|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Prattville Pride was the very first organization to enter the City of Prattville’s annual Christmas parade this year. The group paid the fee like other organizations and says they plan to abide by the city’s rules.
However, Clean Up Alabama, the Prattville-based group that originally formed to challenge LGBTQ+ titles in the Prattville library’s children and young adult sections, is calling on the city to reverse course and deny Prattville Pride the opportunity to participate.
“The Christmas parade is a celebration of Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ the Messiah. It is NOT a time to celebrate someone’s sexual preferences. And it is certainly not a place for a drag show,” Clean Up Alabama said in an email pushing for the removal of Prattville Pride. “The parade rules clearly state that ‘the city reserves the right to reject any parade entry for any reason whatsoever, and to determine participation based on suitability for the occasion.’
“We know this is NOT suitable for the occasion and that you have the power to stop it. It seems like the city has two options: remove them from the parade per parade rules and/or create a city ordinance that protects children in public places.”
The fervor started after a far-right website highlighted Prattville Pride’s participation in the event.
Mayor Bill Gillespie said the city will “ensure all persons are served and respected equally while maintaining a safe Christmas parade event for us all.”
“I am committed to fostering a thriving, safe, and vibrant family-friendly community for all of Prattville’s residents,” Gillespie told APR. “I hope everyone will enjoy the season that we are celebrating and will remember the reason for the season. Any violations of the event rules will be dealt with appropriately.”
Clean Up Alabama argues that the city must ensure the Prattville Pride unit does not display trans flags or include drag queens, claiming that would violate parade rules.
“This would be in violation of parade rules which state that ‘political views are not allowed as decoration, in music, or otherwise by any parade participant,’ AND it also states that lewd or offensive entries will not be approved by parade officials,” the group urged its members to email council members. “Lastly, the rules state throughout that this is a family-friendly event, and it clearly says ‘The City of Prattville is committed to providing a safe and family-friendly environment for our citizens.'”
The founders of Prattville Pride said the group is “thrilled and proud to be participating in this year’s beloved Christmas parade.”
“As the first organization to sign up, we were eager to join in the holiday magic and celebrate alongside our neighbors,” the group’s founders said in a statement to APR. “In response to recent pushback, we want to emphasize that our participation is rooted in the same spirit of joy and togetherness as any other group. As a pride organization dedicated to fostering inclusivity and support for marginalized communities, our goal is simply to build connection, spread love, and contribute to the festive spirit of the season. We look forward to celebrating the holidays with everyone in Prattville.”
It could be a thorny legal situation if the city were to remove the group from the parade. First amendment case law has supported the concept that governments cannot prevent protests or parades from happening based on speech, although they can require a permitting process and set certain rules for those parades.
But a government-sponsored parade is less-explored territory. Groups challenging LGBTQ+ content in libraries have made the argument that collection development is government speech, and could extend that same logic to government parades. There aren’t clear examples of rulings from the court easily available on these issues.
Josh Coleman, president of Central Alabama Pride, said he believes restricting the group’s participation could run afoul of the law.
“I would believe that if the parade is a public event funded or organized by the city, decisions on participation must typically comply with the First Amendment and cannot be based on the group’s viewpoint or identity,” Coleman said. “If the event has specific, neutral rules, those rules must be applied consistently to all participants. Any decision to exclude a group should be carefully considered to avoid the appearance of discrimination or bias.”
The ACLU of Alabama offices are closed this week for the Thanksgiving holidays and APR could not reach a contact for further examination of the law.
