1st Amendment not violated when firefighters ordered to attend gay pride parade, court says
A Superior Court judge in San Diego has ruled that firefighters suffered no breach of their First Amendment rights when ordered to attend a gay rights parade. The firefighters had argued that their appearance, in uniform, at the parade constituted “coerced speech,” protected by the First Amendment. The court held that firefighters, like other government employees, accept some limitations on their free speech rights when they go to work for the government. 10/13/08 Dana Littlefield,