Tuesday, June 30, 2009

40 Years After Stonewall: LGBT people are still being harassed by police

The real question about the most recent police attacks on LGBT people is what exactly did these gay folk do wrong?

In California, police busted a fundraiser at the home of prosperous lesbian couple, doused guests with pepper spray and arrested the host. The cops apparently needed a multitude of police cars and one helicopter to "subdue" the 50ish and 60ish lesbians and others who were raising money for a Democratic candidate for Congress.

The raid was prompted by a noise complaint from someone in the wealthy neighborhood. Meanwhile, the people living closest to the supposedly rowdy party of middle aged folk weren't bothered by the noise at all.

If this San Diego newspaper report is true, then what was the real "crime?" Was it participating in democracy while being lesbian?

In Texas, Fort Worth police continue to deny that they raided a gay bar to harass its LGBT patrons. That raid sent one man to the hospital with a serious head injury. Could the the problem in Fort Worth have been the serious "crime" of drinking while gay?

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