Officials in Pace, Florida are treating
an incident of vandalism against a gay teen as a hate crime.
Jesse Jeffers returned to his trailer
home on February 3 to find it spray painted with swastikas and
anti-gay slurs.
The phrase “God don't love you,”
along with several derogatory words, were written near the front door
of his home. Inside, a large red swastika was painted on the
ceiling.
According to the Pensacola
News Journal, the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office is
investigating the incident as a hate crime.
“It's not like, 'OK, let's just spray
paint somebody's house. Let's put all kinds of crazy stuff on it,'”
Jeffers said. “What they said on the front door and everything was
outrageous.”
The 18-year-old Jeffers, who moved into
the trailer in recent months, said he does not have the money needed
to restore his home.
Jeffers added that he knows the
vandalism was retaliation for an argument he recently had with
friends.
“Sexuality doesn't matter,” Jeffers
said. “God loves you either way.”