An 18-year-old man was arrested at Cedar Point, the storied, decades-old amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio, for pulling down the skirt and underwear of a transgender woman.
The incident occurred around 8:30 p.m. on May 26. According to a Sandusky Police Department report, a security officer was flagged down by a Cedar Point guest, a transgender woman, who said she and a transgender friend were preparing to leave the park when a man approached her friend from behind, grabbed her skirt and underwear, and pulled them down, exposing her buttocks and genitals.
According to the police report, several people, including young children, witnessed the incident. The victim was reportedly distraught and told police that the man who had “pantsed” her recorded the encounter and laughed.
As reported by FOX affiliate WJW, the victim’s friend chased the suspect toward the front gate before seeking help from security personnel. The suspect, later identified as 18-year-old Marquez Williams, allegedly tried to evade officers by running through the Cedar Point parking lot and refusing repeated orders to stop.
As a result, one officer drew his Taser and repeatedly warned Williams to stop running or be tased.
“At this point I deployed my taser, which had an immediate effect and caused the subject to fall to the ground,” the officer wrote in the police report. “I immediately requested an ambulance to respond. While waiting for the ambulance, a large crowd began forming around officers and some of them began to become aggressive towards us, therefore additional units were requested.”
The officer said Williams attempted to get back on his feet and was instructed to remain on the ground until the ambulance arrived. Williams allegedly tried to pull away from responding officers, who used what the report described as “reasonable force” to restrain him until emergency medical services arrived. The report also alleges that Williams became aggressive while on the ground, prompting additional officers to respond.
Williams reportedly suffered a scrape to his face during the altercation and was transported to a local hospital for treatment. He was later arrested and taken to Erie County Jail, but was released from custody that night after posting 10% of an $8,000 bond, or $800.
The police report notes that the victim told officers she believes Williams targeted her and her friend for the humiliating incident “strictly because they are transgender.”
Williams was initially charged with public indecency, disorderly conduct, obstructing official business, and resisting arrest. At his June 3 arraignment, prosecutors dropped the public indecency charge but added a theft charge. It is unclear whether the theft charge is related to the amusement park incident.
Cedar Point addressed the incident in a statement to Cleveland CBS affiliate WOIO.
“Cedar Point is a family-friendly environment, and we do not tolerate disruptive or inappropriate behavior,” the statement reads. “Guests who violate our Code of Conduct are not welcome in our parks, and this guest has been banned from all Six Flags parks for life.”
April Dempster, a friend of the alleged victim, told WOIO that she and a group of friends had gone to the amusement park to celebrate her birthday and were disappointed that what had been a positive experience was marred by Williams’ actions.
“We were out having a great day and there was no reason for anyone to put their hands on anyone,” Dempster said.
Dempster said her friend was shaken by the incident, “but is doing a lot better now. She’s home and she has her support group with her.”
Kelley Robinson, the president of the Human Rights Campaign, criticized Democrats who embrace anti-transgender messaging to counter Republican attack ads.
"My honest answer is you're doing too much and getting too little," Robinson said during an October 5 breakfast roundtable with reporters at HRC's headquarters in Washington, D.C., according to The Advocate. "You don't have to sacrifice any member of our community to win in these races, to have a message that resonates with voters.
Robinson noted that HRC has committed $15 million -- its largest investment in a midterm election -- to elect candidates who support LGBTQ rights and will defend the transgender community from conservative attacks.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, has reportedly paid at least 29 accounts with histories of promoting anti-LGBTQ rhetoric for posts ahead of this year's midterm elections.
According to reporting from Uncloseted Media and The 19th, Meta pays these creators through Facebook Content Monetization, a program launched in 2024 that allows eligible creators to earn money based on the performance of their public Facebook posts, including text, Stories, Reels, longer videos, and photos.
Many creators celebrated the program's launch, with some reporting a major increase in their earnings. But critics say the program encourages inflammatory posts and so-called "rage bait" to increase engagement.
The Farmville Public Library logo does not resemble a traditional rainbow. It depicts an open book with multicolored pages and a spine in shades of teal, blue, magenta, lime green, orange, purple, and yellow, arranged in no particular order.
But three residents reportedly objected to the logo over concerns that its colors could be interpreted as a show of support for the LGBTQ community. After receiving their complaints, a town commissioner asked the town manager to remove the 14-year-old logo.
The logo was subsequently removed without public debate or discussion, surprising other local officials, including Farmville Mayor Alex Joyner.
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