Hilarious!
From the notes on Robert Erikson's YouTube account:
At a book signing in Minneapolis, recently declared the hippest and gayest city in America, I greeted 2012 GOP presidential contender and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich with a shower of rainbow glitter.
"Feel the Rainbow!" I shouted. Gingrich was conducting the book signing as part of The Minnesota Family Council & Institute Annual Dinner 2011 celebration. The MFC has been an instrumental mover of a marriage inequality amendment that would enshrine discrimination in Minnesota's state constitution.
Stills from John Aravois at Americablog.
And it really does get creepy as the sign cards say. The bodyguard says:
"So goes you, goes the rotting of our country.
Have you ever seen us attend on of your events? Have we disturbed your events?
Never. Peace be with you."
Actually, your kind
is always coming into our spaces and making Hell for us. You never leave us alone. You'd still be coming into our bedrooms if the Supreme Court hadn't put a stop to it. And you'd reverse that in a heartbeat if you could.
Newt Gingrich was scheduled to give a speech at an event sponsored by the Minnesota Family Council later in the evening. MFC is the group responsible for pushing the Minnesota Gay Marriage Ban Amendment which seems poised to go before voters in 2012:
The Minnesota Family Council threatened Republicans that any effort to stall the bill will be redefined as a vote against the bill, while the National Organization for Marriage pleaded that if the bill doesn’t go forward it will encourage “gay marriage activists.”
Minnesota already has a law forbidding gay marriage, but just in case the State Supreme Court someday decides gays SHOULD be treated equally, they thought they'd add a little *asterisk onto the Constitution, just so it's clear to the Justices who
shouldn't be treated equally.
This will be lovely, the gays of Minnesota will be treated to another election cycle of constant fear mongering. The lovely thing for Republicans is our resources will be split between supporting Democrats and fighting for our own Civil Rights. Well played, Talibangelicals.
I think Gingrich deserved it just for this alone:
"I think there is a gay and secular fascism in this country that wants to impose its will on the rest of us, is prepared to use violence, to use harassment. I think it is prepared to use the government if it can get control of it. I think that it is a very dangerous threat to anybody who believes in traditional religion."
Screw him. Painting LGBT Americans as violent and fascist. From where I sit, the daily headlines are all about how LGBT Americans are on the receiving end of violence.
I have yet to hear about a single one of these supposed violent hetero-bashings that Newt is alleging our community participates in.
What's most offensive is Gingrich is alleged to be "brilliant" not an uncommon assessment. I can't say I share that, if he really believes the words he said, he's really a fucking dumbass.
LGBT Americans have done nothing many, many other Americans have done to effect change. A brilliant man knows what violence and fascism really are, and the LGBT rights movement has engaged in neither. He is either stupid, or a soulless monster that is happy to paint gays as "violent" and "fascist" for votes, attention and money and is completely unremorseful about the effect his words have.
Screw him. He deserves to be humiliated and pwned. He deserves to double down on the security so this doesn't happen again. And other demagogues need to see what happens when they lie and slander the gays.
We're everywhere and we always will be, and that's their worst nightmare.
Update: My friend Laurel over at Pam's House Blend puts a hilarious, and sad spin on Newt's quote:
I think my own sister Candace is a gay and secular fascist who wants to impose her will on the rest of us, is prepared to use violence, to use harassment. I think my own sister Candace is prepared to use the government if she can get control of it. I think that my own sister Candace is a very dangerous threat to anybody who believes in traditional religion.
Nice Family Values, Newt. Your parents know you talk about your sister like that?
