‘Good Christian’ launches violent, homophobic attack on LGBT+ rights protester outside of church

An LGBT+ protestor being attacked outside Destiny Church in Rocklin, California

A protester was attacked outside of the anti-LGBT+ Destiny Church in Rocklin, California for the simple crime of holding a rainbow “love” sign.

Black Lives Matter and LGBT+ rights protesters gathered outside the Destiny Church on 3 January to protest the organisation’s flagrant disregard for coronavirus rules and hateful anti-LGBT+ messages.

During the summer of 2020, the church hosted hundreds of people for at least three indoor services, despite California governor Gavin Newsom suspending all indoor worship services. Recently, on New Years Eve, the daughter of head pastor Greg Fairrington held her huge wedding at the church, violating the state’s curfew.

The video shows a woman attacking an protester wearing a “protect trans kids” t-shirt, pushing her and shouting: “This fag s**t isn’t love, this lesbian queer s**t isn’t love.”

She also called the peaceful protester a “f**king lesbian”.

 

One Twitter user wrote: “The lady with the sign who was assaulted was protesting against Destiny because the pastor Greg Fairrington has spewed hate, homophobic messages and more. Also they have had huge maskless services.”

The TikTok user who originally posted the video later explained in another post: “The protest was organised by a group called Allies for Black Lives Placer County, who routinely protest at Destiny Christian, due to their ongoing racist, homophobic and transphobic remarks.

“I am not the person in the video that was assaulted, I am simply sharing the video for the group so we can hopefully identify the attacker, who has not yet been identified.

“Destiny Christian claims she is not a member of their church and does not attend there and they do not know who she is.

“Authorities have been contacted, a report has been filed, they are also hoping to find the person who attacked our protester.”

Though some Twitter users alleged that the attacker was a Destiny Church member, the church refuted this in a statement to PinkNews.

“We reject all forms of racism and hatred; it isn’t in the heart of Jesus, and certainly not in the heart of Destiny.

“The video alleging a woman from Destiny confronted a protestor is inaccurate. We do know who the woman in the video is. She is not a member of our church. We do not condone her actions, behaviour, or rhetoric.

“Destiny has a 30-year history of loving people, no matter what group they belong to. We will continue in our mission to be a place that loves well, serves well, and pursues the presence of God because it changes everything.”

Destiny Church is one of a large anti-LGBT+ group of churches called Assemblies of God, which said in a statement on homosexuality: “There is abundant evidence that homosexual behaviour, along with illicit heterosexual behaviour, is immoral and comes under the judgment of God…

“The Assemblies of God affirms the sexual complementarity of man and woman and teaches that any and all same-sex sexual attractions are to be resisted.

“Consequently, believers are to refrain from any and all same-sex sexual acts or conduct, which are intrinsically disordered.”

The church declined to declare its specifically pledge its support for LGBT+ rights.