Man films himself spitting on a Pride flag outside New York gay bar
A man video himself spitting at an LGBT+ Pride flag in New York City. (Screen captures via YouTube)
A man spat on an LGBT+ Pride flag hanging outside of the oldest queer bar in Queens, New York, and bar owners and staff are asking the public to help identify him.
The unidentified individual videoed himself on his mobile spitting on the flag as he walked along 37th Street towards Albatross Bar, located at 36-19 24th Avenue.
According to neighbourhood paper Astoria Post, the bar owner received a copy of the video via email on Monday night, shortly after it was posted on YouTube that day.
He told the outlet the he initially ignored it, but decided to post it onto the bar’s social media to find the suspect.
The owner downloaded the video, rather than posting it directly from Youtube, to ensure the account wouldn’t get any views.
Bar staff are “very angry” the Pride flag incident took place.
While the bar has dealt with occasional hecklers before, the bar owner, who declined to give a name, said he has not seen anything “as bad as this” in his five years of owning Albatross.
In the footage, the suspect is walking along the the pavement wearing a blue cap turned to the side. He has a neck tattoo and has a bandage across his nose.
Where the video originally came from remains unclear.
Albatross Bar, one of the oldest queer bars in western Queens, is known for its cheap drinks and regular drags acts. (PinkNews)
The YouTube video is titled ‘stupid kid spit on LGBTQ flag and get chased by transgenders’.
However, nobody is shown in the video chasing the suspect.
Moreover, the YouTube account associated with the video, made in 2017, uses an alleged alias called ‘KhaDafi’. The channel consists of the video as well as eight rap tracks posted in the last year.
But several songs, in which the user appears to credit as by themselves, are in fact by other artists. An email to book ‘KhaDafi’ is also listed in the description of each song,
The bar owner explained that bar staff are “very angry, very angry”about what happened, before adding: “It’s just awful stuff. It’s the world we live in right?”
If anyone recognizes this person please private message us so we can report to authorities. We won’t tolerate this unacceptable behavior. ?? pic.twitter.com/Bef35cwnpw
— Albatross Bar (@AlbatrossNYC) September 18, 2019
Neighbourhood senator: “Astoria doesn’t tolerate this kind of repulsive behaviour.”
Queer folks have gathered around the jukebox to sip cheap drinks at the Albatross Bar, called the ‘Gay Cheers of Astoria’ among regulars, for decades.
As a result, news that the neighbourhood bar’s Pride flag was spat on, which hangs alongside by a bunting of rainbow flags, ignited fury from Astoria community leaders.
The bar owner is in the process of reporting what happened to the police, according to Astoria Post, and has asked anyone who recognises the man to report him to local police or directly to Albatross Bar.
#Astoria doesn’t tolerate this kind of repulsive behavior.
I alerted @NYPD114Pct and am working with @AlbatrossNYC to find the person responsible and prevent more acts of hate https://t.co/Tp1o3mvqhr— Sen. Mike Gianaris (@SenGianaris) September 18, 2019
Senator Mike Gianaris, of Queens, condemned the act. He said on Twitter: “#Astoria doesn’t tolerate this kind of repulsive behaviour.”
“I alerted @NYPD114Pct and am working with @AlbatrossNYC to find the person responsible and prevent more acts of hate.”
This spit-and-run comes after a similar incident in Harlem that saw a pair of Pride flags outside a black-owned gay bar set alight.
