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The letter writers were doing a great job staying on message. The conservative Christians who had flocked to the event--a gathering of up to 20,000 people in support of "traditional marriage," organized by Ken Hutcherson of Antioch Bible Church in Redmond--spent the afternoon declaring that they loved the gays. It's a clever, backhanded olive branch that masked the disturbing Mayday message (bigotry) in acceptable Christian terms. Keynoter Dobson summed up the "loving" sentiment when nearly 100 gays (and their friends) headed into the stadium from the counterprotest outside. Gesturing at the marriage-rights crowd, Dobson said, "I welcome them being here. We are not here to harm or disrespect."
In fact, the Cases of Bellevue say they were the ones subjected to hate and disrespect--their kids were traumatized by the marriage-rights supporters outside, yelling things like "Bigots go home" and "Take your hate and go away" to the Mayday attendees filing into the stadium. "We had never done or said anything to any of these protesters," the Cases lamented. "Our kids are still recovering."
Stranger Personals
One demonstrator was even arrested, after displaying rude and crude behavior that day. The man, in his late 50s or early 60s and wearing a suit, was blocking the walkway meant for folks heading into Safeco. "He was dancing around inside the area, just trying to agitate the crowd," reports Seattle Police spokesperson Deanna Nollette. The police asked him to knock it off, and he refused, witnesses said. When one officer reached for his arm to lead him away, the man jerked away and yelled, "Get your fucking hands off of me," a witness says.
But that demonstrator wasn't taunting Christian children, he was berating the gay rights advocates who had gathered outside Safeco in counterprotest. "[It was] one of those 'religious faithful' whose support of traditional marriage was demonstrated with leaflets indicating that homosexuals are bound for hell," says Paul Rosenberg, who was standing a few feet away from the man. And the guy was doing more than handing out leaflets, Rosenberg says: "He was saying, at least when he was in earshot of me, 'So, ya like it in the butt, huh? Ya like it in the butt?' And then he would hump the air to emphasize. He was pretty hateful." So much for the Mayday contingent showing love and respect toward the gay rights protesters outside. (In its misleading May 2 report, the Seattle Times wrote, "While the counterdemonstration was largely peaceful, police made one arrest of a demonstrator," without specifying that the SPD arrested an anti-gay protester.)
To be fair, the air-humping Christian wasn't outright representative of the majority of folks who headed into Safeco--most marched stony-faced into the stadium, and made no lewd gestures (just as most of the gay-rights folks outside yelled neutral things like "Equality! Now!"). But the sentiment behind his actions--that gays are immoral and going to hell--was rampant.
Dobson's own words, when he wasn't telling the gays who infiltrated Safeco that he didn't hate them, belied how he really feels: "Public schools will be used as propoganda machines for the gay agenda." He also ranted about gay marriage leading to polygamy and offered gems like the "fact" that Scandinavian families are falling apart since gay marriage was legalized there. Lastly, Dobson proclaimed, "Homosexual unions are notoriously unstable. Homosexuals can have on average between 100 to 900 sexual partnerships." Right. Tell that to the approximately 3,000 stable, cohabitating gay couples (and their single or not-living-together counterparts) living in Seattle, whose turf you invaded on May 1. They're still recovering.
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