Vandalism at Sacramento LGBTQ+ store was hate crime, owner says. ‘No scaring me away’

A burned Pride flag atop her Sacramento business last year struck fear in owner Amelia Sultana — but the creator of QueerShoppe, a Broadway thrift store, grappled Friday with what they called another hate crime after their windows were smashed.

Sultana arrived at QueerShoppe, a store for the LGBTQ+ community, just before 11 a.m. and saw spiderwebby cracks on the front door and window. Nothing was stolen, Sultana said in a phone interview, but they believe the suspect targeted their store based on its mission of helping residents express their identity with gender-affirming clothes.

“I have been here (in Sacramento for) seven years and still am kinda surprised when people are so intolerant,” Sultana said, noting the repairs could cost about $3,000.

Officer Anthony Gamble, a spokesman for the Sacramento Police Department, said officers are investigating a vandalism incident and a “possible” hate crime at the store, 3400 Broadway in North Oak Park.

Sultana, who is genderqueer, offers customers of all sizes a chance to shop for clothes while serving as a gender coach to help residents navigate gender dysphoria.

They could have closed QueerShoppe on Friday while waiting for police to arrive and investigate, Sultana said. But they decided to stay open because interacting with customers is a reminder that one person’s bad actions don’t define everyone.

Sultana added they haven’t processed their emotions after the incident and they are still numb.

“I will make some changes. I’ll put in security and that kind of stuff,” Sultana said. “But there’s no scaring me away.”

Sultana is raising money to help with repair costs and started a GoFundMe page.