The community is finding itself in the spotlight after it came together to send a message to the anonymous neighbor who mutilated and killed Angelina's cat after sending hateful transphobic messages.
They don't know who it is, so they can't handle things through the legal system. Instead, they decided to be perfectly petty and we're here for it.
They knew the cat murderer hated rainbow flags, so Angelina and her community came together and painted her entire house in bright rainbow colors.
Angelina says the harassment began in 2017 when she received the first of several threatening letters. She had recently put a pride flag up under her American flag and the letter writer was not a fan.
That letter was just the beginning. Angelina called the harassment "unrelenting" over the years, but could never have predicted how far the neighbor would go. She found out just what they were capable of in a horrifying way.
While in her garden one day she discovered the remains of her beloved cat, Rambo. To be more specific, Angelina discovered some of Rambo's remains.
The neighbor had murdered him, chopped him in half, and placed the back half of his body in her garden. If there had been any doubt about who did it, the transphobe took credit for the cruel murder.
RIP Rambo.
Now This / Youtube Screenshot
Police were contacted and Angelina has been working with them by reporting each incident and providing all the evidence she can. Mail has been taken for tracing, Rambo's body was examined, etc.
Rambo was murdered in the summer of 2019, but authorities have not been able to make any arrests.
Angelina took her time grieving, but it wasn't long before she decided she needed to fight back somehow. She didn't like feeling helpless and the police were handling things on their end.
She had already taken steps to make sure she was safe, but she also wanted this neighbor to know she wasn't afraid or ashamed. Angelina needed to send a message.
But how?
It was a rainbow flag that initially irritated the neighbor enough to start sending the letters. So she decided to just turn the rainbow up to full blast.
"You hate rainbows, transphobe? You're gonna get ALL the rainbow!" ~ Angelina, probably.
Angelina didn't want to just make a statement for herself, though. She wanted to speak as a community, so she invited neighbors to paint the house with her.
We don't just mean her next door neighbors.
We mean Angelina invited basically the whole neighborhood. If you're going to make a statement like this, you go big.
She created a Facebook event and put flyers up around town to let people know what she was doing and why. Painting the biggest, brightest rainbow possible was a peaceful solution that's also just a smidge petty.
So obviously people LOVED THIS IDEA.
A local hardware store got wind of the event and donated all of the paint Angelina would need to paint not just the house, but also the fence and pretty much anything else she wanted to cover in color. On the day of the event, she expected maybe 50 people counting herself and her friends.
That's not what happened.
Instead, hundreds of people showed up. They brought out grills, chairs, music and more.
The community turned it into a painting picnic party to show support for Angelina. At the end of the day, they had the house covered in color.
This has to be the prettiest proverbial "eff off" ever.
Now This / YouTube Screenshot
Check out this YouTube video about it.
Angelina's story started making the rounds on Twitter.
A neighbor sent her anonymous threatening letters for 3 years and then murdered her cat by chopping it in half. And… https://t.co/ZnZeuyFVQ5— Katelyn Burns (@Katelyn Burns) 1580306143
@nowthisnews If someone tortures and kills an animal, their issues go far, far, far deeper than bigotry, transphobi… https://t.co/s0aYxDF6Ra— ClickitCricketHarley (@ClickitCricketHarley) 1579819134
@LilithLovett Some sick people just need an "excuse" to do horrific things to pets.— Guy Fieri Stan account #1776 (@Guy Fieri Stan account #1776) 1580330350
@maagdalene17 @nowthisnews I have ZERO fear. If they killed me they’d only make my voice stronger and louder.— Angie V. (@Angie V.) 1579854442
Angelina and her community are determined not to let hate win.
If you or someone you know is experiencing harassment, please take the proper steps to make sure everyone is safe before creating any fabulous response.
Back in 2012, the company's Chief Operating Officer Dan T. Cathy spoke out repeatedly in opposition to marriage equality after reports that the company's charitable organization, WinShape Foundation, had donated millions of dollars to anti-LGBT organizations.
The company quickly backtracked on this stance, and claimed an exit from political involvement:
"Going forward, our intent is to leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena."
This wasn't exactly what they did, however.
ThinkProgress recently released information from the Chick-Fil-A Foundations tax filings that shows it donated 1.8 million dollars to three organizations with distinctly anti-LGBT policies in 2017.
In response to this news, The Dru Project got a little creative with their fundraising efforts.
Anyone feeling a bit guilty about their waffle fries or deluxe chicken sandwich can make reparations by donating the cost of their meal to help sponsor queer youth scholarships.
The Dru Project
"Recently, we have gotten promises for donations by friends of The Dru Project who may have slipped and gotten waffle fries, lemonade, or a chicken sandwich from Chick-Fil-A."
"As you may be aware, this company has repeatedly donated to foundations working against the LGBTQ+ community."
"If you want to make reparations for this, we are happily accepting confessions & donations below. Turn that waffle fry guilt into curricula or scholarships for LGBTQ+ youth! 🏳️🌈⤵️ "
The Dru Project was created in memory of Christopher Andrew Leinonen and his partner Juan Ramon Guerrero who were killed during the Pulse nightclub shooting in 2016.
It honors Leinonen and the other victims by working to improve the lives of LGBT+ youth through scholarships.
"Naturally, we wanted to honor him and his legacy the best way we could: By empowering LGBTQ+ youth and setting them up to be the successful leaders we desperately need in this country."
There were several people feeling the waffle fry guilt.
Steven Peterson/Facebook
Terry Castillo/Facebook
One Facebook user wanted to spread the world IRL in an area where Chick-Fil-A is one of a limited number of options.
Zachary Perrault Rudick/Facebook
Donations weren't limited to people who were feeling guilty.
Mark Russell/Facebook
Anyone wanting to support The Dru Project in their mission to help queer youth be successful can donate through their website (PayPal button near the bottom of the page) or Facebook page.
Twitter user @TweetChizone shared the story in response to a question from Nicole Cliffe:
"What is the kindest thing a stranger has done or said to you?"
@TweetChizone shared the emotional tale in a series of tweets.
"Oh God I can't even tell this story and not cry."
"I used to manage an LGBT bookstore, when bookstores were still a thing. One night, a caller says he thinks he might be gay and is considering self-harm. We were not a crisis center! But as long as we're talking, he's safe, right?"
@Nicole_Cliffe Oh God I can’t even tell this story and not cry. I used to manage an LGBT bookstore, when bookstores… https://t.co/chqOdIKJ90— Joe (@Joe) 1551728038
He goes on:
"So I talk to this guy and I answer questions, and I try to be encouraging and I'm maybe sounding a little frantic and I'm definitely ignoring the 4-5 customers in the store, and this angel of a woman puts her hand on my shoulder and asks for the phone.
"'My turn,' she says."
@Nicole_Cliffe So I talk to this guy and I answer questions, and I try to be encouraging and I’m maybe sounding a l… https://t.co/J9NLckHFhU— Joe (@Joe) 1551728113
"And SHE, this 50-something lesbian talks to this stranger on the phone. And a LINE FORMS BEHIND HER. Every customer in that store knows that call, knows that feeling, and every person takes a turn talking to that man."
"That story comforts me so much to this day."
@Nicole_Cliffe And SHE, this 50-something lesbian talks to this stranger on the phone. And a LINE FORMS BEHIND HER.… https://t.co/AFvGkYYVr8— Joe (@Joe) 1551728210
Pardon us while we cry in the corner for a moment.
Twitter users were similarly emotional.
@Nicole_Cliffe @TweetChizone All of these stories are amazing, but this made me sob and call my mother.— Jenner Bendele (@Jenner Bendele) 1551732338
@TweetChizone @Nicole_Cliffe I can't even read this story and not cry...human kindness AT IT's BEST! Wow. I am filled with hope!— AmyinTennessee212 (@AmyinTennessee212) 1551793283
@TweetChizone @Nicole_Cliffe I didn’t know how much I needed to read this today. Thank you. #IKnowThatStory— ThatQueerDoc (@ThatQueerDoc) 1551845148
Others recalled similar experiences in LGBT bookstores and libraries.
@TweetChizone @Nicole_Cliffe Thank you so much for this story! I own a LGBTQ bookstore, and have had similar situat… https://t.co/FY5pJNNn8E— Khalisa Rae 🍭 (@Khalisa Rae 🍭) 1551829694
Community brings us together and saves lives. You don't have to be a trained professional to help bring someone back to a better place.
It's no secret that suicide and self-harm are major issues in the LGBT+ community; there's only so much adversity a person can face before it starts to negatively affect them. Merely knowing that they are not alone, that there really are people out there who understand them, can make a world of difference to someone who has gotten to that point.
If you are considering suicide, or just need someone to talk to, there are people out there who are happy to listen and want to help.
The Trevor Project provides help to LGBTQ youth. Their hotline can be reached by calling 1-866-488-7386 or texting START to 678678.
The Trans Lifeline is a peer-support hotline dedicated to support for trans and trans-questioning people. They can be reached at 877-565-8860.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline also provides support and crisis intervention. They can be reached by calling 1-800-273-8255.
