11/17/2008
No More Mr. Nice Gay? Christians Chased from Castro
On Friday night, before the day of protest we saw across the nation, a conflict erupted in San Francisco's Castro District between a group of residents and a group of Christians who reportedly meet every Friday on the same corner to preach to gays and lesbians about 'converting' into heterosexuals. This time, they were met by an angry mob and the conflict grew so large riot police were called to the area as the Christians were basically chased out of the neighborhood.
KTVU reports: "'Their rights were respected,' said Joe Schmitz, an opponent of Prop 8. 'They got a chance to go ahead and pray on the sidewalk and I had the opportunity to express my freedom of speech which is telling them to get out of my neighborhood.' San Francisco Police officers in riot gear formed a line and escorted the religious group into a van to safely get them out of the area. Members of the gay community insisted that their reaction to the Christian group was spontaneous. 'It was not an organized thing. We're tired of it. It's not religious. It's not a racial thing. It's about hate. We're trying to send a message across the world that we're standing up and we don't want this to go on anymore,' said Adam Quintero."
According to Joe.My.God, the religious right is already using the video (which you can see AFTER THE JUMP) as an example of the "intolerance" the gay community has toward the religious. While most of us know the hypocrisy behind that accusation, no doubt their followers eat these kinds of incidents up (just like this one).
Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...
Sphere: Related ContentPosted 7:27 AM EST by Andy in Activism, Evangelicals, News, San Francisco | Permalink
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I am so glad people finally stood up to them. I am so tired of us just "being patient" with these people who preach hate and intolerance. It's about time we stand up.
I am so proud of the way this was handled. No violence, no hate...just getting them out of an area they have no right to be in if they are going to do that.
I feel warm, proud, and emotional...it makes me glad to know that people are fighting for change. Small battles!
Posted by: Nino | Nov 17, 2008 7:59:48 AM
A little pepper spray would help keep the Christofascists away...
Posted by: Chris | Nov 17, 2008 8:04:16 AM
It's not that I'm anti-Christian, I am just pro-lion.
Fantastic!!! We need more of this!
Posted by: Rad | Nov 17, 2008 8:18:34 AM
I was there that night and my reaction was that it was best to simply ignore them. 1) They wanted to provoke exactly this type of scene for this purpose. 2) We have the right to protest anywhere and so should they.
Posted by: gr8guyca | Nov 17, 2008 8:27:02 AM
We've tried playing nice and to be respectful and look where it's gotten us? We had a couple of TV shows that show a very stereotypical view of gays (Will and Grace, Noah's Ark), but that's about it.
We still can't serve in the military, we still can't get married and we seem to be losing rights, permanently, rather than gaining any, all across the United States and, I hate to say it, our newly elected president is *barely* more gay friendly than the other would-be candidate.
Our forefathers that fought at Stonewall had the right idea. Riot and bang their heads against the walls until they understand.
We've already tried peaceful negotiation.
Posted by: Danny | Nov 17, 2008 8:34:03 AM
I have no problem with this. We are chased from our homes, our jobs, and screamed at everyday we try to show a little pride in ourselves by these kinds of bigots. Send them home. Their bigoted views are a dying breed
Posted by: KFLO | Nov 17, 2008 8:50:08 AM
These people are disgusting; they deserved to be chased out of the neighborhood and out of San Francisco. They are not happy just to exercise free speech; they prey upon the down and out and proselytize, constantly. They couldn’t get any attention from passers by with their insane chanting to they brought large flags to wave while chanting so it would disrupt the flow of foot traffic and draw attention to them.
Posted by: ggreen | Nov 17, 2008 8:55:10 AM
I couldn;t be more PROUD!
Thats what we need not lame ass Commericals and Flyers. learn from this HRC
Posted by: Wolf | Nov 17, 2008 9:02:31 AM
I have mixed feelings about this... yes, people have the right to protest, and in this country even the most ridiculous speech is tolerated as it should be. We don't want to go down the path of banning speech. The problem is that it is still acceptable to spew hate speech toward gays if you hide behind the cloak of religion - but if gay folk start picketing churches we are seen as "being intolerant". I think for too long the gay community has went along, tolerating this kind of crap. Does that mean violence, no... but we can and should let these people know that we don't think it is acceptable for them to spew their hate speech...
I think it is highly amusing the reaction from the Mormon's and other religious groups regarding the protests against them. You can bet THEY would be EXTREMELY vocal if someone tried to take away their rights. The big mistake they made was to think we would just go back into the closet. Hopefully this whole proposition 8 episode will encourage more gays to come out of the closet and become visible. Invisibility is our greatest enemy. No more Mr. Nice Gay!
Oh, and BTW... the shit is going to hit the fan in a big way when the CA Supremes throw out prop 8 - and I would bet it will be a unanimous toss. This isn't about marriage anymore... it's about taking away fundamental rights from a minority. You can't do that... and everyone knows it. This is all a big kabuki dance around the constitution rights elephant sitting in the room. I seriously doubt there will be demonstrations and marches. The vast majority of the 52% of the electorate which voted for the prop 8 abomination don't really care enough to bother.
Organized religion really got a well deserved black eye over this... shame on them!
Posted by: Mike | Nov 17, 2008 9:06:31 AM
WOW!!! That was great! Christians think the gay community is an easy target. It time to let them know that we will no longer stand by and let them preach H8!
Posted by: Mario | Nov 17, 2008 9:14:49 AM
Awesome! I was surprised how young the Christians were...you'd think hipster kids would know better!
Posted by: J.P. | Nov 17, 2008 9:21:16 AM
I witnessed this on Friday - I'm glad something has finally fired us up and that's we fighting back in lots of ways against the hate.... it's about time!
Posted by: J | Nov 17, 2008 9:23:22 AM
So, it's not ok for us to yell, "Shame on you!" but it's perfectly fine for them you yell, "Kill him!" and "Terrorist!" at their rallies. Which is more intolerant? Damn hypocrites!
Posted by: ChrisDC | Nov 17, 2008 9:40:30 AM
Now if only we in the deep south can have the same activism? But no, we revert into inward shame and allow the christian masses to even invade our protest! The Atl. Prop 8 protest on Sat. dissapointed me with it's religious pandering and "preachers, ministers, priest, and comments such as 'Praise Jesus, and 'Amen'" In a rural area where I am bombarded by Christian uber right-wing propaganda on a daily basis at least I have the balls to say "Yeah, I know Jesus. His condom didn't break when he fucked me but looks like his infected wad blew all in your barebacked anus of hate!" I'm SICK of pacified tolerance of CHRISTIAN bigotry and intolerance of gays. They control the laws of the deep south and the religous right will continue to do so if we as a UNITED gay community do NOT stand up to this in a massive descent!
Posted by: Steven | Nov 17, 2008 9:42:53 AM
Two observations:
1. If these soulless cretins went into an insular Hasidic community in New York and tried to tell the residents there that they were sinners, that Jesus is the only way to Heaven and that God abhors their "lifestyle choices," the response would have been quite uglier than this.
2. When the peaceable gay Christians of the Soulforce Equality Ride visit Evangelical colleges, seeking only to have a respectful dialog with students, the colleges' response is always the same: Set one foot on our campus and you will be arrested.
So much for who's being "tolerant" and who isn't.
Posted by: KipEsquire | Nov 17, 2008 9:50:06 AM
in a huffington post blog last week, a young gay writer suggested that the way to go is not anger but education.
really? haven't we learned over the past 3 decades that these people cannot be educated? these people cannot be taught ANYTHING! the only thing the christian right wing understands is ass kicking and THAT is what we're going to give them this time.
Posted by: aguien | Nov 17, 2008 9:55:28 AM
We have a similar problem with a group here in Philadelphia. They constantly protest us.
What is frustrating about the media coverage of these groups is that they don't give the real perspective of what is going on. the group in Philadelphia doesn't show to quietly protest. They position themselves near the entrances to bars or other public areas and force the people going in to "run the gauntlet" to get by them. They position themselves for maximum harassment of people.
If the police come and try to ask them to move to somewhere so they don't force people to run the gauntlet, the refuse. If the police arrest them, they immediately sue the city. The police here now won't interact with them until the police A/V unit gets there to record the interactions because every conversation leads to a lawsuit.
If someone from the crowd is foolish enough to interact with them that person gets sued as well. These organizations fund themselves through lawsuits and goading people into action.
Sadly the news always seems to portray them as innocent protesters and doesn't show how them goading people into a response. It's disgusting.
Posted by: Ed | Nov 17, 2008 9:57:04 AM
I'm so glad to see this!!! We need to stand up whenever these people preach hatred. They have the right to preach hatred, and we have a right to call them out on it EVERY TIME we see it.
Posted by: Carmen | Nov 17, 2008 9:57:48 AM
One can only sit back and take abuse for so long. Time to fight. They show up in our neighborhoods to express their freedom of speech, time for us to show up at their churches and express our freedom of speech. Enough is enough, time they got a taste of their own medicine. NO MORE MR.NICE GAY!
Posted by: MO | Nov 17, 2008 10:10:32 AM
My only concern is the video and I wonder how they got it? Was someone taping it, just in case it was juicy?
Well, we can play that way too! Imagine at their gatherings a group of us start kissing! With a couple videographers we could post the event on the net. People, email me, lets get this show on the road!
Francis
San Francisco
Posted by: Francis | Nov 17, 2008 10:51:12 AM
Aguien - I agree. On a recent interview Rev. Gene Robinson spoke of how it is a waste of time to engage those who preach hate, they are a lost cause, instead we need to help the middle to see through this campaign of hate. In this past election the American people showed its better nature, we must now get them behind our cause. We must always defend our ground, but not waste more time on Christian radicals than necessary.
Posted by: Rafael | Nov 17, 2008 10:57:11 AM
This is so tame compared to the beatings and killings of Gay citizens over the years by "Christian" mobs in America. I agree with the point made about a group such as this going into an Hasidic community and preaching how sinful they are for not accepting Jesus. The police would have had their hands' full.
Posted by: Sargon Bighorn | Nov 17, 2008 11:07:09 AM
Okay, guys. I know that I'm going to be in the minority on this one, but doesn't freedom of speech and freedom of assembly apply to all? If we want the right to stand on a public street in front of their church and protest against them, then don't they have the right to stand on a public street and protest against us? I know that it's insulting, degrading, and abusive to us. But that's what makes freedom of speech so difficult. You sometimes have to defend people's right to speech - even though you hate everything that they are saying.
Posted by: gr8guyca | Nov 17, 2008 11:32:45 AM
Those cops should have busted those faggots head open. Christians have a right to be on any public street in America, just like you sex perverts.
Your neighborhood? What a bunch of hypocrites, you want to go into Christian neighborhoods, straight neighborhoods. How would you fascist hatefilled faggots like to be chased out of every straight neighborhood?
Posted by: A | Nov 17, 2008 11:40:06 AM
I think we should beat up some Muslims next (they hate and preach against us too, you know).
Posted by: Cassius | Nov 17, 2008 11:54:03 AM