AUBURN, Maine – Two women whose home was trashed last year allegedly because they are lesbians have filed a lawsuit against the parents of the boys who vandalized their home.

Keri Fuchs and Linda Boutaugh filed a complaint in Androscoggin County Superior Court last week claiming trespass, emotional distress and violation of the Maine Civil Rights Act.

The suit alleges that the boys, who were 12 and 14 at the time, vandalized their mobile home and car in Poland and scrawled derogatory graffiti on the walls while they were away on a trip in June 2006.

A judge ordered an injunction against both boys under the Maine Civil Rights Act. Police said one of the boys pleaded guilty and was sentenced to drug court.

The women are alleging negligent supervision of the minors, saying the boys’ parents failed to appropriately supervise their children. The suit does not specify a damage amount.

When the incident occurred, it drew widespread attention, and a rally in Portland drew about 200 people – including Gov. John Baldacci, U.S. Rep. Tom Allen and Attorney General Steven Rowe – who turned out to show their support for the women.

Fuchs and Boutaugh, who now live in Penobscot County, had lived in their home in Poland for six years and were in the process of moving when the incident occurred. The women said they lived a quiet, peaceful life and didn’t bother anyone.

When they returned home from a trip, they discovered that somebody had broken windows, ransacked their home and vandalized their car. Rooms were looted for valuables, a family urn was stolen, furniture and shelving were destroyed, and their belongings were sprayed with a fire extinguisher.

Sexual obscenities were scrawled on walls, and the word “dykes” was painted on a wall using the women’s art supplies, the suit said.