Chris Kluwe 'figured' he would get arrested for protesting MAGA — and he'd do it again (exclusive)

Chris Kluwe just "can't stop being me" — even when it affects his career or lands him in jail.

Keep up with the latest in LGBTQ+ news and politics. Sign up for The Advocate's email newsletter.

The author and former kicker for the Minnesota Vikings was arrested at a Huntington Beach City Council meeting on Wednesday after peacefully protesting the installation of a plaque referencing Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan in a local library — though it's far from the first time he's stood up for marginalized groups.

Kluwe, 43, says that he started speaking out at city council meetings about two years ago when they "were trying to ban books from the children's section, and those books were primarily LGBTQ books." The former athlete has since supported multiple petitions through local advocacy group Protect HB to fight against censorship and the privatization of the library.

"What's happening here in Huntington beach is a microcosm of the MAGA movement as a whole," Kluwe tells The Advocate. "It's a group of people that want power at the sake of everything else, and they don't care who gets hurt in the process. We, as a country, we need to come together and say this is un-American, because we don't elect kings, we don't elect dictators."

"Just because you got elected doesn't mean you get to do whatever you want as a city government. You still have to listen to the people who live here," he says.

The California city's council ultimately approved the installation of the plaque — which will feature the names of current council members and other city leaders alongside the words: “Magical. Alluring. Galvanizing. Adventurous." (MAGA) — but not before Kluwe could make his point, earning national awareness and support in the process.

Civil disobedience is often necessary. Thank you Chris Kluwe.#civil disobedience

[image or embed]
— protecthb.org.bsky.social (@protecthb.bsky.social) February 19, 2025 at 11:23 AM

Kluwe gave an impassioned speech detailing how Trump's MAGA is "explicitly a Nazi movement," beginning his remarks by accusing the movement of "trying to erase trans people from existence." He says now that he "mentioned them first deliberately."

"What's happening to the trans community right now is exactly what happened to the trans community in Nazi Germany when Hitler came to power," Kluwe says. "And if we have learned anything from history, is that we cannot allow that kind of genocide to happen again."

Kluwe concluded his remarks by announcing that he would “engage in the time-honored American tradition of peaceful civil disobedience” and approaching the dais. Kluwe says now that he "made very clear my intentions" and did not resist arrest as he "put my hands behind my back." When police detained him, he recalls warning "I'm gonna go limp" and telling them "you're gonna carry me" when asked if he would walk out.

"I figured there was a very good chance of me getting arrested because our city council is a bunch of fascists," Kluwe says.

Kluwe has been charged with a misdemeanor for disrupting a public assembly, though he says that he has "no idea if it involves a fine or jail time because there's nothing on the citation." His court date has been set for April, and he is in contact with legal representation as well as the American Civil Liberties Union.

The former athlete notes that "charging me with an actual crime is generally not what happens in those situations," as police usually "will remove the person from the council chambers and then either give them a warning or just send them on the way." He feels that the charges could be a way to make "an example" out of him.

"I understand why they had to remove me because it is against the rules to approach the dais. I knew that was something that would disrupt city council proceedings," Kluwe says. "But actually charging me with a crime? Doesn't the city have anything better to do?"

Kluwe calls the ordeal "exhausting, but familiar," as it's "pretty much the exact same thing that happened when I was speaking out on LGBTQ rights" in the NFL. The athlete, who spent eight seasons with the Vikings before he was released by the team in 2013, claimed in an essay at the time that he was cut because he was outspoken for LGBTQ+ rights and had filmed multiple ads for Minnesotans for Equality against a ballot measure seeking to ban marriage equality in the state. The Vikings have denied the allegations.

Just like before, Kluwe says the charges will not deter him from using his platform for advocacy. He believes that more "people like me" — not only straight white men, but professional athletes of all backgrounds — need to speak out for marginalized communities, as "we're the ones with the privilege."

Kluwe specifically wants Democratic lawmakers across the country to take a page from his book and put their bodies on the line, telling them to "get arrested when you don't let the Doge goons into the treasury" or "get arrested because you start yelling on the Senate floor that these confirmations are a sham and none of these people are qualified."

"I've frankly been supremely disappointed in our elected Democratic officials because this is the party of John Lewis. This is the party of 'cause good trouble,'" Kluwe says. "And if the civil rights movement taught us anything, it's that when shit gets bad, you need to hit the streets, you need to engage in civil disobedience. You need to show people that this is important enough that you're willing to take the consequences of deliberately breaking the law, because you know it's important. Our current officials just aren't doing that."

While Kluwe says it appears as if "all [Democrats] care about is their next fundraiser," he emphasizes that "what the Republicans are doing is absolutely cowardly and treasonous." As supposedly liberal lawmakers debate abandoning the trans community, and major companies abandon progressive causes such as diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, Kluwe believes it's up to the people to protect each other from the "abject moral failure of a late-stage capitalist society."

"It falls upon us to be putting our bodies on the line to help protect those people who are vulnerable," Kluwe says. "I know there are a lot of members of the LGBTQ community that want to protest, but it is not safe for them. If that means that I'm the one on the dais, if I'm the one getting arrested, if that's what it takes, well, then I'm willing to do that."