Trump supporter ‘armed with gun’ protests Drag Queen Story Time
Trump supporter James Green disrupted Drag Queen Storytime at a library in Houston, Texas. (CaelanConrad/Twitter)
A supporter of President Donald Trump was detained after protesting a Drag Queen Story Time event for children and their parents at a public library in Houston, Texas.
Conservative Christian James Greene walked into Freed-Montrose Neighbourhood Library at approximately 1.45pm on Saturday (January 26), about 15 minutes before the venue’s Drag Queen Story Time, hosted by drag queen Regina Blake-DuBois, was set to start.
The Trump supporter—who, according to local LGBT+ magazine OutSmart, was carrying a concealed gun—had already been banned from entering the library last month for trespassing, but refused to leave after being asked to do so by the staff.
Trump supporter detained after protesting drag queen story Time event
The library manager then called the police, who detained Greene before escorting him off the premises.
According to OutSmart, officers disarmed the man of his concealed weapon in a parking lot outside of the library, after he refused to cooperate this the authorities.
The storytelling hour, however, went ahead as planned. Speaking to PinkNews, drag queen Regina Blake-DuBois explained that she only learned all the details of the incident after the event was over.
The drag queen, whose real name is Ryan Barrett, said that Greene was “stopped in a room separate” from where she and the children were gathered.
“We heard a commotion but never saw the man, or a gun, or anything,” she said, adding: “Houston Police intervened and dealt with the whole situation.”
She said that Greene had been protesting the Story Time event with about 30 other people outside the library, before he walked into the building.
Drag queen Regina Blake-DuBois. (ReginaBDuBois/Twitter)
After learning about was happened, the drag queen said she felt a “little afraid.”
In the era of Trump, she added, the incident “highlights the threats we face now.”
“Knowing that someone was so close-minded and homophobic that they even considered violence against me is a frightening thought,” she added.
“But I think it gives LGBT+ people a reason to stay strong and continue the progress we’ve made in the last decade.
“Knowing that someone was so close-minded and homophobic that they even considered violence against me is a frightening thought.”
— Regina Blake-DuBois
“In a different era this would’ve been a way for conservatives to silence us; now it can become fuel for our fires to prove them wrong.”
Greene escorted from library by police
Greene, who hosts conservative radio channel Raging Elephants Radio and wears hats bearing pro-Trump slogans, recorded a video of the incident, which he uploaded to YouTube.
In the video, titled “Arrested for being a Christian,” Greene describes those hosting the drag queen event as “a bunch of homosexuals, who are molesting children.”
He questions police over why he is being asked to leave the building.
PinkNews has contacted Houston Police Department and Houston Public Library, which runs Freed-Montrose Neighbourhood Library, for comment.
Watch the video below:
A Houston Police Department spokesperson confirmed the incident in a statement to OutSmart.
“A manager asked us for assistance because [Greene] was banned from the library, and would not leave when he was asked,” the spokesperson said.
“He was previously banned for filming children at the library, and has been known to cause disturbances.
“Several officers had to escort him out.”
Greene has since been released by police and no charges have been filed, reports OutSmart.
