Gay newspaper’s street boxes targeted in Canada
”The energy that’s required, the persistence to rip out a part that is very deliberately anchored in, suggests that this person has some significant issues. Somebody walking the streets out there has a real hate-on for the gay and lesbian community. I understand that people are not targeting Xtra with this; they’re targeting the gay community. We’re just a stand-in for the community.”
Gareth Kirkby, distribution manager for Xtra!, Canada’s largest gay and lesbian newspaper. He reports that 14 newspaper vending boxes were vandalized and papers were removed. He says that at the Ontario locations there were several different companies’ boxes, but only Xtra had a door part ripped out. Xtra fears that the individual involved could be preparing to take his anger out on people next, and have reported this to police as a possible hate crime. (Xtra!)
At one location, they say a different gay publication, LOV, had similar damage, while other boxes were left alone.
Distribution for all newspapers tends to be among the highest business costs, and street boxes in general are often targets for abuse. But a number of LGBT publications across North America have suffered an added burden, because religious zealots and other anti-gay vandals have, on occassion, destroyed papers and street boxes including both of Washington, DC’s publications.
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