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Gay Couple Think Hate Crime Linked To An Anti-Gay Article Written By Local Pastor
CLARENDON, TEXAS -- A gay couple in this small Texas panhandle town are telling the media that a spray painted hate message found on their front porch is linked to an anti-gay article written by a local minister. 

Joshua Harrison and Jeremy Jeffers said they found the message,'leave or die fags,' Monday morning. The couple immediately reported the vandalism to the Donley County Sheriff's office.

In an interview with KVII TV 7, Sheriff Charles "Butch" Blackburn said his department is investigating the crime. "I consider it a hate crime," he said.

Harrison and Jeffers told the station that the vandalism on their front porch has them frightened.

"I'm absolutely terrified because if there are people in this town that are willing to go to the lengths to vandalize our house and to scare us, they they might be going the lengths to do physical harm on us," Harrison said.

Equality Texas, a LGBT rights advocacy group said the couple should not have to live in fear.

"Joshua Harrison and Jeremy Jeffers should not have to live in fear in their own home simply because of their sexual orientation," Interim Executive Director Chuck Smith said. "No Texan should ever have to live in fear of violence because of their sexual orientation or gender identity/expression."

The couple said that after a newspaper advertisement ran in late September, residents started treating them differently. "It's funny that two weeks after this article comes out in the newspaper that people in town are starting to be rude to us and then we get out front porch vandalized," Harrison said.

According to Equality Texas, there is a direct link from homophobia to violence. "Clarendon Church of Christ Pastor Chris Moore is entitled to his own beliefs, and his freedom of speech is protected by the United States Constitution," Smith said. "However, it is a fact that when people teach or preach homophobia and anti-gay rhetoric, it can inflame people to the point of violence."

The newspaper advertisement was published in the Clarendon Enterprise. Written by Clarendon Church of Christ Pastor Chris Moore, the ad depicted the alleged platform of the 'Homosexual Movement.' In the ad, Moore used the National Coalition of Gay Organizations as his source. A KVII investigation found virtually no information on the coalition other than it was a convention from 1972 -- 40 years ago.

The ad listed seven bullet points that warn residents about the homosexual movement, including a line that said "Folks, don't be fooled, the 'gay' agenda isn't about 'equal' rights for gay couples. Their agenda would force everyone to compromise their values, make our children legal prey for pedophiles." ~ KVII Amarillo

Moore claims his advert was factual but condemns the act of vandalism against the couple: "What I wrote was facts and if I wrote something that wasn't factual - I would gladly fix it," he said. "I don't condone that type of behavior. It is un-Christian to vandalize or be violent to anybody."

The couple told the station they are now considering relocating away from the town; "We are trying to leave," Harrison said. "It's sad," Jeffers added. "For the first time in my life, I have never felt this scared." 

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