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By Jason Villemez
PHILADELPHIA The mural on 204 S. 12th Street honoring the legacy of LGBTQ pioneer Gloria Casarez was painted over on Dec. 23. The building and the surrounding complex, which includes the former 12th Street Gym as well as the Henry Minton House (a former home to Black abolitionists) is being demolished to make way for a 31-story residential building.
A coalition of activists from the LGBTQ community, African-American community, and allies and neighbors had been petitioning the developer, Midwood Investment & Development, to save or preserve the mural, but the efforts were unsuccessful. The mural was created in 2015 by artist Michelle Angelina Ortiz and Briana Dawkins of Mural Arts. According to several community sources, no advance notice was given regarding the erasure.
Community mourns after developer abruptly paints over mural of late activist TODAY 12/28/2020 Alyssa Newcomb
For the last five years, a mural of the late community activist Gloria Casarez has stood as a beacon of hope and representation on South 12th Street in Philadelphia s Gayborhood, an area located in the heart of the city.
Casarez, who was Philadelphia s first director of LGBTQ affairs, died of cancer in 2014. She was 42. A lot of us gathered (by the mural) to be close to Gloria after she left. It was a place where you could feel like you were being looked at by Gloria and feel safe and be in this space, Erme Maula, who has lived in the community for the last 30 years and knew Casarez, told TODAY.
Community mourns after developer paints over mural of late LGBTQ activist Alyssa Newcomb
For the last five years, a mural of the late community activist Gloria Casarez has stood as a beacon of hope and representation on South 12th Street in Philadelphia s Gayborhood, an area located in the heart of the city.
Casarez, who was Philadelphia s first director of LGBTQ affairs, died of cancer in 2014. She was 42. A lot of us gathered (by the mural) to be close to Gloria after she left. It was a place where you could feel like you were being looked at by Gloria and feel safe and be in this space, Erme Maula, who has lived in the community for the last 30 years and knew Casarez, told TODAY.
Mural of late activist Gloria Casarez abruptly painted over today.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from today.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.