People celebrating at the 2023 Lubbock Pride Festival ignore the anti-LGBTQ+ protester who positioned himself in the middle of the crowd watching a drag queen on stage read from a book. A man from Clovis, N.M., some 100 miles from Lubbock, was arrested after posting a threat against Lubbock Pride on Facebook, referencing “hunting season.”
(Photo via LubbockPride.org)
DAVID TAFFET | Senior Staff Writer
Taffet@DallasVoice.com
What would Pride month be without the haters? And what would a Pride parade be without random Bible quotes on protest signs? But we almost made it through Pride Month without the protestors making headlines, but then, the final weekend of month, these two incidents happened.
In Clovis, N.M., a man remains under house arrest after making what he admits were “dumbass” comments to “shoot up” a Pride celebration on a Facebook post. And in Fort Worth, a Trinity Pride protestor is claiming their First Amendment rights were violated when police issued a noise citation and confiscated their bullhorn as evidence.
New Mexico
“A Clovis man was arrested on federal charges after allegedly posting threatening comments on Facebook in response to a Lubbock Pride Fest 2026 event post,” according to a press release from the United States Attorney’s Office, District of New Mexico.
Clovis, N.M., is 100 miles west of Lubbock.
Michael Kenneth Thompson, 44, made threatening comments on Facebook in response to a post about Lubbock Pride made by the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Compared to other negative comments about the event, Thompson’s were considered a threat:
“Sooo whatcha saying is it’s Hunting Season,” he wrote. “Nothing that a little target practice can’t fix.”
Thompson also commented that he didn’t need help, just more ammo, the U.S. Attorney wrote.
The FBI contacted local law enforcement who visited Thompson. He admitted to police that he had made the comments and that he was “stupid” and a “dumbass” for making the comments. He told police he would never harm anyone.
Then he voluntarily deleted the comments.
But on Sunday, June 28, the day after Lubbock Pride had taken place without incident, the FBI arrested him and charged him with making interstate threatening communications. The penalty for that charge, if convicted, is up to five years in federal prison.
Thompson was held in jail in Clovis until a July 1 detention hearing. He was given a court-appointed attorney. A federal judge in Albuquerque released him under special conditions.
There’s no record of him having to pay bail.
The restrictions include completion of anger management treatment and home confinement “except for employment; education; religious services; medical, substance use, or mental health treatment; attorney visits; court appearances; court-ordered obligations; activities approved by the court; or essential activities approved in advance by the pretrial services office or supervising officer,” according to federal court records. Essential activities might include things like grocery shopping.
Thompson may not leave the county without permission of the court. He’s not allowed to have guns or use drugs or alcohol and must submit to drug and alcohol testing.
A trial date has not been scheduled.
If this response seems harsh for what was admittedly a few stupid comments, it’s not an isolated incident. Last year, for example, a death threat was emailed to a small group of synagogues around the country. Among those that received the threats was Dallas’ LGBTQ+ Congregation Beth El Binah. The threat was traced to someone in California who was charged with a federal crime because of the interstate threat.
Lubbock Pride took place on June 27 in the city’s downtown arts district. This year was the group’s 14th Pride festival. The event included local artists, live music, activity and vendor booths and food trucks.
A $1 admission fee was charged to help defray security costs and support other LubbockPRIDE events.
Trinity Pride Fest
Fort Worth Police have responded to complaints about their role in an incident that took place outside the Trinity Pride festival on June 27.
“An individual outside the festival grounds was using a bullhorn to amplify their voice,” according to a Fort Worth Police Department press release. “Business owners in the area complained that the amplified noise disrupted their operations and caused them to lose customers.”
Officers advised the person that continuing to use the bull horn would be a violation of the city’s noise ordinance. The person — who is not identified in the press release — continued to use the device, so police issued a citation for disorderly conduct and seized the bullhorn as evidence.
A complaint was filed charging violation of the protestor’s First Amendment rights.
“At no time did officers prevent any individuals from expressing their views,” the FWPD press release asserts. Officers told the individual they could continue exercising their rights without using “an amplification device.”
However, the person stopped protesting when the bullhorn was taken by police.
In response, FWPD said it “remains committed to protecting the constitutional rights of all individuals, regardless of the content or viewpoint of their speech.”
It also acknowledges that an officer involved in the incident “made certain statements that were not accurate,” but did not say what those statements were. According to other sources, however, the officer told the protester, “If someone is offended by your talking, then we have a problem. … If they are offended by your speech, OK, I will write you a ticket, and we’ll go from there.”
The U.S. Supreme Court has consistently ruled that hate speech is broadly protected by the First Amendment and that the government cannot ban or censor speech simply because it is offensive, hateful or demeans others based on race, religion, gender, or sexual. Exceptions, according to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, include speech that involves true threats or intimidation, incitement to violence and discriminatory harassment (conduct based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetic information that creates a hostile, intimidating, or abusive environment).
The FWPD press release said the “Fort Worth Law Department will provide refresher training to Fort Worth Police Officers and new trainees on First Amendment protections and related legal issues for persons expressing free speech, protesters and other similar activities.”