One year ago yesterday - coincidentally, the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots - the Fort Worth Police and agents from the the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) raided the Rainbow Lounge, a newly opened gay bar in Fort Worth, Texas. Several customers were arrested for public intoxication and one customer received a severe head and brain injury while in custody. The police also claimed the customers made sexual advances and contact with them. Other customers were detained and later released without arrest.
Yesterday , the Fort Worth police once again came to the Rainbow Lounge - only this time by invitation, for a barbecue dinner. Because that's what we do here in Texas. While people in other parts of the country might break bread together - we consume barbecue together, preferably in large quantities. And this happened in the midst of one of the reddest parts of a very red state.
It was, at times, a tumultuous journey to get to where they are today. There were angry protesters. Members of both the Fort Worth police and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission were fired. The Fort Worth police department named their first ever LGBT liason.
But, it got me to wondering. Maybe we should just start inviting the James Dobson's, The Jesse Helm's, the Sally Kerns, the Orson Scott Cards of the world to a big barbecue. The purpose being to put aside our differences and to celebrate our similarities.
Any takers ???
And let me tell just say - I can smoke a mean brisket; and, I have my own recipe for a Texas BBQ sauce that is to die for.
5 comments:
I would be really eager to attend a bbq with you as head chef. But, I would be wary that it would end in my arrest for assault and battery for repeatedly kicking O.S. Card in the nuts.
A BBQ is a great idea. I'd also be interested in something that we all agree needs to be done, something we all want to do, a problem that is urgent, that isn't easily solved, but can be solved with multiple diverse talents. If this problem could be identified and we could work on solving it together, that might help break down barriers and help us get to know each in an organic and holistic way. And since this would be a multidimensional project taking place simultaneously in multiple locations, we could celebrate our progress with BBQs, Luaus, and other traditional feasts. What do you think?
max,
a number of my friends and associates have worked with OSC on various church and non church related projects, and setting aside his verbose opinions, all of them would also repeatedly kick him in the nuts just for his over sized ego of himself.
mind you one of these associates of mine was a grad student with him at USU and thus far his work is little recognized... so there might be some anger over his lack of publishing.
@Abe, let me know the dates of the bbq and i would gladly drive to tx.... just make sure the a/c is on :)
Why refer to Orson Scott Card? Have you ever read 'Songmaster'?
@GeckoMan: Yes, OSC has written more than one novel with homosexual themes (more than one of which normalize homosexual relationships, in fact, rather than vilifying them as you might expect an orthodox Mormon author to do)...
But he's also written several extremely antagonistic and homophobic essays, particularly in the days leading up to the November 2008 election.
He defends his views with the protestation "But I've worked in theater! I have gay friends! I've written gay characters!" and he seems to think that that makes it okay to assert that legalized gay marriage will prove the downfall of our civilization, and that an uprising against the US government might be necessary if gay marriage is legalized nationwide.
Songmaster aside, OSC is as homophobic as they come.
Post a Comment