(LifeSiteNews) — An 18-year-old Florida man was arrested by St. Petersburg Police on July 1 for doing burnouts with his vehicle that left skid marks on a rainbow “Pride” mural in May.
According to law enforcement, Christian Maier was caught on video damaging a pro-LGBT street painting on May 22 at 2:40 a.m. The crosswalk experienced a similar act of protest just five days earlier on May 17 at 9:30 a.m. Police say the two incidents are not related.
Maier was released from Pinellas County Jail after posting a $5,500 bond. He pleaded not guilty to two felony charges for criminal mischief and racing on a street. The mischief charge was originally a misdemeanor but later deemed a felony due to the damages exceeding $1,000. Maier has not been charged with a hate crime at this time.
Acts of protests like the one carried out by Maier are seemingly becoming a common occurrence in the United States. As reported by LifeSite in June, three teenage boys in Spokane, Washington could face up to five years in jail and up to $10,000 in fines for putting skid marks on a rainbow-colored street mural with their scooters. Three other acts of vandalism, all unrelated, have been carried out on the mural since October 2023.
The Tampa Bay Times has likewise reported that a 19-year-old male was arrested for allegedly defacing a rainbow “Pride” mural in Delray Beach in March.
St. Petersburg is home to some of the most pro-LGBT policies in the United States. According to its website, the city has since 2014 earned a “perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index (MEI), which examines the laws, policies, and services of municipalities and rates them on the basis of their inclusivity of LGBTQ+ people who live and work there.”
The city also boasts about having an LGBTQ+ visitor information, a Metro Inclusive Health LGBTQ+ Welcome Center, and the largest Pride celebration in Florida. What’s more, the city observes March 31 as “Transgender Day of Visibility” and November 20 as “Transgender Day of Remembrance.” The police department as well as the mayor’s office have a “LGBT+ liaison” position that specializes in catering to the complaints of persons in the St. Petersburg community who are confused about their gender and believe this entitles them to have a personal hotline to local authorities.
