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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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