Anti-Gay Bully Steps Down

The leader of a Catholic organization pressing for passage of an amendment that would bar same-sex marriage in Massachusetts has resigned. Larry Cirignano allegedly pushed an equal marriage supporter to the ground at a Worcester rally in December, Edge Boston reports.

Cirignano is leaving his post as executive director of Catholic Citizenship, a group founded by former Boston mayor Raymond Flynn, to head an as yet unnamed national organization fighting same-sex marriage that will be based in Washington, D.C., according to a story in the Jan. 29 Worcester Telegram & Gazette.

Cirignano told the newspaper Jan. 28 his decision to leave his current post was not related to the alleged shoving incident at an anti-gay marriage rally in front of Worcester City Hall Dec. 16.

Following the incident, MassEquality, one of the organizations opposing placing the amendment on the 2008 ballot, urged Catholic Citizenship to remove Cirignano as its executive director.

Sarah Loy, 27, of Worcester, was holding a sign supporting same-sex marriage when Cirignano, 50, of Canton, emerged from behind the lectern, grabbed her by both shoulders and said, "You need to get out. You need to get out of here right now." Cirignano then allegedly pushed her to the ground.

He has denied pushing Loy, but a Worcester police spokesperson told EDGE Dec. 19 that Cirignano acknowledged touching her during interviews conducted as part of an investigation.

Officers present at the rally did not witness the incident, Sgt. Kerry Hazelhurst reported. If they had, they would have placed Cirignano under arrest on a misdemeanor charge, he said. "He’s already admitted that he touched her," Hazelhurst said. Under Massachusetts law, a person can be charged with assault and battery by merely touching another person if the touch is unwanted, Hazelhurst explained. "He pushed her down and he admits that as well."

A clerk magistrate at Central District Court in Worcester will hear the Cirignano case Feb. 20 and determine whether to bring a misdemeanor charge before a judge.