Cirignano trial to begin in October

After several months of court appearances a trial date has been set for Larry Cirignano, who faces charges of misdemeanor assault and battery and civil rights violations for allegedly shoving a same-sex marriage supporter at a rally in Worcester last December for VoteOnMarriage.org, the organization that sponsored a failed amendment to ban same-sex marriage. Cirignano's jury trial will begin Oct. 15 at Worcester District Court according to Jennifer Nadeau, spokesperson for Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early, Jr.

According to witnesses at the Dec. 16 rally at Worcester City Hall, Cirignano, former executive director of Catholic Citizenship, shoved the alleged victim, Sarah Loy, onto the ground after she walked into the crowd of VoteOnMarriage supporters (see "When push comes to shove," 12/21/2006). Loy was holding a sign in favor of same-sex marriage. Cirignano, one of the architects of VoteOnMarriage's signature gathering campaign, was a speaker at the rally, and Loy was part of a counter-demonstration across the street. In the aftermath of the altercation Cirignano told the Boston Globe that he merely escorted Loy out of the VoteOnMarriage crowd, and Lisa Barstow, a spokesperson for VoteOnMarriage, told Bay Windows the organization has witnesses who claim Loy staged her fall.

Last January Cirignano stepped down from Catholic Citizenship to head a new Catholic advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. While Cirignano told Bay Windows that the organization was actively doing advocacy work in the states, it has not publicly announced its formation or its name. Larry Cirignano declined to comment for this story.