Protesters demonstrated against a church in northern California, demanding its pastor remove a church marquee message they believe is hateful toward the LGBT community.
The marquee message, posted by Trinity Bible Presbyterian Church pastor Justin Hoke, reads “Bruce Jenner is still a man. Homosexuality is still sin. The culture may change. The Bible does not.”
The sign angered LGBT citizens of Siskiyou County, who gathered outside the church Sunday to demand the pastor take the message down and keep such beliefs within the church’s walls. (RELATED: German Cardinal Lambastes Society For Forgetting Homosexuality’s Role In Sex Abuse Crisis)
A crowd is gathering in front of the Trinity Bible Presbyterian Church in Weed to protest this sign, reading “Bruce Jenner is still a man. Homosexuality is still a sin…” pic.twitter.com/SsYPHVInqI
— Jennevieve Fong (@JennevieveKTVL) January 6, 2019
“Keep it in your church. If it’s not something hopeful for the community, if it’s not loving, keep it in your church,” Charolette Kalayjian, the organizer for the protest, told NBC5. “Keep it in your house. Keep it — don’t share it with everybody.”
Hoke, however, contended the sign was not hateful and that it expressed Biblical teaching about gender and sexuality.
“I strongly … that’s very offensive to call that sign hateful,” Hoke said. “There is no hate at all in that sign.”
“People are getting upset because we’re saying this is wrong, it’s always been wrong, it still is wrong according to our God,” Hoke added.
Protesters balked at the prospect of the pastor openly disagreeing with their lifestyle choices.
“I should be able to love my partner, to hold her, to hold her hand wherever I want to go and shouldn’t have people being hateful,” local Tawnya Mobbley said. “I don’t think that my kid should feel having two mothers is a bad thing.”
Hoke said, in light of the protests, he plans to keep the sign up until the demonstrations stop. Kalayjian and other lead protesters accepted the challenge, however, saying they would protest outside the church every Sunday until the pastor removes the message.
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