The message “LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR – NOT HATE GAYS” is one of several gay-friendly slogans spray-painted onto a church crusading against marriage equality in Newcastle.

Reverend Dr Ian Copland at the Wallsend Presbyterian Church displayed a sign saying “Even tradies know you need both male and female joints to make a marriage”, and tells the Newcastle Herald that despite the vandal attack, he’s not going to give up sharing his traditional marriage message.

Other graffiti sprayed on the front of the church says “HOMOPHOBIA IS GAY”, “TOLERANCE IS A VIRTUE – GAYS CAN, YOU CAN TRY!”

It’s not the first time Copland’s church has been the centre of a storm on the marriage equality issue. But he says he’s got no regrets or any malice towards the spraying messenger. “It only takes one or two cowards,” he told the newspaper. “You can’t blame the whole homosexual community. That would be wrong.”

Newcastle resident Trine Deans tells Same Same she doesn’t condone vandalism but the church has ignited rage with its message.

“On a day like Valentines Day, the churches should be preaching love not spilling words of hate out onto the main road,” she says. “It saddens and disappoints me that this kind of narrow mindedness still exists.”

After 1,000 votes, 60% of the readers of the Newcastle Herald agree with marriage equality. See the paper’s poll here.