By: Paul Goldberg, Senior Editor | JRL CHARTS LGBT Politics USA
AUSTIN, TX — (August 3, 2025) — A beloved LGBTQ-affirming church in South Austin was vandalized with hate speech late Thursday night, sparking outrage and an outpouring of support from community members who rallied Saturday morning to repaint and restore the space.
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Life in the City UMC reported that its Progress Pride flag was torn down, and a chilling message — “Pride was the first sin” — was spray-painted across the front of its building. It marked the latest in a disturbing trend of anti-LGBTQ vandalism and hate crimes spreading across the state of Texas.
“Our beautiful church space was vandalized… but the church is not the walls. It is the people and the community,” the congregation posted on Instagram. “We shall NOT be moved.”
Senior Pastor Rev. Glenn Luhrs confirmed that this wasn’t the first time the church has been targeted and emphasized that their mission of radical inclusivity in Christ will not be silenced.
“This act was meant to threaten the mission we hold sacred,” Luhrs said in a public statement. “But our commitment to love, justice, and inclusion only grows stronger.”
The pastor also connected the incident to a growing wave of anti-LGBTQ violence, referencing the recent assault of a transgender woman at Barton Springs as part of “a pattern of dehumanization.”
Community Strikes Back with Love
By Saturday morning, members of the church and broader Austin community launched a creative restoration project, painting over the hateful message with bold, affirming colors and public declarations of love and acceptance.
The church’s message to those responsible was crystal clear:
“Our doors will remain open to everyone — always, all ways.”
Location:
Life in the City United Methodist Church – South Austin, TX
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