
Faith leaders in Indianapolis organized a march this past Sunday in protest of a local church that made national headlines for calling for death to LGBTQ+ people.
One of the protest’s co-organizers said that the message is that LGBTQ+ people exist, no matter what the church says. “Existing in their presence… is something they do not believe Christ would approve of,” co-organizer Cass Jackson told IndyStar.
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Earlier this month, the Sure Foundation Baptist Chruch in Indianapolis posted a sermon from pastor Stephen Falco to YouTube where he used anti-gay slurs and called for killing LGBTQ+ people.
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“There’s nothing good to be proud about being a f*g,” Falco said in his sermon. “You ought to blow yourself in the head in the back of the head. You’re so disgusting.”
“Why do I hate sodomites, why do I hate f*gs? Because they attack children, they’re coming after your children, they are attacking them in schools today, and not only schools in public places, and they’re proud about it!”
YouTube removed the video, and the church defended the sermon, saying, “The Bible is crystal clear that sodomites – homosexuals – deserve the death penalty carried out by a government that actually cares about the law of God.”
But local religious leaders didn’t want the hateful church to have the final word on the matter, so they organized a protest this past Sunday. The group Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis countered the church’s message.
“We are called to be a sanctuary for the marginalized, not a platform for prejudice,” the group said in a statement.
Dozens of people gathered outside the church with signs that read, “Trans rights are human rights,” “Stop the hate,” “True Christians preach love,” and “Murder is wrong.” They also had rainbow and trans Pride flags.
#NEW: Protestors stand outside Sure Foundation Baptist Church. I first told you about the Indianapolis church calling for the LGBTQ+ community to face the death penalty or to kill themselves.
— Kyla Russell (@KylaBRussell) July 13, 2025
Link to my original story below. We have a crew at the protest.@WISHNews8… pic.twitter.com/8wDPjaRrrF
#HAPPENINGNOW: A small protest of nearly 50 outside of Sure Foundation Baptist Church following anti-LGBTQ+ messaging in their sermons. pic.twitter.com/p1sXd8rdWS
— Jade Jackson, MBA Candidate (@IAMJADEJACKSON) July 13, 2025
#WATCH: A look at the protest in front of Sure Foundation Baptist Church. I first told you a few weeks ago about the Indianapolis church calling for the LGBTQ+ community to face the death penalty or to kill themselves.
— Kyla Russell (@KylaBRussell) July 13, 2025
A link to our developing story about the protest below.… pic.twitter.com/FAsvpAW1Qe
Protesters with Pride signs gathered at Sure Foundation Baptist Church after sermons called LGBTQ+ “evil” and encouraged prayers for their deaths.
Source: LGBTQ Nation