The New York Police Department is investigating whether vandalized posters of openly gay soccer star Megan Rapinoe found in New York City were hate crimes.
NYPD detective Sophia Mason told TPM that eight posters of Rapinoe in a 42nd Street subway station were defaced with “various derogatory anti-sexual orientation comments.”
The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force launched an investigation into the vandalism after officers discovered the posters on Monday night, according to Mason.
Rapinoe and the rest of the U.S. women’s national soccer team led a celebratory parade in New York on Wednesday after they won the Women’s World Cup over the weekend. Rapinoe scored one of the goals that led to the victory over the Netherlands.
The celebrity athlete drew national attention several weeks ago when she said she’s “not going to the fucking White House,” which prompted President Donald Trump to throw a fit on Twitter and accuse her of disrespecting “our Country, the White House” and “our Flag.”
On Wednesday, Rapinoe told CNN’s Anderson Cooper that she not only stands by her comment, but also several of her teammates have also agreed not to go if Trump ends up inviting the team to the White House (despite declaring he’d invite the team “win or lose” during his tirade against Rapinoe, Trump now says he hasn’t thought about inviting them yet).
