LGBT rainbow door at California church ripped down and smashed for second time in weeks

A rainbow-colored display proclaiming “God’s Doors Are Open To All” was knocked down and vandalized outside a Fresno church for the second time this summer.

The doors outside the Big Red Church in the city’s Tower District were damaged early Sunday morning, according to YourCentralValley.

Rev. Simon Biasell, the church’s pastor, told the outlet that he got a call from a staff member at 6:06 a.m. alerting him that the outdoor installation had been knocked over, smashed and vandalized.

The damage greeted members arriving for Sunday worship, but it didn’t stay that way for long.

While the congregation was inside, neighbors stepped up and restored the display, putting the colorful doors back in place before services ended.

“By the time everybody exited church, our neighbors had reinstalled the doors and put it back up, which is one of the wonderful things about this neighborhood,” Biasell said.

The latest incident is not the first time the display has been targeted. Biasell said the doors were also vandalized earlier this summer.

The Big Red Church has stood in the Tower District for 76 years and has identified itself as an open and affirming congregation for more than three decades.

The church says its message is rooted in the belief that God’s love extends to everyone, regardless of religious background, sexual orientation, family makeup, race, age, gender or physical and mental ability.

But the congregation has also dealt with hostility over the years, including what Biasell described as homophobic and negative messages left through voicemail and social media.

“Our church members unfortunately have gotten used to that kind of hate language, that treatment,” he told the publication. “So while this wasn’t anything new, it’s still painful to experience that kind of treatment.”

In a statement, the church said the latest vandalism was disheartening but that it would not change its commitment to inclusion. The congregation also said it stands alongside people who face discrimination, isolation and alienation.

The rainbow doors were originally painted as a Pride Month project, with the church sharing photos of the display on Facebook in January 2023 and thanking the children, teens and adults who helped create it.

The Big Red Church is affiliated with the United Church of Christ, which was formed through a 1957 merger.

The congregation says its role extends beyond Sunday services, including hosting addiction-support groups, providing affordable childcare through the Head Start program and working with local organizations on efforts to improve the Fresno community.

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