GENEVA, Ill. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A rainbow fire hydrant in Geneva has been painted over by a vandal for the seventh time and it’s also the seventh time artist Chrissy Swanson has restored the original inclusion flag design.
She posted a photo on Facebook of the damaged hydrant.
“I will repaint it as many times as someone paints over it,” Swanson said.
While she didn’t start the project to make a statement, the repeated vandalism has turned it into one.
“It is more than just a fire hydrant that's being repainted,” Swanson told WBBM. “It’s what that fire hydrant or what that paint job stands for.”
She said she first decided to paint the inclusion flag, because she wanted everybody to be accepted for who they are.
Now she and the group Belong: Fox Valley are turning a negative act into a positive one.
The organization works on making Fox Valley, Illinois and the surrounding communities more inclusive for members of the LGBTQ community.
“I think the message is to thank the vandal, because every time it gets vandalized, people are encouraged to make donations to The Trevor Project on behalf of the person vandalizing it," said Swanson.
The Trevor Project offers crisis services to LGBTQ+ teens.
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