn’t impressed with the letter, and while the flag is usually changed seasonally, she is now vowing to keep it up all year.
“To this gutless and cowardly person who wrote this letter, the flag will be flying all year round and we will not be taking it down,” she told 9News.
“In fact, I think we’re probably going to get a bigger and better and larger one.”
Ms Irvin’s sister, Ashley, is a former Married at First Sight contestant who appeared on season 5. Ashley shared the letter with her 133,000 Instagram followers on Friday, also expressing her disgust at the neighbour’s “hate speech”.
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“I am absolutely FUMING!” she wrote, promising to set up cameras at the home to help identify anyone that leaves another letter.
Her post was met with an outpouring of support, with the sisters now planning a Pride Picnic event in the neighbourhood.
“EVERYONE is invited and we are wearing a lot of rainbow & glitter!!” Ashley wrote.
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