Vandalism at an LGBTQ+ store in Sacramento was a hate crime, says owner. “I couldn't be scared”

A burned Pride flag on the roof of her Sacramento store sparked fear for owner Amelia Sultana last year — but the founder of QueerShoppe, a thrift store on Broadway, faced another hate crime on Friday after her windows were smashed.

Sultana arrived at QueerShoppe, a store serving the LGBTQ+ community, shortly before 11 a.m. and saw spiderweb-like cracks on the front door and window. Nothing was stolen, Sultana said in a phone interview, but they believe the suspect was targeting their business because the store's goal was to help residents express their identities with gender-affirming clothing.

“I've been here (in Sacramento) for seven years and I'm still kind of surprised at how intolerant people are,” Sultana said, noting that repairs could cost about $3,000.

Officer Anthony Gamble, a spokesman for the Sacramento Police Department, said officers were investigating an incident of vandalism and a “possible” hate crime at the store, located at 3400 Broadway in North Oak Park.

Sultana, who is genderqueer herself, offers customers of all sizes the opportunity to shop for clothing while also acting as a gender coach to help residents navigate their gender dysphoria.

They could have closed QueerShoppe on Friday while they waited for police to arrive and investigate, Sultana said, but they decided to stay open because dealing with customers reminds us that one person's bad deeds don't define everyone.

Sultana added that they have not yet processed their feelings after the incident and are still in a state of numbness.

“I'm going to make some changes. I'm going to do security and things like that,” Sultana said. “But I can't let that deter me.”

Sultana is raising money to cover the cost of repairs and has started a GoFundMe page.