Judge rules gay-pride organizers can’t ban religious protester
U.S. District Court Judge John Tunheim this afternoon ruled that organizers of this weekend's Twin Cities Pride celebration cannot stop an anti-gay activist from distributing literature during the event.
Minneapolis' Loring Park, where the main gay-pride celebration occurs, is a public space, the judge ruled, so the First Amendment protects religious protester Brian Johnson's right to express his views on homosexuality.
Pride organizers had argued that because they rent the park from the Minneapolis Park Board, they had the right to control who distributes literature in the same way they have the right to regulate vendors. They had argued that a 1996 ruling barring GLBT protesters from marching in an Irish parade in Boston applied.
The Associated Press provides more details.
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Comments (1)
Hopefully, this will mean more gay protests at religious gatherings.