12/20/2006
Catholic Leader Hit with Assault Complaint over Shoving Incident
Monday I reported on an incident that occurred at an anti-gay marriage rally put together by the group Catholic Citizenship in which the group's executive director Larry Cirignano allegedly shoved a woman who was there to counter-protest. The woman, Sarah Loy, was pushed so hard the back of her head slammed against the ground.
The Massachusetts gay rights group MassEquality has called on the group to remove Cirignano and police have filed a misdemeanor assault and battery complaint against him.
Cirignano remains defiant: "I did not push anyone to the ground. I had a portfolio in one hand and escorted the lady back into the crowd and left. I never touched her shoulders and she apparently thought that she could draw a foul like it was a basketball game by falling down. Great theater, not Academy Award material. She was not in the crowd, she was out in front of the crowd facing them with her sign raised in the air blocking their view of the speakers. I was not debating her, just getting her out from in front of the podium."
Witness Chris Robarge told Edge Boston he saw something else: "There was a hand on each of her shoulders and then she fell. The back of her head hit the ground. I did not see the face connected to the hands...As a straight man working very hard to make sure that same-sex marriage rights are not put in jeopardy here in Massachusetts, this [alleged] assault was beyond disgusting to me."
Posted 2:00 PM EST by Andy Towle in Crime, Gay Marriage, Massachusetts, News | Permalink
Like it?
Subscribe to FREE Towleroad daily headlines with our RSS feed!
RECENT STORIES:
Comments
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.
Response to my inquiry/complaint:
The Worcester Police Department did not allow Mr. Larry Cirignano to
assault Ms. Loy. He was not arrested for Assault and Battery because
under Massachusetts law assault and battery is not an arrestable offense
unless it is witnessed by a police officer. No Worcester Police Officer
witnessed the alleged assault and battery. As the law allows the
Worcester Police Department has filed an assault and battery complaint
against Mr. Cirignano. He will be summonsed to court to face this
charge.
Sgt. Donald Cummings
Posted by: Anon1 | Dec 20, 2006 2:40:38 PM
Sounds like a classic Boston He-said/She-said, and there probably won't be too many witnesses. Not sure how she is going to prove her case unless people step forward.
Posted by: Anon | Dec 20, 2006 3:14:48 PM
Since she was outnumbered in the crowd, there are going to be more witnesses to claim that she was exaggerating the incident.
Would we expect anything different?
Posted by: Mark M | Dec 20, 2006 3:34:39 PM
"Great theater, not Academy Award material."
Since when do straight men quote the Oscars???
Posted by: patrick nyc | Dec 20, 2006 4:57:55 PM
This terrible incident is both a violation of this Lady’s right to free speech but also a violation of Christian teaching.
I have asked before “is the pendulum swinging back to the hard right with Chr. Fundamentalism leading the way?
I do hope this Lady sues the thug & demands the Church condemn this assault.
In Canada the Supreme Court has judged that Same Sex Unions are both a right & to be seen as Marriage. Such same sex marriages are valid & these couples share all rights, privileges & obligation as heterosexual union under the Laws for Marriage. The Canadian Parliament has within just a few weeks ago voted overwhelmingly to except the Courts ruling & not to challenge the use of the word Marriage in the court Judgment so as to replace that word with Same Sex Unions.
Canada is a model for other States & the Union to look at tolerance & acceptance of same sex unions as Marriage.
By the way the Most Catholic of the 10 Provinces in Canada Is French Quebec & this Province & the vast majority of its population are fully in favor of Same Sex Marriages.
Posted by: ter | Dec 20, 2006 5:49:03 PM
How newsworthy is this item? Certainly not enough for a follow-up article....this is asinine.
Posted by: rob | Dec 20, 2006 8:53:24 PM
Rob I completely agree. It's not news. Cry me a river. As a taxpayer I hope the police do not spend one more nanosecond even thinking about this. Let's all get some perspective.
"......but her HEAD SLAMMED AGAINST THE GROUND."
OH MY GOD!!
Posted by: Right | Dec 20, 2006 10:51:05 PM
Maybe I'm missing the sarcasm here. But the ED of a Catholic "pro- family" group leaves the podium at an anti-gay marriage rally to throw a counter protester to the ground and you ask why this is news?
What planet do you guys live on?
Posted by: jon luddite | Dec 21, 2006 12:00:09 AM
Rob and Right quick pull your heads out of your asses before you smother yourselves....
Seems pretty newsworthy to me - re-read Mr. Luddite's message if you are still unclear....
One or both of you need your heads slammed against the ground....
Posted by: Derek | Dec 21, 2006 11:50:21 AM
I think Rob and Right are the same person. He logged on with another name to agree with himself.
Posted by: Daniel | Dec 21, 2006 6:25:30 PM