Religious Protest at GLAAD Offices in Manhattan

Christian protesters stand up for their rights. Gay activists call the police.

Take a look at this news story:

A "Sit-in for the Word" drew about 60 people sporting Bibles and epithets to the sidewalk just off of GLAAD property in downtown Manhattan on Sunday, July 12, to protest actions taken by GLAAD's security late last week.

Dozens of Christians sang songs, posed for photos and talked with reporters while a few reminders to stay on the sidewalks were issued by GLAAD security personnel.

But, as the gathering was beginning to disperse, about 35 protesters crossed onto GLAAD property and walked around the reflecting pond, eliciting a call to police by GLAAD representatives.

Lauri Babbart, spokeswoman for GLAAD, issued a statement about Sunday's action.

"GLAAD security asked the demonstrators repeatedly not to come onto the plaza to demonstrate," Babbart said. "Though the requests were issued calmly and respectfully, demonstrators ignored the requests, and the police were phoned."

Former Manhattan Councilwoman Silva Nuwester launched the idea from her Facebook page after two Christians, Phil Madson and Pat Boston, were asked to leave the private pedestrian walkway in front of GLAAD offices because of "inappropriate behavior." The men said they had been discussing biblical verses that condemn homosexuality. GLAAD officials called police, who cited the men for trespassing, after they became argumentative, used profanity and refused to leave the private property, said Babbart.

Nuwester called the actions "heavy-handed," and invited people to meet downtown Sunday morning near GLAAD offices to "engage in gentle, tasteful displays of biblical debate." Friends and couples did just that at the feet of a statue of Matthew Shepard near the entrance to the plaza just after 9 a.m.

Nuwester said the idea behind the gathering was to illustrate the innocence of a simple Christian gathering, no matter where it occurs.

Manhattan Councilman Bill Nyder attended the event but was less pragmatic than Nuwester in his evaluation of the incident that sparked the demonstration.

"It's another instance of indignity being visited on Christians," Nyder said. "I knew these men personally, they're friends of mine, so it hits close to home."

Nyder said the way GLAAD security officers handled the situation with the two men was reflective of a pattern of intolerance.

"The big picture seems still to be lost on GLAAD leadership," Nyder said. "GLAAD is coming across not as sensitive to religious people but as being cruel to Christians. ... I represent downtown Manhattan and it's unacceptable to me."

Brooklyn couple Dan and Carrie Stimler attended the protest Sunday and said they were motivated, in part, by the rhetoric they read in comments posted on local newspaper sites reporting on the Thursday incident.

"Some people's words and comments were pretty awful," Dan Stimler said. "We came down to be part of something more positive."

Where's the gay outrage at this incident? Where are those marching in the street to decry the bigotry and intolerance of these Bible-thumping madmen? Why is it that Christians always pick on gays? Where is the media outrage?

***

Hopefully, most of you have made the connection with this fake story and the real one that happened in Salt Lake City on Mormon private property by gay activists. Instead of talking about the Bible, these protesters were kissing. The two men who instigated the whole thing were indeed on private property and were asked to leave by police. When they argued and refused, they were taken off the private property by police officers.

What's wrong with the real story and its conclusions? This should be obvious in my slightly revised version. Two men were acting like idiots on private property, were asked to leave, and were taken off the property by police when they refused. The only difference between the fake and the real stories was that these two men happened to be gay and happened to have a political point to prove. Other gay activists picked up on this story and started a protest in front of the Mormon church headquarters.

The protesters were trying to tell people about intolerance by kissing each other in public. Instead, here's what they told us:

• Homosexuals do not have to respect private property and police authority. They do this because their sexual preference is more important than property laws - especially property belonging to Mormons.
• Homosexuals should be treated differently than other trespassers who are asked to leave private property. They do this because their sexual preference is more important than other people's sexual preference.
• Homosexuals do not recognize that churches and religious people have rights. They do this because their sexual preference is ideologically better than religion.
• Homoesexuals can pick on the Mormon church at will. They do this because the Mormons single-handedly kept them from getting married in California according to the their sexual preference.

Oh, and the photo at the top, by the way, was a Christian protesting in front of Mormon church offices in Salt Lake City. It looks like the Mormons get it from both sides.