When Caroline Walker, a resident of Covington, Kentucky, realized the rainbow flag she and her girlfriend had hung outside their house had been stolen over this past weekend, she was upset. Caroline had only moved into the street in March, and until the flag-stealing incident, had experienced no such trouble.
Any hopes that whoever had taken the flag may have simply wanted it for themselves were dashed when the flag was discovered a short distance away, ripped and torn. It was an act of anti-LGBTQ prejudice, which upset the women even more.
Related: Gay couple’s hilarious video message to the jerk who stole their pride flag goes viral
A Facebook post about the incident has now gone viral, and we’re pleased to report it has a happy ending.
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update on the pride flag snatcher:when i realized my flag had been stolen the other day (we found it ripped up down at…
Posted by Caroline Walker on Tuesday, September 1, 2020
“When I realized my flag had been stolen the other day (we found it ripped up down at the end of my street 😢), my next-door neighbors, an opposite-sex couple with two kids (left house), were outside and saw me get emotional,” wrote Caroline. “They were very kind and offered to help me put up my new flag once it arrived,” she said.
“This morning as I was hanging up said new flag, I glanced over and noticed that they too had gone out to buy their own pride flag and hung it up on THEIR porch. Words cannot express how happy I am to know that I live next to some truly amazing, supportive and selfless individuals. I had a really hard time when my flag was stolen, but this restored my faith in humanity a little bit.”
She concluded: “Straight people—this is what allies look like. You don’t have to be LGBTQ to show support.”
At the time of writing, the Facebook posting, which included a photo of the two houses with their respective rainbow flags, has prompted over 31,000 reactions and 1,000 comments.
Related: Tulsa couple terrorized by neighbor’s desecration of the Pride Flag
Yesterday, both neighbors were interviewed for WLWT5. Caroline’s neighbor, Mary Hudson, who is straight, said when they heard Caroline and her partner were going to replace their stolen flag, “My husband spoke up and said we’ll put it up for you, and then I told my husband matter of fact, I’m going to buy one and put it up myself because that’s not okay.”
Caroline says the visibility of two Pride flags is even stronger than just one.
“If I was my little 12year-old self freaking out about if my parents are going to be okay with me being gay or not, it would feel comforting if there were two gay Pride flags down my street. I felt like there are people like me and even if they’re not exactly like me, they’re willing to accept me.”
Hudson says, “If the double show of support helps someone, that’s what matters.”
Caroline told Queerty she had been blown away by how her story had resonated with others.
“I was very surprised with how viral the post went! I just shared it as an update for all my friends and family after my flag was stolen. There have been a couple of negative trolls commenting but by far the response has been overwhelmingly positive. Already a couple more people on our street are wanting to put up their own pride flags. I am very lucky to have supportive neighbors!”
