Two men have been charged in connection with the burning of a gay pride flag at Columbus, Ohio’s Pride celebration, The Columbus Dispatch reports.
Charles Spingola, 45, and Thomas R. Meyer, 47, both of Newark, were charged with open burning, a first-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail. They set the flag on fire while trailing marchers at the parade.
Spingola’s wife said her husband didn’t expect to be arrested for the incident.
“It’s legal to burn the American flag. We thought it’s OK to burn the queer flag,” she said.
Charles Spingola reportedly told a parade security officer that she was going to burn in hell before splashing gasoline on her.
In June 1999, Charles Spingola was arrested for climbing a flagpole at the Ohio Statehouse and cutting down a rainbow flag, which then was burned by another man.