Watch: Arizona Gay Couple Refuse to Retreat after Pride Flag Vandalized
A gay married couple in Queen Creek, Arizona, have endured property damage, harassment, and even an order from the HOA to remove their Pride flag - but they won't back down.
Jared and Tim DeLuca, both realtors, not only refuse to take their flag down no matter how many times it's ripped, torn down, or stolen; they have been documenting their travails, and their upbeat response to each incident, on TikTok, where they have garnered love and support - just as they have from many of their neighbors.
Local news station Arizona Family reported on the couple's resilience in the face of recurrent criminal acts of vandalism and property damage, and on the response from their Homeowner's Association, which has ordered the couple to take the flag down and keep it down.
The DeLucas' response? No way.
The couple put up a Pride version of the American flag in December, flying it from a flagpole in their backyard. "The flag faced a busy street," Arizona News recounted. "The intention was to let others know it's okay to be themselves and not hide it."
But it wasn't long before local bigots began targeting their home with hate.
"The first thing that happened was one day I was outside in the back patio and I heard people screaming slurs from their car while passing behind our house," Jared DeLuca told the news channel. "Which is funny because they didn't know I was there. They were literally screaming at my house for the sake of screaming at it."
That was followed by middle-of-the-night incidents of property damage, with the flag first being slashed and then torn down and stolen, with the perpetrator breaking the flagpole in the process.
Some of the hate has been brazen enough for those behind it to show their faces. In one incident, Jared told the news station that a neighbor attempted to intimidate them with a show of automotive machismo: They "took off down the end of the road and went around the cul-de-sac. They came back, stared us down, and then took off with tires screeching into the community."
The men have posted TikTok videos as each new incident of hate, vandalism, and property damage has taken place.
In one, the couple addressed bigoted residents, saying, "You won't win."
"You will not quiet us," they vowed. "You will not silence us."
In another TikTok video, they got creative and set up a whole new flagpole. "People wanna continue to come by my house and try to destroy my shit," Jared said. "We're gonna improvise."
@jdeluca.realtor Don't mess with a couple of gay Realtors... We're resourceful 😜 #trending #fyp #viral #lgbt #realtoroftiktok #improvise #hatecrime #propertydamage #community #dontmesswithme #arizona #riseup #spinback ♬ Spin Back X Collide Mashup - Kuya Magik
Shortly after, with some implements at hand in the garage, the couple set up a new Pride banner.
"Don't mess with a couple of gay men in real estate," the video says.
In another post, they addressed homophobes who drive by their home and hurl anti-gay slurs.
@jdeluca.realtor Exactly why this matters in Queen Creek, AZ. 🏳️🌈 #queencreekaz #lgbt #pride #community #bethechange #trending #viral #fyp #hatersgonnahate #riseup #arizonatok #speakup #madeyoulook ♬ Made You Look - Meghan Trainor