You know, we hate to do this, but we have to give props to Upstate New York’s gaycists (for etymology, click here). Why are we commending our sworn enemies, you may ask? Because they’re just so damned organized: it only took them three days to get a month-long queer exhibit yanked from their neighborhood Cosi. Three days! Incredible!
And when we say incredible, we mean, incredibly unappetizing…
It’s actually a pretty ingenious idea – not only does it give a major political issue some human faces, but it allows people like RoseAnn Hermann to get involved on a grassroots level. Hermann – the mother of two gay children – tells The Journal News:
When all is said and done, we want everything for our kids that we have. This is something I cannot give my kids. This is something I need our legislators to do for them.
As part of her efforts, Hermann agreed to display her pictures at her neighborhood Cosi franchise. Like other businesses, the sandwich shop signed up to help spread the message.
Unfortunately, Cosi got some messages of their own, presumably from anti-gay marriage activists, for within three days of the aforementioned Journal News article, two days into what would be a month-long event, the restaurant’s asked Empire State Pride Agenda to remove the exhibit. When asked about the matter, the manager insists he has nothing against the project and that the orders are coming straight from corporate.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Pretty impressive, huh? An article’s published the day before an exhibit hangs, the exhibit goes up, two days later the exhibit comes down. Kudos, anti-gay protesters.
Now, for you pro-gayers, perhaps we can counter-balance this protest with some love notes of our own. If you’re down with the struggle, click here to send Cosi a piece of your lovely mind. If not, well, carry on with your miserable, apathetic existence.
David M
Ok, I went to write my own complaint letter. However, from the info here in this blurb I don’t know which Cosi in New York to complain to. There’s more than 20 to choose from… If I’m going to complain, I need to know where to send it exactly. Thanks for the link, but there’s not much I can do with it at the moment.
Josh
It’s the Cosi in New Rochelle
Andrew
Queerty, I think it’s great when you post stories like this one, which inform readers about anti-gay goings-on and gives them contact info to write to the appropriate corporations/authorities/etc.
My criticism of this story is that you do not provide enough information about what actually happened. So the exhibit was queer… may have been about gay marriage… involved a lady’s gay sons? I do not feel comfortable writing to Cosi without knowing what actually happened. I don’t even know what to complain about or what store I should be talking about. Something tells me there are a lot in Manhattan.
Please give more information if you want people to take action.
Thanks.
werdna
Andrew, if you click on the link to the Journal News article it does list the address of the Cosi in question: Cosi Restaurant, 77 Quaker Ridge Road, New Rochelle.
Also, there’s another post about it here: http://www.goodasyou.org/good_as_you/2007/02/development_tha.html
MadClark
Wow, that’s pretty amazing because, if I recall correctly, Cosi was the brainchild of three gay men as begun in Washington, DC.
Am I wrong?
nystudman
Pride Agenda is sending out information on whom to write too as well.
Sally
All artwork in each Cosi is mandated to go through an internal review process, since it is a family restaurant and we don’t want idiots putting pr0n up on the walls. If anyone is to blame it’s that store’s manager for putting them up without going through this standard review processes. That is why they were pulled down. I’m sure the work will go back up once they have gone through the review process, though I haven’t actually seen them so I can’t say. After that you can do your little “YAY, WE WON!!!” thing and we can hear all of the local right-wing people huff and puff on their bloggs – when really it was neglect of a standard process on 1 persons part.
I highly doubt Cosi would alienate ALOT of its employees like this.
On a side note: since when are family photos considered art? My mom has been in the wrong business all along…
Matt in New Rochelle
Great news! Cosi agreed to let the pictures go back up; when I left the restaurant about an hour ago, they were there with hammers, remounting them. Thanks so much to everybody who called and wrote in – we did it! Please forward this on to everyone in your networks, so we can again call and write Cosi to thank them (very important). And go get a panini at your local franchise… they’re really pretty good.
nystudman
They’re overpriced sandwiches … but yeah, they taste great.
Paul Raposo
Sally, why does corporate HQ have to “review” family photos? I don’t know the store manager, but most sentient people can tell the difference between porn and a family photo. You’re doubt notwithstanding, Cosi DID alientante most of their employees by taking the pics down. You’re spiing so fast, your nic should be Maytag.