Pride flag burned outside gay couple’s Pennsylvania home

Sign up for The Agenda, Them’s news and politics newsletter, delivered Thursdays.

A gay couple reported the burning of a Pride flag outside of their Lancaster, PA home on April 28. The Lancaster Police department is currently investigating the incident.

Tuc To and Peter Helman told local NBC affiliate WGAL that they noticed the burnt flag on Wednesday morning after the vandalism allegedly occurred. When they checked their Ring security cameras, they found footage, shared with WGAL, of a person in a hoodie with their face obscured approaching the flag with a lighter and proceeding to set it alight. The flag was left with burns and rips, but the fire did not spread to other areas of the home, in part because the flag itself was made of nylon.

“I do want to show that there are real people behind these acts,” To told the TV station. “There were real possible implications and consequences, like if it had caught on fire to a significant amount, it may have gotten to the house and certainly — we're in a row home, so there's adjacent houses that might have been affected, too.”

The couple says this is not the first time someone has targeted and vandalized their Pride flag since they moved in six years ago, as people have allegedly stolen and or damaged them in the past. They are not discouraged from displaying flags, however, and feel largely supported by their community.

“It’s definitely disheartening,” To told WGAL . “But it’s something that we do know, like in the back of our minds, like when we put something like this up, it does kind of put a target on us.”

To, who is a primary care physician at Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health, treats trans patients regularly and provides gender-affirming care. He told Lancaster Online that as an advocate for LGBTQ+ healthcare, it’s important for him to make a statement and fly the Pride flag.

“It's to let people know that it's a supportive neighborhood and that we are here,” he said. “It's something that we feel is important, especially nowadays with the current kind of political climate.”

Luckily, To and Helman have a supply of backup flags on hand and say they will be putting up another as soon as the rain subsides.

Get the best of what’s queer. Sign up for Them’s weekly newsletter here.