Jay Richards and his partner had decorated their apartment for Pride Month just hours before they received a message from their rental company telling them to take down their banners.
The couple lives in one of three apartments connected to Walker Memorial Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. which the church rent out through EJF Real Estate Services. Since WorldPride is being hosted in D.C. this year, Richards and his partner decided to show their holiday spirit by hanging rainbow flags on their gate alongside a sign reading “Happy Pride.”
It wasn’t long before the two received a message from their rental company asking them to take down the decorations. EJF wrote, via the Washington Blade: “We kindly ask that any decorations or items be removed by Tuesday, June 3, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. If items are still in place after this time, our team will remove them, and please note that a fee may apply for this service.”
The company cited a clause in their lease that prohibits exterior decorations, which the couple understood, but were still disappointed by. They asked if they could keep the decorations up until June 9, when WorldPride ends, which the company granted.
“While we remain mindful of our responsibility to both the lease and our client, we believe this is a respectful and reasonable approach,” a spokesperson for EJF told DC News Now. “EJF will not be removing the decorations ourselves and is honoring the residents’ plan, trusting they will follow through as promised.”
The couple thought that was the end of it, until a custodian from the church entered their gate Tuesday night and cut down the banners while Richards watched through the window. The Pride decorations were left on their doorstep, while the American flags they had put up alongside the rainbows were left untouched. The two then received an email from the church.
“This is not about subject matter. The mission of Walker Memorial Baptist Church is a prayerful congregation, walking in the spirit, bringing souls to Christ,” the message stated. “That is our focus. We seek unity, not division, through our lease requirement that there be no decorations on the outside of the property or common areas. In doing so, we avoid arbitrary decision-making and the need to distinguish between the content or subject matter of any decorations.”
While Richards understands that it was technically against his lease, he thought he had reached a compromise with his rental company. He now feels as if the rule was only enforced by the church because it was related to LGBTQ+ Pride.
“The email they sent me said we can’t put decorations up for any holidays,” Richards told the Blade. “But I do feel like if I had put something up for the holidays for Christmas that they wouldn’t have taken it down. But now they’re saying that no decorations can be put up.”