Video shows Ohio cop high-fiving Proud Boy during anti-LGBTQ protest; police chief defends department’s actions
An Ohio police officer was caught on video high-fiving a member of the the Proud Boys during an anti-LGBTQ protest in Columbus over the weekend.
The cop, who identified himself as Sgt. Dyer, confirmed to a group of LGBTQ rights supporters that he had engaged with the far-right extremist group who were there to protest an all-ages storytelling event featuring drag performers.
The “Holi-Drag Storytime” — which was scheduled to take place Saturday at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbus — was canceled at the last minute amid a planned protest by the Ohio Chapter of the Proud Boys.
At least 50 members of the Proud Boys and other extremist groups showed up to the event, which would feature three local drag performers reading stories to kids and their parents and performing some “holiday dance numbers.”
A video that has since gone viral on Twitter shows a group of Proud Boys protesters dancing to The Village People’s 1978 disco hit — and gay anthem — “Y.M.C.A.” It’s unclear if they were doing so to mock the LGBTQ community or as a nod to former President Donald Trump.
“We saw you high-five these guys,” a woman tells Sgt. Dyer in a video shared on social media. “Seriously? What was that all about?”
“Yes,” the officer responded, explaining that he did so to build relationships. “I’m not supporting their cause. I’m here to support their right to protest,” he told the woman, who’s the mother of a gay child.
Dyer, who said he was the “leader of the dialogue team,” said he high-fived the anti-LGBTQ protester after he said he “had a good mustache.”
Adam Sparks, the person who shot the video, later told local television station WBNS-TV that “you don’t just high-five white nationalists.”
On Monday, Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant said in a video statement the department stands “fully with the LGBTQ+ community” and that “when we were made aware of the intent of an extremist group known as the Proud Boys’ plans to protest at the Holi-Drag event, we immediately started working with [organizers] to ensure that a security plan was in place to allow the event to occur peacefully.”
