Members of the LGBT rights group GetEqual demonstrated at last weekendâs Value Voters Summit, and were able to film some of their interactions with conferencegoers. (Alas, not Michele Bachmann or Rick âfrothy mixâ Santorum.)
The above YouTube clip illustrates one particularly gruff encounter, described by a GetEqual member as marked by acts of violence by both security guards and summit attendees:
âThough the activists were not resisting the guards, over and over they were thrown around unnecessarily, and kicked by onlookers⊠Some yelled âGet out of my sightâ and âIâll kick your ass,â while another followed the activists out, yelling âYour lack of values are killing usâ (particularly creative, we thought).
Weâre pretty sure we heard someone say âYouâre spreading AIDS,â too. Thatâs sweetâdo you take away peopleâs rights with that mouth?
Below, GetEqual activists carried a simulated coffin draped in a rainbow American flag while reading anti-LGBT quotes from FRC Tony Perkins before being dragged outside.
âThe âvaluesâ promoted at this summit alienate millions of LGBT Americans from full and equal citizenship,â says GetEQUAL organizer Erica Keppler, âdeny us our dignity; seek to prevent us from enjoying the basic joy and security of marriage; create an unsafe environment that leads suicide, violence, and hate crimes; and, too often, result in violence toward and even the murder of our LGBT brothers and sisters.â
How about we take this to the next level?
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Photos: GetEqual
jeff4justice
Good for those activists.
Can security actually touch people like that? They’re not cops.
John Doe
Wow, I’m sure that this type of demonstration changed a few hundred people’s minds in regards to LGBT equality. NOT.
All they did was trespass and create a disturbance that likely did more harm than good. Keep in mind that other people from the public (such as hotel employees) were witness to the endless shouting and wrestling with security. They also went into “hostile” territory on private property where they surely weren’t going to be welcome by the hotel or conference attendees. I can’t imagine that their intention in being there was to peacefully hand our literature or to peacefully discuss issues with attendees. Even so they’d still be breaking the law by trespassing.
If people are going to act like this, they deserve to be arrested for trespass and disturbing the peace. There are a multitude of ways to demonstrate free speech, to get the message out, to protest – and to promote LGBT rights. You certainly don’t have to make the LGBT community look bad. Imagine if the tables were turned and a bunch of anti-gays were shouting at an LGBT conference. We’d surely want them arrested and thrown out for yelling and screaming. Times are changing and people are increasingly warming up to LGBT rights. That warming up surely won’t quicken by a small group of protesters breaking the law and creating a scene. Donate to Washington United for Marriage ($7m in donations so far) and try to get gay marriage passed in Washington. Encourage your Rep to vote for equality. Attend a pride parade and carry a sign. Hand out pamphlets on public sidewalks. Talk to your friends, family and coworkers about equality. No need to shout and scream on private property which guarantees that you’re going to get kicked out and likely yelled at in return.
Little-Kiwi
The problem, uh “John Doe”, is that gay republicans are complete and utter cowards who do NOTHING to change the hearts and minds of their fellow Republicans.
that’s why pathetic Klan-rallies like this “Value Voters Summit” make it so clear that the GOP is dedicated to bigotry and prejudice.
where have the gay republicans been? oh yeah. wandering around like cowards telling everyone that they’re
“not like those stereotypical gay liberals”
meanwhile, their chosen allies are our rallying the bigots of the country to hate gay people.
that’s where anger should be directed. not at GetEqual, but at the testicle-deprived gay republican cowards who aren’t man enough to stand up to their party’s bigotry
Danny
C’mon, guys. You go into the lion’s den, you can’t complain if you get mauled. ( đ the image of being eaten being inappropriate in this instance.) These are bigots, they self-identify as being against your equality. Go if you want, but don’t complain if you are not welcomed. Trust me, Grant Storms’s fundies are not welcomed at Southern Decadence in New Orleans.
jmmartin
What did they expect, plush red carpets? These people do not want in-your-face marriage equality people at their goofy-fest; a turd would be more welcome in a champagne fountain. You see, so long as you can justify your illogical, irrational actions by scriptural dogma that cannot be proved or disproved you are secure in believing that all men are created equal, except those swimming in the alphabet soup we call lgbt/queer. The Sexual Minorities is what Lars Ullerstam called us. If Leviticus guides these trogs we should picket their events with signs reading” “Do You Eat Oysters or Do You Eat Snails?” “Lot Sodomized His Own Daughters: Genesis” “No Dinosaurs on Noah’s Ark, Just Talking Snakes” and assorted other signs. If they are guided solely by Paul, that Zealot murderer from Tarsus, then ask for the red letters pronouncing same sex a stoning sin anywhere in the N.T. These homophobic elements of the N.T. are the rantings of a seriously pathological person who has internalized his self-hatred and doesn’t want anyone to think for a nanosecond that just because he’s been hanging out with 11 other guys, it doesn’t mean he’s homo. There is a rumor that Santorum will be the candidate of the new spinoff theocratic party. If he makes it to the White House, Dan Savage should prepare for reparative therapy. Forced.
jeff4justice
Quiting knocking them stupid homos.
Not every type of activism is about changing minds. Sometimes it’s just about standing up to the assholes and calling them assholes – sometimes that’s all we can do.
There’s room for all types of activism.
These people are far more brave than whiny fuckers hiding behind the computer nitpicking what others are doing.
Go be the change you wish to see.
andy_d
Excuse me folks, but getting kicked, hit, etc. REGARDLESS OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES, is BATTERY – a CRIME. These protesters needed to call the police and have those people charged. PERIOD.