Penis costume protester prevails in court
Fairhope Municipal Judge Haymes Snedeker acquitted Renea Gamble Wednesday of all remaining misdemeanor charges stemming from her decision to wear a inflatable 7-foot penis costume at an anti-Trump “No Kings” protest in October 2025. Gamble walked out of the courtroom after three hours of testimony cleared of any wrongdoing, but her attorney said her arrest was traumatizing and she may consider legal recourse.
Courthouse News Service — FAIRHOPE, Ala. (CN) — One could call it a, ahem, hard case. But ultimately, an Alabama judge found, not hard enough. Fairhope Municipal Judge Haymes Snedeker acquitted Renea Gamble Wednesday of all remaining misdemeanor charges stemming from her decision to wear a inflatable 7-foot penis costume at an anti-Trump “No Kings” protest in October 2025. Gamble walked out of the courtroom after three hours of testimony cleared of any wrongdoing, but her attorney said her arrest was traumatizing and she may consider legal recourse.
Gamble, a retired sign language interpreter, was one of more than 1,000 people who attended the anti-Trump rally in Fairhope, a small city on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay, where she strutted in a cartoonish phallic getup bought at a local Spirit Halloween store and waved a sign declaring “No Dicktator.”
Body camera footage that quickly went viral showed Fairhope police zeroing in on Gamble at a busy intersection. The arresting officer, Andrew Babb, complained the giant inflatable member was causing a public spectacle and potential traffic hazard in the family-friendly Gulf town. When Gamble refused to “deflate” and remove the costume, things got physical: officers took the 62-year-old to the ground and cuffed her, struggling comically to subdue and stuff the oversized erection into a squad car.
During the arrest, when asked her name, Gamble fired back with “Aunt Tifa,” a cheeky pun on “antifa.” Prosecutors later tacked on extra charges for that bit of wordplay and for disturbing the peace with her provocative protest attire. Snedeker dropped the charge for providing a false name Wednesday before holding trial on three other charges.
Gamble’s attorney David Alan Gespass, who sported a U.S. Constitution tie, called the prosecution absurd from the start and argued it was a clear First Amendment overreach. He argued that Gamble was never a public safety risk but rather, Babb targeted her for her costume. The court heard a single non-emergency phone call to police from a driver who was offended by the display. To the contrary, several other witnesses said they found it “hilarious.”
Babb testified that Gamble’s large costume was restricting the view of drivers entering the road and when asked to remove it, she was non-compliant. After Gamble turned away from him to leave, Babb tackled and arrested her. “She was obstructing traffic and was a safety risk,” Babb told the court.
Gespass said Babb’s story changed from the original narrative he provided Gamble: that her costume was obscene. When Gamble turned away from Babb, she actually was complying with his orders, Gespass explained. “There is no basis to make an arrest if she was arguably complying with his demands,” he said. “I don’t think the officer was very good at de-escalation.”
City prosecutor Marcus McDowell said it wasn’t a free speech case but argued “no one has a Constitutional right to dress up as an erect penis and stand on the side of the road.” McDowell said Babb attempted to de-escalate, but Gamble’s non-compliance led to the charges. He called Gamble’s husband as a witness to testify that he had withdrawn bail money before they attended the protest, as if she knew she was going to break the law in advance. “I always make sure we got bail money on us,” Larry Fletcher responded, to laughter from the gallery. “I have bail money on me now. Whenever there are this many cops around I have bail money on me.”
There were no fewer than 16 uniformed police officers standing around the perimeter of the courtroom.
Babb said he recognized the costume as a political statement and acknowledged that because something is offensive doesn’t make it illegal. “The totality of circumstances is what was inappropriate,” he testified.
In the end, Snedeker wasn’t convinced. “There was probable cause for arrest, but I can’t convict and sentence someone unless I’m sure,” Snedeker said, declaring Gamble not guilty.
Outside the courtroom, Mary Kay Smith was dressed up in an eggplant costume waving a “NO KINGS - NO DICK-TATORS” sign. “I am here for the Constitution,” she said. “The arrest was violent, abusive and uncalled for. It was not even civilized behavior.”
Shelly Welch was standing alongside Smith, with a sign depicting a half-peeled banana with a bite taken. “FREE SPEECH SHOULDN’T BE HARD TO SWALLOW,” it read. “Do we arrest everyone with steel balls hanging from the back of their truck? Do we arrest everyone with a ‘fuck Joe Biden’ sign?” she asked. “Sure it’s offensive, but it’s their right to do that.”
Follow @gabetynes