Gay Pride Protesters Convicted of Disorderly Conduct

A City Judge in Elmira, New York has rejected First Amendment defenses and found four anti-gay demonstrators guilty of disorderly conduct. Each was fined $95 and assessed $100 in court costs. Today's Elmira Star-Gazette reports that the charges grew out of protests at a Gay Pride Festival. The four--wearing red T-shirts with the slogans "Liberated from Sin" and "By the Blood of Jesus"-- were arrested after laying down on the lawn in front of a stage. In his closing argument, Assistant District Attorney Robert Siglin argued that the case is not about religious freedom, but about public order.