Charges Dismissed For Queer Rising 4

A large group of supporters appeared at a Manhattan courthouse yesterday to hear a judge dismiss all charges against the four members of Queer Rising who were arrested last week in a marriage equality protest. Via press release:

Four members of the group Queer Rising, a group which advocates for civil rights for the LGBT community accepted pleas of ‘adjournment contemplating dismissal’ (ACD) today from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. The individuals were charged with Obstructing Government Administration as well as two charges of Disorderly Conduct for chaining themselves together in front of the New York City Marriage License Bureau on February 12, 2010, in attempt to bring attention to the fact that the office denies LGBT New Yorkers the opportunity to file for marriage certificates. Justin Elzie, Alan Bounville, Gabriel Yuri Bollag and Jake Goodman accepted the offer which would allow them to dismiss all charges after 6 months assuming they are not arrested again during this time. Ted Bohn, co-counsel for the defendants, said "As long as the State of New York maintains a policy which codifies that the love between two men or two women is inferior to the love between a man and a woman, these actions will continue. This was only the beginning. We are grateful, however, to Cy Vance for recognizing that those arrested in furtherance of civil rights should not be treated like criminals."