• Ongoing War on Woke: Man Admits He Tried to Burn Down Church Over Drag

    From ELON X.@21:1/5 to All on Wed Jan 10 20:17:55 2024
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    We need to lobby the government to make this legal. DeSantis backs it
    100%

    Man Admits He Tried to Burn Down Church Over Drag Shows


    An Ohio man pleaded guilty on Monday, admitting he tried to burn
    down a church over planned drag show events the church was hosting.

    According to the U.S. Department of Justice press release, Aimenn D.
    Penny of Alliance, Ohio, pleaded guilty on Monday to violating the
    Church Arson Prevention Act and to using fire and explosives to
    commit a felony in an attempt to burn down a church due to the
    church's support for the LGBTQI+ community.

    This comes as states across the country have introduced legislation
    aimed at regulating drag shows. According to a April 2023 YouGov
    Poll, 17 percent of Americans support banning drug shows entirely,
    though 50 percent—"including nearly half of people who have been to
    a drag show—favor restricting attendance to adults (18 and older)"
    while a quarter of Americans believe people of all ages should be
    allowed to attend drag shows.

    On March 25, 20-year-old Penny made Molotov cocktails and drove to
    the Community Church of Chesterland (CCC), in Chesterland, Ohio. He
    then threw two Molotov cocktails at the church, hoping to burn the
    church down as he was angered by the church's plan to host two drag
    events the following weekend. Penny was arrested and charged in
    April.

    Through Penny's guilty plea, he admitted to using force through fire
    and explosives, intending to obstruct CCC congregants in their
    enjoyment and expression of their religious beliefs, according to
    court documents.

    The CCC, a small faith community of the United Church of Christ who
    lives their faith by welcoming and serving all those in need, hosted
    the sold out Drag Brunch and Story Hour event on April 1 where,
    according to the church's Instagram 120 tickets were sold.

    Penny previously confessed he attempted to burn down the church
    using Molotov cocktails, "to protect the children and stop the drag
    show event," according to the criminal complaint.

    Shortly after Penny's attempt, the church posted pictures of the
    damage left behind on Instagram and said "Our sign was destroyed,
    outdoor light fixtures broken, and Molotov cocktails thrown at the
    church which houses a pre-school. So they're obviously 'thinking of
    the children.'"

    Newsweek has reached out to the Community Church of Chesterland via
    email for further comment.

    In response to the plea, U.S. Attorney Rebecca C. Lutzko for the
    Northern District of Ohio said in a press release that "the United
    States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio will
    aggressively prosecute criminals who threaten the right to express
    themselves freely.

    "By pleading guilty, Aimenn Penny has admitted that he attempted to
    burn down the Community Church of Chesterland because he disagreed
    with a planned LGBTQI+ event. Violence is never appropriate to
    settle differences in beliefs. All members of our community are
    entitled to peacefully assemble, worship, and express themselves
    freely, without fear of violence or intimidation," Lutzko said.

    In addition, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the
    Justice Department's Civil Rights Division also condemned the
    actions of Penny.

    "Attempting to burn down the Community Church of Chesterland for
    their support of the LGBTQI+ community is reprehensible. There is no
    room in this country for such bias-motivated violence and terror,
    and the Justice Department will continue to protect all Americans in
    their free exercise of religious beliefs by vigorously prosecuting
    those who target houses of worship. Our churches should be safe
    havens for all people, not sites subjected to violence motivated by
    hate and vitriol," Clarke said.

    However, this comes after several drag events across the country
    face similar threats as the Proud Boys planned to disrupt a drag
    storytime event in Columbus, Ohio, in 2022.

    The Proud Boys have seized a growing role in anti-LGBTQ mobilization
    over the past two years, according to nationwide data from the Armed
    Conflict Location and Event Data Project. The far-right extremist
    group has appeared at a host of LGBTQ events across various states,
    threatening violence outside a drag brunch in Texas, protesting a
    Pride event at a public library in North Carolina and disrupting a
    drag show in California.

    Sentencing in the case against Penny has been scheduled for January
    29, 2024.

    https://www.newsweek.com/man-admits-attempting-burn-down-church- over-drag-show-events-1837504

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