Gender Bend yer Sunday Best!
Sunday October 4TH, 2009 2:30 pm
112 Arthur Street in the Backyard
$5-$10 Sliding Scale ( No one will be turned away for lack of funds, but it is a fund raiser)
Featuring:
Amy Bronson
Byron
On October 4th, 2009 we will be hosting a fundrasier breakfast and folk show to raise money for members of Bash Back! as well as local comrades dealing with court as a result of a blockade in November 2008.
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The following post was taken from the Lansing Bash Back Chapter’s Myspace. This is what half of the funds will be going for as the Alliance Defense fund (read: Fascist right wing religious cult) is suing alleged members of Bash Back! under the claims that their actions caused emotional stress and challenged their freedom of religion.
The Mount Hope Church is a deplorable, anti-queer mega-church in
Lansing, Michigan. The church works to institutionalize transphobia and
homophobia through several repulsive projects including organized “ex-gay”
conferences and so-called “hell houses”, which depict queers, trannies and
womyn who seek abortions in hell. Mt. Hope is complicit in the repression
of queers in Michigan and beyond.
Bash Back! ain’t down with that. And so on Sunday November 9th, about
thirty radical queers from Lansing, Chicago, Memphis and Milwaukee
disrupted the church’s most well-attended sermon.
At noon, a small group of folks dressed in pink and black, equipped with a
megaphone, black flags, picket signs and an upside-down pink cross began
demonstrating outside the church. The group was extremely loud and wildly
offensive.
The demonstration drew a majority of Mount Hope’s security staff outside
to watch them.
Meanwhile, with the guards pre-occupied by the distraction, over a dozen
queers had put on their Sunday-best and infiltrated the church’s
congregation. At the signal that the guards had been lured outside, the
infiltrators sprung into action.
A group stood up, declared themselves fags, and began screaming loudly.
Upon hearing the loud interruption, other affinity groups went into
action. A team that had been hiding under the pews in the closed-off
balcony dropped a banner and pulled back the curtains to reveal “IT’S OKAY
TO BE GAY! BASH BACK!”. Another group threw over a thousand fliers to the
entirety of the congregation. The fire alarm was pulled. Queers began
making out in front of the pastor. And within a matter of minutes,
everyone had evaded the guards and made their escapes.
Bash Back! operatives, still hidden among the congregation observed a
person screaming that Satan had come to Mount Hope, that the end was here,
that the queers were everywhere. She then began speaking tongues. The
dumbfounded pastor, after regaining his composure, went on to speak of the
of decadent, depraved wolves that menace his flock of sheep.
Let it be known: So long as bigots kill us in the streets, this pack of
wolves will continue to BASH BACK!
We are supporting those allegedly involved in the action at Mt. Hope as it is an example of the judicial system working in the favour of those upholding systemic norms. For some of us this society makes us prisoners within our own bodies due to the oppressive forces around us that attempt to fit us into gender binaries and heterosexist relationships. When we act against this to free ourselves, we are further met with state oppression and judicial burdens.
“IT’S OKAY TO BE GAY! BASH BACK!”
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The other half will be going to support two local folks who were arrested as a result of an alleged blockade in solidarity with the Mohawks of Tyendinaga in November of 2008. The alleged blockade coincided with the delivery of a much unwanted police station on the Tyendinaga territory. The city of Guelph is also currently awaiting the construction of a new police station in the south end of town. Five people were originally arrested on various counts of mischief and arson. Two are still awaiting trial.
Police put us in prison. This is why we support anyone not supporting police. Fuck em dawg.
