SF City Hall: Fundies, Folsom,
Gays & NAACP Branch President
Anti-gay crusader Peter LaBarbera and his crew of five others from Americans for Truth About Homosexuality held a press conference morning in front of San Francisco's City Hall to protest the upcoming Folsom Street Fair, a leather and BDSM festival that celebrates 25 years of giving the fetish crowd what they want.
Before LaBarbera began his event I engaged him in small talk, shook his hand, and he asked how I was doing. We've dealt with each other before and we have a small rapport. After exchanging pleasantries, I held up a sign showing Ayaz Marhoni and Mahmoud Asgari, two gay teens hanged in Iran in 2005, moments before they were executed, with these words next to the image: "STOP the executions of gays in Iran, Iraq & Saudi Arabia."
I then addressed the small crowd, comprised mainly of curious or angry gays, about the killings of gays in the Middle East and the denial of human rights for many gays around the world. LaBarbera was not pleased I was co-opting his press conference.
He blathered on about how the Folsom Street Fair is alleged harmful to good morality, called for shuttering sex clubs, ending public nudity at the fair and called on Rep. Nancy Pelosi to denounce the fair. I stood next to him or his associates holding my sign during the entire press conference. Other gays loudly challenged LaBarbera and his pals to embrace tolerance and acceptance of gay people and gay marriage.
The entire affair lasted a little more than 30 minutes. Here are photos I took this morning:
Peter LaBarbera. Me to him, in homage to the Folsom fair: "You're sweating like a pig."
The enormous sign on the left is a blow-up of the mayor's proclamation for the fair.
The photographer and reporter on the left are from the Chronicle. All other folks are gay community members.
Two beautiful lesbian lovers and partners en route to getting hitched. "Our love is beautiful and not up for your condemnation. Why are you so threatened by lesbian love?" said the partner on the left. We gave them a round of cheer and congratulations.
Pudgy me, holding my sign, ruining LaBarbera's photo-op.
The Rev. Amos C. Brown, longtime president of the San Francisco unit of the NAACP, forcefully calling for showing love and kindness to gay people.
In the heat of the sun and arguing, a cop intervenes and asks Rev. Brown to move on.
Michael, Thanks for taking on Porno Pete. I haven't seen him since Love Won Out came to Sacramento - it looks like he is getting a little long in the tooth.
ReplyDeleteIf he stays for the FSF I am sure his jockeys will be wet from all the orgasms he has from being the world's BIGGIST WATCH QUEEN!!
Jerry Sloan
Sacramento
It's no surprise that Petey's rendition of the encounter reads far differently than yours does. According to him you did everything but moon him and beat him with your manhood while the police did nothing to help the poor helpless Christian. What's most interesting is the way he whines about being confronted on his grandstanding. That's *exactly* what he wanted all along. What other reason for the press releases and the cameras? Petey's a huge attention whore--among other things.
ReplyDeletethanks for standing up against bigots
ReplyDeletehttp://www.queersunited.blogspot.com
Amos Brown sure has come a long way in the past ten, fifteen years. Welcome to the side of enlilghtenment, Rev. Brown.
ReplyDeleteGive'em their own Hell back, Brother MIchael!
ReplyDeleteI received this email from my friend Bob Schwartz of Chicago:
ReplyDeleteMcCain is not the only "scary" presidential candidate. Both men vied to sound like Mr. Tough Guy when talking about reigniting the Cold War with Russia. Naturally, neither war monger wannabe wants to portray the U.S. as the aggressor behind the scenes, egging on the Poles and Ukranians to surround the Russians.
Obama referred to Iran and Venezuela as "rogue states." Right. Any nation standing up to Uncle Sham may be an enemy to Obama and his Wall Street buddies, but is no enemy of mine. As for Iran, it wasen't that leadership that used nuclear weapons to kill hundreds of thousands of Japanese and a few U.S. prisoners of war in 1945.
When will America realize just how many of these (male) homo-obsessed wingnuts are closet cases? It still drives me crazy to see us holding signs and chanting, begging for equality.
ReplyDeleteF. that - I will withhold all federal tax until I am treated AS FAIRLY AS other citizens regarding CIVIL MARRIAGE. Period. (gay tax protest)
LaBabs sure has gotten fat, and with all that sweat, ewwww!
ReplyDelete