Comments

1
First. WOOOO!!!!!
2
Lies, hatred and bigotry, that's all they've got.

Sure, that combo worked swell for them when they could keep gays in the closet, but daylight is making the religous cockroaches squirm and scatter.

Bye-bye bigots, you're eventually going to have to find another theocracy. May I suggest Iran?

3
Feeling persecuted & superior is the biggest part that makes Christianity fun for it's participants. Projecting all your bad habits onto others is the other part.
4
Dominic, I'm betting you're papist scum to her.
5
Curious about the D-s on the list. Are any of them naive enough to think that constituents who actively lobby against marriage equality are people who would ever have voted for them regardless? Might as well tell them, "If you don't vote for an ammendment to eliminate all state spending and cut property taxes to 1% and eliminate the sales tax, I won't ever vote for you. And I won't be your best friend, you're not invited to my birthday party and you're a poo-head."
6
OMG I MUST to go to one of these meetings!
7
Christianity's reputation is being completely wrecked by these creeps. Christians who aren't angry, frightened, dumb bigots should intervene more aggressively.
8
Thank you to going to this. It is good to hear they are so cash strapped they cannot afford a private meeting space. Hope it stays that way!
9
gosh Dom how painful for you it must be to sit in the same room with cretins who are obviously so much your intellectual inferior. you are a honey bear trooper for doing it.
10
As a quick aside, replacing the word "gay" in Scott's examples of supposedly persecuted photographers, printers, and churches with the words "pedophile"; of course you can pick and choose customers based on behavior.
11
Dom, perhaps you haven't been reading your Gay Agenda Update emails.

In the Qunited States of Gaymerica teaching that homosexual behavior is immoral is considered hate speech.

And Danny wants to change the beliefs of all Gaymericans so that, even in their heart of hearts, they can not believe that homosexual behavior is wrong.
12
We realize you are not a journalist, Dom, but sometimes you like to pretend you are one so FYI you do not have a 'right' to attend or report on a private organization's meeting.
13
Thank you, anonymous trolls, for showing up to provide more entertainment.
14
why is it that all the perverts on slog were raised catholic?
15
13

enjoy them while you can.

Danny is probably feverishly waking
the Tech Support droids to delete the posts.....
16
@14 Because catholicism is fucking nuts?
17
I live in Bellevue, and I was appalled that this meeting was happening at city hall. The city hall guidelines for space, though, say that one of the things they facilitate is open discussion about issues of concern. Much as I hate that they were there, they had a right to be.

Thanks for this account. I take some solace in the fact that some of these "holy warriors" seem, well, not-too-bright. Still, that's no reason to be complacent. We've got a fight on our hands.
18
@12 - He does have a right to be in a public building that is open, and to attend a public meeting at said public building. If the bigots wanted to keep their war council private, they should have gone to a church or a private home.
19
I'm not sure how to feel about this. Should I be delighted that they have nothing left but batshit crazy and blatantly hate-filled lies? Or should be frightened that they are so confident that they no longer need even a thin veneer of sanity?
20
I agree with Gus that this was a great piece of reporting by Dominic (can only imagine the quiet, awkward hilarity as she was out of the room on the phone w/ security and he/intern were in there amongst a bunch of angry, bigot Christians.)

And also agree with Knat that the troll always keeps things entertaining (the "Quinited States of Gaymerica" comment = comedy GOLD!)
21
Thanks for siting through this garbage and keeping the public informed about it. Kudos for standing your ground, too.
22
You know, I can kinda, sorta, almost understand these people's attitude towards (i.e. against) marriage equality. It doesn't fit their world view, it hurts their brains, they've never gotten right about their own sexuality and aren't comfortable with anyone who has.

What I can't understand is how they can make a bloody holy war out of it. I mean, fucking look around, people! There are six states now with marriage equality, and zero sign of fire and brimstone raining on those states, no sign of marriages or families breaking up at a higher rate, no new social problems.

Bible-thumpers: look in the Bible. Look at the several admonitions where you're directed to mind your own fucking business and worry about your own god-damned soul and stop trying to pronounce judgment on others. If you can't love your brothers and sisters, and see that there is that of God in everyone, at least stop going out of your way to hurt them.
23
Anonymous Trolls know all about what it's like to be a ChickenShitCowardPussy...
25
Far be it from me to dictate to others, but it seems to me that LBGTs are decidedly timid compared to the actions of Occupy.

Why aren't they Freedom Riding all over the country staging marriages in each and every state?
26
Good work, Dom. Please keep at it!
27
Because I'm a bore nitpicker...

Because Bellevue rents city hall to private groups, you probably don't have the right to show up at a meeting such as this. BUT, since they register anyone and the contract with Bellevue requires them to follow all state and federal.law and WA RCW 49.60 states that you can't discriminate based on creed, the mere fact that they asked for church affiliation leaves you with a textbook winnable discrimination lawsuit.
28
Keep up the good work washingtinians! We need a marriage equality on the west coast again. California will be joining you soon!
29
@27, I can out-bore a nitpicking boring machine, so I'll chime in to mention that if the group in its application for permission to rent the Bellevue CIty Hall space checked the box marked "public" they wouldn't have a leg to stand on trying to kick out someone politely not of their ilk. In fact, raising a stink over nothing would make it tougher for them to rent at City Hall again. If that woman was indeed on the phone to "security" as she claimed, I'm sure they told her nicely to not bother them.

And the group did publicize these as "community meetings", and did not require registration beforehand. They had nothin'.
http://www.fpiw.org/about/family-policy-…
30
I kind of like the fact that, out of 14 people, 5 were either reporters, "observers," or moles. Since Bellevue is rich & white, I'd guess they were hoping for better results than that.

BTW no representatives from my district in Spokane (District 3) are on that list. Also they are all Democrats, or "Demoncrats" as we like to call them over here.
31
Can't wait for this to pass so we can finally begin burning married hetero Christians at the stake. Damn, can't believe they saw through our gameplan so easily. Did someone allow one of 'em to slip through the net and sit in on one of our weekly meetings at the Lake City Community Center?
32
@Troll
Hahaha "Qunited States of Gaymerica" (I'll be generous and give it a 3/10). I don't really understand why you're so against homosexuality since it seems like you got a few gay brain cells yourself (they ain't reproducing).
33
According to their website, the rest of the meetings are scheduled for churches and private homes. Those who attend should plan to stay in character, know at least a little about the church they're "signing up to be a point person for," and have fictitious contact info committed to memory. Good luck; it'll be interesting to find out if they have even more incoherent stuff to say when there's no self-identified reporter in the room.

The centerpiece of their "Our Mission" page is a graphic which is a gutbuster to rival the Gingrich doodles. Presumably, Newt at least knows the difference between a Venn diagram and a pie chart – which, judging from the filename, these clowns don't.

Nice work, Dominic.
34
Great reporting, great piece Dominic.
35
23

hey! we see what you did there chris...
36
18
27

so if someone rents space in a public building for, say, their daughter's wedding reception then Dom and any and all riff raff are free to waltz in?

In the HomoLiberal Utopia all your stuff is mine; right?
37
32

Well. let us help you out there, Padowan.

We're not against homosexuality;
we are against behavior that destroys individuals, families and societies.

And we are especially against society being conned into endorsing and subsidizing dangerous destructive behavior.

And declaring it benign and "NORMAL".

And teaching young kids the same.
38
#37

You apparently don't know the difference between your ass and your elbow. I fear for the state of your bathroom.
39
Trolly-troll @36: I assume, of course, that you are assuming the daughter isn't marrying another woman, or you'd be right there in uninvited person yourself, protesting loudly and disrupting the reception?

Trolly-troll trolls, doesn't see irony or hypocrisy in position. Film at 11.
40
All along, the basis for the arguments against homosexuality have been based in Christian mythology. Add the wrong-headed idea that America should base its laws on that same mythology, and you get this kind of crap.
People tried dragging science into their biblically based arguments, but that eventually failed. They tried dragging out the idea that "the law is based on the bible", and that has failed. So now they're left with nothing but scare-mongering and flailing about.
Also, if there were only 11 people who showed up at this meeting as genuine participants, there's want more sound and fury than significance.
41
@33:

That graphic is very confusing. Are they trying to say that the combination of education, leadership and accountability will do - what? - ignite the flames of Hell? That sort of seems counterproductive to their goals, doesn't it? Unless those flames are meant only for the Godless Sodomites and their supporters, I guess, in which case the confluence of their Venn Diagram REALLY doesn't make any sense.
42
@40.. not that the christian bashing here isn't entirely warranted but the statement 'All along, the basis for the arguments against homosexuality have been based in Christian mythology' is pretty far reaching neither judaism nor islam, religions that form the other two thirds of the world monotheistic triumvirate have been much more accepting of homosexuality. while batshit crazy american fundamentalists lead the charge here, this kind of homophobic rationale can only be contained in the neverending battle for the continued separation between church and state.i say, force them to gather in their own cages and sound the alarm if even one of them escapes.
thanks dominic for sounding the alarm.
43
@36: Depends on who's getting married. If it's news, the media will be there.
44
@36

No genius, organizations and renters can control who they let in but it has to be a blanket standard. If in your hypothetical the requirement is the Bride or Groom needed to invite you, they can keep out everyone else.

If you put a meeting notice on the web and the only requirement to attend is signing in when you get there (or pre-registering on the web, etc.) absolutely no one can be denied admission who has signs up day of. Basic non-discrimination laws apply.

Thank you for being stupid.

45
Thanks Dominic. Great article. Maybe the Stranger should sponsor take your same-sex partner to church day.
46
Ending the government policy of marriage discrimination is the truly Christian thing to do, and I pray that if the Christ spirit is in them, they will intuitively come to understand that. Merry Christmas, God Bless Us All!
47
Rationale, not rational.
48
44

Thank you for the free legal advice.
But you are overcharging.
49
Pflug is fucking crazy, she'll be all over this.

And, to be absolutely fair, I'm sure someone once wished Elizabeth Scott would die on the Internet somewhere, so the "death threat" thing isn't *totally* implausible. Not that it justifies her masturbating to her sense of righteousness all over everyone else.
50
These people are so blessed. I mean, I sure wish *I* knew what God's will is! Unfortunately, third-hand stories passed down and embellished by translators and scribes (or dictated by angels!) and then interpreted and spun by priests, ministers, imams, lamas, or what-have-you don't strike me as reliable evidence of God's thinking. Sadly, I am outside God's grace and will only believe something is His will when He comes down to Earth, holds a group meeting of everyone on the planet, and tells us all in person. And then I will probably go in for a psychiatric evaluation.

And another thing: How awesome is it to know that the Founding Fathers intended the Establishment Clause to be for decorative purposes only? And that they *actually* wanted American laws to be based on conservative Christian beliefs? I mean, *I* studied law and *I* didn't know!

Obviously, I am too ignorant to be a good American citizen. It's amazing I haven't been stripped of my voting rights. Maybe the blessed just haven't gotten around to it yet. Give them time.
51
@41: I was as mystified as you until it occurred to me it might be an acronym. Sure enough:

In God's Name I Trust Eternally

Must be a well-known code word in those circles, since it's not referenced anywhere else on that page.

Even with that kernel of knowledge, though, the graphic still doesn't make any sense.
52
My brother was there.

He was mad at Dom.
53
Marriage is not behavior that destroys individuals, families and societies.

Society isn't being conned into endorsing and subsidizing dangerous destructive behavior of marriage, because marriage isn't that.

And declaring marriage benign and "NORMAL"? And teaching young kids the same? I'm not sure what is taught, besides facts.

I mean, you said you weren't against homosexuality, 37, so you must be against marriage for gays and straights.
54
@ 50: I heart you PCM.
55
53

you should work on that and get back to us....
56
These people are insane and should be treated as such....
57
55, I'm not sure what you are referring to when you say "work on that"
58
@37 (& all the other trolls who have no factual basis for their hateful rants)

Same sex marriage is NOT destructive to families, society, or individuals. Here is my FACTUAL basis for that statement.
"A published literature review (which for the uninformed means she gathered data from published studies that had already undergone the rigorous peer review process and compiled the findings, and then submitted her own findings to the same process) by Charlotte Patterson (1992, 2006) reviewing more than TWO DECADES of research failed to reveal significant differences in the adjustment or development of children or adolescents reared by same-sex couples compared to those reared by other-sex couples" (2006, p. 241). They are no different from children raised by heterosexual parents in activity preferences, interests, popularity, social skills, occupational goals, sociability, hyperactivity, emotional difficulty, behavior problems, moral maturity, or measures of intelligence (Bos, van Balen, & van den Boom, 2005; Golombok et al., 2003; MacCallum & Golombok, 2004). This same literature review found no differences in gender identity or in sexual orientation between children raised by same-sex parents and heterosexual parents.

SO . . . if you must spew your ignorant chyme (semi-digested crap) at least own it for what it is, and don't state it as if it were proven fact. Because it's not. It's opinion based on nothing but hatred and ignorance.
59
Thanks for reporting on this!
60
57
well alex, what we mean is that we suspect you are working on making a point but you don't seem quite there.
perhaps you could explain to an adult what you are trying to say and have them proofread your post before you hit 'return'...
61
58
Oh dear. You're so busy ASSuming and sputtering self-righteously butt you've missed the point.

A behavior that infects 20% of those who practice it with HIV is DESTRUCTIVE.

A behavior that drives those who engage in it to suicide at 8X the rate of normal people is DESTRUCTIVE.

And those are just the highlights, rates of any and all STDs and mental illnesses are greatly elevated as well.

Teaching children that this behavior is NORMAL and HEALTHY is a vile LIE.

(and we aren't even getting into the fact that part and parcel of allowing homosexuals to "marry" will be accepting and normalizing adultery which DESTROYS FAMILIES.....)
62
@61: Those would be some excellent points, if only any of them were true.
Approximately 3% of homosexuals have HIV, not 20%. The CDC's nationwide numbers confirm this.
There is no evidence that homosexuals are inherently more likely to commit suicide, or suffer from psychological disorders; the positive excursion in the rate can be fully explained by the well-known phenomenon of minority stress.
And if acceptance of homosexuality destroys marriage, why is it that the Deep South and Mountain West, where support for gay equality is lowest, suffer from the highest rates of out-of-wedlock births and divorce?
You're going to make me wear out the "BITCH PLEASE" keys on my laptop at this rate.
63
60, my post was a reply to 37, as I mentioned when I said "I mean, you said you weren't against homosexuality, 37, so you must be against marriage for gays and straights." And that sentence was my point. I see how you may have missed that, but the post works fine.

"explain to an adult"

And I may register, this is my first time commenting on the Slog, since I went to the Redmond meeting which was a little different than the Bellevue one.

64
Marriage does not infect 20% of those who practice it with HIV. Sex does infect a lot of those who practice it with HIV, so unsafe sex is destructive - and sex is a behavior. So people gay and straight should be smart.

Marriage doesn't drive people to suicide at a super high rate. We do see teenagers are at a high risk of suicide, especially self-identified LGBT people and others who people think are LGBT even if they do not identify as it. And since many people at this age are not active in sexual activity or relationships, it's the bullying discrimination and stigma bundled with hormones that explain suicide.

Marriage does nor raise rates of many STDs and mental illnesses are often higher in many people who have not had great parental upbringing - as many gays have had parents that have troubled them greatly.

Teaching children that marriage is normal and healthy isn't what this is about, and people aren't even teaching that any orientation, or sex, is normal or healthy. If you want to complain about something, at least know what's up to complain about.

Allowing same sex marriages does not have anything to do with adultery, how absurd.
65
@64: Just so's ya know, you are talking to someone who doesn't give one whit about facts. He only cares about evidence when he can misinterpret it to support his views.
66
That's okay, because besides him, there are other people who read this, who do care about facts and evidence and who are trying to learn more about this issue. And I love to be able to help them - while people like him don't care.

I've been with my partner for over two years so far, and haven't contracted any diseases, haven't been driven to suicide by falling in love with my partner and fortunately haven't faced any discrimination or hatred among friends and family which drive many to that, and haven't had any mental illness either. If I did, I don't know how being unmarried would help in any way with any of those issues, or how being celibate would help mental health.

Marriage has benefited my friends and family, and my friends and family are excited to see me marry one day too, for the benefit of us all and my stepson. So many people keep inviting themselves to our future wedding, it may be a lot bigger than I'd prefer.

People aren't forced to endorse Britney Spears' marriage or Kim Kardashian's or mine. However, the government should give us all equality under the law when we apply for a marriage certificate.
67
My family has veterans of every American war since WWII through Iraq-2. Almost all of them knew one or several gay service[men] during their tours

Don't Ask, Don't Tell was indeed the de facto policy; but only codified in to law during the 90's.
68
66

thank the maker you won't be reproducing.
69
Yeah, I likely will be. I have some lesbian friends who are interested in me as a donor, and returning the favor for when we decide to have kids again. My sister tells me that I need to wait until she has a husband and is ready for kids, because she really wants to raise them at the same time.
70
@61 - What part did I assume? I provided documented evidence that you can find yourself, if you're inclined. Where's yours?
71
62

It helps if you hold your hands over your ears and shout loudly "I can't hear you!..." when you make that argument.
72
@71: I can hear you just fine, but I'm not hearing anything worth listening to. I'm a scientist, darling, and you're a twit; our love can never be.
73
72
Scientist?
wow.
What did the CDC report about the HIV rate of sexually active homosexual men in 20 surveyed cities?
74
@73: I dunno. What did the CDC report about all homosexuals nationwide?
...this is wrong, Alleged. Someone like you and someone like me, we could get in big trouble, you know. The world will never accept someone as psychologically competent as me being with someone of your mental caliber.
75
Mr Alex - Why should you kowtow to your sister? You "need" to wait because she "wants" children the same age when you practically have a plan up and running and she's nowhere near ready? I should think your friends' timetable would be much more important to you.

I apologize if she was teasing, but one thing I have seen time and again is how the one family member who's closest to accepting without being all that close or as close as (s)he thinks believes (s)he is due all kinds of deference from the "deviant" - and what really depresses me is how often (s)he gets it.
76
Thank you venniminon. I probably do not understand where you are coming from, but I will say that if I interpreted your post right, nothing at all of where she is coming from is about considering me deviant. And she is really close- or, perhaps she is the Deb to my Dexter, and is closer to me than I am to her- but that is just my personality, not hers.

But she has no intent of holding me back when I am ready, and eventually she will I'm sure be wanting to raise her kids among her own friends kids. She has always enjoyed growing up at the same time as our cousins have, and wants the same for her kids.

I have a relationship up and running, but with a stepson turning 11 this month, my partner is not too keen on more kids. I can wait for friends- who arent raising any yet, as much as I can wait for my sister.

Thank you very much for your reply, I really like that you listened and brought your understanding as a point of concern. That is very nice!
77
@14: And little boys.
78
I have long since wondered why people think that extending secular marriage to homosexuals would ruin heterosexual marriage. I guess they think it's a slippery slope.
79
@8: Why bother wasting their own money when they can claim legitimacy by co-opting the city of Bellevue?
80
@78: "I have long since wondered why people think that extending secular marriage to homosexuals would ruin heterosexual marriage"

Ultimately, these sorts of (bigoted) religious individuals are extremely insecure and hypocritical.
81
@72 :-)
82
Psycho.
83
One thing that I don't like, Dominic, is that you attempt to smear "gun-rights activists" by associating us with these bigots. I'll support marriage equality regardless, but to have such affiliations used as derogatory invective seems churlish. Sadly, others who may be convinced that legal equality is a right deserved by all could be put off the message because of such statements. In my opinion, it's better to stick to the relevant facts in this area.
84
Wow. Agreed that they had the right to use the space, and agreed that you had an absolute right to be there. Thank you for reporting this, and for sitting through what must have been a painful discussion. Kudos to you for keeping firm to your original goal of being there to report. It must have been terribly difficult to listen to the discussion without saying your opinion. We need to know this stuff is going on!

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