As hostility in Loogootee, Indiana, continues to escalate over the ACLU’s recent legal challenge to the city’s PrideFest, local conversations have shifted slightly away from traditional topics like the historic Indiana Hoosiers football journey to the College Football National Championship, high school basketball, or the high school band’s activities. Instead, residents, particularly long-time residents, are increasingly frustrated with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and its perceived attempts to exert influence over their community.

Two weeks ago, the ACLU filed two lawsuits against the city concerning a new ordinance designed to prevent the annual Loogootee PrideFest from taking place in the public square. The organization contended that this ordinance infringed upon First Amendment rights.

Previously, an ordinance similar in language was struck down as unconstitutional by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana in August 2025. That ruling permitted the PrideFest to proceed, despite the city passing a new ordinance containing many of the same provisions as the invalidated law. Notably, the new ordinance included two provisions that the court had already declared unconstitutional and issued injunctions against.

Ken Falk, the legal director of the ACLU of Indiana, emphasized the legal violations, stating, “Court orders must be obeyed, and Loogootee, by enacting an ordinance with provisions already enjoined, is in contempt of lawful court orders. Furthermore, this ordinance continues Loogootee’s pattern of attempting to unconstitutionally restrict celebrations of the LGBTQ+ community. We will continue to vigorously defend our clients’ right to hold their event at their preferred location in the heart of Loogootee.” 

This controversy has significant implications for the city’s future. The ACLU’s history of defending free speech has included supporting controversial groups such as neo-Nazis and opposing legislation like the National Labor Relations Act, often citing free speech rights as justification. However, internally, the organization has faced debates over its focus areas, leading to accusations of inconsistency—particularly regarding its efforts on LGBTQ+ rights and racial justice.

Many in Loogootee had spoken that the ACLU is overly aggressive, accusing it of strong-arming communities through legal tactics that pressure local governments to cancel or alter events, often ignoring community preferences and fueling divisions.

This isn’t a new pattern for the ACLU. In 2024, in response to community concerns, the city made logistical adjustments, allowing organizers of the Pride event to relocate to alternative venues, such as local parks and other downtown areas such as a new Green Space built just for events such as PrideFest. But this year, the situation appears different. The ACLU has explicitly cited Loogootee’s actions in its legal filings, signaling ongoing conflict.

Meanwhile, within the community, voices like Daniel P.’s— a resident who prefers to keep his identity private—offer a different perspective. Identifying as gay, P. expressed disappointment with the limited spaces for open expression beyond Pride-related events.

“I don’t need a pride parade to be who I am, and I’ve never felt the need for one in Loogootee,” he shared on a local news forum. “People know me, greet me at the store, and that’s enough. My experiences abroad gave me the confidence to see my hometown not as a battleground but as home. I apologize to residents for the recent actions by the ACLU of Indiana, which seem to turn a non-issue into division.”

P. also highlighted our reporting on the ongoing challenges the community faces regarding LGBTQ+ issues and how the city has responded to these challenges, referencing the Owen County PrideFest when Owen County commissioners proposed a “special events” ordinance with high security fees over $1,500, with new rules and restrictions banning events on the courthouse square. After public outcry and revisions, this bill would pass in December 2019 amid controversy, closing courthouse restrooms during events and prohibiting square use, forcing organizers to adapt.

 “This saga in Loogootee mirrors what happened in Spencer, Owen County, where a push for Pride events became a divisive tool that altered the community’s fabric.” He said, “Spencer Pride Festival began modestly but grew, attracting thousands to the town of around 2,200.”

The event founders, Tim and Tracy Brown-Salsman, are the founders of a local LGBTQ+ club at the library and organizers of Pride events. The couple was the first same-sex married couple in Martin County, Indiana, who married in 2015 and celebrated what was then the last same-sex marriage legally performed in Indiana before the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision in June 2015 legalizing such marriages nationwide.

Having visited with Tim and Tracy at the old J&R Tool Shop’s printing department at my uncle’s house, I always described them as humorous and lively individuals who hold strong views about what Loogootee should be. Many residents, however, remain “set in their ways,” with little exposure to any LGBTQ+ individuals, despite some feeling at home within the community. I will say they were the first ever people I met who identified as LGBTQ+. That exposed me to a lot, including their framework and history; however, as their trophies shine, a city has to suffer with the weight of mounted legal pressure and public outcry.

Earlier, we discussed how the ACLU has historically influenced communities by supporting marginalized organizations. The strong arming of communities has lasted decades and even a century and is happening again in Logootee. For example, in 1943, the ACLU defended Jehovah’s Witness children who refused to salute the American flag and won. It was a win for religious freedom but seen by some as disrespecting national symbols and patriotic duty.

 In 1977, the organization also defended the rights of neo-Nazis to march in Skokie, Illinois—a town with many Holocaust survivors—by asserting First Amendment protections for all speech, including hateful speech. Yes, hateful speech. Many members of the Jewish community saw the ACLU’s defense of the Nazis as a betrayal and an overreach.

Many residents yearn for more than silent acceptance—they desire the freedom to express themselves openly, but not include the ACLU, which would drown the city in more debt and in even more legal fees. Someone can eventually hold your event, but not at the expense of putting the city under fire when they don’t have the manpower to put out the flames.  

If Indiana beats Miami on Monday, Jan. 19, at the National Championship game, I would celebrate the victory in my home, with my friends, my family, or in my community with other Hoosier fans, but I would never include the ACLU in a long-term legal battle in any case because a city policeman said that I couldn’t celebrate the win in the streets.

One example that hit me different in college was when Indiana University Social Work professor Jessica Adams delivered a presentation on White Supremacy. Instead of addressing concerns through the appropriate channels within the Social Work school, a student reported the issue directly to a State Senator, leading to a massive investigation and a near-firing of the Professor. It is unfair to tarnish a professor’s reputation over a controversial lecture. Regardless of the points of view, students have the right to discuss their concerns with faculty or request future revisions to the folk giving the presentation, but expressing frustration to a State Congressman is beyond inappropriate.  

The demographics of Loogootee reflect a conservative, predominantly White community, with a median age of 40 and notable growth in the youth and senior populations—specifically a 16% increase in children and seniors aged 0-9, 20-29, and 60-69. According to the latest Census data, approximately 95% of residents are White, and 79% voted for President Trump in 2024. Indiana, as a state, ranks poorly for LGBTQ+ residents, with only 5.4% of the population identifying as LGBTQ+.

In this climate, the organizers have perceived their grievances by not voicing actions to Mayor Ader, or to anyone sitting on the board, including Attorney Teverbaugh, or even Mark McAtee. This behavior cannot continue in the city of Loogootee, and actions such as contacting the ACLU to advocate for Pride events in January, when more people are confident about other events in this month than the Pride event in September, are considered excessive or extreme. Such efforts often provoke strong reactions, with community members feeling that their local values and traditions are being challenged and ignored.

Despite these tensions, I believe in the power of speech. The community’s pulse remains challenged, but I believe Loogootee in this case cannot back down. They can prove to the state that they can support the needs of value and the wants to party, but in respects to many residents who remain resistant to change, feeling unexposed to LGBTQ+ individuals, others seek greater misunderstanding and acceptance. The ongoing legal battles and public debates highlight the profound divide and the challenge of balancing community values with individual rights. 

This community does not deserve this kind of treatment.

As the legal disputes continue and community conversations unfold, the future of Loogootee remains uncertain. The town’s response to these conflicts will likely shape its identity moving forward, determining whether it can bridge the gap between tradition and progress or if division will deepen further.