I got to the booth at 11:00. Tony was already almost done setting up and said he already had a positive interaction this morning. That is great! It is always good to start the day off with a positive experience. Scott joined us shortly after I arrived.
In our first hour we two notable interactions:
11:40 am A woman we met last year at the fair came by, said hello and that she still had some of the literature she picked up last year at the fair. She said, “My lesbian friends are in town and they have a son who has been having a bit trouble lately. . . . His friends ask him if he is going to homosexual but he says, ‘it doen’t matter; my parents will love me no matter who I love.”
11:44 am A man came by and took some literature (one of each), and told Scott he was a youth pastor.
And we had more experiences after noon:
12:30 pm A young man (junior high or high school age) stopped by, read our signs after approaching the table, and asked, “what is this all about?” Tony explained and we offered him literature. He took Tony’s “God vs. Gays” booklet and a piece of candy and thanked us.
2:20 pm A lady passed by, smiled and nodded in approval.
3:12 pm Mary Dye stopped by and asked how the vigil went last week. I told her it was a success, and she seemed pleased.
3:25 pm A lady with her daughter and grandson (I assume) read our signs and said, “I agree completely. We need more acceptance especially right now.” Good stuff!
3:45 pm A blonde boy threw a stink bomb into our tent. I tried to pick it up and throw it in the trash before it went off, but only got as far as the middle of the path in front of us. It went off, and I gave up, but Larry picked up the trash leftover from it. I wish I could say that was the only stink bomb we got, but I would be lying if I did.
3:51 pm A young women working as staff at the fair said, “This is the first time I’ve seen something in support . . . I’m from Georgia. I’m supportive. I am not gay, but I’m bisexual and I’m supportive.”
4:10 pm The Riskos stopped by. It is always nice to see friends! :)
4:35 pm Two young people came by and asked what our booth was about. Tony explained. The firl seemed appreciative, gave a donation, and took some literature.
My shift ended at 5:00 so I went home. Kate recorded the events from the rest of the evening:
5:33 pm Three girls stood at the Wordless Book booth across from us and just stared at our booth, reading the signs.
5:35 pm A lady walked by, saw the booth, and said, “Oh—Awesome. That is so cool!”
7:23 pm Two young men in their 30s stopped by and were very excited to see us. One of the men said he had just come out to everyone. “I didn’t know we had one of there I town!” They took a bunch of literature and thanked us as they left.
7:43 pm Passerby: “It’s okay for me to disagree with all this, right?”
Tony: “Sure, but do you agree that God loves all people?”
“Yeah, but I just feel that it’s a choice. How can you say you are godly when it says it’s wrong right there in the bible? . . . I had these two gay friends and if anyone said anything bad about them I would have bashed them. . . . What about Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve? . . . You guys are cool so, bye!”
8:20 pm A group of four teenagers, one of whom was pregnant, stopped by to take some literature. One said, “I’m going to show this to my mom! She has issues.” Another: “My mom doesn’t have issue ‘cause she loves Kelly.” Kelly: “Yeah, I just try to be lovable.”
I also heard another story of a man coming by the booth who refused to believe that being gay is not a choice. Larry asked him, “When did you choose to be heterosexual?” to which the man replied, “Well, I was just born that way.” Larry and the others tried to explain to him it is the same for gay people, that we are just born this way, but the man would not concede. He asked if we believed in the power of prayer, and if so, why wouldn’t we pray for God to change us. Eventually he asked, “So you actually think it is okay to be gay?” (Well, yes.) The conversation remained civil, which is good, but it ended with the man saying, “Well I am going to pray for you.” Larry responded, “Well I am going to pray for you, too.” (I can think of worse ways for a conversation to end.)
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Experiences from the First Day at the Fair (Sunday, July 26, 2009)
[NB I know this is a little late in getting posted, but fair week has been hectic so far. I have only been able to type our experiences from the first day because I brought my computer with me yesterday to the fair!]
We had a great opening day of the fair. Kate and I opened the booth. Joan worked for several hours, and Larry, Tony, Martha, and Gwen worked the afternoon and evening shifts. It is wonderful to have so many willing volunteers this year. It makes all the difference—thanks to everyone who is volunteering this week. Here is a sample of comments and interactions we recorded:
11:16 am Lady passing by: “Gay-Straight . . . huh . . . what does that mean?” Kate explains. Lady: “Oh, okay, I was just curious what it meant.”
12:11 pm A lady asked what our booth was all about, and Kate explained. The lady wanted to know if this was some sort of movement to make gay people straight. We explained that GSAs are not designed to convert anyone one way or another, but rather that the purpose of most GSAs are for both gay and straight people to support one another.
12:15 pm A lady and a young boy stopped by, took literature from Equality Ohio about the laws in Ohio that exclude sexual orientation and gender identity. The woman was surprised that it is still legal to fire someone because they are gay.
12:30 pm A young boy (12–14 years old) and his mom and grandma were walking past the booth. He started to walk over to us to get a piece a candy. The mom tried to hold him back. He just pushed her hand away and came over here anyway. He took a piece, said thank you, and then left. The mom just kept walking. I think much of the resistance we encounter these days come from older generations. I think the younger generations are getting it!
1:00 pm A young family stopped by and took literature and candy. They were very pleasant and said thanks.
3:10 pm A high school student came up to our booth and said, “Okay, I don’t want to read anything right now, but I have a question. Are you for or against gays?” (the standby question we heard so much last year). Tony replied, “We believe in equal treatment for all people.” Then she gave us two thumbs up and seemed pleased.
Martha’s report for the afternoon shift:
3:55 pm We were talking with each other, minding our own business, when we heard a pop from behind the tent. Then we smelled something. Upon investigation, we found someone had set off a “fart bomb” behind the tent.
5:20 pm A woman with a Red Cross shirt stopped by. A friend of hers has a son who graduated from high school a few years ago. She believes the son is gay but the mother is not supportive and the son is closeted. She took some lieterature. (Note—she looked at our booth for a long time before coming over, and we all assumed from her facial expression that disapproved of us. But we were wrong!)
5:45 pm A man, two women, and child stopped by. They were supportive. One woman’s uncle had married but struggled with his sexuality his whole life. The man’s boss and office manager are partners and he has no problem with it. “Let them marry—let them be as miserable as the rest of us!”
7:25 pm Three teenagers stopped by. They are supportive and took bumper stickers for their cars.
7:30 pm A woman stopped by and asked if Dawn was here. She wanted to say hi. She put a few dollars in our bowl. We asked her how she was enjoying the fair and she replied, “you know, it is what it is.” :)
7:40 pm Dale, the balloon man from the Wordless Book booth across the way, stopped by to talk. He asked how we explained Romans and Tony launched into his explanation of Romans and they continued to have a pleasant civil conversation. When he said he thought being gay was a choice and/or that it was the result of poor upbringing, Larry shared his story. When we asked Dale when he chose to be heterosexual, he said he didn’t, he was born that way. We nodded and said yes!—that’s the way it works for gay people too. He took a Soulforce pamphlet, a God vs. Gays pamphlet, and The Only Question That Matters pamphlet, and he said he’d ask his pastor about it. He also asked why God didn’t make Adam & Steve instead of Adam & Eve. Tony responded that it’s likely that Adam & Eve has all aspects of all people built in their DNA—including people of all sexual orientations.
8:05 pm A woman passed by, waved and said hi.” :)
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
My (Straight, Christian) Experience at The Knox County Fair
When I heard Knox GSA would have a booth at the fair, I thought, oh I couldn't do that, I'm not brave enough. But then my friend Phillip died of AIDS. Fair week means my full-time job is extra intense, but I wanted to at least visit and sit a while with my friends the GSA-ers in Phillip's honor and his memory.
It was a fascinating experience over three too-short evening shifts, what a friend called "a sociological experiment" for me, the rather naive, small-town, straight church-goer girl (albeit at the most liberal and open church in Knox County -- First Congregational United Church of Christ).
Sociology, oh, yeah. I saw some appalling behaviors and gestures, and heard some unbelievable invective and strange, disturbing logic. I was embarrassed to be a fellow Christian with these people, who I think have forgotten that "Christ" is the basis of that word that describes our beliefs, and that Christ preached the gospel of love, especially to those his very own society looked down on. Jesus never turned anyone away, but these folks sure did, and many of them in his name.
I'm reading a book called "Lord, Save Us From Your Followers: Why The Gospel Of Love Is Dividing America," by Dan Merchant. It's also been made into a movie and will be available on DVD. Highly recommended, and the title is self-explanatory of the book, the premises of which I watched play out at the Knox County Fair.
What I saw:
--A little boy, maybe 9, 10, laughing uproariously out loud, pointing at the GSA sign, and tugging his father's sleeve: "Dad, Dad, look at that. Ha, ha, ha!" Fortunately the father didn't have much reaction. I just hope the little boy's peers don't have the same mindset.
--A woman handing us a printout from the Internet, complete with typos, that must have come (because someone else gave us one also) from some website that explains "how to talk to people who claim they 'have' to be gay." Full of scripture references to "those" scriptures. She pointed at a few of us in turn, including me. "I love you, I love you, I love you, but we are told to hate the sin, love the sinner." She refused to take any of our literature, or even converse with us. And this tirade unfolded in front of her impassive listening husband and babies in their stroller, as well as people passing by. In the interest of laughing instead of crying, we got a good giggle about her saying she loved me, since I'm straight too. :-) Funny how she threw us all into the same little pigeon-hole marked "Sinner" if big red letters.
--People not understanding the Gay-Straight Alliance phrase. Whoa. I suspect this is a Knox County lack-of-education problem, because what's not to understand about hyphen usage and the word "alliance"? But Kate and Victoria said many people asked what it meant, and many asked if they were "for" or "against" gays. Bizarre. We gotta remember that we live in Knox County ...
--People, presumably Christians, walk by, read the sign, then make dismissive gestures, laugh, roll their eyes, nudge each other, whisper, make over-the-shoulder insults, etc. Not very Christ-like reactions; certainly not reactions of love and acceptance of all in the name of their Christ.
--That sitting with my friends didn't bother me in the least. I looked passersby right in the eye, laughed and talked with my friends, and cared not a whit what anyone watching might have thought, about me, my friends, or my own sexuality. If they wanted to think I'm gay, then it just shows they are stereotyping in another way. I do think I matured spiritually just by participating -- wonderful!
What I heard about when not there:
--Scott being called a "fag" by a teenager, just because he's male and was sitting in the booth. He and his wife are on vacation, so I haven't got to hear his reaction to that yet. But whoa.
-- Reading Kate's and Victoria's negative experiences in their blogs was depressing and painful. Their, and others', stories of mean people, holier-than-thou Christians, closed-minded people, people with their minds apparently in the gutter who think only of body parts and sex when they think about homosexuals, and the young Knox Countians with really bad attitudes that don't bode well for future generations, was really hard to ponder. The young "cowboy in training" who dared to come up and try to discuss lesbian lovemaking from a pornographer's sick viewpoint especially made me queasy. Who are these children and where are their parents and how do children adopt an attitude of hate before they're even grown up?
I'm a religion news reporter and have always been fascinated by the various religions, denominations, fundamentalism, hypocrisy, dogma, doctrine, church history, etc. so I desperately wanted to ask people, "So ... what church do you go to?" But I wanted to stay within the Knox GSA committed mode of open dialogue and non-combative discussion, and not embarrass my friends. But I really wanted to ask. :-) Not that it would have made a difference ...
Frankly, I'm scared for Knox County. Despite our rich history and heritage and the natural beauty of this place, we've now got a major polarization of -- let's be honest -- thinking Christians and "ostrich" Christians (with their heads in the sand ... a la the John Freshwater / Minute Men controversies that refuse to go away). The middle school Christian kids have polarized themselves, according to parents, and think nothing of ostracizing, ridiculing, even threatening other children who don't agree with them. That is REALLY frightening and doesn't bode well for the upcoming school year. I'm scared violence could break out if this keeps up.
God help us all. Seek justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God. And equal rights for all -- that means EVERYONE, no exceptions,
Kim
It was a fascinating experience over three too-short evening shifts, what a friend called "a sociological experiment" for me, the rather naive, small-town, straight church-goer girl (albeit at the most liberal and open church in Knox County -- First Congregational United Church of Christ).
Sociology, oh, yeah. I saw some appalling behaviors and gestures, and heard some unbelievable invective and strange, disturbing logic. I was embarrassed to be a fellow Christian with these people, who I think have forgotten that "Christ" is the basis of that word that describes our beliefs, and that Christ preached the gospel of love, especially to those his very own society looked down on. Jesus never turned anyone away, but these folks sure did, and many of them in his name.
I'm reading a book called "Lord, Save Us From Your Followers: Why The Gospel Of Love Is Dividing America," by Dan Merchant. It's also been made into a movie and will be available on DVD. Highly recommended, and the title is self-explanatory of the book, the premises of which I watched play out at the Knox County Fair.
What I saw:
--A little boy, maybe 9, 10, laughing uproariously out loud, pointing at the GSA sign, and tugging his father's sleeve: "Dad, Dad, look at that. Ha, ha, ha!" Fortunately the father didn't have much reaction. I just hope the little boy's peers don't have the same mindset.
--A woman handing us a printout from the Internet, complete with typos, that must have come (because someone else gave us one also) from some website that explains "how to talk to people who claim they 'have' to be gay." Full of scripture references to "those" scriptures. She pointed at a few of us in turn, including me. "I love you, I love you, I love you, but we are told to hate the sin, love the sinner." She refused to take any of our literature, or even converse with us. And this tirade unfolded in front of her impassive listening husband and babies in their stroller, as well as people passing by. In the interest of laughing instead of crying, we got a good giggle about her saying she loved me, since I'm straight too. :-) Funny how she threw us all into the same little pigeon-hole marked "Sinner" if big red letters.
--People not understanding the Gay-Straight Alliance phrase. Whoa. I suspect this is a Knox County lack-of-education problem, because what's not to understand about hyphen usage and the word "alliance"? But Kate and Victoria said many people asked what it meant, and many asked if they were "for" or "against" gays. Bizarre. We gotta remember that we live in Knox County ...
--People, presumably Christians, walk by, read the sign, then make dismissive gestures, laugh, roll their eyes, nudge each other, whisper, make over-the-shoulder insults, etc. Not very Christ-like reactions; certainly not reactions of love and acceptance of all in the name of their Christ.
--That sitting with my friends didn't bother me in the least. I looked passersby right in the eye, laughed and talked with my friends, and cared not a whit what anyone watching might have thought, about me, my friends, or my own sexuality. If they wanted to think I'm gay, then it just shows they are stereotyping in another way. I do think I matured spiritually just by participating -- wonderful!
What I heard about when not there:
--Scott being called a "fag" by a teenager, just because he's male and was sitting in the booth. He and his wife are on vacation, so I haven't got to hear his reaction to that yet. But whoa.
-- Reading Kate's and Victoria's negative experiences in their blogs was depressing and painful. Their, and others', stories of mean people, holier-than-thou Christians, closed-minded people, people with their minds apparently in the gutter who think only of body parts and sex when they think about homosexuals, and the young Knox Countians with really bad attitudes that don't bode well for future generations, was really hard to ponder. The young "cowboy in training" who dared to come up and try to discuss lesbian lovemaking from a pornographer's sick viewpoint especially made me queasy. Who are these children and where are their parents and how do children adopt an attitude of hate before they're even grown up?
I'm a religion news reporter and have always been fascinated by the various religions, denominations, fundamentalism, hypocrisy, dogma, doctrine, church history, etc. so I desperately wanted to ask people, "So ... what church do you go to?" But I wanted to stay within the Knox GSA committed mode of open dialogue and non-combative discussion, and not embarrass my friends. But I really wanted to ask. :-) Not that it would have made a difference ...
Frankly, I'm scared for Knox County. Despite our rich history and heritage and the natural beauty of this place, we've now got a major polarization of -- let's be honest -- thinking Christians and "ostrich" Christians (with their heads in the sand ... a la the John Freshwater / Minute Men controversies that refuse to go away). The middle school Christian kids have polarized themselves, according to parents, and think nothing of ostracizing, ridiculing, even threatening other children who don't agree with them. That is REALLY frightening and doesn't bode well for the upcoming school year. I'm scared violence could break out if this keeps up.
God help us all. Seek justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God. And equal rights for all -- that means EVERYONE, no exceptions,
Kim
Monday, July 28, 2008
Last Day at the Fair
It was incredibly nice to sleep in yesterday and know that we are done with the fair for this year. I took a little more time before posting this entry because I had so much I wanted to say. The entire experience has been remarkable. I am very glad I had this opportunity to try to open the minds and hearts of our fellow Ohioans. (Kate came up with that phrase "opening minds and hearts" on Saturday while we were working; we thought it might make a nice slogan for the Knox GSA.)
Saturday, our last day at the fair, was both challenging and rewarding. Kate and I worked the booth in the morning. Sue, Therese, and their three wonderful children worked the booth with us for most of the afternoon and early evening. They brought a crock pot full of delicious creamed chicken, which was the best meal I have had all week! We have amazing friends. Dawn and Alexis also worked the booth with us during the afternoon, and Kim came by in the evening to help. I am grateful for all of the help these generous people have given us. Thank you!
I have found that as the week progressed, more and more people were feeling comfortable approaching our booth, particularly those who were not so friendly. Still, we had a number of sympathetic visitors yesterday, too. Here is a sample of our experiences, both positive and negative:
A man approached the booth, and said "Explain to me what 'gay-straight' is."
Kate: "It means we are a group of straight and gay people who believe in equality."
Man: "Equality, huh? Well, why is there a cross on that sign?" (He was referring to the DGSCA logo.)
Kate: "We are three organizations. That is the Delaware Gay-Straight Christian Alliance, which is a group of both gay and straight Christians who believe in equality for gay and straight people."
Man: "Those words, 'gay-straight' shouldn't go with 'Christian.'"
Kate: "'Straight' shouldn't go with 'Christian'?"
Man: "No, 'straight' and 'Christian' is fine. 'Gay' and 'Christian' is wrong. It's right there in the bible. It's wrong." Then the man walked away.
I guess the best part of this encounter was that another person passing by, who overheard the conversation, put his hands to his head and made a "nah-nah-nee-boo-boo" gesture (yes, very mature) toward the man who was walking away. I hate to admit it, but that made us feel a lot better!
During the one o'clock hour, a woman wearing an "I-support-John-Freshwater--GOD" t-shirt came by with a bootleg printout of bible verses that she wanted me to give to Tony. She said that Tony had told her that her translation of the bible was wrong and that she was following up with him. The funny thing is that nowhere on the printout does it explain anything about her translations, and I am pretty sure that someone just did a hasty search on the internet to compile the information. Funnier still, another lady (a friend of this visitor), came by in the evening with a copy of the same printout, typos and all. I would post a copy of it online just to show these people's idiocy, but that would not be very kind.
We finally had our first positive encounter around 1:30 when a young lady from a local Christian radio station approached our booth. At this point, I had braced myself for the worst; I simply assumed she was stopping at our booth to tell us that homosexuality is wrong. But, fortunately, it turns out I was mistaken. This lady told us that she found out about last month's Pride Celebration Potluck and had wanted to promote it on the radio station, but her superiors would not allow her to do that. She argued, "Well you know, Jesus is going to be at that potluck!"
(Along the same lines, I'd like to think that if Jesus were still around today, he would have been sitting with us at our Knox GSA booth, wearing Birkenstock sandals and helping us educate others!)
The young lady told us that personally she has been conflicted between the constraints of the Nazarene and her compassion for her gay friends and her knowledge of the struggles they have experienced. She stayed awhile longer and continued to talk to us. It was an uplifting conversation. She mentioned that she entered the Mt. Vernon Nazarene University as a conservative Christian and now she is a more open-minded democrat. She also told us that there are many gay students at the Naz. Her theory is that parents will often send their gay children there in hope that can be changed. She said that she has hope for the future at the Naz, that it is changing because more and more open-minded people are coming into the church. She also mentioned, as evidence of this, that recently they changed the manual to allow social drinking. (The ban on dancing was lifted some 20 years ago.)
The sad and ironic thing about this wonderful encounter is that prejudged her simply because I saw her wearing a MVNU radio station shirt and had assumed the worst. I admitted this and apologized to her before she left. (Just goes to show me that I need to remember not to judge others myself.) Kate said to me after she left, "That's the hope for me. A girl immersed in [conservative Christianity] can make up her mind not to treat us any differently." Her visit really made our day.
During the four o'clock hour an angry lady approached our booth: "So what do you stand for?"
Us: "Equality."
Lady: "I'm all for equality, but it is not right. Have you read the bible? Sodom and Gomorrah?" (Note the logic, or lack thereof, in the lady's words. NB Sodom and Gomorrah is about hospitality and rape, not homosexuality.)
During the five o'clock hour, a kid passing by said, "Not my kind of gay." We weren't sure how to take that.
A kind man who had been a United Methodist Minister asked us how we have been received especially in such a conservative atmosphere. He took our literature and was very supportive.
During the six o'clock hour, another man approached us and asked, "Are you for or against gays?" (This seems to be a very common question!)
Us: "For . . . we are for equality."
Man: "I could care less." He seemed disgusted and walked away.
A woman came to our table and said excitedly, "It's about time!" She seemed very glad we were here.
During the seven o'clock hour, a senior from East Knox High School said, "I love what you're doing." Kate asked if she needed information and then explained about the three groups at the booth. The senior said the students are going to speak with the principal again this year to see if they can get some sort of group started. Kate asked, "A gay-straight alliance?"
The young woman: "No, maybe something else we can get them to agree to."
Kate: "Like a diversity group or something?"
Young woman: "Yeah. We did something for the Day of Silence this past year, and over 30 kids wore buttons. Not all of them were silent, but they did wear buttons. We hope to have more people doing it this year now that there is more awareness." After the conversation, she signed up for the e-mail list and also took a pamphlet. She then went to see her friends and showed them the pamphlet.
Another girl took some candy, saw the Soulforce booklet and began flipping through it. Kate said, "You can take that if you want."
Girl: "I just want to know if homosexuals are good or bad."
Kate: "Well, I'm a homosexual, and I'd like to think I'm good."
Meredith: "She's good." (Thanks for vouching for my girlfriend, Meredith!)
Another passer by: "I'm not for or against homosexuals. I mean I have friends who are homos. I know a lot of homosexuals. . . . I just wanted some information." (I think we also need to do some educating on appropriate and inappropriate language! Most gay people I know don't like to be called homos!)
We also had some positive reactions when we asked folks if they knew people could legally be fired or denied housing just for being gay and if they would sign the FIRED cards. Here is a sample of those responses:
"You're kidding! You can be fired for that?"
"One's sexuality shouldn't matter. . . . A friend of mine got fired from major national company just for being gay."
One woman signed a FIRED card and then took 2 for her sister and brother-in-law to sign. I have been very pleased with the number of people who seemed compelled to spread the message to others.
All together, we collected 101 FIRED cards over the course of the week. That is amazing to me. Most of those who filled out the cards are Knox County residents, which gives me hope. We also have collected many e-mail addresses to add to our e-mailing list. We now have 84 subscribers all together!
Of course, I am glad now that the fair has concluded, but after reflecting yesterday on our many experiences, I feel overjoyed with the positive responses we had, in addition to our many opportunities to educate people here. This had been an incredibly powerful experience for me, and I feel fortunate to have had this amazing opportunity. I look forward to our continued presence in Knox County, at next year's fair and beyond. Thanks again to all who helped staff the booth and to friends who stopped by to show their support. We could not have done it without you!
Saturday, our last day at the fair, was both challenging and rewarding. Kate and I worked the booth in the morning. Sue, Therese, and their three wonderful children worked the booth with us for most of the afternoon and early evening. They brought a crock pot full of delicious creamed chicken, which was the best meal I have had all week! We have amazing friends. Dawn and Alexis also worked the booth with us during the afternoon, and Kim came by in the evening to help. I am grateful for all of the help these generous people have given us. Thank you!
I have found that as the week progressed, more and more people were feeling comfortable approaching our booth, particularly those who were not so friendly. Still, we had a number of sympathetic visitors yesterday, too. Here is a sample of our experiences, both positive and negative:
A man approached the booth, and said "Explain to me what 'gay-straight' is."
Kate: "It means we are a group of straight and gay people who believe in equality."
Man: "Equality, huh? Well, why is there a cross on that sign?" (He was referring to the DGSCA logo.)
Kate: "We are three organizations. That is the Delaware Gay-Straight Christian Alliance, which is a group of both gay and straight Christians who believe in equality for gay and straight people."
Man: "Those words, 'gay-straight' shouldn't go with 'Christian.'"
Kate: "'Straight' shouldn't go with 'Christian'?"
Man: "No, 'straight' and 'Christian' is fine. 'Gay' and 'Christian' is wrong. It's right there in the bible. It's wrong." Then the man walked away.
I guess the best part of this encounter was that another person passing by, who overheard the conversation, put his hands to his head and made a "nah-nah-nee-boo-boo" gesture (yes, very mature) toward the man who was walking away. I hate to admit it, but that made us feel a lot better!
During the one o'clock hour, a woman wearing an "I-support-John-Freshwater--GOD" t-shirt came by with a bootleg printout of bible verses that she wanted me to give to Tony. She said that Tony had told her that her translation of the bible was wrong and that she was following up with him. The funny thing is that nowhere on the printout does it explain anything about her translations, and I am pretty sure that someone just did a hasty search on the internet to compile the information. Funnier still, another lady (a friend of this visitor), came by in the evening with a copy of the same printout, typos and all. I would post a copy of it online just to show these people's idiocy, but that would not be very kind.
We finally had our first positive encounter around 1:30 when a young lady from a local Christian radio station approached our booth. At this point, I had braced myself for the worst; I simply assumed she was stopping at our booth to tell us that homosexuality is wrong. But, fortunately, it turns out I was mistaken. This lady told us that she found out about last month's Pride Celebration Potluck and had wanted to promote it on the radio station, but her superiors would not allow her to do that. She argued, "Well you know, Jesus is going to be at that potluck!"
(Along the same lines, I'd like to think that if Jesus were still around today, he would have been sitting with us at our Knox GSA booth, wearing Birkenstock sandals and helping us educate others!)
The young lady told us that personally she has been conflicted between the constraints of the Nazarene and her compassion for her gay friends and her knowledge of the struggles they have experienced. She stayed awhile longer and continued to talk to us. It was an uplifting conversation. She mentioned that she entered the Mt. Vernon Nazarene University as a conservative Christian and now she is a more open-minded democrat. She also told us that there are many gay students at the Naz. Her theory is that parents will often send their gay children there in hope that can be changed. She said that she has hope for the future at the Naz, that it is changing because more and more open-minded people are coming into the church. She also mentioned, as evidence of this, that recently they changed the manual to allow social drinking. (The ban on dancing was lifted some 20 years ago.)
The sad and ironic thing about this wonderful encounter is that prejudged her simply because I saw her wearing a MVNU radio station shirt and had assumed the worst. I admitted this and apologized to her before she left. (Just goes to show me that I need to remember not to judge others myself.) Kate said to me after she left, "That's the hope for me. A girl immersed in [conservative Christianity] can make up her mind not to treat us any differently." Her visit really made our day.
During the four o'clock hour an angry lady approached our booth: "So what do you stand for?"
Us: "Equality."
Lady: "I'm all for equality, but it is not right. Have you read the bible? Sodom and Gomorrah?" (Note the logic, or lack thereof, in the lady's words. NB Sodom and Gomorrah is about hospitality and rape, not homosexuality.)
During the five o'clock hour, a kid passing by said, "Not my kind of gay." We weren't sure how to take that.
A kind man who had been a United Methodist Minister asked us how we have been received especially in such a conservative atmosphere. He took our literature and was very supportive.
During the six o'clock hour, another man approached us and asked, "Are you for or against gays?" (This seems to be a very common question!)
Us: "For . . . we are for equality."
Man: "I could care less." He seemed disgusted and walked away.
A woman came to our table and said excitedly, "It's about time!" She seemed very glad we were here.
During the seven o'clock hour, a senior from East Knox High School said, "I love what you're doing." Kate asked if she needed information and then explained about the three groups at the booth. The senior said the students are going to speak with the principal again this year to see if they can get some sort of group started. Kate asked, "A gay-straight alliance?"
The young woman: "No, maybe something else we can get them to agree to."
Kate: "Like a diversity group or something?"
Young woman: "Yeah. We did something for the Day of Silence this past year, and over 30 kids wore buttons. Not all of them were silent, but they did wear buttons. We hope to have more people doing it this year now that there is more awareness." After the conversation, she signed up for the e-mail list and also took a pamphlet. She then went to see her friends and showed them the pamphlet.
Another girl took some candy, saw the Soulforce booklet and began flipping through it. Kate said, "You can take that if you want."
Girl: "I just want to know if homosexuals are good or bad."
Kate: "Well, I'm a homosexual, and I'd like to think I'm good."
Meredith: "She's good." (Thanks for vouching for my girlfriend, Meredith!)
Another passer by: "I'm not for or against homosexuals. I mean I have friends who are homos. I know a lot of homosexuals. . . . I just wanted some information." (I think we also need to do some educating on appropriate and inappropriate language! Most gay people I know don't like to be called homos!)
We also had some positive reactions when we asked folks if they knew people could legally be fired or denied housing just for being gay and if they would sign the FIRED cards. Here is a sample of those responses:
"You're kidding! You can be fired for that?"
"One's sexuality shouldn't matter. . . . A friend of mine got fired from major national company just for being gay."
One woman signed a FIRED card and then took 2 for her sister and brother-in-law to sign. I have been very pleased with the number of people who seemed compelled to spread the message to others.
All together, we collected 101 FIRED cards over the course of the week. That is amazing to me. Most of those who filled out the cards are Knox County residents, which gives me hope. We also have collected many e-mail addresses to add to our e-mailing list. We now have 84 subscribers all together!
Of course, I am glad now that the fair has concluded, but after reflecting yesterday on our many experiences, I feel overjoyed with the positive responses we had, in addition to our many opportunities to educate people here. This had been an incredibly powerful experience for me, and I feel fortunate to have had this amazing opportunity. I look forward to our continued presence in Knox County, at next year's fair and beyond. Thanks again to all who helped staff the booth and to friends who stopped by to show their support. We could not have done it without you!
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Friday Night at the Fair - Notes from Kate
While Victoria was off getting dinner I had a couple of interactions that I thought I should share. I apologize in advance - this is longer than I intended.
First we had a few supportive people stop by the booth to chat and get information. "Thank you for being here," one person said. Another told a story of her friend, a lesbian. "I have a lesbian friend who has a son and she's afraid to put him in the Boy Scouts because if they find out about her they can kick him out. That's crap! Don't get me started...thank you for the information." Another stopped by and asked if we were a new group in town: "Are you new, I haven't seen this before?" After we explained to her that it's still legal in Ohio to fire someone based on their sexual orientation or gender identity her jaw dropped and she said, "Are you shitting me? I'm sorry, I moved here from California, so I just don't understand what the problem is." There is a real need for education on these issues in town - I feel good that the Knox County GSA, the DGSCA and Equality Ohio are all present at the fair to do some of that educating. I think many more people would be supportive of the EHEA if they knew the facts and saw that it is an issue of fairness.
Speaking of which, I told Victoria as I was driving to the fair that I planned on asking the next religious person who stopped by how they feel about the Equal Housing and Employment Act. After all, whether or not someone thinks the "behavior" is wrong or a sin shouldn't impact how they feel about the bills that have been introduced. I didn't realize I would get my chance last night.
A woman in a long denim skirt from the booth next door (the Mount Vernon Baptist Temple) came up to me and said, "Where do you find it in the bible that it's ok to be a lesbian?" I told her I wasn't really concerned with that and she just looked at me for a while. Then she said, "Well, what church are you affiliated with?" I told her there were three groups at the table and that none of them were affiliated with any one church. The Delaware Gay Straight Christian Alliance in Delaware consists of Christians from various churches in the area that believe in fairness for all and have inclusive worship services - but they aren't affiliated with any one church. She looked long and hard again and then invited me to come to her church where they could "straighten me out." "You don't have to be that way," she said. "You don't have to be a lesbian." I told her I appreciated her coming over here and speaking to me, and that I know she feels like she is just trying to help me, but I'm fine the way I am and don't need to be fixed.
Then I said that I don't come at this issue from a religious perspective, but that I am interested in things from a political point of view. I asked her if she knew you could be fired in Ohio just for being GLBT. She didn't know that. I asked if she knew we could be denied housing or service in a restaurant. She didn't know that. I then asked her if she thought that was fair. She balked a little bit, hemmed and hawed, and then said I would be welcome at her church. I said I appreciated that, but I asked again, "Do you think it's fair that I could be fired just for being a lesbian? Even if I do a great job at work I could be fired just for being gay." She finally conceded, "No, that's not fair, it shouldn't make a difference. But you don't have to be that way." I asked her if she would fill out a FIRED card saying she thought it was unfair and she said, "No, I don't think I should be signing anything." Then she invited me to her church again. "You see, you would be welcome at our church, but you couldn't be active in our church." I have to admit, that sort of confused me, so I asked what "active" meant. She said, "Oh well you could come in and sit down and listen to the pastor, but you wouldn't be allowed to sing or participate in any way." Scott then spoke up and said he is studying to become a minister. He said the First Congregational UCC church in town is supportive of GLBT people and is an open and affirming church. She said, "Oh the UCC? Yeah, they accept it. But it's wrong." And then she walked away. While Scott was talking with her I noticed there were two young girls at the table and I asked them if they had any questions. They said "no" and I could tell they were listening to what the woman had to say. When she left one of the girls said those people make her crazy.
After a few minutes (and after Victoria came back with her dinner) the woman came back to get another Soulforce pamphlet and some more information about the DGSCA. She told me this is my choice and she said after I die it's my choice where I end up. I thanked her again for stopping by and she left.
Overall it was a polite interaction. I'm glad I got to talk to her about the EHEA and I'm sure she was happy she got to share her perspective with me.
Before going to bed last night we watched a short movie called "20 Straws" that was about (and I think made by) GLBT youth in Columbus. One of the young men in the film said, "I can't hate those people that hate me for being gay. That would make me a hypocrite. I have to love those people for who they are if I am going to ask them to love me for who I am." It was a good message to hear after a long day and a long week. We have one more day to go and I am going to try to keep that in mind.
First we had a few supportive people stop by the booth to chat and get information. "Thank you for being here," one person said. Another told a story of her friend, a lesbian. "I have a lesbian friend who has a son and she's afraid to put him in the Boy Scouts because if they find out about her they can kick him out. That's crap! Don't get me started...thank you for the information." Another stopped by and asked if we were a new group in town: "Are you new, I haven't seen this before?" After we explained to her that it's still legal in Ohio to fire someone based on their sexual orientation or gender identity her jaw dropped and she said, "Are you shitting me? I'm sorry, I moved here from California, so I just don't understand what the problem is." There is a real need for education on these issues in town - I feel good that the Knox County GSA, the DGSCA and Equality Ohio are all present at the fair to do some of that educating. I think many more people would be supportive of the EHEA if they knew the facts and saw that it is an issue of fairness.
Speaking of which, I told Victoria as I was driving to the fair that I planned on asking the next religious person who stopped by how they feel about the Equal Housing and Employment Act. After all, whether or not someone thinks the "behavior" is wrong or a sin shouldn't impact how they feel about the bills that have been introduced. I didn't realize I would get my chance last night.
A woman in a long denim skirt from the booth next door (the Mount Vernon Baptist Temple) came up to me and said, "Where do you find it in the bible that it's ok to be a lesbian?" I told her I wasn't really concerned with that and she just looked at me for a while. Then she said, "Well, what church are you affiliated with?" I told her there were three groups at the table and that none of them were affiliated with any one church. The Delaware Gay Straight Christian Alliance in Delaware consists of Christians from various churches in the area that believe in fairness for all and have inclusive worship services - but they aren't affiliated with any one church. She looked long and hard again and then invited me to come to her church where they could "straighten me out." "You don't have to be that way," she said. "You don't have to be a lesbian." I told her I appreciated her coming over here and speaking to me, and that I know she feels like she is just trying to help me, but I'm fine the way I am and don't need to be fixed.
Then I said that I don't come at this issue from a religious perspective, but that I am interested in things from a political point of view. I asked her if she knew you could be fired in Ohio just for being GLBT. She didn't know that. I asked if she knew we could be denied housing or service in a restaurant. She didn't know that. I then asked her if she thought that was fair. She balked a little bit, hemmed and hawed, and then said I would be welcome at her church. I said I appreciated that, but I asked again, "Do you think it's fair that I could be fired just for being a lesbian? Even if I do a great job at work I could be fired just for being gay." She finally conceded, "No, that's not fair, it shouldn't make a difference. But you don't have to be that way." I asked her if she would fill out a FIRED card saying she thought it was unfair and she said, "No, I don't think I should be signing anything." Then she invited me to her church again. "You see, you would be welcome at our church, but you couldn't be active in our church." I have to admit, that sort of confused me, so I asked what "active" meant. She said, "Oh well you could come in and sit down and listen to the pastor, but you wouldn't be allowed to sing or participate in any way." Scott then spoke up and said he is studying to become a minister. He said the First Congregational UCC church in town is supportive of GLBT people and is an open and affirming church. She said, "Oh the UCC? Yeah, they accept it. But it's wrong." And then she walked away. While Scott was talking with her I noticed there were two young girls at the table and I asked them if they had any questions. They said "no" and I could tell they were listening to what the woman had to say. When she left one of the girls said those people make her crazy.
After a few minutes (and after Victoria came back with her dinner) the woman came back to get another Soulforce pamphlet and some more information about the DGSCA. She told me this is my choice and she said after I die it's my choice where I end up. I thanked her again for stopping by and she left.
Overall it was a polite interaction. I'm glad I got to talk to her about the EHEA and I'm sure she was happy she got to share her perspective with me.
Before going to bed last night we watched a short movie called "20 Straws" that was about (and I think made by) GLBT youth in Columbus. One of the young men in the film said, "I can't hate those people that hate me for being gay. That would make me a hypocrite. I have to love those people for who they are if I am going to ask them to love me for who I am." It was a good message to hear after a long day and a long week. We have one more day to go and I am going to try to keep that in mind.
Day 6 at the Fair
Yesterday was a long and taxing day. I kept notes throughout the day. Tony and I encountered our first visitor at 11:15, and it happened to be a hateful person. A day at the fair just would not be complete without a hateful person, now would it? Here's what happened:
Man: "What is this?"
Me: "Three organizations--The Delaware Gay-Straight Christian Alliance, Equality Ohio a statewide organization, and the Knox County Gay-Straight Alliance--all of which work toward and believe in equality for all people regardless of sexual orientation."
Man: "What does 'gay-straight' mean?" At this point, I could tell the man was hostile by his body language and tone of voice.
Tony: "Both gay and straight people working together equal rights for all people."
Man: "Well, you know where those people belong . . . in a hole."
Tony: "Why do you think that? Are you frightened by gay people?"
Man: "Yes, they don't have to be that way."
The exchange continued, and the man eventually said he wasn't frightened, but mad. He also said at one point that all gay people should be drowned. Ouch.
He also asked Tony, "Which part of the 'gay-straight' are you on?"
Tony: "Straight."
Man: "That's the right side to be on."
The exchange continued. I remained silent. The exchange ended with Tony saying to the man, "Please go. If you want to be hateful, just go." And then he did.
Wow. This exchange really hurt me more than the others, for some reason. Perhaps it is just the exhaustion of this entire endeavor, the cumulative effect of the handful of hateful things we've witnessed. It takes a toll.
Kate was saying yesterday that up until this past week she had believed that even if people thought mean things about us, they would never have the gumption to say those things to our faces. But, we've both learned that it is not the case, sadly enough.
After I wrote all of this down in my notebook yesterday morning right after it all happened, I decided that I needed to let it all go. I give these hateful people power when I engage them or allow myself to get caught up in what happened. If I can let it go, then they no longer have any power over me. Just wish it was that easy to do.
During the next few hours, Tony and I had a number of visitors to the booth, ranging from individuals simply looking for literature to folks who engaged us in meaningful conversations. One woman walked by, read the DGSCA sign and gave us a thumbs up. The deputy sheriff came by again (he stopped by earlier this week) and asked for another Soulforce pamphlet. The publication called "What the bible really says, and doesn't say, about homosexuality" is written by Mel White who was one of Jerry Falwell's speech writers until he came out as gay. This has, by far, been our most popular piece of literature. I have added a link to a .pdf of the booklet on our Knox County GSA website: http://www.knoxgsa.org-a.googlepages.com/downloadablematerials
Here are some of the things people said to us throughout the afternoon:
"My brother-in-law- lives in Indiana. He's a lawyer and for the longest time was afraid to be out at work. But now he is in a higher position and is out, but he was afraid for a long time."
"My good friend is bi, and I had lots of friends in high school that are gay. I knew it before some of them did!"
"This is cool. I've got two moms."
During the one o'clock hour, a man came up to the table and said in a combative tone, "What's this 'gay-straight' about? I heard you're here and wanted to know what this is all about. Tell me quickly." So I gave him a brief explanation, something along the lines of "basically straight and gay people who believe in equality for all people." he asked us if we promote homosexuality and we said no, we promote equal treatment for all. The conversation continued for a few minutes. The guy finally left and said, "I have to get going otherwise someone might think I'm gay. . . . Just kidding . . ." I think he was only half kidding.
Before Tony left around 2:30, we both had marveled at the looks of cognitive dissonance in the eyes of many passers by. I worked the booth by myself until Scott came by a little after 3:00. He witnessed quite a bit during his first hour at the booth. One boy called him a fag, which is interesting particularly because Scott is straight. Another teenage boy approached the table and asked, "Have you seen two lesbians have sex? Because I think it is hot." We said nothing. He persisted, "Have you? I really want to know." Some of these kids have a lot of growing up to do. Another teenage boy, a cowboy in training it seems, approached the table, spit on the ground, and asked "What's this all about?" When we told him, he shook his head and went back to his friends.
A few other folks stopped by, and we had encounters that were much more positive. But, by the time 9:00 pm rolled around, I was definitely ready to go home! We have just one more day at the fair--today--and it will be a long one. We cannot close our booth until after 11:00 pm so it is a good thing we were able to sleep in longer than normal this morning.
I took a short break last night, and evidently we had some more interesting visitors while I was gone. Kate took notes, and I imagine she will add her experiences to this blog soon.
Thanks again to all who have helped and visited us during the day. Kim joined us for a while in the evening, and it always makes such a difference to have supportive friends to help pass the time.
Man: "What is this?"
Me: "Three organizations--The Delaware Gay-Straight Christian Alliance, Equality Ohio a statewide organization, and the Knox County Gay-Straight Alliance--all of which work toward and believe in equality for all people regardless of sexual orientation."
Man: "What does 'gay-straight' mean?" At this point, I could tell the man was hostile by his body language and tone of voice.
Tony: "Both gay and straight people working together equal rights for all people."
Man: "Well, you know where those people belong . . . in a hole."
Tony: "Why do you think that? Are you frightened by gay people?"
Man: "Yes, they don't have to be that way."
The exchange continued, and the man eventually said he wasn't frightened, but mad. He also said at one point that all gay people should be drowned. Ouch.
He also asked Tony, "Which part of the 'gay-straight' are you on?"
Tony: "Straight."
Man: "That's the right side to be on."
The exchange continued. I remained silent. The exchange ended with Tony saying to the man, "Please go. If you want to be hateful, just go." And then he did.
Wow. This exchange really hurt me more than the others, for some reason. Perhaps it is just the exhaustion of this entire endeavor, the cumulative effect of the handful of hateful things we've witnessed. It takes a toll.
Kate was saying yesterday that up until this past week she had believed that even if people thought mean things about us, they would never have the gumption to say those things to our faces. But, we've both learned that it is not the case, sadly enough.
After I wrote all of this down in my notebook yesterday morning right after it all happened, I decided that I needed to let it all go. I give these hateful people power when I engage them or allow myself to get caught up in what happened. If I can let it go, then they no longer have any power over me. Just wish it was that easy to do.
During the next few hours, Tony and I had a number of visitors to the booth, ranging from individuals simply looking for literature to folks who engaged us in meaningful conversations. One woman walked by, read the DGSCA sign and gave us a thumbs up. The deputy sheriff came by again (he stopped by earlier this week) and asked for another Soulforce pamphlet. The publication called "What the bible really says, and doesn't say, about homosexuality" is written by Mel White who was one of Jerry Falwell's speech writers until he came out as gay. This has, by far, been our most popular piece of literature. I have added a link to a .pdf of the booklet on our Knox County GSA website: http://www.knoxgsa.org-a.googlepages.com/downloadablematerials
Here are some of the things people said to us throughout the afternoon:
"My brother-in-law- lives in Indiana. He's a lawyer and for the longest time was afraid to be out at work. But now he is in a higher position and is out, but he was afraid for a long time."
"My good friend is bi, and I had lots of friends in high school that are gay. I knew it before some of them did!"
"This is cool. I've got two moms."
During the one o'clock hour, a man came up to the table and said in a combative tone, "What's this 'gay-straight' about? I heard you're here and wanted to know what this is all about. Tell me quickly." So I gave him a brief explanation, something along the lines of "basically straight and gay people who believe in equality for all people." he asked us if we promote homosexuality and we said no, we promote equal treatment for all. The conversation continued for a few minutes. The guy finally left and said, "I have to get going otherwise someone might think I'm gay. . . . Just kidding . . ." I think he was only half kidding.
Before Tony left around 2:30, we both had marveled at the looks of cognitive dissonance in the eyes of many passers by. I worked the booth by myself until Scott came by a little after 3:00. He witnessed quite a bit during his first hour at the booth. One boy called him a fag, which is interesting particularly because Scott is straight. Another teenage boy approached the table and asked, "Have you seen two lesbians have sex? Because I think it is hot." We said nothing. He persisted, "Have you? I really want to know." Some of these kids have a lot of growing up to do. Another teenage boy, a cowboy in training it seems, approached the table, spit on the ground, and asked "What's this all about?" When we told him, he shook his head and went back to his friends.
A few other folks stopped by, and we had encounters that were much more positive. But, by the time 9:00 pm rolled around, I was definitely ready to go home! We have just one more day at the fair--today--and it will be a long one. We cannot close our booth until after 11:00 pm so it is a good thing we were able to sleep in longer than normal this morning.
I took a short break last night, and evidently we had some more interesting visitors while I was gone. Kate took notes, and I imagine she will add her experiences to this blog soon.
Thanks again to all who have helped and visited us during the day. Kim joined us for a while in the evening, and it always makes such a difference to have supportive friends to help pass the time.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Some general thoughts on the fair
I just wanted to share some general thoughts about our time at the fair thus far this week (this is Kate posting). I think Victoria has done a great job with the details of each day, but I wanted to comment on the big picture for a minute.
Let me start by saying how important this work is. I truly believe this type of grassroots effort is how we are going to change hearts and minds in this state. Our neighbors in Knox County now know who we are, know what we are about (if they've had the courage to ask us) and can put a local face to any GLBT issues they might hear about or come across. And, we have met many GLBTA folks in the county that had never heard of us before. Some of these people weren't sure whether they should approach the booth but were happy to see friendly faces when they did. Others may not have come up to us, but they know we are here. I hope to see some of these new faces at one of our future events. We've also been able to educate the people who have stopped by our booth about issues facing the GLBT community in the state. So many people were willing to sign FIRED cards to show their support for the Equal Housing and Employment Act bills currently in the Ohio House and Senate. They were horrified to hear that gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people can be denied employment, housing or public accommodation purely based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. We even had some people come back to the booth with friends to have them fill out FIRED cards.
I would say about 99% of our interactions have been like those I described above - positive, encouraging and supportive. However, we have had far more (and more severe) negative interactions than I would have guessed. I've been lucky because I haven't had to deal with a lot of "in-your-face" discrimination in my life. In fact, I've always told Victoria that we don't have to worry - the people that don't like us or find us disgusting are too chicken to say anything to our face about it. Well, turns out I was wrong. Some people have had no qualms about telling us just what they think of us, right to our face. It hasn't been pleasant, but it's been eye-opening, which is important. I have a better sense of what we are up against, and I think I have a better idea of how best to approach issues going forward. We'll have to see though.
I talked to Victoria during lunch today and she said they had the worst interaction yet this morning. It was so bad she didn't even want to talk about it. "I wrote everything down, you can read it when you get to the booth," she told me. I do worry about her being at the booth during the day. Isn't that crazy? I know Tony is there, and I take comfort in that, but I had a bad feeling about today, which is why I called her. Turns out I was right. I suppose I'll find out what happened tonight when I get there.
Some surprises - this is turning out to be longer than I thought, so I'll end with a wrap up of some of the things that have surprised me. First, a lot of people see our sign and come up to us to ask "Ok, so are you FOR or AGAINST gay people?" I think we need t-shirts with our logo on the front and "We're FOR gay people!" on the back. Second, some people - both allies and opponents - don't seem to understand how the "gay" and "straight" pieces work together. One lesbian asked me angrily "why do you have 'straight' on there?" Third, the DGSCA logo, which features a cross with a pink triangle and a rainbow, has gotten a lot of attention. "Wait, you're gay AND you're christian? How does that work?" Or from someone less curious, "This makes us all look bad!"
Ok, well on that note I'll take a break for now. Thanks to everyone who has stopped by and shown their support. Victoria is right - it makes all the difference!
Let me start by saying how important this work is. I truly believe this type of grassroots effort is how we are going to change hearts and minds in this state. Our neighbors in Knox County now know who we are, know what we are about (if they've had the courage to ask us) and can put a local face to any GLBT issues they might hear about or come across. And, we have met many GLBTA folks in the county that had never heard of us before. Some of these people weren't sure whether they should approach the booth but were happy to see friendly faces when they did. Others may not have come up to us, but they know we are here. I hope to see some of these new faces at one of our future events. We've also been able to educate the people who have stopped by our booth about issues facing the GLBT community in the state. So many people were willing to sign FIRED cards to show their support for the Equal Housing and Employment Act bills currently in the Ohio House and Senate. They were horrified to hear that gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people can be denied employment, housing or public accommodation purely based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. We even had some people come back to the booth with friends to have them fill out FIRED cards.
I would say about 99% of our interactions have been like those I described above - positive, encouraging and supportive. However, we have had far more (and more severe) negative interactions than I would have guessed. I've been lucky because I haven't had to deal with a lot of "in-your-face" discrimination in my life. In fact, I've always told Victoria that we don't have to worry - the people that don't like us or find us disgusting are too chicken to say anything to our face about it. Well, turns out I was wrong. Some people have had no qualms about telling us just what they think of us, right to our face. It hasn't been pleasant, but it's been eye-opening, which is important. I have a better sense of what we are up against, and I think I have a better idea of how best to approach issues going forward. We'll have to see though.
I talked to Victoria during lunch today and she said they had the worst interaction yet this morning. It was so bad she didn't even want to talk about it. "I wrote everything down, you can read it when you get to the booth," she told me. I do worry about her being at the booth during the day. Isn't that crazy? I know Tony is there, and I take comfort in that, but I had a bad feeling about today, which is why I called her. Turns out I was right. I suppose I'll find out what happened tonight when I get there.
Some surprises - this is turning out to be longer than I thought, so I'll end with a wrap up of some of the things that have surprised me. First, a lot of people see our sign and come up to us to ask "Ok, so are you FOR or AGAINST gay people?" I think we need t-shirts with our logo on the front and "We're FOR gay people!" on the back. Second, some people - both allies and opponents - don't seem to understand how the "gay" and "straight" pieces work together. One lesbian asked me angrily "why do you have 'straight' on there?" Third, the DGSCA logo, which features a cross with a pink triangle and a rainbow, has gotten a lot of attention. "Wait, you're gay AND you're christian? How does that work?" Or from someone less curious, "This makes us all look bad!"
Ok, well on that note I'll take a break for now. Thanks to everyone who has stopped by and shown their support. Victoria is right - it makes all the difference!
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