A Melbourne artist's pro-marriage equality has been vandalised with the words "hetero pride".
Van T Rudd's artwork painted a pair of rainbow wings with "I'm voting yes for marriage equality" written above, on a wall in the inner-city suburb of Fitzroy.
Resident Atticus Thomas spotted the mural had been defaced when he walked passed it on Tuesday morning.
"So the marriage equality mural near my house has been defaced. Respectful debate indeed," he posted on Twitter.
Image of the defaced mural. Source: Twitter
Mr Thomas has also asked Yarra Council to help get the offensive slogan removed from the mural.
But this is not the first time Rudd's artwork has been painted over or vandalised.
Rudd said he was not surprised by the vandalism and it would not stop marriage equality from happening.
"I don’t feel that threatened. I feel like the 'yes' campaign and the atmosphere and the reality of it is much bigger," he told SBS World News.
"I feel that the 'yes' campaign is going to go very well and very strongly, and those sorts of vandalism moments are just going to be relatively small impediments on the way.
"The major fight is with the Tony Abbotts of Australia and we have to fight hard along those lines."
Rudd said the artwork was his way of "fighting for the oppressed", which he had done for a number of years now.
The timing of the vandalism coincides with the ABS sending out the postal survey to Australians and the announcement of draft laws that could see people responsible for hate speech face hefty fines.
Fines of up to $12,600 could be issued and the Federal Court would have the power to order advertising be taken down.
Another artist who has taken to the streets to campaign for marriage equality was Scottie Marsh.
Marsh's mural featured Tony Abbott in a suit marrying a second version of himself dressed in a white wedding dress and veil.
The artwork appears in Sydney's inner-city Redfern, and Marsh said he was inspired after Mr Abbott called on people to vote 'no' to 'protect the family'.
