PROVO, Utah — A Provo Pride mural was vandalized right at the end of Pride Month, bringing concern among members of a community that says it already feels under-represented in Utah County.
Members of the LGBTQ community, like Amber Jay, said visibility in Utah County has long been a struggle.
“There definitely is a lot of expectation that we don’t have a vibrant queer community,” said Jay.
It’s why Jay started organizing events with We Are Here Utah - to find those inclusive spaces.
“We partner a fair bit with theFINDlab,” said Jay, who’s the group’s executive director.
The film processing store on Center Street in Provo has opened its arms and its doors - because it has a personal connection. Jay said that the owner, Jonathan Canlas, has five children who identify as LGBTQ+.
So in 2024, he commissioned a Pride mural on the side of his shop.
“It represents a lot of our clients, team members, family and friends,” said theFINDlab’s general manager, Noelle Reynolds. “We just want a place where everyone feels welcome.”
But when Reynolds rolled into work on Sunday, she found the entire 75-foot-long mural defaced.
“It was a little shocking, a little disappointing,” Reynolds said.
“I felt a little bit like someone had come to my house and spray-painted on my mural,” Jay said.
So amid the heat and on a holiday weekend, some gathered to restore the mural.
“Their resilience is better shown than told - and I think that’s what we’re doing today,” said Reynolds.
Several passersby who saw what was happening even decided to join in and help, like Oliver Harris from Orem.
“To have the nerve to do this… it’s super disrespectful,” said Harris.
They worked together to scrub off the stain of ignorance on this larger-than-life statement for unity at the heart of their city.
“That’s what we wanted to do with this mural to show up for our community, and now we’re getting them to show up for us,” Reynolds said. “So it means a lot.”
Reynolds says they believe they’ve caught the person who appears responsible on their surveillance footage, but they haven’t yet been identified.
