HONOLULU (AP) — The American Civil Liberties Union sued the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii, on June 27 for the exclusion of gay and lesbian groups from a parade backed by a Christian organization.

The suit filed in U.S. District Court claims the city and county have acted as co-sponsors of the Family Day Parade along with the Hawaii Christian Coalition, and turned away interested participants based on sexual orientation.

“This case involves one of the most cherished principles of our democracy,” said Brent White, the legal director for the ACLU of Hawaii. “Our government may not discriminate against people based on who they are or what they have to say.”

Honolulu officials don’t dispute that the city and county is a sponsor of the overall July 5 Family Day celebration — a daylong series of events including fireworks and an outdoor movie. But they contend the parade is privately organized by the Christian Coalition.

“It’s not our parade,” said city spokesperson Carol Costa. “The parade is sponsored by the Hawaii Christian Coalition and they have determined the rules.”

Those rules, the suit claims, appeared to change. Early publicity bellowing “Everyone is welcome to join this parade,” the suit says, gave way to the Christian Coalition’s refusal to allow three gay groups to march in the first-time event.

Those groups — The Center; GLBT Family Network; and the Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) — are named as plaintiffs in the suit.

Their suit argues the city has spent thousands of dollars planning the event, allowed its employees to serve on the parade planning committee, and plans to provide city vehicles for the parade.

White said the city’s argument that it is a sponsor of Family Day but detached from planning the event’s parade is a “flimsy” one. He said even if that were true, the city would be guilty of other wrongdoing — supporting an event that uses “taxpayer money to fund religious bigotry and hatred.”

Garret Hashimoto, state chair of the Hawaii Christian Coalition, admitted he denied the gay groups from participating in the parade, but said it was his right.

“We have a right to express ourselves,” Hashimoto, a 57-year-old salesman, said. “We just do not agree with the gay lifestyle and I don’t think they should be marching along with children.”

In addition to Hashimoto, the suit names Mayor Jeremy Harris, Deputy Managing Director Malcolm Tom, and others, as defendants.

At press time, U.S. District Judge Helen Gillmor had scheduled a hearing on the case for June July 1 in federal court.