A Florida city fined a lesbian couple over a rainbow fence. Now they're suing

"Many Key West residents protested Florida's removal of a rainbow crosswalk by painting their fences in the same colors, only to be met with city fines. Now, a federal lawsuit backed by the American Civil Liberties Union challenges that punishment on First Amendment grounds."

"The government cannot enforce a law against people who express particular messages or views, while ignoring violations with different content or messages. That's selective enforcement, and it's illegal. We'll see the city in court."

"To protest the city's removal of the rainbow crosswalks, we painted some of our fence pickets in rainbow colors, showing that our community still stands for inclusion. No one should lose their right to speak out simply because those in power disagree with the message, and the government can't single out some views over others, deciding how to enforce its laws. That's what the First Amendment protects us from."

"Sohn, a filmmaker whose work has appeared at Sundance, and her wife painted the stakes after the Key West City Commission voted 4-2 to comply with demands from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to remove all decorated sidewalks. That followed a directive from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to remove rainbow sidewalks over disputed claims that they posed public safety risks."

Key West residents protested Florida’s removal of a rainbow crosswalk by painting fences in rainbow colors. Coley Sohn and Linda Bagley-Sohn repainted pickets at their Old Town home, inspiring similar actions across the city. City code complaints led officials to cite the couple and threaten $250 fines each day until the fence was repainted white. A federal lawsuit backed by the ACLU challenges the punishment as political censorship and selective enforcement. The lawsuit argues the government cannot enforce laws against people expressing particular messages while ignoring similar violations with different content. The dispute follows state and federal pressure to remove decorated sidewalks over claimed public safety risks.

Read at Advocate.com