Yesterday's Shreveport Times reported that on Monday a Louisiana federal district court granted a preliminary injunction barring the enforcement of three Natchitoches, LA ordinances against Edwin Crayton, a Christian seminary student who opposes gay marriage on religious grounds. Crayton wished to picket a Wal-Mart store in Natchitoches, believing that Wal-Mart supports gay marriage rights. However he was told that he needed a permit from the mayor and police chief in order to protest on a public sidewalk in front of the store. His lawsuit alleges (full text of complaint) that the city's permit ordinances are unconstitutional because they grant excessive discretion to the mayor and police chief, they are not narrowly tailored to further a legitimate governmental interest, and, in any event, he did not engage in a public gathering or open-air meeting-- the activities covered by the ordinances. The case is Crayton v. City of Natchitoches, Civ. Action No. 06-1946-A (WD LA, Nov. 13, 2006).
Today's 365 Gay reports that other Christian groups have also criticized Wal-Mart's LGBT diversity program, including its definition of an employee's "immediate family" to include a same-sex partner.
