This is really awful. A church in Connecticut was hosting a special Pride service on Sunday when two men jumped up and began screaming in opposition to the inclusive nature of the service.
According to the report, the two men sat through about an hour of the service before launching into their antics. It’s not clear if they are regular congregants of the church or if they showed up specifically to terrorize the attendees.
Pastor Greg Gray of the Enfield Congregational United Church of Christ says security at houses of worship is important.
“Those feel like they should be our safe spaces and when things like this happen it feels like a violation of our safe space, our home,” Gray told local news station WFSB.
Enfield police tracked the two men down and gave them a trespassing notice. They are now banned from the church and its property. The local police chief says possible hate crime charges are being considered in the matter.
The United Church of Christ, which has nearly a million members, has a history of LGBTQ inclusion. In 2005, the church approved a resolution endorsing marriage rights for same-sex couples.
A church in #Enfield was having a Pride celebration during their Sunday morning service when two men disrupted the ceremony with hate speech.
Pastor Greg Gray of Enfield’s United Church of Christ wants to make it very clear: this is not okay. pic.twitter.com/CIH2C3qfzl— WFSB Channel 3 (@WFSBnews) June 25, 2023