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Twin Cities Pride Battles Antigay Activist


Brian Johnson anti-gay activist x390 (mug) | ADVOCATE.COM

Minneapolis gay rights groups may head to court to keep an antigay protester out of the Twin Cities Pride Festival.

Representatives from Twin Cities Pride say a permit they received from the Minneapolis Park Board should allow them to forbid antigay activist Brian Johnson entrance to the celebration.

According to a Minneapolis news station, the parks board will not forbid Johnson from the event because they believe he has the right to enter public property, even if a group has a permit to use the property for an allotted time. 

Johnson held booths at previous Minneapolis gay-pride festivals, but last year organizers asked him not to return.

Johnson was arrested at the 2009 Twin Cities Pride for trespassing when he refused to leave a sidewalk, where he was shouting antigay speech. 

Pride officials cite a 1995 Supreme Court case, Hurley v. Irish-American Gay Group, as the argument for their stance. In the case the Supreme Court ruled in favor of parade organizers who denied participation to a gay group. The Court said allowing the Irish-American gay group to march was a violation of First Amendment rights of the parade organizers, who did not support pro-gay messages.

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Reader Comments
  • Name: Lorna
    Date posted: 11/3/2010 8:27:50 PM
    Hometown: Northland NZ

    Comment:

    You are not wrong there Dino

  • Name: Blaise Liffick
    Date posted: 6/25/2010 1:53:46 PM
    Hometown: Marietta, PA

    Comment:

    In PA we have an organization for dealing with these types of protesters: Silent Witness Peacekeepers (www.SilentWitnessPA.org). Fencing the event off and charging a nominal fee for entry gives you the right to deny people like this entrance, since they don't support the message of the event (also use a contract with vendors (anyone with a table) that includes a statement indicating that the participant will support your mission). We'd be glad to come up and help you prevent this sort of thing for next year.

  • Name: john in SF
    Date posted: 6/25/2010 11:01:23 AM
    Hometown: San Francisco

    Comment:

    Looks like a serial killer to me

  • Name: Davya
    Date posted: 6/24/2010 2:07:44 PM
    Hometown: Wynnewood, PA

    Comment:

    Time we kick out these clowns ourselves. no more asking for permission. Its OUR event, get the fuck out. board disagrees, sue the living daylights out of them. no more fanatics ruining well-payed-for and tirelessly organized events of free association. If nazis are allowed to kick minorities out of their gatherings, we should be able to kick nazis ("Christians") out of ours.

  • Name: Dino
    Date posted: 6/24/2010 9:39:03 AM
    Hometown: Brooklyn

    Comment:

    The pimples on his neck really nauseate me.

  • Name: John
    Date posted: 6/24/2010 9:29:57 AM
    Hometown: Portland, ME

    Comment:

    An Irish American gay group was denied participation in a parade - and we are going to set an example by denying this guy participation in the celebration? He obviously wants to hang out with gay people so let him - we know that exposure to our community generally has positive effects.

  • Name: Greg
    Date posted: 6/24/2010 8:53:13 AM
    Hometown: Providence RI

    Comment:

    Follow him around with signs saying he's a closet case, repressed homo, etc.

  • Name: truman
    Date posted: 6/24/2010 7:15:50 AM
    Hometown: mpls

    Comment:

    maybe the moron is just looking for attention, like a 4 year old child? ask yourself that. gee, let's waste all kinds of time in court, arguing finer points of free speech and contractual rights, ad nauseum. the comments here are equally telling. and smart.

  • Name: keith
    Date posted: 6/24/2010 1:28:29 AM
    Hometown: las vegas

    Comment:

    cyclop !!, wow I didnt know they existed

  • Name: SteveMD2
    Date posted: 6/23/2010 11:26:40 PM
    Hometown: Baltimore

    Comment:

    RE Johnathans comment including "homosexual russia -- utter ignorant. Send Jonathan over to Russia dressed in gay clothing and with gay literature. I bet he'll discover what his "homosexual russia" is all about. He might even like it. Rape, hetero or homo, is a crime of power, where sex is simply the tool. And given the torture that poor nation has experienced throughout its lifetime, its no wonder that hatred abounds. But I'd be glad Johnathan, to take pix of you getting what you deserve in homosexual russia. Crude but entertainign. I'll even buy you the lube And I hope you have fun beating your meat when no one is looking, while looking at gay porn. Its always that way - the people who are so anti=gay are actually secretly gay, and don't have the balls to admit to themselves waht they are.

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