Apparently, in a Wisconsin town, it is illegal to preach the gospel and protest at a drag show for children. Local police arrested several youths while they were practicing their First Amendment right to engage in free speech in a public area at a public event. It seems those supporting these shows are willing to use the power of the government to punish those who dare to speak out against it.

The incident happened on Saturday in Watertown, Wisconsin:

Police arrested and detained several young people in Watertown, Wisconsin, on Saturday while they were preaching the gospel at a public drag queen event targeted toward children.

Video circulated on social media showing multiple police officers arresting Marcus Schroeder as he was reading from the Bible. One officer was recorded aggressively pulling a microphone out of his hands and walking him away in handcuffs. Nick Proell, another young Christian, was detained and removed from the venue but later released with a warning.

Jason Storms, who recorded the viral video, said in remarks provided to The Sentinel that the young people, who attend Mercy Seat Christian Church in Brookfield, Wisconsin, were some of more than 200 individuals from various groups assembled to protest the drag show.

“The police, per orders from city leaders, arrested several young people. Three were arrested earlier in the day while inside the park praying and talking to attendees, and then released with warnings,” said Storms, who serves as minister of evangelism at Mercy Seat Christian Church. “It was open to the public, thus the public’s right to free speech carries with them. One was arrested later in the day for preaching on the public sidewalk outside the venue and is being charged with unlawful use of sound amplification and resisting arrest.”

These people were arrested for preaching the gospel at a public event featuring drag queens performing for children.

It was being held at a public park.

First Amendment be damned, right? pic.twitter.com/oyGLUOiF8K

— Jeff Charles, King of the Nonwhites🏴 (@jeffcharlesjr) August 1, 2023

So, it is supposedly illegal to preach in public during a drag show event tailored to children, but it is not unlawful to hold these sexualized shows in the first place? Well, actually, it just might be. Wisconsin has a law against allowing children to view this type of material:

Whoever intentionally causes a child who has not attained 18 years of age, or an individual who the actor believes or has reason to believe has not attained 18 years of age, to view or listen to sexually explicit conduct may be penalized as provided in sub. (2) if the viewing or listening is for the purpose of sexually arousing or gratifying the actor or humiliating or degrading the child or individual.

Nevertheless, none of those who participated in the event are facing so much as a stern look of disapproval from law enforcement and the city’s government. This is not the only situation in which police officers have been used to stop people from speaking out against these shows.

In June, law enforcement arrested a preacher for protesting at a Pride Month rally in Reading, Pennsylvania. Police officers warned Damon Atkins, the preacher, not to disrupt the event. Nevertheless, he continued exercising his free speech. The officers arrested him for allegedly engaging in disorderly conduct. Fortunately, after viewing the footage of the encounter, the Berks County District Attorney’s Office dismissed the charge.

What happened to these Christian youths in Wisconsin seems to be a clear violation of the First Amendment. They were not disrupting the event or harassing attendees. One of them had a PA system and a microphone, but it is unclear whether he was actually violating any noise ordinances. In fact, the person filming the encounter made this point as the officers handcuffed the individual and led him away from the scene.

Given the current political climate in Wisconsin, whose school districts have imposed measures allowing teachers to conceal details about a child’s gender identity from their parents, it makes sense to question whether the officers’ actions were based more on the content of the youths’ speech than an actual disruption or violation of an ordinance. It is doubtful that the individual was any louder than the performance itself. This is yet another story revealing a disturbing pattern of using the government to suppress free speech of those who speak out against these performances.