Donut Shop Hit With Molotov Cocktail After Drag Queen Event

A donut shop has suffered two attacks in two weeks after hosting an art show run by drag queens.

Sarah Swain, owner of the Donut Hole in Tulsa, Oklahoma, had to repair her store for the second time after a man shattered the glass door with a baseball bat and threw a Molotov cocktail inside. Surveillance video captured the vandal on October 31.

Only two weeks earlier, Swain had replaced a smashed door and windows from another attack.

"Emotionally [it] has been hard for us," she told Newsweek. "Fear and uncertainty and the seemingly endless topic of discussion. We just want to make donuts and have fun."

The first attack hit after the Donut Hole hosted "The Queens Dirty Dozen," an art installation designed by artist Daniel Gulik, who collaborated with the shop to feature his donut sculptures, served by drag queens along with real donuts. The October 15 event was a huge success that drew over 500 guests.

But the next day, the Donut Hole staff arrived to find their store vandalized and several items stolen, including their point of sale (POS) terminal.

Community members rallied around the business, quickly surpassing its GoFundMe goal for repairs—Swain has donated the extra proceeds to the Tulsa Equality Center. The second attack prompted another wave of "incredible heartwarming support," she said.

"Financially the community has made sure that we were not put out, and we are incredibly grateful for that. The response has been beyond what we could have ever imagined," said Swain.

The second attack came before another scheduled event with the drag queens. Swain was planning to bring the queens back and hand out free donuts to the community—a way to say thank you for their support.

"We ended up canceling after this last attack, as things had escalated in a violent way and we have not only our safety, but that of our neighbors to worry about," she said. "All of our stretch are small businesses with owner/operators and to see somebody else affected [because] of our stance was heartbreaking."

Although the fire left minimal damage, the assailant made his threat clear, leaving a note that referenced Scripture and "anti-gay rhetoric," said Swain. He has yet to be apprehended by police.

The Donut Hole attacks follow a steady stream of protests and threats against businesses that hosted drag and LGBTQ events this year.

Protesters surrounded a gay bar that hosted a drag event in Dallas, Texas, over the summer, accusing members of the LGBTQ community of "grooming" children.

In Apex, North Carolina, Mayor Jacques Gilbert canceled a Drag Queen Story Hour after threats of violence on social media. Meanwhile, alleged members of the Proud Boys attempted to storm restaurants holding drag shows in Arlington, Texas, and Woodland, California.