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Saturday’s parade was the culmination of the Circle City IN Pride Festival, which featured 16 events over nine days. Things have changed and Indiana needs to get on with the change because love is love. Nicole Short, a 29-year-old bank teller from Indianapolis who’s one of Meyers’ friends, said it’s crucial that lawmakers endorse civil rights protections and move on past any debates about the LGBT community. It just gets my blood boiling," she said. It’s hard to give your money to a state when they don’t support who you are. "Why would I stay in a state that doesn’t support me? I could go to one that does. If Indiana lawmakers fail next year to pass civil rights protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender residents, Meyers said she and many others in the LGBT community may opt to move to more welcoming states. Although lawmakers eventually clarified that law after some companies banned travel to the state and some conventions threatened to cancel, she said the law had harmed Indiana’s image. Meyers, who is lesbian, said she was stunned when she heard about the religious objections law Republican Gov. No Exceptions" and provoked cheers and whistles of support as it was carried along the parade route. Tami Meyers, a 41-year-old nurse, traveled from Huntington to see the parade with friends and cheer on parade participants, some of whom rode atop colorful floats, waving rainbow flags that are a symbol of LGBT pride.Īmong the many banners carried by those marching in the parade was one that read "God Loves You. The Republican mayor was invited to serve as grand marshal after he spoke out against Indiana’s religious objections law, which critics called discriminatory against the LGBT community. Mayor Greg Ballard, who served as grand marshal of the Cadillac Barbie IN Pride Parade, joined his wife, Winnie, in waving from the back of a streetcar to thousands of cheering people who lined the downtown parade route. Indiana authorities were seeking to have Howell returned to that state as a probation violator.Ĭourt records in Indiana and friends depict Howell as a gun enthusiast with a quick temper.INDIANAPOLIS – Tens of thousands of people converged Saturday on Indianapolis for an annual parade celebrating the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender community only months after a stinging debate over Indiana’s new religious objections law.
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Howell was not allowed to have weapons or leave Indiana because he was serving a year of probation following an April conviction in his home state on a misdemeanor intimidation charge.Īn Indiana probation officer met with Howell three weeks ago, rated him a low-level offender and had yet to schedule a surprise in-home visit to see if Howell had any weapons, said James Hayden, chief probation officer in Clark County. Laura Eimiller, an FBI spokeswoman in Los Angeles, said the federal investigation is ongoing. attorney's office spokesman Tim Horty said they couldn't give any details on the search.Ī message seeking comment from Howell's Kentucky attorney was not immediately returned Tuesday. It's unclear whether Howell intended any violence at the LA Pride event, but the timing of the arrest - hours after the massacre at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida - put police and event organizers on heightened alert.įederal agents searched Howell's Jefferson, Indiana, home Monday after obtaining a search warrant, Indianapolis FBI office spokeswoman Wendy Osborne. He told police he was headed to a gay pride event in West Hollywood that attracts hundreds of thousands of people. Police say Howell was arrested early Sunday in Santa Monica with the weapons and explosives in a car he apparently drove from Indiana. It was unclear if Howell had an attorney. Prosecutors were asking that he be held on $2 million bail. Howell was set to appear in court later Tuesday. If convicted of all the charges, prosecutors say Howell could face up to nine years and eight months in prison. He was also charged with a misdemeanor count of possessing a loaded firearm in a vehicle. James Wesley Howell, 20, was charged in Los Angeles County Superior Court with possessing an assault weapon, possessing a destructive device on a public street and importing or manufacturing a large magazine. LOS ANGELES (AP) - An Indiana man was charged Tuesday with three felony weapons violations after authorities say they found three assault rifles and explosive chemicals in his car before a major Los Angeles gay pride parade.