If you don't mind being a bit shocked, take a look at these pictures from the Folsom Street Fair. (Warning: they are graphic.) This is an annual event in San Francisco, held again on Sunday, September 30, in which some of the city's outstanding citizens turned out to display their style and have a little fun. I wonder what the Islamic radicals would make of these picturesque displays. What a great recruiting tool this would be for them! Here is what they term the decadence of the West on full display.
I don't think this is typical of America, and even many Americans would find such scenes revolting. I am quite sure that even the liberal Democratic presidential candidates wouldn't be seen in a place like this. But I also recognize that when you have freedom there is going to be some excess. Even so, freedom does not excuse anyone from moral and social accountability. To criticize the abuses of freedom is not "censorship"; rather, is to exercise one's own freedom to dissent.
So take a look at this advertisement for the Folsom Street Fair. It shows gay activists in a mock reenactment of Jesus Christ and the 12 apostles at the Last Supper. To me this ad reflects anti-Christian bigotry pure and simple. Yet when the Catholic League protested the ad, Miller Brewing Company took its name off the poster but refused to withdraw its sponsorship of the fair. This, I suppose, reflects the growing financial clout of the gay community.
But imagine if a city fair mocked the sensitivities of blacks or Jews or, yes, gays in this way. There would be a national outcry! There would be front page articles. You would have heard about it on the evening news. Miller Brewing Company would run in the opposite direction and issue a strong condemnation. Is this the first you're hearing about the Folsom Street Fair's bigotry against Christians? That's because the slogans of "tolerance" and "sensitivity" don't seem to apply to religious believers.
Outraged? Go ahead and comment, and I'll forward all the reaction to the public relations office at Miller Brewing Company.
Reader Comments ( Page 7 of 12)
91. THE FLAMES OF HELL ARE GROWING
FILLED WITH ALOT OF UNFORTUNATE GAY PEOPLE.
EVEN NOW ITS NOT TO LATE, REPENT, TURN AWAY FROM HOMOSEXUALILITY. WHEN YOU DIE IT WILL BE TO LATE!
TONY at 7:24PM on Oct 1st 2007
92. listen, you "christians". if any of you spent 1/10 of the time you spend obsessing about gay men and our sex lives working on your own spiritual selves, this world would be a much, much better place. you freaks are responsible for more evil, negativity, violence, hatred, oppression and every other negative outcome than every living gay man put together. YOU should all get together on some island and live your uptight, judgemental, hateful lives until you kill each other or work yourselves up into a such a frenzy policing each other's activities that you explode. what is it about gay men, gay sex, and other things that have ZERO effect on your lives than cause you to froth at the mouth? just leave gay ad other NORMAL people like us alone.
fcinaz at 9:04PM on Oct 1st 2007
93. How quaint to yet again point at the gay community and spew words like "decadent". Look around you, there are hordes of highly immoral heterosexuals all around you, they are naked in bed simulating sex on TV and in films, blatantly french kissing in broad daylight anywhere without a thought they might offend, you find them openily sitting on each others laps groping in shopping malls and public streets where children can see, you can hear filthy lyrics from speakers everywhere included from the ipods stuck in the ears of their children, half naked women on every magazine, straight oriented bars selling drinks with obscene names like Sex on the Beach and Bl#wj*b. The percentages show that heterosexuals commit sodomy, including anal sex, at much higher rates, than the percentage of homosexuals. The vast majority of child molesters are straight not gay. The very large majority of murderers worldwide are heterosexuals. The examples of the overtly blatant decadence of heterosexuals goes on and on. It is rather amazing that you can walk past it all, dont seem to notice it, and point at the gay community exclusively destorying culture. Historically, it's been Christians that have corrupted/collapsed the most civilizations. As far as the insulting and mocking of Christians you mentioned - I don't see it? I constantly hear those complaints of bigotry coming from the very people claiming victim status while using the bible as a weapon. They seem to be upset because other people dont agree with their strange reading of the bible. How sad to see most of the people around you as burning in hell. I hope you all do know that Gays are actually born of human parents like everyone and really grow up in loving families. Yes, please sit down for this one,there are even a large number of Christians who are Gay! The American bred Christian jihad sects that contain the most vocal, hate spewing, free will shredding, always in the name of Jesus are(my personal Christian beliefs) not godily at all. I don't even believe them to be "real" Christians but sad bastard hieretics full of fire and brimstone. My god is one of love, I'm so sorry about the one they follow. Even though my religious Christians beliefs are not the same I do respect them to believe whatever they want. Some people I might personally view as slding towards hell faster than any homosexual, I will never protest to force my beliefs on them.I just would like them to keep the version of religion in their own homes, churches, etc. and not in the faces of others! Stop trying to make everyone give up their right to religious freedom and I'm sure the people they are attacking won't insult them back.
By the way, the every day before the Folsom Street Fair the city of San Francisco also hosted the Love Parade. A parade full of buck naked heterosexuals gyrating down busy Market Street to house music. Many are also on Ecstasy, Coke and other drugs..but you didn't even mention it. Guess the camera must have been broken that day or probably your just so use to seeing straight people acting decadent you just weren't shocked.
hornedsf at 2:27AM on Oct 3rd 2007
94. #35 Frank unfortunately all it takes is some to screw it up for the rest I wish you peace, prosperity and health! Fortunately most of the gays I know are like you and when a Christian speaks to them they understand their hearts and they know Christians sin too, and on that day we will all be judged wether you deny it all you want or not. take care.
#81 Brian writes I'd much rather be a dope Congratulations Mr. Dope extrordinaire you have fulfilled your lifes ambition.
baaawa you finally came out of the closet? Why did it take you so long I should have known you perveyor of hate!!!
To all the gays, you live by the sword you'll die by the sword!! You have no problem spewing hate,venom and bigotry but yet your ouraged when you are the recipients.You hate Christians because they remind you that what is done in that so called Fair is nothing more than debauchery, lewd and indecent behaviour, what you have done is against the law. Are you, because your gay above the law? I know your not, so taking all the BS out, you break the law and then somehow you allege that you have more rights then anybody else?
Do you like to be called faggets,dykes and the likes? then why do you expouse the same hate and bigotry that you complain is directed at you towards Christians and conservatives?
Why do you not allow the military that defends your freedoms to have parades? are they less worthy then YOU!I love women and don't like being hit on by gays I know gays who don't like to be hit on by women, does that make me a bigot or them of course NOT!
Tolerance is a two way street and so is the denial of it.
Perversions should be kept in your bedrooms is that not what you've always clamored for? but now it seems that what you truly intended is to exibit it to the world and force us who don't agree to accept it! I for one will not just like you won't accept Christianity then so be it!!!
Manny at 8:48PM on Oct 1st 2007
95. Perhaps Miller figures that people who stick just about anything, anywhere, including their mouth, won't mind swallowing Miller "beer". Hey Miller why don't you make bottles that double for butt plugs?
Taz at 9:56PM on Oct 1st 2007
96. "2. you poor, poor 3rd world import. it's not enough that you are utterly obsessed with gay men, and now, for all of the world to see, with images of nearly naked gay men- hmmmmmmmm, interesting. your years of spewing vicious violence and hatred towards gay men, in the name of god of course, now extends to being offended by gay fair photographs. such a victim you are. puhlease. neither you nor the catholic league own god or jesus, and anyone is free to envision their view of jesus, god, the last supper or ANY religious expression free from your fascist policing. get out of my country, you freak."
By this logic, anyone should be able to envision their view of Mohammed, or Buddha, or Vishnu, or Moses, etc, free from "fascist policing", and this person would defend that freedom, right?(the author of #2, of course, as per usual, fails to understand that DD wasn't policing anything, just voicing his opinion on the matter.)
And using the same logic, anyone should be free to envision gays, jews, muslims, women, blacks, whites, any way THEY want to, free from "fascist policing" too, right?
Simple logic. What's good for the goose, is good for the gander.
But of course, is there was some sort of "anti-gay" expression, #2's author, and doubtless MANY others would be screaming at the top of their lungs.
Why?
Because they're hypocrites.
Oh, and for the record.....thanks for the pics, DD....some of those boys are HOT HOT HOT!! WHEW! (oh, and yeah, I'm a gay male. :))
timber at 10:03PM on Oct 1st 2007
97. We have been told repeatedly that Islamic fundamentalists attacked this country becausw of our freedom. Having the Fulsom Street Fair without criticism is a sterling example of that freedom.
If you want America to stop having the Fulsom Street Fair (or Miller Beer to stop sponsoring it), you, Dinesh, are giving in to the terrorists.
gd at 10:06PM on Oct 1st 2007
98. Hmmm. It would seem a peacemaker is needeed! Somber lesbian girl to the rescue!
Allow me to issue my terms.
One. Christians (and any other devotion) shall immediately and forthwith recognize the right of two concenting adults to engage in matrimony. Not civil unions. Not 'marriage lite'. Marriage. With full legal and economic benefits as is enjoyed by heterosexual adults.
Two. Christians shall stop and refrain from pushing through legislation preventing homosexuals who pass the same screening procedures from adopting children. Our parents couldn't make us straight. We can't make our adopted children gay. Besides, it's better than abortion.
Third. Christians shall forthwith and in good faith refrain from condemnation of homosexuality as a sin and a bad thing. We either don't recognize it as a sin, or we don't care. If it is a sin then it's between us and God and he better have a good explaination for why he made us gay if he didn't want to be gay. But that's between God and us, not us and God's followers.
Fourth. You shall withhold all attempts to ban PFLAG and other GLBT clubs and meetings at school. If students are allowed to have a bible reading club after school then they should be allowed to have a GLBT support group. Heck, the kids might even attend both.
5. Teach homosexuality in sexual education in a clinical context of what it is, why it exists, that it is not unnatural though uncommon, and that it is the right of the individual to subscribe to such a lifestyle or not.
If you agree and fulfill these terms then I will do the following and urge other homosexuals I know to do the following.
1. Treat Christianity as a tolerant faith deserving of respect. I will not believe its tenets, but I can respect any organization that doesn't go out of its way to make my life harder.
2. Withhold my frequent criticisms of the failings and hypocrises of the Christian (and other, I'm not as picky as you might thing) faiths.
3. Tolerate your frequent religious gatherings and demonstrations, as well as nativity scenes and 'merry christmas' during the holidays.
4. Not beat up your kid for praying in class. (Not that, being 4'2", I could ever beat some one up, but that seems to be what folks think I would do.)
5. Tolerat elective classes on the history and subject matter of religion. (personally, I would like us to do this seeing as how religion causes so many social complications and most folks don't know the difference between a baptist and a lutheran, let alone a shiite and a sunni.) Please note that said classes wouldn't teach that said religions are true (just as said sex ed course wouldn't urge students to be gay) but would present the information as to what these religions are.
Are these terms acceptable?
Somber at 10:09PM on Oct 1st 2007
99. I must be a really liberal Catholic, because I did not see anything overtly sacrilegious in those photos. I thought some of the people looked rather pathetic and silly, but that's their right. I don't really disapproving of anything consenting adults do. It only really bothers me when children are involved. I guess I just have other things more important to worry about, like war, disease, starvation and poverty.
Silver Lining at 7:42AM on Oct 4th 2007
100. well, #95, seems that if you have no problem with this moron "voicing his opinion" as a matter of course then you should also have no problem with me doing the same.
and if you are a gay man, you are surely a scary example of why people like me need to speak up, and loudly, again and again, in the endless quest to get the equal rights that people like this freak would and do deny us, and more sadly, that apparently people like you don't even realize or care that we are being denied.
now there's a logic that makes sense to follow. after all, when it comes to equal rights, "what's good for the goose is good for the gander", right?
fcinaz at 11:21PM on Oct 1st 2007
101. Dinesh, you had to expect this. You've become a lightning rod, and the liberals (used in the broadest, most outlandish sense of the word "liberal") are lining up to throw mud at you. I've always appreciated your logical arguments, as a proud member of the FAR RIGHT. But people don't like to be criticized for their immoral behaviors - DUHH! So, having read the 1st 15 comments, I haven't the heart to read further, but wish you peace, safety and a continued strong pen hand. God bless.
Jane C at 9:06PM on Oct 2nd 2007
102. I agree with you Dinesh, tolerance towards all but Christians is a perspective that is very prominent in the culture, as can be seen by many of the postings on this board.
I go to school in Rural Nebraska, and the disposition of my peers is very much the same, Catholics and other Christians can be mocked or made fun of, but far be it from anyone who disagrees with Christian philosophy to recognize their own faults.
jenewl at 1:04AM on Oct 2nd 2007
103. well, vikingmother, maybe people in rome "turned away from partying and excess" to christianity, but then they turned to religious warfare and violence, as christians with different concepts of the nature of jesus fought and killed each other! A religion of peace? Throughout most of it's history, christianity has been one of the most violent religions on earth(Along with Islam of course)!
That's why the pagans in Rome used to say "no group of people is as HATEFUL as these christians when they turn on each other!"
As far as D'Souza is concerned, he's an idiot - why should we care what muslim extremists think? We already KNOW what they think! And I had never heard of this skit he's whining about until HE mentioned it - he's blowing it up into a much bigger incident that it needs to be!
ray at 1:11AM on Oct 2nd 2007
104. Sodom and Gomorrah looked tamer than this, I would bet. This is not only the wickedness that other cultures hate, it is what God hates, Christians hate and decent people everywhere hate.
We love the sinner, but hate the sin. And Good Lord, I want to burn my computer now. I thought it was just going to be that picture of the Last Supper that is in bad taste. These people debauch themselves to being little better than demons in human flesh. Is there nothing they won't do???
Sabra at 2:07AM on Oct 2nd 2007
105. Somber, we are never to "tolerate" the intolerable and why should we?
Sabra at 2:18AM on Oct 2nd 2007