South Park has always been a controversial show, but that controversy always had a meaningful point behind it. In this last week's episode, the South Park crew takes on a certain homophobic slur that has been in the English lexicon for a while now. South Park does have a surprising amount of cultural influence these days, but only time will tell how this message will be received. In the meantime, I think we can all agree that inconsiderate bikers freakin' suck, and they do deserve their own special epithet.The episode opens in an oddly tranquil scene, with the boys enjoying some fishing in a quiet pond. Then a bunch of Harley-riding bikers show up, with engines blaring. The bikers go throughout South Park, annoying pretty much everyone with their racket, until Cartman destroys them in a classic South Park-style tongue lashing where he compares them to sixteen-year-old attention whores and, of course, he calls them fags.And so the real topic of the episode is revealed, and the boys' reckless use of the F-word ends up insulting South Park's gay population. Politicians get involved, protests are had, etc. But what it all boils down to is that the word, at least from the perspective of the South Park boys, has a different, less homophobic but still insulting meaning in the language of the kids these days.Now, whether or not you buy that reasoning, this story does make a compelling case for it. After all, words do change (like when "bad" started to mean "good"). But you only need to spend a few minutes in any online game to know that the meaning hasn't really changed amongst teenage boys. This episode has some common ground with "With Apologies to Jesse Jackson," the episode where Randy Marsh dropped the n-word and got into a world of trouble. Back then, South Park questioned how words can take on different meanings in different contexts, and also how hurtful they can be. I don't think this story was as skillfully told as that one was, though. A gay rights group The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLADD) has criticised the latest episode of South Park for its repeated use of the word “fag”.The episode ‘The F Word’ sees the South Park boys branding an “annoying and inconsiderate” bunch of Harley Davidson bikers “fags” who run amuck in the Colorado town.Homosexuals in the town are offended at first but rally together in a ‘re-branding’ of the word from referring to a gay person to people who “ride a loud Harley up and down the streets ruining everyone’s nice time.”GLAAD responded to the show saying: “though this seems to represent a well-intentioned effort by the creators of South Park to delegitimise a vulgar anti-gay slur, the fact is that the word is and remains a hateful slur that is often part of the harassment, bullying and violence that gay people, and gay youth in particular, experience on a daily basis in this country.”They continued: "this is a slur whose meaning remains rooted in homophobia. And while many South Park viewers will understand the sophisticated satire and critique in last night’s episode, others won’t - and if even a small number of those take from this a message that using the 'F-word' is OK, it worsens the hostile climate that many in our community continue to face."
Members of a Kansas-based church known for spreading anti-gay and anti-Semitic messages are in San Diego.The Westboro Baptist Church members plan to visit churches, synagogues and high schools around the county throughout the weekend. On Friday, a group was in Sorrento Valley, carrying signs that read "America Is Doomed" and "God Is your Enemy."The group on Oberlin Drive was very small. The three adults and three children set up about a half-block away from San Diego Jewish Publications, the group's intended target, according to its Web site.There were actually more members of the news media present than protesters."They're nuts," said Dale Goodman of Mira Mesa, a veteran who waved an American flag as part of a counterprotest, with one participant holding a sign that read, "Go Back to Kansas."Several other onlookers expressed shock, and passing drivers honked and shouted obscenities at the group.Elsewhere around the county, three of the adult protesters from Kansas and two of their children showed up in the afternoon across the street from San Diego High School. Hundreds of counterprotesters, many of them from San Diego's gay community, were on the school's side of the street.The Kansas group, which was ringed by five San Diego police officers, was hard-pressed to get out their message because they were surrounded by news media. The counterprotesters, due to their sheer numbers, were much louder, playing music and chanting slogans.
More than 100 people braved the rains Saturday afternoon to gather at Atlanta City Hall at the second rally to protest the police raid of the Atlanta Eagle last week, outraged by the alleged harassment of the patrons in the bar as well as the eight men arrested. A first rally was held Sept. 13 in the parking lot of the Eagle. With a makeshift cover of a large tarp for speakers to stand under as the rain poured down for nearly an hour, citizens demanded answers from the police department, elected officials as well as Mayor Shirley Franklin, who has remained silent on the issue since the raid of the gay leather bar occurred Sept. 10.Speaking first was the APD’s LGBT liaison Officer Dani Lee Harris, who said while she can’t comment on the investigation, the allegations raised by those in the bar that night have her concerned as well. Harris did not find out about the raid until contacted by the media. Chief Richard Pennington said last week Harris should have been involved in the investigation from the beginning.Yes, it was the only gay bar targeted this time. However, in the past few years, Atlanta has helped shut down Backstreet, Metro and the Phoenix. Yes, there have been illegal activities at these clubs, but do you believe these activities don't occur at clubs where most of the patrons are heterosexual? This is the gentrification of Midtown Atlanta to be "safe" for affluent heterosexuals moving here now that it is one of the most appealing parts of town, due primarily to efforts of the gay community. Not to mention how it's already cleared some prime real estate for more profitable construction.
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Police have said the raid was prompted by two anonymous tips alleging sex and drug activity at the bar. During the raid, eight employees were arrested on business license violations. The 62 customers in the bar at the time were forced to lie on the floor for as long as an hour while they were searched and checks were run on their identification. No one in the bar was arrested on sex or drug charges.Police have promised a full investigation into formal complaints filed by several patrons and employees of the bar who allege they were mistreated and subjected to anti-gay slurs during the raid.Today's protest was the second since the raid. On Sept. 13, several hundred turned out for a rally in the Eagle's parking lot, then lined the street in front of the bar to cheers from passing motorists.READ THE COMPLETE STORY: SOUTHERN VOICE
Members of Fred Phelps's Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) plan to picket Michael Jackson's memorial service. The WBC is infamous for their "Love Crusades", obnoxious displays of insensitivity and homophobia at the funerals of fallen American soldiers. The controversial if monotone message of the "Love Crusade" seems to be to blame everything that is wrong in the world on homosexuality.The crusades are part of a hate-based mission started in Kansas by the WBC and Fred Phelps. The church exists in order to picket the funerals of people who died of AIDS, demonstrate against the "fag lifestyle", and other random homophobic rants. The self proclaimed "Christian" church posted the following at their web site:
Michael 'Wacko Jacko' Jackson is in hell! WBC will be there to remind you to stop worshiping the dead. We will be there to tell you to Thank God for the death of this filthy, adulterous, idolatrous, gender-confused, nationality-confused, unthankful brute beast. We will be there to remind you that God Killed Wacko Jacko. There is a God, and a Day of Judgment. For you to wallow and murmur against God for his righteous Judgments is sin and will cause YOU to join Michael in hell
Police are preparing to fend off vast crowds at the Michael Jackson memorial after 1.6 million fans applied for just 17,500 tickets to commemorate the King of Pop on Tuesday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. It remains to be seen whether or not the WBC will be able to make good on their threatened "Love Crusade".Born of the media and an intolerant strain of Christianity, Phelps and his clan of hate mongers are a dirty little secret of mainstream Christianity. Their extremism only magnifies the homophobia suffered by many Christians, and puts to shame those homophobic Christians who would deny the most basic human right, marriage, to the homosexual community.Back in February of 2008, after Brokeback Mountain actor Heath Ledger succumbed to his overdose of drug, Westboro Baptist Church (WBC), announced they would picket Ledger's funeral, for him doing 'vile' gay things with Jack Gyllenhaal. Only a dozen or so members appeared at a memorial service.
As for Michael Jackson, these evil freaks will only add to the crush and the circus. Already the WBC is adding to the Michael Jackson media buzz, a buzz that is now become a distinct roar, a roar for the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.
Peru has announced that it will ban homosexuals from the police force for damaging the image of the institution. The law is one of several new regulations put forward by the Interior Minister, Mercedes Cabanillas. Ms Cabanillas is trying to shake up the institution, which has a dismal reputation among the general public. But critics say some of the new laws, especially those regarding sexual orientation or activity, are unconstitutional. The law states that any police officer who has sexual relations with someone of the same gender will be indefinitely suspended from the police force. The same applies to officers who have extra-marital relations - their actions are also deemed to cause scandal and denigrate the institution's image. They are among a raft of new regulations, which also include provision for sacking police officers who accept bribes, organise or take part in strikes and protest marches. Ms Cabanillas' strong-arm tactics have earned her some public backing and the nickname "Thatcher" in the Peruvian media, after the former Conservative British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. Traditional machismo means openly homosexual police men are extremely scarce, but gay rights activists are growing in strength and this new law will provoke a debate.Photo: Tom Of Finland Foundation
Alpha Delta Phi fraternity brothers lined their porch in bathrobes, awaiting the arrival of the protesters. When they appeared, the brothers stripped off their robes and began dancing to Diana Ross & The Supremes’ “I’m Coming Out,” Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer,” and the Weather Girls’ “It’s Raining Men.” The “Tiny Dancer” lyrics “Jesus freaks/out in the streets” elicited a loud cheer from the crowd on the other side of the street. Another protest by the miserable Westboro Baptist Church parishioners came to Chicago this past Tuesday. You might not have heard about it, because most of us gay people smartly ignore their ravings, hoping they'll just go away. Over 100 students gathered on South University Avenue and in Hutchinson Courtyard Monday to demonstrate against six protesters from the Westboro Baptist Church advocating against the University of Chicago, the Chicago Theological Seminary, and the University of Chicago Law School.
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The WBC protesters arrived at the CTS at noon. Carrying signs reading “God hates the world” and “Bloody Obama,” they stood on the corner of East 58th Street and South University Avenue for half an hour. They allowed people to photograph them and held up their signs, smiling. At one point, Shirley Phelps-Roper, WBC’s spokeswoman, sang a joyful rendition of “God Hates America.”They were accompanied down the street by a group of students mocking the WBC’s message. The students held a sign reading “Figs Doom Nations” and planted themselves across the street from the WBC, drawing from a Biblical passage in which Jesus disparages a fig tree. “If you need scanty biblical evidence for anything, we’ve got it,” said fourth-year Carmel Levy as he handed out flyers containing biblical citations that read: “Jesus rebuked the fig as an evil abomination” and “God Promises Terrible Vengeance Upon Any Fig-Loving Nation.”
“We just wanted the world to know that God’s vengeance doesn’t just fall on the gay, but also on the fruit,” said fourth-year Max Shron.
On the eastern side of the quad, students who had been waiting for the group waved signs mocking the WBC’s trademark “God Hates Fags” poster. The signs bore slogans such as “God Hates’s internet porn,” “God hates the new Facebook,” and “God hates dial-up.”
In general, the atmosphere was festive. Students laughed, joked, took pictures, and danced to Alpha Delta’s music.
“When we got down to the Seminary Co-Op and Alpha Delt was dancing around in their underwear, me and Rabbi Ruthie [Gelfarb] and this priest started dancing and we got like 30 people to come over and dance in front,” said third-year Iah Pillsbury. “It was like a celebration. It was really cool to see so many people come out in support of diversity and doing whatever we want and gay people...and religious freedom.”
The party atmosphere continued in Hutchinson Courtyard, where Queers and Associates, as well as other students, had organized a party in celebration of diversity. Counter-protest leaders encouraged students to gather at Hutch, containing the breadth of the counter-protest in order to discourage WBC media attention.
”There were a lot of various ideas about how to respond,” said third-year Dave Klein. “There had to be a response because a lot of people were mobilizing around the issue. We came up with this idea of having a party, to turn it into something beautiful...a celebration of diversity.”
“We took the opportunity...to show the University and beyond that we’re proud of who we are,” said first-year Lexie Tabachnick, who also helped coordinate the party.
The party included a s’mores roasting station, hot chocolate, a dance performance by Rhythmic Bodies in Motion, and musical performances by individual students and the a capella group Men in Drag. There were also petitions to be signed in support of overturning Proposition 8, a California ballot initiative making gay marriage unconstitutional, which was passed in November and is now being debated in the California Supreme Court. Large banners with slogans such as “Many Identities, One Community” were available for students to sign. Klein said the banners were there so that people could express “more positive messages about who we are. We are a diverse campus and we love us.” The party also raised over $500 for the Broadway Youth Center, which provides health services for the LGBTQ community. The whole day showed that chuckles can be much more powerful than threats and fear. The students should be commended for their good-spirited creativity. photo credit: Froboy
South Park has always been a controversial show, but that controversy always had a meaningful point behind it. In this last week's episode, the South Park crew takes on a certain homophobic slur that has been in the English lexicon for a while now. South Park does have a surprising amount of cultural influence these days, but only time will tell how this message will be received. In the meantime, I think we can all agree that inconsiderate bikers freakin' suck, and they do deserve their own special epithet.
The episode opens in an oddly tranquil scene, with the boys enjoying some fishing in a quiet pond. Then a bunch of Harley-riding bikers show up, with engines blaring. The bikers go throughout South Park, annoying pretty much everyone with their racket, until Cartman destroys them in a classic South Park-style tongue lashing where he compares them to sixteen-year-old attention whores and, of course, he calls them fags.
And so the real topic of the episode is revealed, and the boys' reckless use of the F-word ends up insulting South Park's gay population. Politicians get involved, protests are had, etc. But what it all boils down to is that the word, at least from the perspective of the South Park boys, has a different, less homophobic but still insulting meaning in the language of the kids these days.
Now, whether or not you buy that reasoning, this story does make a compelling case for it. After all, words do change (like when "bad" started to mean "good"). But you only need to spend a few minutes in any online game to know that the meaning hasn't really changed amongst teenage boys. This episode has some common ground with "With Apologies to Jesse Jackson," the episode where Randy Marsh dropped the n-word and got into a world of trouble. Back then, South Park questioned how words can take on different meanings in different contexts, and also how hurtful they can be. I don't think this story was as skillfully told as that one was, though.
A gay rights group The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLADD) has criticised the latest episode of South Park for its repeated use of the word “fag”.
The episode ‘The F Word’ sees the South Park boys branding an “annoying and inconsiderate” bunch of Harley Davidson bikers “fags” who run amuck in the Colorado town.
Homosexuals in the town are offended at first but rally together in a ‘re-branding’ of the word from referring to a gay person to people who “ride a loud Harley up and down the streets ruining everyone’s nice time.”
GLAAD responded to the show saying: “though this seems to represent a well-intentioned effort by the creators of South Park to delegitimise a vulgar anti-gay slur, the fact is that the word is and remains a hateful slur that is often part of the harassment, bullying and violence that gay people, and gay youth in particular, experience on a daily basis in this country.”
They continued: "this is a slur whose meaning remains rooted in homophobia. And while many South Park viewers will understand the sophisticated satire and critique in last night’s episode, others won’t - and if even a small number of those take from this a message that using the 'F-word' is OK, it worsens the hostile climate that many in our community continue to face."
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More than 100 people braved the rains Saturday afternoon to gather at Atlanta City Hall at the second rally to protest the police raid of the Atlanta Eagle last week, outraged by the alleged harassment of the patrons in the bar as well as the eight men arrested. A first rally was held Sept. 13 in the parking lot of the Eagle. With a makeshift cover of a large tarp for speakers to stand under as the rain poured down for nearly an hour, citizens demanded answers from the police department, elected officials as well as Mayor Shirley Franklin, who has remained silent on the issue since the raid of the gay leather bar occurred Sept. 10.
Alpha Delta Phi fraternity brothers
The WBC protesters arrived at the CTS at noon. Carrying signs reading “God hates the world” and “Bloody Obama,” they stood on the corner of East 58th Street and South University Avenue for half an hour. They allowed people to photograph them and held up their signs, smiling. At one point, Shirley Phelps-Roper, WBC’s spokeswoman, sang a joyful rendition of “God Hates America.”
The party included a s’mores roasting station, hot chocolate, a dance performance by Rhythmic Bodies in Motion, and musical performances by individual students and the a capella group Men in Drag. There were also petitions to be signed in support of overturning Proposition 8, a California ballot initiative making gay marriage unconstitutional, which was passed in November and is now being debated in the California Supreme Court. 
