"Gay barbarians" glitterbomb Marcus Bachmann's 'pray-the-gay-away' clinic
By Ben ReiningaJuly 21st, 2011, 3:04 pmComments (36)
It's one of the better press releases I've ever read:
Minneapolis, MN — Today a horde of gay barbarians descended upon Michele and Marcus Bachmann’s "pray away the gay" clinic and demanded that Marcus come out and discipline them for their "deviant" behavior.
Marcus Bachmann, who conducts "reparative therapy" at the clinic intended to convert homosexuals, has said that gays are "barbarians who need to be disciplined." The horde requested to speak directly with Bachmann and experience some "discipline" for themselves.
The protest was organized by Nick Espinosa, who as far as I can tell, invented glitterbombing. (In this context, that means dumping a bag of glitter on a politician you think is homophobic, and not dropping a shot of goldschlager into a Red Bull and chugging it, but thanks, Urban Dictionary!) Bachmann himself wasn't at the clinic, although I don't think the results would have been any different if he'd been there.
Those of us reading along at home have plenty to discuss. Is this a valid form of protest? I'd say maybe, leaning towards no, only because I know how totally impossible it is to get a pound of glitter out of carpeting (story for another time). And yet, there is some weird peacenik justice in bedazzling your enemies, though it'd be a lot friendlier if they went around affixing boas to everyone or something.
The story makes an interesting compliment to another piece we're running today, arguing that liberals shouldn't call Marcus Bachmann gay (which they've been doing, since he is a little... that way). I'd argue that this is good old-fashioned protest, gay people targeting an anti-gay institution, not qualitatively different than conservatives protesting an abortion clinic. But I bet some of you disagree.
Commentarium (36 Comments)
I would think if the bible thumpers were going into the abortion clinics and throwing stuff around, no matter how harmless, people would be completely freaking out about it.
Too true. I'm waiting for one of these morons to get the s--- beat out of them. The cry will be huge.
Not to mention that it makes me far less sympathetic to the "bomber's" POV.
Well throwing glitter in protest and making fun of previous statements made by Marcus is a little different than harassing people outside of an abortion clinic.... glitter doesn't hurt anyone. In fact, some say that at one point in (almost) everyone's life, glitter is actually enjoyed as a favorite craft supply. But don't worry "@BD," I won't come beat the s--- out of you because you don't enjoy glitter. I just feel sad for you. I guess I just wonder what WOULD actually make you sympathetic to the "bomber's" POV, if shiny fun glitter just doesn't do it for you?
I don’t see at all how trying to FIX "barbaric" gay people is at all the same to getting an abortion. Yes, they both include religious people, however the situation itself is not at all the same... being bombarded while trying to save your deformed child from the suffering for the rest of its life by abortion, or getting rid of that rape baby, or child that poses as a risk to your own life is complete emotional torture because, you know, you're a bad person for doing those things and god will hate you. Tossing some glitter at some people who thing you're a barbarian? No emotional risk, just cornea risk and a god awful mess on the floor.
I don't think anyone would care if protesters got crazy at an abortion clinic. I bet that type of thing goes unreported as to not draw more publicity and protesters to a clinic where women are going to make important and personal decisions about their own body.
Good to know that there are gays and lesbians who also have the maturity level of a spoiled two-year old brat. In recent days, I was starting to think only elected officials acted that way.
I can guarantee you there were straight people there too, if that makes you feel better.
I once sent an envelope full of glitter to a former employer. I printed the envelope and used a made-up P.O. Box as the return address, folded some glitter into a sheet of paper, put it in the envelope and mailed it. It had nothing to with homophobia or gayness, I just wanted to aggravate them.
HA!
I would do that.
Want equal rights? Quit acting like a bunch of fags.
Kind of like dumping a bunch of tea into the harbor. Maybe someone will get the message.
I believe the Boston Tea Party was protesting the taxes on tea. This analogy would only work if the glitterbomers were protesting the taxes on glitter.
The message I would give him would involve going to the hospital to have his nose rebuilt.
Yes, because violence solves everything. Oh wait....
@Phee - tripe. Violence solves many, many things. It may not be the best way to solve some problems but to deny that it solves problems is silly.
Violence did a fine job of solving World War 2. Not to say that it didn't leave some problems in it's wake, but it worked better than any other alternatives.
"...I know how totally impossible it is to get a pound of glitter out of carpeting..."
What they're throwing looks more like small confetti than glitter, at least judging from the photo. I think that would be much easier to vacuum than glitter.
It's been scientifically proven over and over that small confetti is easier in stage 2 sanitization that non-ferrous glitter. We don't need to have this argument yet again, people!
The glitterbombing thing is pretty ridiculous, but I did have a chuckle at this.
I bet MLK and Ghandi are kicking themselves because they didn't think of this first.
lol - I'm sure you're right. Ghandi's policy of non-violent protest could have been avoided - saving the lives of hundreds of Indians, btw - if he and his people would have just swished into the Raj's HQ and dumped glitter on him while lisping, "we're here, we're queer, get uthed to it!"
And MLK could have foregone his "Letter from the Birmingham Jail" with "Tips from Glitterbombing Interior Decorators!"
I don't think glitterbombing is an effective tactic or a good PR move. But dressing up like barbarians and asking to be "disciplined" was about the funniest shit I had ever heard.
'Immature' or not, this is hilarious! The whole act, including costumes and asking to be disciplined for their deviant behavior -- priceless.
I'm feeling less and less sympathy for gays. IF there are people who are not satisfied with certain sexual attraction (whether it's an attraction to someone of the same sex, children, a relative, etc..) they should be respected in their decision to seek help for it. These gay 'protesters" are like a bunch of pot heads showing up at a drug rehab center.
Wow, I can hardly take this one seriously. In any case, assuming they went there willingly trying to get "better", when nothing was wrong with them in the first place is absurd. Brainwashing and parents forcing their children into these centers is quite a bit more accurate. Also, don't be ridiculous- who the hell goes to rehab for smoking pot?!
actually, I am in rehab right now.. not for pot. But you'd be surprised how many people are in there for it. I know I was
@Marsha - Yes, the people who did the glitter bombing were maybe a bit childish (though still peaceful). It's best not to judge all people who are gay based on the few that do childish things. They're the ones that will get on TV, but the millions (an estimate 30 million in the U.S.) who didn't glitter bomb anyone shouldn't get your ire for the actions of others who have no relation to them just like we shouldn't be held accountable for all the bad things heterosexuals do. Fair?
The diference between Conservatives protesting and occasionally bombing abortion clinics and gay rights/civil rights activists protestion ex-gay clinics is that abortion both exists and the product of the increasing freedoms of women throughout the modern age. Ex-Gay programs however have no data to prove they even work at all (google "ex-gay" and "apology" to some rather ghoulish ex-gay ministers coming out of the closet again) and are a product of social regression, only exist in far-tight wing societies.
The fact that ex-gay programs exist, despite the fact that they don't work, is not a positive signal for society. It promotes the false assumption that gays are "confused" straights, and having these clinics means that there is somewhere families can "send" their children, rather than deal with what they see as a problem, thus moving the issue and the eventual loss of contact on the child rather than the family.
It seems to me what the "gay away" clinic is teaching them is to repress those feelings and hide their true selves. Isn't that what we've been trying to overcome for some time now. That said, the clinic has a right to exist and glitter bombing is childish way of protesting.
Glitter bombing is a refreshing new protest form, even less violent than, say, the fruit pie in the face of Anita Bryant (to whom Michele Bachmann bears an intriguing resemblance). I say, if we are barbarians, let us be festively such! Onward, gay barbarians! Our glitter will light even the darkest night, as it always has and forever will.
Never ceases to entertain how folks who will never have the slightest sympathy for a protest group's POV (cf the average PETA discussion) always feel entitled to advise them on their tactics.
Yeah seriously, if its anything like that damn hair glitter cheerleaders tend to use, they'd be better off finding a new building. I can remember waking up with a random piece of glitter embedded in my skin a good year after I stopped allowing glittered hair in my bed.
Riiight said it best: Want equal rights? Quit acting like a bunch of fags. Trespassing and destruction of property isn't the best way to set a positive example and get a point across.
Harmless no, a pain in the arse to clean up yes.
"The story makes an interesting compliment to another piece..."
"complement"
Now you say something