A queer-friendly doughnut shop in Oklahoma suffered an attack by an arsonist shortly after hosting a drag queen art installation event.

Security footage shared by the business shows the attacker wearing a red hat, mask, and a black shirt. They first used a baseball bat to break the glass before lighting a Molotov cocktail and throwing the weapon into the doughnut shop.

The Tulsa Fire Department responded to the doughnut shop attack at 2.30am on Monday morning. The front door was broken and the shop sustained minor fire damages. The attack is a suspected hate crime, and reports indicate that the attacker left a note with hateful anti-LGBTQ+ comments and bible verses at a nearby business.

The Donut Hole is a LGBTQ+ friendly bakery in Tulsa, Oklahoma that hosted a drag art installation in collaboration with local artist Daniel Gulick called “The Queens Dirty Dozens.” The event was well-received by the community with over 500 people attending, but one person reacted with hate.

Sadly, this is the second homophobic attack the store has experienced in recent weeks. In mid-October, someone broke windows in the middle of the night as well. The local community immediately offered support, with customers showing up to clean up the broken glass the next morning. A team of youth soccer players called Rainbow Donuts painted donut designs over the boarded up windows.

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A local community member organised a fundraising page after the first doughnut shop attack with the goal of raising $2,500 to cover damages and repairs. The page states that, “…after opening her shop to an event promoting love and equality she was vandalized. Her front doors and windows were smashed and her register and electronic equipment stolen.”

Donors surpassed the $2,500 goal in less than an hour, and after the second attack, they received over $20,000 in donations which far exceed the cost of repairs. The shop owners decided to donate the excess funds raised to a local LGBTQ+ charity, the Oklahomans for Equality’s Dennis R. Neill Equality Center, which supports LGBTQ+ individuals through advocacy and educational programming.

Attacks like these have escalated in 2022 as far-right ideologies that perpetuate hate are on the rise, but it is encouraging to see a community come together to support the venue. The shop quickly recovered from the attacks and continues to operate on schedule as they said the day after the attack, “Regardless! We’ll see you all bright and early tomorrow!”