On June 29th, 2009 security guards and local police harassed a gay couple for kissing in a restaurant in El Paso, Texas. The police told the couple that their acts were illegal. On July 10th, 2009 after two men kissed on a promenade, security guards handcuffed and detained them. The two men were later cited for “trespassing”. What do people do after members of their community are harassed, detained, and told their innocent actions are illegal and immoral? Well they protest…non-violently of course.
On Saturday, August 15th, people across the country participated in a nationwide kiss-in in approximately 50 cities. Gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and even straight people participated in the rallies by bringing their partners to designated public places for a special kiss. LGBT activists David Badash and David Mailloux, with the help of Willow Witte from Join the Impact, coordinated the nationwide event. Anna Conda, a local drag queen activist, coordinated the one in San Francisco, which was held in Union Square. “This is about showing up as a community, says Anna Conda. “This is about showing our love is real. It is about taking back the day and our place in it and stopping on a national level the harassment of Queer people everywhere.”
The Nationwide Kiss-in’s facebook page explains that the reason for the protest is because “different gay and lesbian couples were harassed or detained by law enforcement or other people for the simple act of kissing in a public place - we need to make a strong statement to everyone everywhere: kissing is not a bad thing, nor has it ever been. It's not vulgar or inappropriate. It's a sign of affection that is as old as time itself. And it's a beautiful thing that we share with our loved ones every single day.”
Was the Nationwide Kiss in a good way to fight back against harassment towards the LGBT community, or will the harassers use images from these events in an attempt to label LGBT people as sexual deviants? Will churches and groups like the National Organization for Marriage use this event to try and persuade the public into thinking that LGBT people continuously express their sexuality in public and expose innocent children to immoral acts? Will attempts like those even matter? Let us know what you think by leaving a comment below.
Video courtesy of Sean Chapin
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Comments
Honestly, who cares how harassers, or other homophobes think, or what they do? As a community we have to continue to live as free people. We have to continue to be who we are, and to stand up to those who think we are less than, and that includes the United States government. We as a community must remember that silence equals death.
People who are homophobic are going to label us as sexual deviants anyway, and when they realize they are losing that fight, they will label us something else.
People fear what they don't understand. How can we expect people to believe in our equal rights if we don't come out and show them who we are. If we stay silent, stay in the closet, the only people having the conversation, and therefore the influence will be the harassers.
Was having a "kiss in" the best way of being part of the conversation? Maybe, maybe not. The point is, that no matter how hard you try to beat us down, we will not allow it. We're not asking for equal rights, we are dema
I think that the kiss-in was a brilliant idea of a protest, as it emanated from happiness instead of anger, liberated those who kissed each other in love in front of others, and served as a vehicle of disarmament for those who don't understand us well. I hope that the kiss-in is remembered decades from now as the quintessential protest of our time.
Thanks for a fantastic article and a very moving video.
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