In Jan 2021, a stranger told Smol salad bar founder Charmaine Low that she would be "going to hell" for displaying a LGBT rainbow flag at her Lau Pat Sat eatery.

The 47-year-old man, who threw the flag at the staff there, was later given a two-year conditional warning by the police, the Straits Times reported then.

Two years later, the 27-year-old Low was left feeling a sense of deja vu after a similar rainbow flag was stolen at another outlet. 

"Someone stole the [rainbow] flag hanging outside our store [at PLQ Mall]," said Low in a TikTok video shared on Wednesday (June 21). 

This was even though she had tried to ensure that the flag was "secure as possible", by fastening it with four clips from the inside of the store. 

But the culprits stole the flag "by force", according to Low, adding that they yanked the flag from the outside. 

"This is not paranormal activity. It's criminal activity," she said. 

While highlighting that Pride month of June is "all about acceptance and respecting one another", Low appears to be unnerved about the theft.

"To the person who did this, we accept who you are."

Speaking to AsiaOne on Thursday (June 22), Low shared that the theft happened on June 18 at 5am.

CCTV footage from the mall showed that the culprits appeared to be a couple in their fifties, the eatery boss said, adding that she has filed a police report.

Low said: "I was in shock when I reviewed the CCTV footage. It made me relive the incident two years ago.

"Back then, my heart just sank. It was a horrible feeling when people had so much hate towards [the LGBT community]."

'Showing up for the LGBT community'

Unfazed by this latest incident, Low told AsiaOne that she plans to display another rainbow flag at her PLQ Mall outlet.

But she admitted that there's no way to prevent perpetrators from "vandalising her space" if they are "determined to do so".

"At the end of the day, displaying the flag is a huge step forward in showing up for the LGBT community."

In the aftermath of the 2021 incident, Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh raised the issue in Parliament in March and Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam responded by saying everybody in Singapore will be protected by the law, regardless of community, social, religious or sexual identity.

Low had, in a Facebook post then, also urged people not to shame the man or comment on the decision to give him a warning because she believes in de-stigmatising mental health issues.

She added that many people continue to suffer from abuse in silence and those who need help should talk to someone they trust or contact LGBTQ support services Oogachaga and Prout.

"I hope this serves as a reminder that regardless of gender identity/sexuality, beliefs, religion and race we all deserve to be treated with respect," she said then.

ALSO READ: Do Singaporeans care strongly about the LGBTQ cause? Here's what an AsiaOne survey found

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chingshijie@asiaone.com

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