Anti-LGBTQ+ sign at Dover church investigated. Pastor says, 'All are welcome, beloved'
DOVER — An anti-LGBTQ+ sign was posted on a door at the First Parish Congregational Church, an incident that will be reviewed by the New Hampshire attorney general’s office.
Church leaders found the sign Thursday morning upon opening the Central Avenue building, long known as a home to same-sex marriage ceremonies, and reported it to the Dover Police Department shortly thereafter, according to Lt. Mark Nadeau.
The sign, discovered amid annual Pride Month celebrations, stated God "will never" accept LGBTQ and referred to "sins," among other hateful language.
Dover police investigating
The church does not use surveillance cameras and the investigating police had not attained video from the surrounding area as of Thursday afternoon. It is currently unknown when the sign was placed as police tried to determine who is responsible.
Due to the fact that the sign did not target a specific person, Nadeau said, it’s unlikely any criminal offense occurred. However, the incident will be referred to the Civil Rights Unit of the New Hampshire attorney general’s office, and the Dover police investigation will continue.
“At first review, the sign is quite distasteful and concerning but there’s no direct threat to any member of the congregation,” Nadeau said.
Church is known for LGBTQ+ support, same-sex marriages
The Rev. Dana Mann was appointed pastor of the Central Avenue church, part of the United Church of Christ, this spring. The Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ+ political lobbying organization in the United States, reports the United Church of Christ is “one of the most welcoming and affirming Christian denominations” and has been committed to supporting LGBTQ+ people and marriage equality for years.
Same-sex marriages have been celebrated within the church since 2005 and LGBTQ+ pastors have been ordained dating back to 1972, per the Human Rights Campaign.
“I see this as an opportunity to open the door to open conversation, to affirm that all people are welcome and to have conversations,” Mann said Thursday. “Most importantly, people can find a welcome and safe place to come here. They’re welcome just as they are here — beloved.”
Portsmouth Pride event is Saturday
The incident in Dover occurred as Pride parades and events are being held nationally and locally this month. In Portsmouth, Seacoast Outright was set to hold its 10th annual Pride march and celebrations downtown on Saturday.
Founded in 1998, the nonprofit Trevor Project focuses on LGBTQ+ youth mental health and suicide prevention. In this year’s annual report on LGBTQ+ youth mental health nationally, the Trevor Project found more than one in 10 LGBTQ+ young people had attempted to die by suicide in the past year, while 39% of LGBTQ+ youth seriously considered suicide. In addition, 66% of LGBTQ+ young people surveyed had recent symptoms of anxiety, while 53% of respondents had symptoms of depression.
“In a weekend that is supposed to be a celebration of who we are as a multidimensional country and a body of people, that something (like this) would come up is sad,” Mann added.
The First Parish Church congregation in Dover is the oldest in New Hampshire, dating back to 1633, according to the church. Parishioners have gathered in the 218 Central Ave. building since 1829, the fifth meetinghouse in the congregation’s history.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Anti-LGBTQ+ sign at Dover church investigated
