Community calls for unity after LGBTQIA+ memorial bench for Brooklyn teen defaced

The NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force is investigating the desecration of a Bay Ridge memorial bench dedicated to the life of a local LGBTQIA+ teen.

The bench, painted in the colors of the progressive Pride flag, was installed along Shore Road in memory of Megan Alano, who died in March 2020. The Oct. 5 incident marks the second act of vandalism targeting the bench within the past month, according to the southern Brooklyn queer organization Gay Ridge.

On Tuesday, Gay Ridge shared photos of the bench defaced with red graffiti, including anti-LGBTQIA+ slurs. The group strongly condemned the act, calling it a spread of “hate, division, and pain” in an Instagram post.

“We are a strong part of South Brooklyn, and it is important for us to speak up together, united to stand against such egregious acts and attacks on our community,” the post read.

The Hate Crime Task Force launched an investigation into the incident after receiving a report on Oct. 5 that a yet-to-be-identified individual covered the bench in red spray paint and slurs before quickly fleeing the scene at around 7:20 p.m. that evening.

No description of the suspect is currently available, according to a police spokesperson. A local good Samaritan has since painted over the hateful graffiti.

Jason Graubard, co-director of Gay Ridge, told Brooklyn Paper that the vandalism is especially painful because it also dishonors the memory of 15-year-old Alano.

“This one hits a lot harder because it’s also a memorial to a child who was a member of the community,” Graubard said. “Still, I’ve been amazed by the strength of our community coming together, standing up, and making sure that our presence is highlighted and positive.”

Graubard said the organization is working with Alano’s family and local leaders to refurbish the bench and address ongoing queerphobia in the neighborhood.

Fellow co-director Liam Vogel said the group’s ultimate goal moving forward is to foster understanding and inclusion in the community, though they acknowledge the challenges ahead.

“Ultimately, we want people to see us as just other human beings, other parts of their community — just their neighbors,” Vogel said, adding that meaningful change may not come from short-term justice system solutions alone.

“I strongly believe that these people will not change their mindset if they face a consequence within the justice system, I actually think that might make things worse in some cases,” Vogel added. “I think a lot of the people who have these beliefs are also of the mindset that if they’re punished for it in some way, it’s just further proof that they’re losing their right to speak freely about how they feel about different communities.”

The recent vandalism is part of a broader trend of anti-LGBTQIA+ incidents in Bay Ridge, where multiple Pride flags have been torn down, including one burned on a sidewalk on Third Avenue in April 2023. In June 2023, queer-affirming chalk art work, installed in response to comments made by Assembly Member Alec Brook-Krasny about transgender individuals, was spray-painted over.

Gay Ridge attributes the rise in such incidents locally to the increasingly hostile political climate at a national level.

“I believe very strongly that a lot of the political division has been feeding into things, especially the rhetoric around queer people and trans people,” Vogel said. “These things are all connected — nothing’s happening in a vacuum.”

The organization is asking the community to support the fundraiser established in Alano’s memory through the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention as they plan their next steps.

If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts or a crisis, please reach out immediately to the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741. These services are free and confidential.