Most of us are aware that some protests by Westboro Baptist Church, the charmers behind Godhatesfags.com, have been met by human walls to prevent their interference. But have you heard about the zombies? The latest from Huffington Post on how to make light of bigotry:
After members of the controversial Kansas-based church announced plans to picket Joint Base Lewis-McChord, a military base south of Seattle, 27-year-old Melissa Neace decided to organize a counter-protest, launching a Facebook group titled “Zombie’ing Westboro Baptist Church AWAY from Fort Lewis!”
“We wanted to turn something negative around, into something people could laugh at and poke fun at,” Neace told the News Tribune. “It was the easiest way to divert attention from something so hateful.”
About 300 counter-protesters showed up in varying degrees of zombie garb, far outnumbering the picketers from Westboro. According to KIRO in Seattle, just eight protesters from the controversial group showed up.
I’m a prankster at heart, and this is the kind of protest I love — humor is an incredibly disarming, yet underutilized tool in the arsenal of the activist.
This is the latest myFDL open thread. What’s on your mind?
“A motive in this case has not been established,” Portland, Texas, Police Chief Randy Wright said in a statement late Tuesday. “However, there is no current evidence to indicate the attacks were motivated by that relationship.”
Regardless of the particulars of the case as they develop, is this the world we want to live in — where some of our youngest and most vulnerable minorities are preyed on while mainstream Pride celebrates the small donations of a few big corporations? Though not as serious as the Texas case, there is violence everywhere. Shortly after the Seattle Police Department created their own It Gets Better video, an officer pepper-sprayed a peaceful LGBTQ street party then charged the victim with assault.
We have to keep fighting. When we’re bashed, we must bash back.
Pride celebrations are coming up, or have already occurred, in most major cities — though not in Austin.
Pride traditionally takes place near the anniversary of the Stonewall riots, or at least during the same month. Austin Pride celebration takes place in September in deference to the heat of June. Instead, June in Austin features Queerbomb, a street celebration of LGBTQ rights that follows the original spirit of Pride.
What began as a riot by fed up queer people (largely drag kings) at a mafia-owned watering hole has had its rough edges taken off over the years. Instead of angry activists, we have family-friendly rainbow runs and drink specials at the local bars. What was once about gay rights has instead become about the pink dollar; the mafia has been replaced by corporate sponsors like Budweiser. I’ve never seen so many drunken fist fights in one night as when I attended Pride Weekend in Dallas last year.
Some activists and Occupy-related groups are queerbombing their local pride events. GLITUR, off-shoot of Occupy Seattle, are organizing Drag Out Capitalism:
“Are you sick of the corporate spectacle that Gay Pride has become in Seattle? Do you reject the way local bars jack up their prices to try to make a profit off what is supposed to be a weekend of celebration and unity? Well so are we!!!,” the event announcement reads.
A guerilla street party with high police presence is also expected.
Organizers from Occupy Wall Street NYC’s Occupride celebrations caught the attention of high-profile gay blogger Joe My God when an organizer quit. This looks like a bit of internal Occudrama which unfortunately attracted the attention of the the blogosphere. What saddens me is the speculation in the comments that suggests occupiers intend to ruin Pride. Meanwhile, queer people can still be fired for their sexual orientation or gender identity; to me, the real threat are those corporate sponsors and beer companies who turn Stonewall into another excuse to get drunk.
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