Anti-Gay Slurs Discovered On Queens Lawmakers' Offices

ASTORIA, QUEENS — Two pieces of graffiti containing anti-gay slurs were discovered on Monday morning on the walls of the Astoria building that houses the offices of Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas and Senator Michael Gianaris. Both graffiti, written in blue, read "Obama f----t."

This is the second time in two weeks that the same phrase was found on the walls of the building located on 31-19 Newtown Ave. Councilman Costa Constantinides had filed a report with the NYPD on March 11 regarding the first incidence of anti-gay graffiti, which also consisted of the same homophobic statement.

“It is shameful that someone is trying to divide our diverse neighborhood through hostility and bigotry," said Sen. Michael Gianaris. "We can assure our community that these hateful actions will not silence our opposition towards policies we consider un-American, and we will continue to fight for those who need our help no matter the cost.”

Simotas and Gianaris have voiced their staunch opposition to President Trump's policies. Along with Councilman Constantinides, the two government officials hosted a rally to support Muslim immigrants in Little Egypt and celebrate Astoria's diversity following the federal ban on immigration from seven Muslim countries.

Senator Gianaris recently introduced a legislation that would prohibit the Port Authority, which protects New York airports, from using any of its resources to enforce the Muslim travel ban. The Senator also introduced a legislation that would add immigration status to the list of individuals protected under the state's Human Rights and Civil Right Laws.

“Writing hateful graffiti is a cowardly, criminal act that pollutes our neighborhood and makes people feel less safe," said Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas. "I am confident that the 114 Precinct will catch the perpetrator or perpetrators, whatever their sick motivation may be. These acts of hate will neither silence nor stop Astoria’s elected officials from working to fight discrimination and intolerance and to protect the beautiful diversity of our neighborhood.”

Both government officials tweeted regarding the incident:

The 114th Precinct documented the graffiti found on the building and is looking at security footage to identify the criminals responsible for both the March 11 and March 20 incidents. The graffiti is considered a hate crime and NYPD's Hate Crime Task Force is investigating.

Image provided by Senator Gianaris's office