Soulforce
Equality Riders plead guilty to trespassing at West Point

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)