>
A gay rights protester and co-founder of New York City’s first Gay Pride parade was attacked by a pro-trans group at a Vermont Pride event for holding an anti-wake-up sign rejecting transgenderism.
Fred Sargeant, 74, was attacked after holding a sign with a red line through the phrases “Woman Face” and “Black Face” during the 39th Burlington Pride Parade in Vermont.
Sargeant is against the recent “gender ideology movement” which he says is “homophobic” and “exclusive.”
“Raiding at Burlington Pride,” Sargeant wrote on Facebook. “So I went to Pride to protest their misogyny, homophobia, exclusionary policies and divisions. I was met by yelling, multiple assaults, age-related comments, pushing, slapping the back of the head, pouring coffee over me, and repeated attempts to steal my plates.
“Unsuccessful in their attempts to disrupt my protest and drive me away, the crowd pushed me to the ground as the parade ended, further injuring me.”
He concluded upon posting a photo of his controversial sign, “They stole or damaged over $550 worth of my property. This is the sign that the young trans/rainbow brown shirts in dresses were going crazy.’
Sargeant has been a gay rights advocate since he took part in the six-day Stonewall riots of 1969 and co-led the first pride parade in New York City, known as the Christopher Street Liberation Day march.
Fred Sargeant, 74, was assaulted at a pride event after holding a sign with the words “Woman face” and “Black face” crossed out during the 39th Burlington Pride Parade in Vermont
Sargeant posted several photos of the protest and its attackers. One of his signs read: ‘GAY NOT QUEER’
Visitors to the Pride parade tried to snatch Sargeant’s sign from him as he stood in the middle of a crowd
One person knocked him to the ground amid multiple blows to his body
A woman was seen trying to take the Sargeant’s sign while a man tried to intervene
A crowd formed a circle around Sargeant and the unidentified woman as the brawl took place
Sargeant’s plate had this message
The unidentified woman insisted she didn’t hurt him before walking away
Sargeant showed one of the attacks on video as a crowd with pride flags gathered around it.
‘What are you doing?’ a man is heard yelling at a woman who is trying to steal Sargeant’s poster.
“You realize you’re attacking him,” she adds when the two are seen struggling.
The woman released the sign and added, “So I won’t hurt him.”
Sargeant posted the images to Facebook and shared encouraging messages he received in response. Some were from struggling “detransitioners” and others were upset “gay” fans.
‘I am a woman [and] lesbian,” wrote one person from Chile. “I switched three years ago. It’s been a rough time… I want to thank you for everything you’ve done.
Another added, “I got wind of the ghosts that attacked you at the Pride event in Vermont. I just want to say I hope you know that not all young people have the LGBTQABCDEFG nonsense.
‘I’m tired of it myself. I’m tired of my self-hating peers withering away trying to convince me to switch, or assuming I’m already in the process. I’m sick of local LBGT organizations being committed to transgender people and not having support groups for lesbian or gay men.
‘I’m tired of how boring my peers are with their idea that cutting their bodies up means ‘undermining the gender’. Sometimes I wish I didn’t know my history so I could stop hoping the community and camaraderie would be just as it was in the 90s and earlier.”
Sargeant has spent decades establishing gay and lesbian rights – but fears the efforts have been overcome by radicals in the LGBTQ+ community
The 1969 police raid of the Stonewall Inn in New York (pictured) sparked the LGBT rights movement. Image Credit: Stonewall Rebellion
Two years after the 1971 riots, activists gather outside the Stonewall Inn to champion gay rights
In 2016, the Stonewall Inn was designated a National Historic Landmark and a memorial opened across the street
Sargeant has spent decades establishing gay and lesbian rights, but fears the efforts have been overcome by radicals in the LGBTQ+ community.
The veteran gay rights activist quickly took part in the six-day Stonewall riots of 1969. The riots broke out in the summer after New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn and evicted people.
He happened upon the first day of the riots on June 28, 1969 after leaving a diner with friends, according to… PBS.
A year later, Sargeant staged the first pride march in New York City, known as the Christopher Street Liberation Day march in June 1970.
After witnessing the events of Stonewall, Sargeant vowed to become a Connecticut police officer in 1973. He embarked on a leadership journey to promote change in the police force.
Continuously recognized for his work, Sargeant was recognized for his work at Stonewall in 2019 by the Association des Journalists LGBTQI+’s OUT d’or Awards in Paris, according to his website.