29 November 2022 |

On Thanksgiving day, the sign for Focus on the Family – a conservative evangelical organization based in Colorado Springs – was vandalized with specific messaging in reference to the recent Club Q shooting. Two messages were spray-painted onto the sign, according to the The Denver Post, reading “their blood is on your hands” and “five lives taken.”

Below the sign, 2 Corinthians 11:14,15 was handwritten in black marker: “Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light, so it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.”

While no suspects have been apprehended, a document appeared on Twitter with an anonymous article by “those who completed this direct action,” sharing that, while they were not acting on behalf of the families of the Club Q victims, they “chose to proceed with this action because of the incredible violence that Focus on the Family continues to perpetuate against the 2SLGBTQIA community.”

The authors of the article highlighted that it was “no accident that this happened in Colorado Springs, a city steeped in homophobia, transphobia, and white supremacy,” and that Focus on the Family has eagerly displayed their desire to “rid the world of all queer people” on their website, and “should be held accountable for the ramifications of their hateful theology.”

According to the Denver Post, “Focus on the Family defines itself as ‘a global Christian ministry dedicated to helping families thrive.’ The organization supports the anti-abortion movement in the abortion debate, and features anti-LGBT+ broadcasts, including “Leaving Homosexuality and Finding Forgiveness” and “Transformed by Grace: Leaving Homosexuality to Follow Christ.”

Focus on the Family president Jim Daly released a statement on Friday saying, “We recognize the community is hurting in the aftermath of the reckless and violent actions of a very disturbed individual. This is a time for prayer, grieving and healing, not vandalism and the spreading of hate. The families of the five individuals killed in Saturday night’s senseless attack are in our prayers. We urge everyone to pray for peace and we also pray for the individual or group responsible for this mischievous and unwarranted defacing of our ministry’s property.”

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