What I did for Choice today (dialup warning)

[Lyric]

(cross-posted to GD)

I'm a freshman Poli-Sci premajor at West Virginia University. After taking my first Political Science exam (and acing it, I'm confident) my domestic partner and I decided to walk up to the MountainLair (our student union center) to get something to eat and hang out for a while. When we got close to the Lair, we saw that a bunch of out-of-town anti-choice, anti-gay protesters were starting to set up outside the main campus. There weren't many people there yet, so we decided to stick around and help out with the counter-protest we knew was going to be set up shortly. Here are some photos we snapped before things got really heated up, as well as a couple we managed to take while simultaneously helping other campus feminists and GLBTs to hold up large sheets in front of their signs in protest. In the interest of decency and propriety, I have blurred out the disgusting details of their signs, as well as the faces of the children who were part of the group that was protesting.



This was taken when we first arrived. Looks pretty tame, I know, but classes were still mostly in session at the time. Incidentally, the two gentlemen walking together in the middle of the shot are my Poli-Sci professors this year.



More people starting to arrive. By the time we left, the crowd had completely filled the open spaces you see, as well as the other side of the street. Not a single student joined in on the side of the anti-choice bigots, but hundreds joined the counter-protest we held. The two young women in long skirts were handing out anti-choice "Chick Tracts", many of which people tore in two right in front of them.



This was taken by me while I was holding up one side of a large sheet in front of the anti-choicers. Roughly 30 students (of both genders) joined together to create a wall of sheets, almost totally blocking the disgusting mutilated-baby signs from public view. You can't see him well thanks to our efforts, but in the center of this shot is the "ringleader" of the anti-choice group, who was spouting misogynistic, homophobic venom with a bullhorn. Some students set up a large stereo and speakers in the area, and started blasting rock music to drown him out.



This is a sunburned me, holding up my end of the sheet. This was taken by my domestic parter ThinkBlue1966.



This is ThinkBlue1966 with her Flying Spaghetti Monster t-shirt on, holding up her end of our sheet.



One of their disgusting homophobic signs. ThinkBlue1966 and I stopped right in front of the woman holding this sign and did some serious same-sex smooching and cuddling. She looked rather upset, but refrained from comment.



One of the abused and exploited children of this group. These kids were forced to stand out in the hot, direct sun for hours today with no shade, no sunblock, and no water. We tried to report that to Campus Police, but they seemed disinterested. This particular child was rather badly sunburned by the time we left.



Two more abused and exploited children. So much for caring about the welfare of children. I tried to offer these kids some unopened bottles of spring water, but their parents/guardians refused to allow them to take it. Maybe they were afraid that their kids would catch Teh Gay from us. As for the sign this kid is holding...wow. Apparently, some people are rather terrified that people might actually think for themselves.

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So that's what I did for Choice today. Now I'm off to find some Solarcaine for the horrific sunburn I got standing up for freedom and equality.
:hi:

[T Wolf]

1. Great work and thank you and your fellow students for standing up to

mob tactics.

[niyad]

2. thank you SO MUCH for your efforts-- and thank you for sharing the pics.

(use aloe vera on the sunburn!!!)

[Lyric]

3. My sweetie got me some Solarcaine

with aloe vera and topical lidocaine. I feel much better.

:hug:

[TygrBright]

4. I love WV. It's one of the eight states I'd like to live in someday.

Y'all rock!

Screw the hillbilly jokes, WV is one of the few outposts of CIVILIZATION in this wilderness.

Thanks so much for your testimony to freedom and humanity.

appreciatively,
Bright

[zabet]

5. Thank you

and your fellow students for standing up for Choice.

:applause::applause::applause::applause:
:yourock::yourock::yourock:
:headbang::headbang::headbang::headbang:
:woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:

[WildClarySage]

6. Excellent!

Great photos, and KUDOS to you and your partner for standing up to those assholes!

We don't need their kind of hatred in our beautiful state.

[rl6214]

7. Why use profanity

You stoop to their level?

[fudge stripe cookays]

9. Why tell people how they can speak?

You do the same thing. :eyes:

[Iris]

10. I love profanity.

[MountainLaurel]

8. Next time blow their minds

And remind them that homosexuality prevents abortions.