by Debra Heine
A Christian teenage boy was arrested in Wisconsin over the weekend as he read bible passages outside of an “all ages” Drag Queen Dance Party and Drag Storytime Hour. Police officers in Watertown, Wisconsin were captured on video pulling the boy’s microphone out of his hands and walking him away in handcuffs.
Marcus Schroeder, 19, a student at the Institute of Theology in Cape Coral, Florida, told American Greatness in a telephone interview that the police gave him no warning before they cracked down on him and his friends. The teen said he was taken to the police station and cited with unlawful use of sound amplification, and resisting arrest. Schroeder (pictured above) said he was fined “almost $200” for the sound amplification charge and another $500 for resisting arrest. He told American Greatness that he intends to fight the charges in court and some good law firms have already offered to help him.
Two other young people, Nick Proell and Margaret Trewhella, were also briefly detained and released later with a warning.
🚨Christian teen arrested as he was reading aloud Bible passages at an all ages Drag Queen Dance Party & Drag Storytime Hour in Watertown, WI.
Meanwhile, men in female costumes danced provocatively for children and creeps in masks pretending to be N-zis brandished weapons and… pic.twitter.com/V8lgqUdNEg
— Scarlett Johnson (@scarlett4kids) August 2, 2023
The drag event was part of the small town’s second annual “Pride in the Park.”
As reported by The Sentinel, the boys are members of Mercy Seat Christian Church in Brookfield, Wisconsin and were among more than 200 individuals from various groups assembled to protest the city-sanctioned drag show. The event featured transvestites strutting provocatively in front of children.
Peacefully Protesting this apparently got four Christian teens detained or arrested. pic.twitter.com/kiYs85Jc6p
— Scarlett Johnson (@scarlett4kids) August 2, 2023
The Wisconsin chapter of Gays Against Groomers was among the groups protesting the event. The group posted a video on X of one individual wearing a skimpy outfit in front of the kids. “Why dress like this knowing the audience will be children?” GAG Wisconsin wrote.
Why dress like this knowing the audience will be children? Footage our team took at yesterdays Pride in the Park protest. #GaysAgainstGroomers pic.twitter.com/dwlazveY63
— GAG Wisconsin (@GAG_Wisconsin) July 30, 2023
A group of provocateurs dressed as Nazis and carrying cartoonish swastika flags also attended the protest.
This is was what our chapter leader for @GAG_Wisconsin @DeplorablePhag got on video. The “nazis” you’re seeing all over Twitter had staged this. They have their own camera crew. Smells like a stunt!#GaysAgainstGroomers pic.twitter.com/3cUcEJLPxD
— GAG Wisconsin (@GAG_Wisconsin) July 30, 2023
Local media focused heavily on the appearance of the “Nazis” in their reporting of the event leading Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers (D.) to issue an overwrought statement.
In a post on X, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers (D.) said the presence of the Nazis “was disgusting and a direct attack on our state’s LGBTQ community, communities of color, and Jewish Wisconsinites.”
“LGBTQ Wisconsinites deserve to be treated with dignity, decency, kindness, and respect just like every other Wisconsinite,” he said. “They deserve to be safe being who they are without fear or threat of shame, harassment, intimidation, or violence.”
This weekend’s Nazi presence at a Watertown LGBTQ Pride event was a disgusting and direct attack on our state’s LGBTQ community, communities of color, and Jewish Wisconsinites.
This is unacceptable and unwelcome in Wisconsin. Period. pic.twitter.com/hyBsKkBsFg
— Governor Tony Evers (@GovEvers) July 31, 2023
When asked if he thought the Nazis were real, or left-wing provocateurs, Schroeder told American Greatness that he thought they were provocateurs.
“There’s no other reason why they’d only show up for 20 minutes and leave after getting their press,” he said.
Schroeder said the incident only encouraged him and his Christian comrades to continue their mission with “further boldness.”
“It was worth it. It’s actually an honor to be counted worthy to stand with the cloud of witnesses who have gone before us and been arrested for the sake of spreading Christ and his kingdom,” he told the Sentinel. “If the police wanted to try and set an example for others or anything like that, the only thing I’ve seen is actually the exact opposite, where more and more people are seeing the severity of what’s going on and being called to more action.”
Proell told The Sentinel that he did not regret his detainment. “I’d do it all over again if it gives me an opportunity to share the good news and rescue innocent children being sexualized by their parents,” he said. “God will use it for good. We will stand for truth even if we stand alone.”
Several dozen police officers were reportedly on the scene to protect the transvestites even though Wisconsin law forbids individuals from causing a minor to view or listen to “sexually explicit conduct.” According to Storms, the transvestites were seen “dancing and gyrating in front of little children, who were invited to give them one dollar bills.”
Storms affirmed to The Sentinel that the Christians at the event had “zero” affiliation with the Nazis, who he believes are likely from outside of Wisconsin. He added that the young people attempted to share the gospel with them in addition to the attendees of the drag queen event.
The Sentinel contacted Watertown Mayor Emily McFarland and Watertown Police Chief Robert Kaminski to ask about the nature of the charges against Schroeder, as well as whether the performers of the drag event would be charged for violating the statute against “sexually explicit conduct.”
Speaking before the City Council Tuesday night, Schroeder said he was “arrested and taken into custody simply for reading the bible on the sidewalk.”
“You see, as we become more tolerant of sexual immorality in our culture, we become more and intolerant toward Christian morality. And the more intolerant we become toward Christian morality, the more we’re going to see lawlessness in our streets.”
Schroeder said he and his friends were called a “hate group” and told they don’t want to understand the other side.
“I just want to set the record straight. I am more than happy to have that conversation with the other side,” he said. “I’ve sat down for hours and had discussions with LGBTQ activists.”
I completely understand the other side. I want to understand the other side. But drag queens twerking on kids in lingerie is unacceptable. And that’s something that we have to notice as a culture. We can have our disagreements, but there comes a time when we have to understand that we’ll all have to stand before God one day and we’re going to have to give an account for what we have done with the children in our society—the innocent minds of the children who deserve to be protected.
Marcus Schroeder, the young man arrested for reading the Bible at a drag queen event in Watertown, Wisconsin, preached the gospel to the city council and residents concerned about the Nazi presence at the event. pic.twitter.com/6DLP2gDa8C
— Ben Zeisloft (@BenZeisloft) August 2, 2023
Schroeder told American Greatness Thursday that Christians “no longer have the convenience of staying apathetic to these matters. It’s time for us to take action.”
Waterloo Police have not yet put out a public statement regarding the arrest.
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Debra Heine reports for American Greatness.
Photo “Marcus Schroeder” by Scarlett Johnson.
