Newsuk newslgbt voiceslgbt rights

Homophobic Graffiti Scrawled On US Church Is Painted Over With Rainbow Stripes

This Church Just Gave A Brilliant Response To Homophobic Graffiti
Sarah Ann Harris
|

An American church has responded to homophobic graffiti on its building by using the opportunity to show the community just how welcome gay people are.

The doors of Wedgewood Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, were sprayed with the words “Fags Are Pedos” and a sign outside which read “LGBT Equality” was scrawled over in paint.

But, refusing to be intimidated by the hatred, the congregation got together to hold a service focusing on community and equality before painting over the bigoted words with a rainbow.

In a service sheet published on the church’s Facebook page, the welcome to the event read: “Welcome to you if you are female or male or some of each, gay or straight or some of each, black or brown or white or a mix of each, old or young or middle-aged, rich or broke or barely surviving or middle class, doubting or believing or some of each or one or the other depending on what is going on in your life or the world.

“Wedgwood Church is a community of curious and creative spiritual seekers, striving to learn and embody the way of Jesus and other religious leaders, striving to love and do justice for all people. Welcome!”

It also included the quote: “May the swords of vandalism be turned into plowshares of dialogue, understanding and reconciling love.”

Kimberlee Walker, a deacon at the church, told WCNC: “No amount of spray paint is going to stop us.”

The church is now also considering changing its ‘LGBT Equality’ sign to target the vandals, reading “We Forgive You”.

33 Great Moments In Cultural History That Wouldn't Have Happened Without LGBT People
'The Negro Speaks Of Rivers,' By Langston Hughes (1902-1967)(01 of07)
Open Image Modal
A leader of the Harlem Renaissance, poet, writer and playwright Langston Hughes is one of the most prominent historical black cultural figures. Hughes shed light on the lives of African-Americans in his work, drawing both support and criticism from the community. Many of his poems also had homosexual allusions and advocated for gay rights.Photo Courtesy of Hyperion Book CH (credit:Photo Courtesy of Hyperion Book CH)
'The Glass House,' By Philip C. Johnson (1906-2005)(02 of07)
Open Image Modal
American architect Philip C. Johnson designed many buildings throughout the U.S., including the Seagram Building and Lincoln Center in NYC and the One Detroit Center in Michigan. But The Glass House he designed and finished in 1949 in New Canaan, Conn. became a National Trust Historic Site. Johnson died at 98 in 2005, leaving behind his partner, David Whitney, of 45 years.Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons / Staib (credit:Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons / Staib)
Various Uses Of The Peanut By George Washington Carver (1864-1943)(03 of07)
Open Image Modal
Born into slavery, black and LGBT history icon George Washington Carver overcame his misfortune by becoming a successful scientist and inventor. Carver’s crop research, especially of the humble peanut, led to his inventions of plastics, paints, dyes and even a type of gasoline.Photo courtesy of Flickr user Vinni123 (credit:Photo courtesy of Flickr user Vinni123)
'Campbell's Soup Cans,' By Andy Warhol (1928-1987)(04 of07)
Open Image Modal
Deemed the godfather of the '60s Pop Art movement, Andy Warhol, originally from Pittsburgh, moved to NYC in 1949 to pursue his career as a commercial artist. Warhol, who was openly gay, was most famous for his whimsical paintings of Campbell’s soup cans, using unconventional (consumer) products as subjects, and fun, colorful portraits of celebrities including Marilyn Monroe and Elvis and changed the face of modern art. (credit:Alamy)
'Leaves Of Grass,' By Walt Whitman (1819-1892)(05 of07)
Open Image Modal
The revered and influential poet Walt Whitman was best known for his collection of poems “Leaves of Grass." Whitman was a pioneer for equal rights and treatment of all people, often showing his views in his poetry, as well as his homosexuality, writing suggestive poems such as “We Two Boys Together Clinging.” Photo Courtesy of Penguin Classics (credit:Photo Courtesy of Penguin Classics)
'Three Lives,' By Gertrude Stein (1874-1946)(06 of07)
Open Image Modal
Gertrude Stein, who was born in Pennsylvania, was a patron of the arts, opening a famous literary and artistic salon with her brother in Paris. The venue hosted writers from all over the world such as T.S. Eliot, Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. The French capital is also where Stein met her lifelong companion and lover, Alice B. Toklas. Stein was a writer herself, publishing titles such as “Three Lives” (1909) and “Tender Buttons: Objects, Food, Rooms” (1914).Courtesy of Penguin Classics (credit:Courtesy of Penguin Classics)
'Notes Of A Native Son,' By James Baldwin (1924-1987)(07 of07)
Open Image Modal
James Baldwin was a renowned author who wrote about race and sexuality in the middle of the 20th century. One of his many notable works, “Nobody Knows My Name,” was a best seller, and sold more than a million copies. Baldwin was openly gay and appeared on the cover of TIME magazine in 1963. Photo Courtesy of Beacon Press (credit:Photo Courtesy of Beacon Press)
Suggest a correction
|
Submit a tip