As WorldPride kicked into high gear last week, a gay couple in the Northwest area of Washington DC joined the celebration by decorating the building they share with two other tenants. The couple decorated the building with Pride flags and banners.Jay Richards said he was looking forward to the weekend with friends from out of town and good energy in a time that feels like a lot of people, including myself, are under attack. But the couples landlord had other ideas. Related The GOP is hopping mad after a city outsmarted its Pride flag ban PLUS: Pedro Pascal prances to Todrick Halls gayest song ever. Richards and the other tenants, who all approved of the couples Pride display, rent their units from Walker Memorial Baptist Church next door. But according to the church and the rental agency that manages the building, Richards decorations violated his lease. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Just hours after they went up, Richards received a message from the rental agency asking to take them down because the decorations were not in line with property guidelines.Richards pushed back and reached a compromise, moving the deadline to remove the decorations until after DC Pride had ended.We are willing to take them down right after Pride, Richards said. I wanted to leave them up all month.In a statement to DC News Now, the rental agency emphasized theyre a longtime supporter of Pride.EJF Real Estate Services is proud to support the LGBTQ+ community. Weve been an official sponsor of the DC Pride Parade for many years and will be out there again this Saturday with our staff and company van, standing for inclusion, respect, and community, the agency said in a statement.Richards said he was hopeful the matter had been resolved, but watched with disappointment as a custodian from the church removed the decorations ahead of the deadline he had agreed to with the management company.Richards took video as it happened.Weve been really friendly with the custodian himself. And I just feel awful, Richards said. I feel awful for him. I mean, I guess he had to do his job, but that was it was just awful to see.The management company told us that they wouldnt tear it down. But I guess the church decided they had to tear it down, and they tore it down, Richards said. Two American flags were the only decorations left standing in the garden, Richards said.Later that night, the buildings tenants received a message from the Baptist church, which has a primarily Black congregation and displays a large Black Lives Matter sign outside its building. Richards is also Black.Good evening Tenants of 2014 13th Street, NW, Walker Baptist said in the email. We write to notify you that the decorations placed outside of the property are in the process of being and will be removed. Decorations on the outside of the property or common areas regardless of the event, holiday, season, occasion, or reason violate the lease terms. This is not about subject matter, the church wrote. The mission of the Walker Memorial Baptist Church is a prayerful congregation, walking in the spirit, bringing souls to Christ. That is our focus. We seek unity, not division. The Pride decorations necessarily distract from our mission, tenants peace (including future tenants) at the property, neighbors, and our work and presence in the community, the email added. Going forward, we kindly request that you abide by the lease terms.Local LGBTQ rights attorney Mindy Daniels said the church was likely within its legal rights not to allow the decorations, but told The Washington Blade it could be in violation of the D.C. Human Rights Act, which bans discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, among other categories. If it were to make an exception and not enforce its ban for other types of decorations, that could be discrimination. The email they sent me said we cant 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 wouldnt have taken it down. But now theyre saying that no decorations can be put up.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.