Watertown Pride flag protest — Photo: Screenshot / WWNY
Residents in Watertown, New York, have rallied around the local LGBTQ community after a man was arrested for tearing down a Pride flag in front of City Hall last week.
Dozens of people staged an impromptu protest after a man took the Pride flag from Watertown City Hall, which was flying in honor of LGBTQ Pride Month, and put it into a city drop box, WWNY reports.
Donnie Lee Barrigar, 36, filmed himself removing the flag on Saturday, June 20. He told the Waterdown Daily Times that it was a “peaceful protest” and expected his actions to be protected by the First Amendment.
He told WWNY that the flag was “mocking God and it’s mocking all the good Christians we have in our community.”
“I’m covered under the First Amendment right,” Barrigar said. “We have the right for protesting and that includes flags. So flags are covered under the First Amendment right for free speech.”
Barrigar’s actions were met with outcry from both Watertown Mayor Jeff Smith, who called it an “act of ignorance and narrow-mindedness” from an “individual who literally believes the world is flat.” (Barrigar had posted his video to a YouTube account called “Flat Earth Watertown New York.”)
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he was “disgusted” by Barrigar’s actions and urged that he be “held accountable for this repugnant attack against the LGBTQ community.”
“These hateful acts of division have no place in our state and we will not allow a bigot to bully the Watertown community with impunity,” Cuomo said in a statement.
Donnie Barrigar — Photo: Screenshot / WWNY
Barrigar was arrested last week and charged with third-degree criminal tampering, news of which broke during a protest against his removal of the flag.
Led by Seth Hill and his partner Sexton Reese, more than 100 people gathered outside City Hall to show support for LGBTQ people. Hill told WWNY that the city “won’t stand for this anymore.”
“Watertown is all inclusive,” Hill said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re part of the LGBTQ community or if you’re straight, Republican, Democrat — we are all here together to show we will not stand for hate and love will prevail.”
When news reached the crowd that Barrigar had been arrested and charged, the protest turned into a celebration, as participants waved signs and painted rainbow colors on the sidewalks, while passing cars honked in support, WWNY reports.
Reece said that he wanted the event to send a message to youth “driving by in the back seats of the car to know that if you are part of the LGBTQIA community, you are accepted, you are loved, we are here for you.”
He added: “There’s a community, we are strong, we are just as tight as a family and we take care of each other.”
Watertown City Hall reinstated its Pride flag after Barrigar removed it, and said it would remain until the end of June.
Barrigar was previously known for his anti-LGBTQ views after last year posting on Facebook urging a mass shooting during Watertown’s Pride celebration.
“Watertown is having a LBGTQ celebration,” he wrote. “For the love of God please let someone go on a mass shooting.”
Syracuse.com reports that Barrigar’s comments led to police attention, but he wasn’t charged. He later boasted about the lack of arrest, claiming he was “1-0” against Gov. Cuomo.
Social conservatives are claiming vindication for their views after Robin Westman, the 23-year-old behind the August 27 mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, was identified as transgender by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in an X post.
Armed with a rifle, shotgun, and pistol, Westman fired dozens of rounds into the church during a morning Mass attended by students from the affiliated Annunciation Catholic School, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said, as reported by The Associated Press.
A rainbow crosswalk in Columbus, Ohio -- part of a federal road safety study -- was defaced when an unknown vandal poured a black tar-like substance across its brightly colored panels.
The incident comes as rainbow crosswalks nationwide face political pushback, with Republican leaders including former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis portraying them as dangerous distractions on the road.
City officials learned of the vandalism on August 25 after a Reddit post and calls to 311 alerted them to the damage. The crosswalk, at Lane and Waldeck Avenues near Ohio State University, had each of its colored panels smeared with the black substance.
Sawyer Hemsley, co-founder and chief branding officer of Crumbl Cookies, recently came out as gay after an influencer's viral TikTok speculated about his sexuality.
Hemsley, who launched the billion-dollar cookie chain in 2017 with his cousin Jason McGowan while a student at Utah State, has become a prominent face of the brand on TikTok.
Hemsley addressed the speculation in an Instagram post, writing, "here have been people online trying to define me, twist things, and share conversations that feel harmful. Instead of letting others write my story, I want to share it in my own words. The truth is, over the past few years I've come to understand and accept that I'm gay."
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