GREENSBORO, N.C. — Leaders of a Greensboro church are disappointed after someone vandalized a pride banner by spray-painting an anti-gay slur on it.
While a new sign now sits there, a banner outside the church doors was vandalized over the mid-June weekend.
The pastor of College Park Baptist Church described it as immature and hateful. He said he was disappointed Saturday morning when he got the call.
"I just thought, 'Really? this is what college students think is fun?'" Michael Usey said.
The rainbow flag banner, which read "You Are Enough, Happy Pride," was spray-painted. According to a police report, vandals drew male genitalia on the sign and wrote a homophobic slur on it.
That banner is meant to sit right out front of the church doors as a welcome sign to all. However, Usey said the vandals tarnished that message. When he saw what was written on the sign, he was upset.
"Childish, hateful," Usey said. "I understand that the frontal lobes of many 20-year-olds are not fully developed, having lived through that myself and in my sons, but you know, I don't appreciate hate speech and this is what this is, even kind of, you know, all kidding aside."
Usey had been preaching at this church for more than 30 years and said while he was used to these types of attacks, he still felt for those in his congregation who were targeted.
However, this church isn't the only one in the area that's seen backlash for supporting Pride.
The Greensboro Police Department said, just down the street, the Congregational United Methodist Church of Christ has filed several police reports claiming it has had its Pride signs stolen several times.
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