A middle-aged protester tried to disrupt a drag queen reading event at a public library in Houston, Texas, only to thoroughly embarrass himself.

James “Doc” Greene Sr. attempted to enter the Houston Public Library’s Freed-Montrose location, where he had previously been issued a trespassing warning for disrupting last month’s Drag Queen Storytime event, where he also filmed juveniles without permission.

Upon entering the library, employees requested police assistance to deal with Greene, who had a concealed carry permit and was armed. Officers, who had been monitoring a nearby protest against the Drag Queen event, responded quickly, at which point he launched into a lengthy verbal exchange with the responding officers.

“Do you not work for me? I’m a taxpayer,” Greene attempted to ask one of the library employees who handed him a trespassing warning. “I’m a taxpayer, I’m a taxpayer, I pay for this library…why am I trespassing? How am I trespassing? I want you to cite the law, cite the LAW, CITE THE LAW [sic].”


When officers attempt to explain to Greene that he was handed a trespassing warning, he continued with his verbal barrage, “What am I doing wrong? I pay for this property, these people work for me, I’m a taxpayer,” he said. “Does statute override Constitutional foundational law?” The entire incident was uploaded by Greene to YouTube under the apt description “Arrested for being a Christian.”

Greene was escorted outside where he continued to protest, saying that, “We have a bunch of homosexuals that are molesting children …They are doing it with your help.” According to a Houston Police spokesperson, he was then put in handcuffs and placed in a police vehicle, whereupon he started to complain of chest pains and paramedics were called to escort him to hospital. The Houston district attorney declined to press charges. Officers also temporarily confiscated his handgun.

The incident, which was first reported by OutSmart, occurred last Saturday. It began gaining mainstream attention on Thursday, however, when Drag Queen Regina Blake-DuBois, who was at the library, tweeted about the incident.

This was me. A man with a gun tried to get where I was, in a room full of children & parents, just trying to have a fun Saturday afternoon. I will never forget this monster's face. https://t.co/P1Xs425RmH — Regina Blake-DuBois (@ReginaBDuBois) February 1, 2019

On his Facebook page, Greene maintained that he’d been “arrested for being a white Christian” and elaborated on how the police were “violating his first amendment rights on multiple levels” during a two-hour-long Facebook video. He also runs a conservative radio show and describes himself as a former member of the Texas Nationalist Movement.


While Greene’s actions might seem idiotic from afar, it is important to bear in mind how potentially terrifying the incident could have been for the parents, children, and drag queens involved, especially considering previous far-right mass shooters like Dylann Roof and Robert Gregory Bowers. This is also particularly true bearing in mind how often transgender people are targeted in acts of shocking brutality and violence. In 2017, at least 28 transgender people were murdered, the deadliest year on record, a level nearly matched in 2018.