LOOGOOTEE – The ACLU of Indiana filed a suit in US District Court Thursday morning against the City of Loogootee.
According to the ACLU, PrideFest 2024’s sponsors were approved to host the LGBT event. However, that changed after the city passed two new ordinances, changing the application process for using city property.
Those changes overruled the previous approval the event was given.
The ACLU claims the city failed to vote on the second application submitted in February 2024. Since filing the second application, organizers say they have attended every Loogootee City Council meeting but never heard Council members discuss the event or application.
“The City of Loogootee’s revocation of its November 2023 permission to hold PrideFest 2024 and its actions since that time violates the First Amendment to the United States Constitution,” said ACLU of Indiana Legal Director Ken Falk. “The latest city special events ordinance is unconstitutional in many ways. It, and the actions of the City Council, clearly indicate that Councilmembers are trying to deny our plaintiffs the ability to hold their event because they disagree with a celebration of the LGBTQ community.”
On June 10, the Council passed the most recent revision of an ordinance that creates numerous obstacles to hosting PrideFest.
The ACLU claims another event, Summer Fest, will take place on the Public Square starting on June 20, seemingly without organizers applying for a permit.
