Federal judge rules Alabama city must allow gay pride float at Christmas parade

PRATTVILLE, Ala. (AP) — A federal judge has ordered an Alabama city to allow an LGBTQ+ pride group to participate in the city’s Christmas parade on Friday, after the mayor initially blocked the group from the annual event citing unspecified “safety concerns.”

U.S. District Judge R. Austin Huffaker Jr. ruled that the City of Prattville violated Prattville Pride’s First Amendment right to free speech and 14th Amendment right to equal protection under the law when it banned the group from running a float in the annual Christmas parade one day before the event was set to take place.

“The City removed Prattville Pride from the parade based on its belief that certain members of the public who oppose Prattville Pride, and what is stands for, would react in a disruptive way. But discrimination based on a message’s content ‘cannot be tolerated under the First Amendment,’ ” Huffaker wrote in his opinion.

The ruling required the city to provide at least two police officers to escort the float throughout the parade.

On Thursday, Prattville Pride requested additional security measures from law enforcement. In response, Mayor Bill Gillespie Jr released a statement banning the group from the parade altogether, citing “serious safety concerns.”

Huffaker’s ruling said that, leading up to the event, some community members “voiced vehement opposition” to the group’s inclusion in the parade, but that “the City has presented no evidence of legitimate, true threats of physical violence.”

Gillespie’s office referred to a statement posted on the city’s social media in response to a request for comment.

“The City respects the ruling of the Court and will comply with its order. The safety of everyone involved with the parade is a priority,” city officials said in a statement on social media.

Prattville Pride celebrated the ruling on social media.

“The Christmas parade is a cherished holiday tradition, and we are excited to celebrate alongside our neighbors and friends in the spirit of love, joy, and unity,” the group wrote.

Prattville is a small city of about 40,000 people, just north of the capital of Montgomery.