A few days ago, Kos wrote an entry called
"Spying on the new terrorists: gays"
The UCSC group which organized this protest was NOT a "gay group" or a LGBT group, though it was obviously tolerant and welcoming of LGBT members. This was a group called
STUDENTS AGAINST WAR. And the goal of the protest was to prevent military recruiters, who were on campus that day at a job fair, from recruiting on campus. If you look at the pictures, the "kiss-in", composed of at least 10 queer couples, was held at a job fair while
surrounding military recruiters.
*correction update* thanks to the SAW member for the clarification...the queer kiss-in wasnt revealed as a "credible threat". An April 05 protest which kicked off military recruiters, was. (NY Times article on this)
More pics and analysis below.
by Evan Branigan:
On that day, Students Against War protested outside the dining hall where military recruiters were stationed at a career fair. Staying at the fair until the recruiters left, a "queer kiss-in" was staged...where LGBT couples kissed in front of the recruiters. They were able to maintain their presence the whole time and blocked access to military recruiters without being removed from the career center. But once again, journalists and the media were NOT allowed inside to cover the event.
by Bob Fitch.
by Evan B.
Santa Cruz Indymedia: Rally, Queer Kiss-In Greet Military Recruiters at UCSC (links with more pictures included. By the way, pictures and the local press were NOT allowed inside)
The Queer Kiss-In protested the military's "Don't Ask Don't Tell Policy" which "prohibits anyone who engages in homosexual conduct from serving in the armed forces of the United States and prohibits anyone who is not heterosexual from disclosing his or her sexual orientation, or from speaking about any homosexual relationships, including marriages or other familial attributes while serving in the US armed forces". (source: wikipedia)
Under the Solomon Amendment (challenged in FAIR vs Rumsfeld) which conditions federal funds to universities on its members' support of military recruitment on campus, the Don't Ask Don't Tell Policy is implemented on campuses.
Counter-military recruitment is the main focus of the campus anti-war network, a coalition of college student groups who are protesting the War in Iraq by hitting the army where it hurts: by influencing the number of new recruits who will fight the Bush administrations' wars.
Who else is involved in counter-military recruitment besides college students who also visit local high schools? Teachers, schoolboards and parents are saying LEAVE MY CHILD ALONE, because the infamous "NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT" is the same act which has a sneaky provision which requires high schools to turn over private information on students to military recruiters!
In fact, the Pentagon has created an illegal database of 30 million 16-25 year-olds, including names, addresses, email addresses, cell phone numbers, ethnicities, social security numbers, extracurricular activities, and areas of study!
If a college anti-war group can be spied on for hosting a queer-kiss in for the purposes of counter-recruitment, imagine the other individuals and groups who could be targeted because of the same motive. These are actions not only being taken to protect privacy, but are also directed at preventing military recruiters from enlisting new recruits.
For more news on the counter-recruitment (anti-war movement), go to the campus anti-war network. Recently the entire city of San Francisco passed a resolution against military recruiting in high schools and college campuses by 60% of the vote.
you won't hear about this on the news
by Bob Fitch. The media (both corporate and independent), question an administration official on why they weren't allowed to enter the building to cover the Queer Kiss-In.
Once again, for more pics, for the larger versions, and to fulfill your queer-couple making out media needs go to Santa Cruz Indymedia: Rally, Queer Kiss-In Greet Military Recruiters at UCSC