Vandals targeted a sign at a California church that referred to the transgender celebrity Caitlyn Jenner as "a man" and referred to her by her pre-transition name, Bruce Jenner.
The controversial sign at the Trinity Bible Presbyterian Church near Lake Shastina in Weed said: "Bruce Jenner is still a man. Homosexuality is still a sin. The culture may change. The Bible does not."
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Jenner, 69, is a former Olympic swimmer and the father of six children, including the reality TV stars Kendall and Kylie Jenner, and step-father to Kim Kardashian. She surgically transitioned in 2017, after coming out as transgender in 2015.
Justin Hokes, pastor at the Trinity Bible Presbyterian Church, first revealed the sign on his Facebook page at the end of December. But in a post on Wednesday he uploaded a photo showing his sign had been wrecked by vandals.
"I woke this morning to find that our sign had been vandalized," Hoke wrote. "They broke not only the plexiglas and stole some of the letters, they also busted the power box. I have not seen it up close yet as this picture was sent to me by a member of our congregation. Please pray that God would provide."
By Thursday, the sign had been restored. "It's not pretty, but it's back up," Hoke said.
After first erecting the sign, the church was the target of a peaceful rally by local LGBT activists held on Sunday morning, The Siskiyou Daily News reported.
Amelia Mallory, an organizer of the rally, spoke out against the vandalism, telling the Daily News that although protestors "objected strongly to the message" of the sign they "condemn the use of violence and destruction of property."
"To our knowledge, nobody affiliated with our peaceful rally was involved," Mallory said. "If we do become aware of the culprit we will be informing the local authorities."
Caitlyn Jenner spoke out recently against President Donald Trump, for who she voted in 2016, over his administration's treatment of transgender people. Among Trump's policies is a ban on trans people serving in the military, and linking the definition of gender to genitalia at birth.
"The reality is that the trans community is being relentlessly attacked by this president. The leader of our nation has shown no regard for an already marginalized and struggling community," Jenner wrote in an op-ed for The Washington Post .
"He has ignored our humanity. He has insulted our dignity. He has made trans people into political pawns as he whips up animus against us in an attempt to energize the most right-wing segment of his party, claiming his anti-transgender policies are meant to 'protect the country.'
"This is politics at its worst. It is unacceptable, it is upsetting, and it has deeply, personally hurt me."
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