Four firefighters are suing the City of San Diego, California over claims they were sexually harassed while participating in the city's 2007 gay pride parade, reports the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Jury selection for the trial started Monday.

Fire Capt. John Ghiotto, engineer Jason Hewitt and firefighters Chad Allison and Alex Kane allege they were subjected to catcalls from people on the sidelines of San Diego's 2007 gay pride parade as they drove past in their firetruck. The four men, none of whom is gay, say superiors forced their participation in the annual gay event.

The Thomas More Law Center is representing the firefighters in their fight.

“In one regard, forcing these firefighters to participate in this parade has removed the artificial veneer of legitimacy from this event to expose it for what it truly is – a temporary suspension of decency laws in the name of inclusion and diversity,” said Brian Rooney, a spokesman for the Law Center.

In their complaint, the firefighters claim they were forced to witness “men kissing and hugging each other and dancing provocatively, including some wearing nothing more than bikini briefs,” at the “sexually charged” gay pride parade staging area.

Throughout the gay pride parade the firefighters say they were subjected to “crude and obscene” comments, such as: “Oooh, look at the big firemen!” “You're making me hot!” “You can put out my fire!” and “Pull out your hose!”

The men also claim they were humiliated by gay pride paradegoers who blew kisses at them, wagged their tongues, rubbed their nipples or groped their penises, at the three-hour long gay pride parade.

“These guys were bombarded with hundreds of sexual advances,” said Law Center Attorney Charles LiMandri.

LiMandri recently said that the case raised some freedom of religion issues. “They are all Christians, and three of them were raised Catholic,” he told told the National Catholic Register. “They would have been disciplined if they didn't obey the order. ... We want people to see how mean-spirited and committed to violating anyone's rights [gay groups are] to promote their own radical agenda.”

San Diego City Attorney Michael Aguirre has said he'll personally represent the city at the trial. “[The gay pride parade] is a positive, joyous event, and not inherently sexual,” he told the San Diego Gay & Lesbian Times, adding that the conduct objected to by the firefighters was “isolated and minimal.”