Twenty-two young
gay rights activists pleaded guilty Tuesday to
trespassing while protesting the ban on gays in the military
at West Point. Soulforce Equality Ride codirector
Jacob Reitan said he knew that members of the
Christian gay rights group would "eventually be
pleading guilty to something."
In April the Equality Ride, a 51-day bus tour
protesting bans on gay college students at
religious universities and military academies,
concluded its cross-country campaign at West Point, one
of the nation's most prestigious military schools.
When military police asked the 22 protesters to leave,
they refused and were each handed a citation for trespassing.
Reitan told the Web site Midhudsonnews.com that
Equality Ride members knew they were breaking the law,
but he insisted that "it was West Point's choice"
to arrest them. On Tuesday each of the protesters,
many of whom live out of state, filed papers in federal
court through their attorney, entering guilty pleas.
Each is expected to be fined $125 for trespassing on
federal property. (Sirius OutQ News)
