A drag storytime occasion in Ohio was canceled Saturday after members of far-right teams gathered close to the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbus, the place the studying was scheduled to be held.
The “Holi-Drag Storytime,” which was organized by Purple Oak Group Faculty, was set to characteristic three drag queens studying to kids of ages and performing a “few vacation numbers.”
In accordance with The Related Press, 50-70 members of the Ohio chapters of the Proud Boys and the Patriot Entrance stood alongside the roads main as much as the church, touting weapons, tactical gear, and face masks that obscured their identities. Protesters chanted “life, liberty, victory” and “reclaim America,” amongst different slogans, and a few are seen giving a Nazi salute, in line with footage recorded by Brendan Gutenschwager.
The teams had beforehand posted their plans to protest the occasion to the messaging app, Telegram.
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Cheryl Ryan, faculty supervisor at Purple Oak, delivered a tearful assertion from the stage the place the occasion was presupposed to have taken place. Ryan stated the cancellation occurred resulting from disagreement “about how this group might be greatest protected.”
“I spent per week calling our police division and leaving voicemails in regards to the studies we had seen,” stated Ryan. “After per week, I used to be advised we might rent a particular obligation officer, who might or might not present up as a result of they’re understaffed.”
Holi-drag Storytime, DECEMBER 3, 2022 AT 10 AM – 11:30 AM by
First UU Church Columbus Ohio on
YouTube
“Ultimately our performers felt unsafe with no police presence, whereas our [community] security group felt unsafe with a police presence,” Ryan stated, explaining that even with continued efforts by the group to safe correct safety for the occasion, they have been unable to achieve an settlement with native police.
In an announcement posted to Fb, the Columbus Police Division known as Ryan’s assertion “incorrect,” writing that they’d had a number of face-to-face assembly with organizers from each the church and the varsity to plot a security plan.
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“CPD pulled collectively assets from a number of models to ensure we have been current, together with officers from our bike patrol and dialogue group, the assertion learn. “Regardless that the occasion was canceled, we nonetheless had personnel and officers within the space to ensure all events have been secure.”
Assertion Concerning Cancellation of Holi-Drag Storytime Occasion
Posted by Columbus Division of Police on Saturday, December 3, 2022
“The Columbus Division of Police protects all residents of town equally. We’ve had a number of conferences with the LGBTQ group and proceed to work collectively in partnership to ensure they really feel supported and guarded in any respect of their occasions,” the submit continued.
In accordance with Ryan, the varsity “offered virtually 1,000 tickets” for the “Holi-Drag,” which had raised greater than $5,000 for a neighborhood LGBTQ charity.
A small group of counter-protesters additionally attended the occasion, and held rainbow and transgender flags to point out their help, in line with extra video from Gutenschwager.
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LGBTQ organizations in central Ohio had requested counter-protesters to abstain from any motion upfront of the occasion. In accordance with Columbus LGBTQ outlet, The Buckeye Flame, a coalition of teams issued an announcement saying “this case is doubtlessly unstable and harmful and, the protection of the kids, households, performers and our group, are of paramount significance and our actions have to be in service to their safety.”
The Proud Boys is a far-right group, and has been referred to by the FBI as an “extremist group with ties to white nationalism,” in line with a leaked inner doc. Their founder, Enrique Tarrio, has been charged with seditious conspiracy in connection to the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol.
C Mandler
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C Mandler is a social media producer and trending content material author in New York, specializing in LGBTQ+ points.
Former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor filed a class-action lawsuit against Ohio State University, the NCAA, the Big Ten Conference, and Learfield Communications back in October 2024.
Since the initial action, new developments have surfaced from the defendant’s side of the case.
Pryor began seeking compensation after accusing the aforementioned entities of violating the Sherman Antitrust Act. Pryor alleged that the use of his name, image, and likeness (NIL) was used to monopolize profits.
He alleges that they are still profiting from use of his NIL.
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On Friday, a “trio of dismissal bids” were filed by the defendants, arguing that Pryor’s legal case was riddled with flaws.
Learfield Communications, the media firm involved in the case, has argued that their entity, along with that of Ohio State, should have immunity against such lawsuits. The Big Ten and NCAA filed their dismissal bids on the platform that Pryor waited too long, and his claims should no longer be eligible for the court’s attention.
Pryor has been out of the college football scene for 14 years, according to the dismissal bids.
The NCAA and Big Ten are using this fact to argue the validity of his lawsuit should be questioned, as his involvement in the program has more than surpassed the statute of limitations.
The Clayton Act has a four-year statute of limitations for federal antitrust claims.
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Pryor is not the first athlete to raise questions against the NCAA and other sports groups in collegiate sports, but he has designated himself as something of a spokesperson. He cited a past experience when he and a group of his teammates were suspended for trading their autographs for tattoos.
Examples like that are circling the NCAA, and past athletes are pressing to gain any ounce of compensation they can.
Having to deal with a separate lawsuit, Ohio State had to come up with their own defense against Pryor’s allegations.
Ohio State cited the Eleventh Amendment in their defense, stating that the sovereign immunity afforded to the states would protect the Buckeye institution because Pryor is not an Ohio resident.
Learfield Communications went along with Ohio State’s citation of the Eleventh Amendment, adding their contract with the state school provided them the same protections under the sovereign immunity point.
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The case is known as Pryor v. NCAA et al., and therefore, Pryor will have to face each entity’s defense in order to emerge victorious.
Winter storm Blair has wreaked havoc across the Midwest and East Coast this week, causing massive school closures and leaving millions of Americans grappling with dangerous travel conditions. Beginning Friday and expected to last through Monday, the storm has dumped heavy snow and ice across regions like Ohio, Maryland, D.C., and Kansas.
People make their way during a winter snow storm in Washington, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)(AP)
School closures and state of emergencies
With winds gusting up to 45 mph, local authorities have been forced to take action urging residents to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary. Several states have declared an emergency while power outages have left thousands of customers in Virginia, Kentucky, and Indiana in the dark. From Missouri to Maryland, storm warnings have been issued.
Impacted states
According to Newsweek, all public schools in Washington D.C. have been closed, coinciding with President-elect Donald Trump’s meeting with U.S. Congress.
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Missouri: Heavy snowfall of 10 to 14 inches in parts of central and northeast Missouri has led to school closures, especially in counties like Jackson and Vinton, Newsweek reports. School closures in Boone County and St. Louis County were also announced.
Kansas: Kansas is experiencing blizzard-like conditions. Travels are completely disrupted. As a result, schools across the state, including Shawnee County, Wichita Public Schools, and Lawrence Public Schools, have announced closure.
Indiana: Indiana is suffering a massive power outage, meanwhile emergency has been declared. Several school districts have been affected, with Indianapolis Public Schools, Perry Township Schools, and Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation all closing.
Also read: Major US winter blast shuts down government offices in several states, stirs dangerous travel conditions
Kentucky: Governor Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency, and many school districts have canceled classes. Schools in Jefferson County and districts in Oldham, Bullitt, Shelby, Spencer, and Greater Clark counties have all closed. Fayette County Public Schools and numerous other districts in Kentucky have followed suit.
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Maryland: Heavy snowfall has hit Maryland. Governor Wes Moore declared a state of emergency as the storm began affecting the state.. Schools in Baltimore City, Cecil County, Harford County, Carroll County, Anne Arundel County, and Howard County have all closed due to the storm’s impact.
Washington D.C.: In the nation’s capital, Winter Storm Blair has caused all public schools to close, as the city prepares for snow and bitter cold temperatures.
What to know about Winter storm Blair
According to the National Weather Service, the winter storm which has been named Blair could bring “the heaviest snowfall in at least a decade.” According to BBC, AccuWeather forecaster Dan DePodwin said: “This could lead to the coldest January for the US since 2011.”
Also read: Kamala Harris to certify Trump’s win four years after Capitol attack, calls her role a ‘sacred obligation’: Watch
The storm has severely affected the travel sector. Hundreds of flights have been canceled, and many major roads and highways have been declared hazardous due to snow and ice accumulation. Power outages have affected hundreds of thousands of residents in Virginia, Kentucky, and Indiana. Additionally, frigid temperatures in southern states have led to freeze warnings in areas like Florida.
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“Whiteout conditions will make travel extremely hazardous, with impassable roads and a high risk of motorists becoming stranded,” the NWS said.
Ohio State Buckeyes (9-5, 1-2 Big Ten) at Minnesota Golden Gophers (8-6, 0-3 Big Ten)
Minneapolis; Monday, 9 p.m. EST
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BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Buckeyes -5.5; over/under is 137
BOTTOM LINE: Minnesota hosts Ohio State after Dawson Garcia scored 20 points in Minnesota’s 81-61 loss to the Purdue Boilermakers.
The Golden Gophers have gone 8-3 at home. Minnesota has a 2-2 record in games decided by less than 4 points.
The Buckeyes have gone 1-2 against Big Ten opponents. Ohio State is eighth in the Big Ten with 24.6 defensive rebounds per game led by Devin Royal averaging 5.1.
Minnesota makes 44.7% of its shots from the field this season, which is 6.2 percentage points higher than Ohio State has allowed to its opponents (38.5%). Ohio State averages 8.4 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.0 more made shots on average than the 6.4 per game Minnesota allows.
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The matchup Monday is the first meeting of the season for the two teams in conference play.
TOP PERFORMERS: Lu’Cye Patterson is averaging 10 points and 3.9 assists for the Golden Gophers.
Bruce Thornton is shooting 54.0% and averaging 16.9 points for the Buckeyes.
LAST 10 GAMES: Golden Gophers: 5-5, averaging 68.6 points, 30.8 rebounds, 16.4 assists, 5.7 steals and 5.7 blocks per game while shooting 45.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 68.0 points per game.
Buckeyes: 6-4, averaging 83.3 points, 30.0 rebounds, 14.2 assists, 7.5 steals and 3.3 blocks per game while shooting 50.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 75.0 points.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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