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# Gay grandpa fined $16k for protesting trans youth suicides would 'do it again'
- URL: https://www.scenemag.co.uk/gay-grandpa-fined-16k-for-protesting-trans-youth-suicides-would-do-it-again/
- Published: 2025-07-13T10:33:11.000Z
- Updated: 2025-07-13T10:33:11.000Z
- Author: Graham Robson
- Tags: News

**James Lantz**, a 64-year-old filmmaker from Vermont known for his outspoken LGBTQ+ advocacy, has been fined $16,000 after pleading guilty to criminal mischief for gluing his hand to a railing inside the **Pennsylvania State Capitol**.

Lantz, who has terminal cancer and has dubbed himself the “Angry Gay Grandpa,” staged the protest in April 2024 to draw attention to a series of suicides among LGBTQ+ youth in **Lancaster County**. He linked the deaths to a wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation being advanced by Republican lawmakers in the state.

The protest involved Lantz driving seven hours to **Harrisburg**, where he glued his hand to a Capitol railing in opposition to a bill likened to Florida’s controversial “Don’t Say Gay” law. The act caused damage to a carpet and chair, for which the fine was levied.

![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/2025/07/516935429_1177694677727699_262484411668279805_n.jpg)

Speaking after his sentencing, Lantz accepted responsibility for the damage but criticised the state’s priorities:

> “Does that mean that a chair has more value than the life of a trans youth?” he asked, highlighting what he sees as a moral failure in the response to his protest"

Lantz’s protest was aimed at raising awareness of the pressures faced by LGBTQ+ youth, particularly in areas where legislation restricts access to healthcare, limits inclusive education, and bans transgender athletes from school sports. He specifically called out former state senator **Ryan Aument**, accusing him of promoting policies that “bullied” LGBTQ+ children.

Despite the legal consequences, Lantz has remained defiant, stating he would “do it again” if it meant drawing attention to the lives lost and the ongoing legislative threats to LGBTQ+ rights.

The protest and subsequent sentencing have sparked renewed debate over the balance between civil disobedience and the value placed on property versus human life.