Remember this is my journal...

[susandennis]

This entry might not sit too well with some of you regular readers. You might just want to walk on by. It's important to me and this is my journal and that's why I'm writing about it.

Yesterday in my neighborhood - at Safeco Field - there was a demonstration against gay marriage. About 20,000 of the religious right gathered to discuss their agenda. I heard a lot of conversation, mainly on the internet, about how horrible this was and how we should all right letters and make phone calls and try and get it stopped. That bothered me but I couldn't quite get my hands on why.

On my morning walk, I purposefully went by the stadium to see what the early set up was like. They had nicely made signs they were putting up everywhere politely begging people not to put up signs or banners of any kind anywhere. They were gathering around getting ready - it was still several hours away from starting.

It did creep me out. Seeing them and knowing how mean and hateful and misguided they are. And then I had the horrible thought that they might well, seeing me in the area - totally without any sign of my own beliefs - think I was one of them. I sceedaddled home.

From the news reports later I learned that they did their thing, inside the confines of the stadium. About 1,500 people of the opposite view protested the protest from outside the stadium. They carried signs and did their thing. Outside my terrace yesterday, I saw groups of women sporting pink triangles and bridal veils and men with rainbow flags walk by.

But - yeah - here's where my take on the thing might well surprise you and could piss you off.

I'm not sure that protesting the protesters was the right thing to do. The religious right are a scary bunch of people. But they have the right to be scary. They have the right to meet and discuss their views with each other. They were meeting in a confined space where no one else could see or hear them or be insulted by them. They have a right to get together and they were exercising their right. What right does anyone have to say that that is wrong?

Here's where my thoughts really got jelled.

Last night in Everett, Washington (which is just up the road about 30 minutes - a nice, kind of rural small town), gay and lesbian kids got their first Pink Prom. There was a great story about it on last night's news (and it was a FOX station). The story showed the beautiful and elaborate setting and the kids all decked out and so very happy. They interviewed the kids who were obviously thrilled to be there. It was just so nice and fun and sweet.

But the end of the story stopped me short. The reported noted that there were no protests or anyone seen or heard anywhere nearby who objected to the kids and their Pink Prom.

I was so grateful. So grateful that those kids got their night.

So grateful that the religious right did not do to the gay and lesbian kids, what my friends did to the religious right yesterday.

The whole thing still bothers me and I'm still thinking about it but I wanted to see if writing it all down might clear it up. So far, no.