Trial set for dad who objected to homosexuality in son’s school
…Massachusetts father David Parker is still fighting a criminal trespass charge stemming from his April 27 arrest, which occurred after the Lexington man raised objections to homosexuality and transgenderism being promoted in his son’s kindergarten class and insisted upon parental notification. Parker spent the night of April 27 in jail, having been arrested and charged after refusing to leave a scheduled meeting with school officials. Authorities at the school had reportedly indicated they would agree to a notification policy but subsequently refused. Now the state is insisting that Parker accept probation and other restrictions; however, the Lexington dad says he has done nothing wrong and will contest the charge against him rather than give in to pressure to plea-bargain. At a hearing yesterday, Judge Robert McKenna, the district attorney, and Parker’s lawyers could not agree on any resolution of several issues, including access to documents and the town of Lexington’s continued ban against the concerned parent, barring him from all school property. Parker’s case will proceed to a jury trial, set to begin September 21. [Jenni Parker]
…An Idaho judge has upheld the conviction of protesters who were arrested for trying to interfere with the removal of a Ten Commandments monument from a Boise city park. The ruling comes just over a year after 13 Christian activists were charged with obstructing police who were trying to move the 40-year-old monument to the grounds of an Episcopal church. The activists were sentenced to 25 hours of community service. A recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allowed Ten Commandments monuments to be displayed in some situations has prompted some of the Boise activists to spearhead an effort to either have the original monument returned to the city park or to get the city to allow a new one. [AP]