There is officially a new Pride flag hanging at Ladner United Church, following the third flag-defacing incident the church has seen since they began hanging them in 2019.
The damage to the lovingly repaired, message-adorned Pride flag was discovered Monday, Aug. 9 with the entire violet stripe at the bottom of the flag missing and the tattered remains of the blue stripe blowing in the breeze.
“It’s one of those things that, it’s both a shock and not a shock at the same time,” said Ladner United Minister Rev. Lydia Ruenzel. “It’s really hard to see such a visible sign of the hate and anger some still have towards Pride. We know that’s not the heart of Delta, and we hope the LGBTQ+ community can feel the love and support of all of us around them.”
On Tuesday (Aug. 17) Delta Police officers Joel Thirsk and Lee Chapman – who, respectively, are part of the department’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity Unit and liaisons with the Delta Pride Society – came to hang a new flag up in the church archway.
Last weekend, Ladner United Church asserted on Facebook that displays of hate wouldn’t sway them from supporting and affirming the LGBTQ+ community, while the Delta Pride Society, through its Facebook page, encouraged folks to reach out if they need support.
“You are loved. As a community, it is essential that together we stand in solidarity and speak out against any form of discrimination and hate,” read part of Delta Pride Society’s Facebook post.
The DPD is still investigating the incident, but spokesperson Cris Leykauf says she’s glad that the DPD was able to help out Ladner United Church on Tuesday by hanging up their newly ordered Progress Pride Flag.
The previous, recently-vandalized Pride flag was actually the first one that Ladner United Church hung up back in 2019, and it was originally defaced with a big splotch of black paint in the centre of it.
Following the defacing of their second Pride flag a mere 12 days after the first incident, Ladner United switched back to the first flag, but stitched a big red heart over top of the paint splotch and had community members write supportive messages all over it.