The New York City Police Department is investigating vandalism of posters featuring USA soccer star Megan Rapinoe as a possible hate crime.
Eight posters featuring the athlete and activist in her U.S. Women’s National Team jersey were defaced in a midtown subway station, CNN reported. The vandalism included homophobic and derogatory slurs against Rapinoe, who is a member of and advocate for the LGBTQ community.
The incident was reported Monday morning at the West 42nd Street subway station, following the US Women’s World Cup win on Sunday.
“Hate has no place in the transit system and we work hard to make the subway a welcoming, safe environment for everyone,” MTA deputy communications director Shams Tarek said in a statement, adding that the posters had been cleaned off and would be “replaced with new ones if necessary.” The NYPD’s hate crime task force is currently investigating the incident.
Rapinoe and her team were honored with a ticker tape parade in New York on Wednesday in recognition of their World Cup title.
In the wake of the the team’s success, Rapinoe has attracted increasing attention for using her platform to advocate for a variety of social justice causes, including gender equality and LGBTQ rights. During a rally following Wednesday’s parade, Rapinoe urged Americans to “love more” and “hate less.”
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