Lesbian Couple
Guilty of Trespassing for Sit-in Protest

A Denver jury found a lesbian couple guilty of trespassing for staging a brief sit-in after the Denver Office of the Clerk and Recorder refused to grant them a marriage license, The New York Times reported Thursday.

Sheila Schroeder and Kate Burns, both from the Denver suburb of Englewood, sought to overturn Colorado's ban on same-sex marriage, arguing it violated their right to equal protection under the law. But in Denver County court, Judge James B. Breese told the jury of six women to limit themselves to the trespassing charge.

Schroeder and Burns will have to complete 28 hours of community service and pay $41 in court fines.

"This was an excellent opportunity for them to stand proudly as Americans and exercise their First Amendment rights to protest what they believe was an unfair law that treated people unequally," Mari Newman, the couple's attorney, told the Times. (The Advocate)