A 30-year-old Iowa man has been sentenced to 16 years behind bars after tearing down a gay pride rainbow flag from the front of a church and burning it - a sentence one prominent gay rights group thinks is excessive.

Adolfo Martinez was found guilty of a felony hate crime and third-degree harassment after he ripped the flag off the front of the United Church of Christ in Ames, Iowa - before walking over to the Dangerous Curves Gentleman's Club, where he was reportedly a regular.

Martinez received the maximum sentence due to his status as a habitual offender with two prior felonies. He told KCCI in June that he destroyed the flag because he despises homosexuality, according to the Washington Examiner.

"It was an honor to do that. It was a blessing from the Lord," said Martinez. "It is a judgment, and it is written to execute vengeance on the heathen and punishments upon the people," he added. "I burned down their pride. Plain and simple."

Martinez pleaded not guilty despite saying he had no plans to fight the charges and claiming, “I’m guilty. Guilty as charged.”

The senior minister at the United Church of Christ, Rev. Eileen Gebbie - who is gay, said "It doesn't feel good. However, it's not going to slow us down. We won't change."

She told the Des Moines Register that she's happy Martinez was found guilty, though she told NBC that 16 years was excessive.

"I often experienced Ames as not being as progressive as many people believe it is, and there still is a very large closeted queer community here," Gebbie explained. "But 12 people that I don't know, who have no investment in me or this congregation, said this man committed a crime, and it was crime born of bigotry and hatred."

"Hate crimes against the LGBTQ community are a serious matter as they inflict distinct emotional harms on their victims, and strike fear into the communities they target," Reyes told NBC News. "That said, true justice should always strive to be about rehabilitation, reconciliation, and healing communities. It is difficult to see how a 16-year prison sentence accomplishes any of those goals ."

"He is our neighbor, and I would be glad to know him and to welcome him here to this space," as he approaches 50 years of age upon his release.

Excessive...

According to NBC News, the director of gay advocacy group One Iowa, Courtney Reyes, thinks that the sentence is excessive, and says that while her organization appreciates how quickly the incident was handled, the sentence was excessive.

"Hate crimes against the LGBTQ community are a serious matter as they inflict distinct emotional harms on their victims, and strike fear into the communities they target," Reyes told NBC News. "That said, true justice should always strive to be about rehabilitation, reconciliation, and healing communities. It is difficult to see how a 16-year prison sentence accomplishes any of those goals."