Tom Hanks made famous the first part of that with his line in A League of their Own and the Seattle Mariners establishment has made infamous the second just this past weekend when it admonished a lesbian couple for kissing at a game. Details are a little controversial. Apparently an usher told the couple that a mother with a young son (or maybe multiple children--details keep changing) had complained and that the couple should cease and desist or they would be asked to leave.
They stuck around--to take pictures of all the heteros kissing without any interference from (pseudo)authorities. And to lodge a formal complaint.
I can't figure out if Safeco Field has a "kissing cam" which pans the crowd and if it stops on you--you kiss. Other sports venues certainly do. Regardless of whose kissing is being promoted and whose is demoted, it was blatant discrimination.
This is a pretty tired rant and I am pretty tired myself today so it might not have the full force of my cynicism and rage* behind it but here goes:
To the lady who complained: screw you. The world is not centered around your child--or anyone's child or even children as an entity. If it was we wouldn't have R-rated movies, or explicit lyrics, or half the shows that currently air on television, or war, or hunger that could easily be ended by redistribution of resources. Two women kissing should be the least of your problems. Oh yeah, and it shouldn't even be a problem. If you can come up with an answer to why the sky is blue, you should be able to handle this one, too. Because just like the sky, lesbians and gay people and trans people are out there.
The Mariners are still investigating "the incident" but it seems the details and accusations keeps changing. "Groping" has been added to the list of alleged offenses the couple engaged in.
[h/t to Dr. P for alerting me to the story]
*Pat Griffin over at her It Takes a Team blog was clearly feeling far less tired as her post on the issue exhibits a level of biting wit and cynicism that I can only envy and stand back and admire.
4 comments:
What next? This reminds me of when some neighbors were at our house (only one time, I can assure you) and the woman said she'd gone to a concert but couldn't enjoy it because--gasp--lesbians were sitting near her. I asked her how that affected the concert performance, and she just looked at me with big eyes and repeated, "Lesbians. Near me. At the concert."
Griffins' post is great, by the way.
I'm Gay, 52, and over my years have attended MANY a public event with dates. We've gone to movies and plays and affectionately held hands, we've cuddled together on long red-eye flights, and other somewhat discreet displays of affection.
I don't "criticize" the girls for their actions at Safeco Field, per se--if they felt the urge to kiss, then so be it.....but personally, I still find myself from the "old school" that says it's the blatant public "in your face" situations like this that make the Gay Rights movement take steps backwards. Is it right to have to be discreet? Of course not. But, is it likely to further our public image and respect if we ARE discreet? Most likely. But, the bottom line is simple--the ladies have an implied right to display affection wherever they so choose, as long as it is not lewd. As for me? It's the mindset of the lady a few rows back that "just makes it easier" to bite the bullet and be discreet--their mental midget minds aren't worth having to challenge. Good luck to you both, ladies--I'm sure you're going to be in the limelight for some time about this....handle it with dignity and decorum and we ALL come out winners. I wish you the best.
The ladies have an implied right to display affection wherever they so choose, as long as it is not lewd.
Anonymous, you should have jumped right to that point and then stopped there. The rest of what you say seems prudish and self-hating.
Really. Bigots are not going to stop disliking lesbians even a little bit if lesbians forgo expressing their "implied right."
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