Pride protesters guilty - for now

From left to right, Francis Primavera, Joshua Pettigrew, Douglas Pitts, William Ball and Willie Holt listen to court proceedings in their trial Thursday afternoon. [Joseph Garnett Jr., Times]

LARGO -- Five men who protested in last year's St. Pete Pride festival were found guilty of violating a city ordinance today, though the men still could win an acquittal if the judge rules the ordinance is unconstitutional.

After about three hours of testimony, Judge Henry Andringa found that the men violated a city ordinance by carrying signs that were wider than their torsos during last year's festival, which drew more than 40,000 people. The signs said things like "Real men marry women" and "Heaven free of f---, hell full of f---."

But Andringa said he will take more time to determine whether the ordinance violates the First Amendment.

"I've found them guilty so far but not completely guilty yet," Andringa said.

David Schauer, a lawyer who is co-chairman of the Pride event, asked Andringa to issue an order preventing the men from protesting at the annual Pride Festival on Saturday. Andringa declined to issue an order at the hearing but told Schauer to file a motion Friday.

The men, who are all from Georgia, declined to comment after the trial. Their lawyer, Krisanne Hall, also would not answer questions. Hall is with the law firm of David Gibbs, who takes on Christian causes and is best known for representing the parents of Terri Schiavo.

Schauer said he fears the protesters will show up again Saturday. So he obtained an assembly permit this year, which he believes will prevent the men from bringing signs into the festival that have not been approved by the Pride board of directors.

In a previous interview with the St. Petersburg Times, one of the men, Francis Primavera, who goes by Franky, said the group is from a Georgia church. He said they have traveled to several southern cities to protest gay pride events.

Protests at the 2006 festival led to scuffles, prompting the city to adopt an ordinance prohibiting bull horns and signs larger than the carrier's torso. The ordinance designated an area where protesters could carry large signs, but banned them from inside the festival. City officials said the ordinance is designed to keep pedestrian traffic flowing and to protect people from being bumped in the head with signs.

St. Petersburg officers asked the men several times last year to carry their signs sideways so they would not extend past their torsos, but the men refused.

The men say the ordinance is unconstitutional because it violates free speech. But city lawyer Kimberly Proano said the ordinance is lawful because it does not regulate the messages written on the signs.

Andringa said he will give both sides time to file additional motions about the constitutional issue, so his ruling won't be for at least three weeks.

-- Chris Tisch, Times staff writer

St. Petersburg police Officer Joseph Trong shows the court one of the signs belonging to one of the five men on trial. The five were arrested when police determined the signs they carried were too large and violated a city ordinance. [Joseph Garnett Jr., Times]