Wed 17 Sep 2008 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
Police in West Auckland are seeking information about a yellow spray paint tagger who has been leaving gay-related slogans on vehicles and buildings in New Lynn. Tagged: Bright yellow homophobia in New Lynn 'Homo.com' and 'fagot fanclub' are just two of the many tags found on at least eight vehicles in the area this month. A residential garage and New Lynn Primary School have also been tagged. The Western Leader newspaper has offered a $200 reward for information leading to the arrest of the culprits. Warren Strand of New Lynn Police Station says officers are now following up on leads, and sent GayNZ.com pictures of some of the damage. He says the vandalism is random and unrelated to the sexualities of the owners of the vehicles. Brent Fairlie of The Wingate Club male sauna in nearby Avondale says he's surprised by the anti-gay tagging incidents, as he doesn't see West Auckland as a particularly homophobic place. "We do have some homophobia here, but I don't think it's any worse than anywhere else," Fairlie says. "In general, out west we're a bit more laid back and relaxed." If you have any information, New Lynn Police Station can be contacted on 09 826 2454. The Western Leader story on the tagging is on the link below.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News Staff
First published: Wednesday, 17th September 2008 - 12:18pm