Gay Graffiti Called Hate Crime

ANAHEIM — Spray-paint vandals sometime Friday night or Saturday morning defaced the garage door of the Rev. Louis P. Sheldon, the leader of a high-profile anti-homosexual organization.

Anaheim police said they are categorizing the incident as a hate crime.

The vandals spray-painted faggot on the garage door of the Sheldon residence, and a similar epithet on the driveway.

Sheldon was out of state at a conference, and his wife, Beverly, discovered the graffiti about 8 a.m. She notified police, who investigated the incident. The letters painted on the garage door were about 4 feet tall, and the words splashed on the driveway were about 3 feet tall.

Beverly Sheldon said that although homosexual advocacy groups have previously picketed the home and held protest rallies there, this is the first instance of vandalism.

“I consider this just as much of a hate crime as a cross burning on the yard,” she said. “I have compassion for people who are struggling with homosexuality, but I have disgust when they do things like this.”