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.
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.
Federal agencies under the Trump administration have flagged hundreds of words to avoid in official government memos, public-facing websites, and informational materials.
Government agencies are seeking to comply with a President Trump executive order seeking to rid the government of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices, and any programs or initiatives that conservatives decry as "woke," including those that focus on racial and cultural identity, LGBTQ identity, and the idea of "equity" rather than equality.
The list appeared in government memos and agency guidance, ordering the removal of the words from government websites, internal communications, and from written or printed materials.
Thanks to the Trump administration, policing gender is becoming the norm -- and it's about much more than trans women.
By Riki Wilchins
March 29, 2025
A Tucson Walmart called the police on a Black "stud"-identified lesbian last month, claiming a man had entered the women's room.
The two male Pima County sheriff's deputies accosted 19-year-old Kalaya Morton just after she had used a tampon and while she was in the stall still trying to pee.
They demanded that she come out immediately, which she was unable to do. Even after she finished her business and exited the stall, lifting her shirt to show the two men that she was a cisgender woman, one of the male deputies still complained that Kalaya "looked like a man."
A page touting Golden Girls actress Bea Arthur's military service during World War II was reportedly scrubbed from the U.S. Department of Defense website as part of the Trump administration's overzealous efforts to purge anything related to diversity or LGBTQ identity.
Last week, X user @swiftillery noted that the article on Arthur -- first published in October 2021 -- had been removed from the Defense Department website.
According to The Advocate, the Internet Archive documented a "404 -- Page Not Found" message at the URL where the article had been housed.
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