A midtown Sacramento church had its LGBTQ pride flag burned. Police are investigating
Police are investigating a possible hate crime after the leader of a midtown Sacramento cathedral said he found his church’s LGBTQ pride flag burned to pieces.
The Rev. Matthew Woodward, dean of the cathedral at Trinity Cathedral, first told The Sacramento Bee on Saturday about the incident, sharing photos of the heavily charred rainbow flag that had been hanging on the front of his church on Capitol Avenue.
“It made me sad this morning to see that somebody wanted to take down what we think was a sign of love and burn it,” said Woodward, who is gay. “But, you know, love isn’t that easily defeated.”
Woodward told The Bee on Tuesday morning that the cathedral asked police to investigate and a Sacramento Police Department spokesman confirmed the incident is being investigated.
“We do have detectives assigned to the incident,” department spokesman Officer Karl Chan wrote in an emailed response Tuesday. “A report is on file and the case is being investigated as a potential hate crime.”
Woodward said the community and congregation have been “very supportive and kind” in the days following the incident.
“Over the weekend, quite a few members of the congregation — gay and straight allies — wanted to replace the flag,” he said.
One congregant donated their own personal flag from home that is being flown at the church until Trinity can find a permanent replacement. Woodward said it can be difficult to find a flag in the middle of June, which is LGBTQ pride month. They’re often sold out.
Bishop Megan Traquair of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California in an emailed statement to the diocese condemned the flag burning as an “act of hatred.”
“The Pride flag is a symbol of love, of struggle, of sacrifice, by generations of our brothers and sisters,” Traquair wrote. “I realize that not all are accepting of our LGBTQ neighbors, but we should all be united in condemning this act.”
