Fagbug
History
"Fagbug" or "activism on wheels" is a 2002 Volkswagen Beetle that was vandalized on April 18, 2007, the Day of Silence. The vehicle was defaced with red spray paint on the hood and driver's side door. The victim of the hate crime, Erin Davies, believes the words "fAg" and "u r gay" were painted on the car as a homophobic response to a rainbow sticker on her vehicle. Rather than stay silent or embarrassed about the incident, Davies chose to turn the crime into positive action: her mission, as stated on http://www.fagbug.com, is "to drive my fagbug on a cross country trip and take it to as many diverse communities as possible." The trip is meant to spread awareness about the contiuned presence of homophobia in society and bring individuals together in support.1
Sticker Campaign
Additionally, Davies has launched a fagbug sticker campaign. Her goal is to get at least one million people to add fagbug stickers to their cars with the hope that "no one else will be targeted like [she was] again." 2 Until that happens, Davies says that her car will keep the spray paint. As Americans celebrate June Gay Pride Month 2007 in various cities, Davies plans to attend rallies and parades to show support and introduce others to her own campaign. Upcoming events for the fagbug can be found on Events tab of the main site.
Response
Thus far, the reaction to fagbug has been diverse. Davies has received both support and criticism through notes left on her car and responses to her myspace blog. Such car notes have spanned from "HERO"3 to "it's a shame you made this up." 4
On May 22, 2007, fagbug was re-vandalized. The "f", "A", and part of the "g" (those parts painted on the window) were scraped off by an unknown individual in an alleged effort to deter Davies's campaign. In response, Davies found it most appropriate to restore the letters to the vehicle, which she re-painted herself (several body shop workers refused to restore the vehicle). On her myspace blog, Davies states: "It's my choice to remove it when I decide, not anyone elses."5
Citations
1 http://www.fagbug.com 2 Ibid. 3 "Meet the Bloggers." The Advocate. 19 June 2007, pg. 26. 4 Hyperlink blacklisted by Wikipedia.org 5 Ibid.
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