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Anti-Gay Fascists Successfully Confronted at Chicago's Gay Pride Parade
California Great Bear Republic Resurrected in the Midwest
Anti-Gay Fascists Successfully Confronted at Chicago Gay Pride Parade
Anti-Gay Fascists Successfully Confronted at Chicago Gay Pride Parade
With a bunch of State of California flags and chants like "California Now, Illinois Next," the Great Bear Republic was resurrected in Chicago's Gay Pride Parade this past Sunday in front of a half million spectators.
The Illinois marchers gamely tried their hand at the song, "California here we come," but only knew the lyrics to the first two lines of the song, so just kept repeating them over and over again.
A handful of powerful Chicago politicians have said they favor equal marriage rights for Lesbians and Gays, but the one politician with power to actually issue marriage licenses, the Democratic liberal Cook County Clerk David Orr, has so far refused to do so. One of the themes of the contingent was that it's not good enough for "gay-friendly" politicians to march in our parades and say they like us, they have to do something about it. When SF Mayor Gavin Newsome defied the national Democratic Party by issuing marriage licenses, he gave a huge boost to the drive towards legal equality.
Such has been the mindless hoopla about this year's presidential race, that many in the crowd were under the mistaken impression that hometown candidate Barack Obama favors marriage equality for Lesbians and Gays. So GLN made up big signs with anti-gay quotes from both Obama* and McCain. Unfortunately some in the some-what inebriated crowd looked at the pictures of Obama and interpreted the signs as endorsements, a misinterpretation only somewhat countered by chants of "Obama, Obama, let mama marry mama," and "McCain, McCain, he's just insane!"
The contingent, organized by the Gay Liberation Network (www.GayLiberation.net), was joined by the anarchist queer organization Bash Back (which had a "Jail Daley" theme, complete with a mobile jail), Chicago Area CodePINK, ANSWER, and Away With All Gods.
A stalled parade vehicle and a rain storm stopped the entire parade for about an hour as the tightly packed crowd flooded into the streets in futile attempts to find a dry place to wait out the storm. It was beginning to look like "The City that Works," which is bidding to host the 2016 Olympics, couldn't even handle a parade, much less an international sports extravaganza.
Continued . . .
Transported West Coaster holding up a California (driver's) license.
The Illinois marchers gamely tried their hand at the song, "California here we come," but only knew the lyrics to the first two lines of the song, so just kept repeating them over and over again.
Click on image for a larger version
A handful of powerful Chicago politicians have said they favor equal marriage rights for Lesbians and Gays, but the one politician with power to actually issue marriage licenses, the Democratic liberal Cook County Clerk David Orr, has so far refused to do so. One of the themes of the contingent was that it's not good enough for "gay-friendly" politicians to march in our parades and say they like us, they have to do something about it. When SF Mayor Gavin Newsome defied the national Democratic Party by issuing marriage licenses, he gave a huge boost to the drive towards legal equality.
Click on image for a larger version
Such has been the mindless hoopla about this year's presidential race, that many in the crowd were under the mistaken impression that hometown candidate Barack Obama favors marriage equality for Lesbians and Gays. So GLN made up big signs with anti-gay quotes from both Obama* and McCain. Unfortunately some in the some-what inebriated crowd looked at the pictures of Obama and interpreted the signs as endorsements, a misinterpretation only somewhat countered by chants of "Obama, Obama, let mama marry mama," and "McCain, McCain, he's just insane!"
Click on image for a larger version
The contingent, organized by the Gay Liberation Network (www.GayLiberation.net), was joined by the anarchist queer organization Bash Back (which had a "Jail Daley" theme, complete with a mobile jail), Chicago Area CodePINK, ANSWER, and Away With All Gods.
Bash Back dancing in the streets.
A stalled parade vehicle and a rain storm stopped the entire parade for about an hour as the tightly packed crowd flooded into the streets in futile attempts to find a dry place to wait out the storm. It was beginning to look like "The City that Works," which is bidding to host the 2016 Olympics, couldn't even handle a parade, much less an international sports extravaganza.
Continued . . .
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Comments
Fascists Successfully Confronted @ Chicago Pride, Part 2
01 Jul 2008
They dress up their wish that all Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Transgender people be murdered with Biblical quotes like "the wages of sin are death."
GLN and others have counter demonstrated against fascist Street Preachers in past years, but decided that more effective action was needed this year. But just as we were getting ready to deploy our "remedy" to the Preachers, a Midwestern cloud burst again poured buckets of water on the parade and threatened to ruin the whole action.
Fortunately it was a warm rain – everyone was soaked already anyway.
BEFORE . . .
AFTER . . .
A 400-square foot banner eclipses the fascist anti-gay bigots. Bash Back drummers kept up a thunderous pounding and ANSWER chanted endlessly to drown out the "Christian" rants of the Street Preachers behind the banner.
As the rest of the 320-contingent parade went by huge cheers went up for the successful action against the bigots who had for so many years taunted the parade.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
* Senator Obama, stating that he opposed equal marriage rights for Lesbians and Gays, infamously said "I do believe that tradition and my religious beliefs say that marriage is something sanctified between a man and a woman."
Re: Anti-Gay Fascists Successfully Confronted at Chicago's Gay Pride Parade
01 Jul 2008
Re: Anti-Gay Fascists Successfully Confronted at Chicago's Gay Pride Parade
01 Jul 2008
Equal sign between fascist haters, gay counter protesters?
01 Jul 2008
Chris Hedges in his book, "American Fascists," warns that to not take seriously the movement to substitute religious bigotry against women, gays, immigrants, foreigners for Constitutional protections is a great folly.
Remember, at first all Baravia laughed at Herr Hitler.
Re: Anti-Gay Fascists Successfully Confronted at Chicago's Gay Pride Parade
03 Jul 2008
Re: Re: Anti-Gay Fascists Successfully Confronted at Chicago's Gay Pride Parade
03 Jul 2008
Re: Re: Anti-Gay Fascists Successfully Confronted at Chicago's Gay Pride Parade
03 Jul 2008
Maybe you should approach Eric Alva personally. But you won't, Anonymous Makhno Troll.
Re: Anti-Gay Fascists Successfully Confronted at Chicago's Gay Pride Parade
03 Jul 2008
Re: Re: Anti-Gay Fascists Successfully Confronted at Chicago's Gay Pride Parade
03 Jul 2008
Re: Anti-Gay Fascists Successfully Confronted at Chicago's Gay Pride Parade
03 Jul 2008
As for the gay pride parade, there was a time when the event had a much more radical, anti-authoritarian character, especially in the years immediately after Stonewall, but now, at least in Chicago, it has become depressingly mainstream - just look at all the cops, politicians, and corporate sponsors involved.
Re: Re: Anti-Gay Fascists Successfully Confronted at Chicago's Gay Pride Parade
04 Jul 2008
Yes, how horrible.... gays are now part of the mainstream.
/sarcasm off
GLN Has Confronted Military Gays
06 Jul 2008
I forget his name, but a young gay Navy guy was present as part of his being feted in Chicago by pro-military gays. When he realized that we were antiwar and not simply asking that gays be let in on the killing as the (gay patriots) Veterans for Equal Rights do, he declined to address the protester crowd.