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In March of 2023 a family-friendly drag show in Wadsworth OH was threatened by anti-LGBT protesters including Proud Boys, Patriot Front, and Neo-Nazis. Show organizers asked for volunteers to help protect the show and its attendees. Leif was one of many people from Central Ohio who answered this call for volunteers. On the day of the show, attendees and supporters were outnumbered nearly 2-1 by anti-LBGT demonstrators from all over Ohio. While escorting families out of the event, Leif was assaulted by anti-LGBT protesters who hit him in the head with a megaphone. Police stood by and allowed this to happen. Leif feared for his life and the lives of the people he escorted - including children and a person with a service animal - and he took swift action to end the attack. FOR THIS JUSTIFIED ACT OF DEFENSE HE IS BEING CHARGED WITH THREE COUNTS OF ASSAULT!

Do trans people have the same self-defense rights as everyone else? The law throughout the whole US allows a person to use force in defense of human life. Ohio is a ‘stand your ground’ state. This means a person has no “duty to retreat” and may use force in self-defense or defense of others, if they feel their life is in danger. The police and the state of Ohio have chosen to prosecute a trans man with criminal charges instead of the transphobes who assaulted him. Weare going to fight back using any and all legal means necessary.

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Sep 24, 2023 at 3:40amWeb
Show threadTiota SramSep 24, 2023
@justice4leif images show the same text as the post.
Show thread[deactivating]Sep 24, 2023
@tiotasram This is by design, because some people use text-to-speech applications for accessibility :)
Show threadTiota SramSep 24, 2023
@justice4leif I know. My reply was also for such people, so they they could know that instead of wondering what might be in the images. I should have been clearer. I'd suggest using alt text that just says "styled version of text above" or the like.
Show thread[deactivating]Sep 24, 2023
@tiotasram thanks for the tip :)
Show threadBodhipaksaOct 8, 2023

@justice4leif @tiotasram I'd make the same suggestion. If there's no alt text at all a screen reader will read out the names of the files, which in this case are b953aa8c5627800a.jpg, df86f4ce18d2d721.jpg, 8b2ae34404377e4d.jpg, and 9242c37cd06cec02.jpg. You can imagine it would be rather annoying to listen to all that.

Also, I'm doing a poll at the moment that shows that 60% of Mastodon users refuse to boost posts if the images don't have alt text.

Show threadBobaSaidGoSep 24, 2023
@justice4leif
Activists also followed the rule "Stand your ground". They won. This is the reality of the world, and the natural state of things to have children with a woman.
Show threadAethyrSep 24, 2023
@bobasaidgo Literal fascist lmfao, fuck off
Show threadLukefromDCSep 24, 2023

@justice4leif I just watched video of what was probably this incident, and if this is the same video the assault charge is NUTS. That fash had just threatened to SHOOT community members, meaning defenders would have been justified in shooting him at that point.

Moments later and while presumably still armed he launched a second assault with his hands or a flagpole. The fact that he got anything less than a bullet (given the gun and immediately prior incident) is cutting his fashy ass a huge break and should absolutely bar prosecution. When someone who just brandished a gun starts throwing punches it is reasonable to assume bullets are next. That fash was a potential mass ahooter and needed to be taken down by any means necesary.

Only thing is, cops are fash too.I want to know how many "Blood Tribe" members are cops.

Show threadRussell 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇺🇦🍉Sep 24, 2023
@justice4leif A just cause! Fight on and expose this hypocrisy!
Show threadyeet_da_richSep 24, 2023
@justice4leif uh. Proud boys are not protesters. The word you are looking for is fascists.
Show threadFLⒶRE Sep 24, 2023
@yeet_da_rich @justice4leif perhaps we can start saying antitesters?
Show thread[deactivating]Sep 25, 2023

@yeet_da_rich you are not wrong, friend

we are using specific language recommended by Leif's lawyer for legal reasons ❤️

Show threadJamieSep 24, 2023
@justice4leif his lawyer(s) should subponea all communications from law enforcement and prosecutors about the case. Probably would reveal some things that would not only sink the prosecution's case, but make for a good civil rights or malicious prosecution suit.
Show threadFLⒶRE Sep 24, 2023
@justice4leif third slide could've said "we are fighting back by any means necessary"
js it cuts out some unnecessary qualifications...
Show thread[deactivating]Sep 25, 2023
@Flare we are using specific language recommended by Leif's lawyer for legal reasons ❤️
Show threadLeBonkOct 4, 2023

@justice4leif
Never forget that this is the resolution of the apparent contradiction of conservatives ostensibly supporting gun rights despite all the other repressive shit they want.

They don't actually want everyone to be capable of self-defense. They just want the in-group to be capable of assault.

"in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect."