Bible Vendor Blocked From Pride Festival In Mpls.

[dflprincess]

I saw this on the ten o'clock news, there is video at the link.

http://wcco.com/local/pride.festival.bibles.2.1061509.html

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) ―
The 37th annual Twin Cities Pride Festival kicks off Saturday at Loring Park for a weekend full of celebrations.

In past years, Pride has attracted all sorts of people for the camaraderie and the big parade. There are always hundreds of vendors. But this year, a couple who's had a booth for the past decade isn't allowed. Pride organizers are cracking down and enforcing the vendor rules. As vendors set up for the Pride Festival, this booth with its signs about Jesus, models of fetuses and stack of bibles won't be there this year.

"What we do is we have two signs on our table, one says 'free bibles' and one says 'who is Jesus?' That's the content. That's what we want to talk about. We're not wanting to talk about homosexuality," said vendor applicant Brian Johnson.

But inevitably homosexuality comes up, because Brian and Doris Johnson are Born Again Christians. They believe homosexuality is a sin and God has sent them to share that message. While they do not behave violently, their display and discussions do offend some and have even incited participants to rip up their bibles. Because of that, the new festival management wouldn't approve their application this year.

"It is not, in our belief, discrimination, certainly not. If anything, we're worried about being discriminated against at our own event," said Twin Cities Pride's David Hill.

There are many organizations including churches in the area that are affirming of the GLBT community. But festival organizers say the Johnsons are not. "Are you not discriminating against me because I'm a Born Again Christian, and isn't discrimination against the content of speech, isn't that discrimination?" said Johnson.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

1. Meanwhile, my church is hosting a hospitality booth

(free cookies and lemonade), providing parking, and sending a delegation, including clergy, as well as GLBT members of the parish, to march in the parade. (We're located just across the street from Loring Park.)

We're also hosting the Pride Communion service, and I'm singing in the pick-up choir for it.

[dflprincess]

2. You commie, homo loving Episcopalians

to paraphrase Sean Penn. Now, that's a real church you belong to.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

7. This was the first time I'd sung in the service

(I was either out of the country or tied up in family events other years.)

It followed the regular Episcopal Sunday service routine, but the hymns were all about love and inclusion and freedom, the excellent (for everyone, gay or straight) sermon was given by a former Roman Catholic priest, and attendees were invited to come up, either singly or as couples, for a blessing.

[dpbrown]

8. Hey, happy birthday!

A couple of days late.

:party:

[dflprincess]

9. Thank you!

n/t

[indigo32]

3. I actually remember them

They were pretty innocuous amongst all the other goings on... but I understand and support the change of heart, I wouldn't force them to allow a GLBT group in to one of their get togethers. And yes, there are MANY Churches there openly.

[dflprincess]

4. The report channel 4 ran on them the other night

made them seem pretty obnoxious. They were whining that they were being discriminated against because of their religious beliefs. It seemed sort of like the KKK crying discrimination if they weren't permitted at an MLK Day event.

[trotsky]

5. My wife & I were discussing this as we watched the news report last night.

We got the same impression, they're your typical "oppressed" Christian, not being able to convert TEH GAYS. I remember thinking, GLBTers have 363 days a year where they can face bigotry from their fellow citizens, how about giving them a break for Pride weekend? But no, these fundie creeps have to go and save some souls for Jeebus.

[indigo32]

6. oh yeah

it takes a whole lot of obnoxious to do what they did.