KALAMAZOO, MI -- A break-in at a lesbian couple's Kalamazoo home serves as another reason why Michigan's hate crime law should be amended to include the LGBT community, the director of the Kalamazoo Gay and Lesbian Resource Center says.

On July 16, thieves broke into a lesbian couple's Northside neighborhood home, stealing items, destroying their wedding photos and splashing hateful words in graffiti on the walls.

Jay Maddock, executive director at the Gay and Lesbian Resource Center, said there is no doubt the couple was targeted for their sexual orientation.

"They broke into the home, stole items, but then they went the extra mile and included a message of hate," Maddock said. "I saw the graffiti on the walls...This was a targeted crime."

The graffiti included slurs and the message: "Move or die."

Kalamazoo Public Safety Chief Jeff Hadley said police continue to investigate the crime, but there are currently no suspects. He also said his department can't seek a hate crime charge, because Michigan's statute, the ethnic intimidation act, protects individuals against crimes because of their "race, color, religion, gender, or national origin" -- but not sexual orientation or gender identity.

Jay Maddock

Maddock said that needs to change.

"This is an unfortunate incident, but it points to our state that it's time our (hate crime) legislation includes gender identity and the LGBT community," Maddock said.

Maddock said the Resource Center has been providing assistance to the couple since the incident. But Maddock said the crime doesn't just impact the two victims but the entire LGBT community.

"I think any time there is a hate crime like this it affects the entire community," Maddock said. "We already are a vulnerable community. Some already don't feel safe living openly about who they are."

Maddock said Kalamazoo, overall, is a city that is supportive of the LGBT community but added this incident shows that there is "still work to be done."

Maddock said he encourages anyone in the LGBT community who is a victim of a hate crime to contact the Kalamazoo Gay and Lesbian Resource Center at 269-349-4234 for support and assistance.