A note on Facebook alerted us to this incident reported in a Livejournal thread over the weekend:
A couple of guys were on Broadway this evening with signs that stated “Jesus Hates Sin” and were reportedly telling people passing by that “god hates fags” while standing in front of Broadway Grill. One would think that a couple of anti-gay bigots on a Saturday night standing in front of a bar in the gayest part of gay Capitol hill would get a serious -kapow- to the nose! Instead, they managed to upset a number of people who yelled at them that they should get the hell out of the neighborhood. The bigots were undeterred until a young man walking by gave one of them a shot of pepper spray in the face. What exactly did the anti-gay bigot say to deserve such a reaction? I don’t know but those fukkwads deserved what they got. I congratulate the anonymous pepper-spray hero.
Talked to Seattle PD this a.m. — they confirm officers responded to a nearby incident Saturday night at 8:11p. Report says a male was maced by an unknown assailant and fire department was contact to treat the victim. There is no suspect description.
otherwise he might have helped ’em out there by not allowing them to get maced. of course, them getting maced may have been god’s will.
but the protesters had the right to free speech, even if their message was a slap in the face to one of the ways of life the residents of Capitol Hill hold near and dear.
It only gives them more reason to hate.
It’s good to see that Capitol Hill Blog values our right to free speech. FYI, that was sarcasm.
Bigots do not have a right to free speech. Gay teens are attacked daily in our high schools. Do those bullies have free speech? For way too many of us queers, it’s really hard to tell the difference between those who want to stab us and beat us and those who only want to defend the bigots’ rights to say they want to stab and beat us. The people who speak out for the rights of bigots are in fact defending their bigotry. At a time when queers are being murdered and hate crimes are rising, hate speech is NOT an abstract concept, but a call to action. At a time when our so-called gay leaders are silent in the face of homophobic attacks, the best response to homophobia is to CHALLENGE IT. NO TO HOMOPHOBIA AND BIGOTRY OF ALL KINDS.
I am gay, and I support free speech.
Hate speech isn’t considered free speech, but I’m not sure what is considered hate speech. Either way, macing the bigots was not the correct answer. If they were engaging in speech not protected under law, then calling the police was the correct answer.
Attacking people on the street in the name of your cause isn’t going to do anything to help gay teens in school, it will only hurt them. I’m going to say it again, using violence against someone who hates you gives them more reason to hate you.
The whole reason bullying has become a rampant problem is because speech IS protected; almost all of it. It’s only when it crosses certain lines (hate speech) that the right is lost. For instance, people won’t do anything about a bully until he/she physically attacks someone.
In the same way, the physical attack of using pepper spray was out of line.
I’m strictly speaking of the legality of using physical contact to protest what someone is saying, not whether it was “fair” or “serves the cause.”
Who the hell was the pepper sprayer and how do I buy him a beer?