This week, I thought I’d use the Bilerico column to see if something can be learned from the 158 comments that have been left to date on my Youtube video of the gay protest at the Mormon Temple in New York City in November of 2008.
I made a condensed list of the anti-gay comments.
Some of them are from Mormons. Others are angry, threatened and deluded God-fearers. Some are from those who feel that this LGBT protest showed the world that we who would dare to attack a church are not nice people. Some highlight what they feel are the horrifying things they assume we do in the course of having sex. Others warn us of the fires of hell. Some want us to be happy with what we have. Others outright deny that the Mormon Church spent money to influence the Prop8 vote. Some honestly believe that marriage is exclusively for a man and a woman.
If I were locked in a room with these commenters for five minutes, and could make five points, I’d have to make good use of my time to say a few words that might help change their minds. Although it might be futile, here is what I’d say.
Go to Bilerico after noon on Thursday to read it.
Update: It's up. Get on it.
"Perge modo et qua te ducit via dirige gressum," said Venus to Aeneas.
Showing posts with label gay protest mormon temple newyorkcity prop8. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gay protest mormon temple newyorkcity prop8. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Saturday, November 15, 2008
City Hall Protest - Manhattan - Nov 15, 2008
The thousands who gathered in protest at Manhattan's City Hall Park on Saturday November 15, 2008 (as did concurrently folks in dozens of other communities across the nation) raised signs and voices and received encouraging words promising a world of justice if we could all just learn to love rather than hate. In other words, it was 1968 all over again. I wanted to brush the hair out of my eyes, hand the policeman a flower and hum a Laura Nyro song.
The rain cleared and a gorgeous fall day energized our family of protesters. Here are Craig, Foxy, ex- blogger Tommy (shaded), Chris, Wilson Cruz, Little Nick, Paul, C and Eric. (Anyone know the name of the guy in the white t?)
Also with us was Wolf, your bartender this past summer at The Vault in Provincetown. He has recently returned from a cross-country trip in a SmartCar.
Diversity reigned.
I got to meet long-time Farmboyz readers Jeff and Beau of Harlem.
Wilson posed with a couple together for ten years who wish they could become married (and take Wilson on their honeymoon).
Here we find Paul Vitale and Eric Leven stirring things up...sort of.
The Playgirl van circled the park a few times, the implications of which are pondered by a watchful cop.
A friend of ours, Manny Xavier, recited one of his poems.
Seriously, despite a few dumb moments at the podium, this event, like the one at the Mormon Temple earlier in the week, really did give me hope about the future and I was happy to see a new generation rise up in angry declaration of intolerance for injustice. The faces on the tourists in the double decker buses reminded me of the extreme value of events like this. It was a success. It was quite wonderful.
The rain cleared and a gorgeous fall day energized our family of protesters. Here are Craig, Foxy, ex- blogger Tommy (shaded), Chris, Wilson Cruz, Little Nick, Paul, C and Eric. (Anyone know the name of the guy in the white t?)
Also with us was Wolf, your bartender this past summer at The Vault in Provincetown. He has recently returned from a cross-country trip in a SmartCar.
Diversity reigned.
I got to meet long-time Farmboyz readers Jeff and Beau of Harlem.
Wilson posed with a couple together for ten years who wish they could become married (and take Wilson on their honeymoon).
Here we find Paul Vitale and Eric Leven stirring things up...sort of.
The Playgirl van circled the park a few times, the implications of which are pondered by a watchful cop.
A friend of ours, Manny Xavier, recited one of his poems.
Seriously, despite a few dumb moments at the podium, this event, like the one at the Mormon Temple earlier in the week, really did give me hope about the future and I was happy to see a new generation rise up in angry declaration of intolerance for injustice. The faces on the tourists in the double decker buses reminded me of the extreme value of events like this. It was a success. It was quite wonderful.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Tax this church! Tax this church!
they shouted at the gay protest at the Mormon Temple in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of Manhattan's Upper West Side.
Electrifying, but not in the old-school way (or maybe I am just older). I was weaving through the crowd remembering the March on Washington in 1993. There were many tearful moments during that weekend, but last night was different. A much more serious and clear-eyed conviction about justice that is within our reach if we push for change. In the "old-school" days, just seeing the queer community assembled and visible was thrilling. We are used to that by now, but what was really amazing was the diversity of the last night's crowd. Many straight people attended. People who simply want to get the monkey of religion off the back of our government. People who know right from wrong, and are not afraid to tell a large church that it is dead wrong, that its actions are unacceptable and that there will be consequences.
You ought to go to one of the concurrent Saturday events at town halls all over the country. Look at the faces of the crowd and try to tell me we won't win this. In adversity, we are closer than ever to justice.
Joey was there (with a sign he brought back from California).
Eric was there.
Danny and his partner, frequent Farmboyz commenter Rey, were there.
The two guys C and I met when they had been protesting all alone in front of the Mormon Temple last Sunday were there.
There were many thousands of others. A peaceful crowd. Young, strong and convincing. No speeches. No politicians. No celebrities on red carpets or platforms. Just people who, because they can no longer count on the leaders of church and state to lead, have taken matters into their own hands. This is just the beginning. We ain't seen nothin yet.
(Here's a link to the full set of my photos.)
Electrifying, but not in the old-school way (or maybe I am just older). I was weaving through the crowd remembering the March on Washington in 1993. There were many tearful moments during that weekend, but last night was different. A much more serious and clear-eyed conviction about justice that is within our reach if we push for change. In the "old-school" days, just seeing the queer community assembled and visible was thrilling. We are used to that by now, but what was really amazing was the diversity of the last night's crowd. Many straight people attended. People who simply want to get the monkey of religion off the back of our government. People who know right from wrong, and are not afraid to tell a large church that it is dead wrong, that its actions are unacceptable and that there will be consequences.
You ought to go to one of the concurrent Saturday events at town halls all over the country. Look at the faces of the crowd and try to tell me we won't win this. In adversity, we are closer than ever to justice.
Joey was there (with a sign he brought back from California).
Eric was there.
Danny and his partner, frequent Farmboyz commenter Rey, were there.
The two guys C and I met when they had been protesting all alone in front of the Mormon Temple last Sunday were there.
There were many thousands of others. A peaceful crowd. Young, strong and convincing. No speeches. No politicians. No celebrities on red carpets or platforms. Just people who, because they can no longer count on the leaders of church and state to lead, have taken matters into their own hands. This is just the beginning. We ain't seen nothin yet.
(Here's a link to the full set of my photos.)
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