Massachusetts gay couple finds support from neighbours after their home is vandalised
The neighbourhood responded with an immense show of solidarity
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Your support makes all the difference.A Boston-area couple were shocked to find their rainbow flag – a symbol of gay pride – ripped from their porch and bombarded with eggs.
Cari and Lauri Ryding first raised the flag on their porch in the wake of the mass shooting at an LGBTQ nightclub in Orlando that claimed the lives of 49 people.
Reeling from the act of weekend vandalism, the Rydings were touched when their neighbours in Natick, a suburb of Boston, immediately began to show solidarity with the couple.
The Boston Globe reported that by Sunday, some 40 houses in the neighbourhood brandished rainbow flags and colourful decorations.
“It just happened so quickly – the whole neighbourhood said, “Get me a flag. Get me a flag. Get me a flag,’” Penni Rochwerger, who lives by the Rydings, told the Globe. “If we can stop whatever hate is out there, I think that’s really important.”
Lauri Ryding, 52, said that she felt overwhelmed by the showing of support from the people on Strawberry Hill Road.
“One person’s act of fear and maliciousness created such a powerful statement of love,” she said. “We are very blessed, very fortunate.”
Cari Ryding, 49, first moved to the neighbourhood 23 years ago when she was married to her then-husband. She said she loved the family-feel of the area, which was cemented when they split up 10 years ago.
The community then welcomed her wife over four years ago.
“When I moved in four and a half years ago, I was embraced,” Lauri recalled. “Our relationship was embraced.”
As for the vandals, the Rydings informed the Natick police who are conducting an investigation. Whether or not they find the suspects, the Rydings feel supported.
“Somebody’s fear called them to action,” Lauri said. “But our neighbours’ support and love called to them to action – and love conquers hate. Love wins. We win.”