NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A Norfolk resident says someone silenced her message of love and acceptance. She had a pride sticker on her car showing support for the LGBTQ community, but says someone covered it up with a homophobic one.

Cynthia Moore isn’t exactly sure when or where this happened, but she knows between Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning in Norfolk’s Ghent neighborhood, someone put a homophobic sticker on top of one of the pride stickers on her car.

“It’s frustrating that someone took time out of their day to try and be hateful,” said Cynthia Moore. “I immediately was kind of in disbelief. I didn’t, I didn’t understand when it happened or how it happened or why someone would be so upset about something like that to try and deface it. Then I just got irritated and I wanted to get it off.”

She’s says she is determined to keep spreading the message of acceptance.

Moore said, “It’s Pride Month and this is the time people are the most out and about and like, I feel like it was done on purpose to target that and make people feel unsafe and uncomfortable.”

It’s disheartening for Stacie Walls-Beegle, who is the CEO of the LGBT Life Center.

“I think people have to be real, that there are people in the community who are out there who aren’t supportive and don’t believe in equality and do believe the things that are on that sticker, but the reality is it’s just not true,” Walls-Beegle said,

She says this month being Pride Month shows how supportive the community actually is.

Walls-Beegle said, “We are a better community when we are inclusive and we recognize that there are differences among people, but that’s a good thing.”

“If anything, it brought the community closer and more people are willing to put stickers on their cars and stand up and say something,” said Moore.

Norfolk Police shared this statement:

“This act is shameful and those responsible are not a reflection of Norfolk’s diverse community. This sticker does not represent the values we hold true for our city and we are very disappointed that someone would spread such hate.”

Police are investigating this as an act of vandalism. It is not considered a hate crime because under Virginia law, that only applies to race, religion or national origin.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Norfolk Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP, or submit a tip through the P3Tips.com mobile app.