HONOLULU (AP) — Gay and lesbian groups in Hawaii may have been excluded from participating in a Christian-backed parade, but many of their members made their presence known from the sidelines as it moved through Waikiki July 5.

Mayor Jeremy Harris and parade organizers were heckled as they passed by in the Family Day Parade.

“Shame on you, Mayor Harris. Same on you for supporting homophobia and bigotry,” gay rights activist Michael Golojuch called through a bullhorn as Harris rode by in the back of a convertible.

Many of the protesters held signs. One said, “The Christian Right Is Wrong.” Another sign read, “Christian Coalition: America’s Taliban.”

“We hope to send a message to Mayor Harris and Garret Hashimoto (state chair of the Hawaii Christian Coalition) that city-sponsored discrimination will not be accepted, we are going to hold them accountable, that this is a city-sponsored and city-endorsed parade,” Golojuch said.

Golojuch, project coordinator for the Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) was a plaintiff in a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union to fight the exclusion of three gay groups that wanted to march in the parade.

The lawsuit filed in federal court claimed the city and the Hawaii Christian Coalition were co-sponsors of the parade.

U.S. District Judge Helen Gillmor rejected the argument, saying the parade was independently organized by the coalition.

Since the parade was privately funded, “they may exclude a voice that they find objectionable to their message,” Gillmor said. If the parade had been co-sponsored by the city, gays and lesbians could not have been excluded, she said.

The parade was held in conjunction with city’s Family Day celebration — a daylong series of events including fireworks and an outdoor movie.

“This is Family Day, here at the (Kapiolani) park,” Hashimoto said. “This is a co-sponsored event. The parade was a privately sponsored event by the Hawaii Christian Coalition for kids.”

But Brent White, the legal director for the ACLU of Hawaii, said the city’s involvement with the parade was evident by number of official city vehicles that participated.

“They still have more city vehicles in this parade today than they have in any parade, aside from Honolulu City Lights, which is the biggest city event. They don’t do this for other parades,” White said.