A second event, this one on Sunday

[solarbird]

A second event, from a person on my email list...

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[A second event is also] being organized in response to the anti-gay religious group "Watchmen on the Walls" coming to the Lynnwood Convention Center this weekend, Oct. 19-21. The Watchmen group expects 700 people to attend their conference. Please come to show your support of the LGBTQ community, and to demonstrate that hate is NOT welcome here.

About the Watchmen on the Walls:

Seattle Times article

Southern Poverty Law Centre report

Sunday Oct 21: "Love and Pride: Lynnwood Responds to Hate" ...a prayerful protest and screening sponsored by Religious Coalition for Equality, Equal Rights Washington and True Stories Project

Activists and clergy from Lynnwood and other local LGBTQ-allied groups are hosting an alternative religious event to show support and concern for the LGBTQ community as this conference happens. The event "Love and Pride: Lynnwood Responds to Hate" will feature a gathering of speakers, including local members of the clergy, and a special viewing at 4:00pm of "Inlaws & Outlaws," a local-produced documentary featuring the real-life stories of Washington LGBTQ people.

Who: Lynnwood community activists and clergy members, Equal Rights Washington, the Religious Coalition for Equality, and the True Stories Project

What: Vigil, film viewing, and discussion

When: Sunday, October 21, at 3pm

Where: Edmonds Unitarian Universalist Church
8109 224th Street SW 98026
Edmonds, Washington
425.778.0373
Click for map

We want to show the wider community that when people of faith gather we gather in name of peace, justice and that God's acceptance and love is for all! Those of you part of Sunday worship services please announce, we truly need to be in community.

Comments

[bjorker.livejournal.com]

Aww, craptastic. That's exactly the date and time that I work (and I only do that one day a week, at that). Otherwise I would be there in a heartbeat.

Thanks for passing it along though!

[solarbird]

Glad to do it, hopefully the events will go decently well.

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

I have two comments on that...

One, a seminar on love doesn't do a heck of a lot to actually combat the haters.

Two, what about folks who aren't religious atall, or whose religion doesn't fit even in the rather wide net the UU's tend to cast? (I know at least two people who fall into that category other than myself...) (They're assuming one does one's religion on Sunday; the vast majority of my flist does not... and not very many of them are atheist, either.)

The issue isn't about religion. Religion is a straw man. The issue is about hate, and the freedom to be oneself, of which religion is sometimes a large part, but cannot be the only part.

Then again, this is what UU's are good at, giving seminars. Better that than to simply wring one's hands, I suppose. And if even one or two people Get It, that can help.

"Spreading drive-by wisdom to the masses... one listener at a time." -- Dave Ross

[mathmuffin.livejournal.com]

Yes, one seminar on love will be barely noticed. The protest outside the convention center will have much more impact.

However, the seminar is not for the pro-gay movement. It is for us Christians. We Christians want to protect our fellow believers from the allure of a hate group. If the churches don't hold the seminar, the only message heard in the churches will be the Watchmen's words. The Watchmen on the Walls portray themselves as a decent pro-Israel pro-family Christian group. I have no idea how hateful the Watchmen really are, but the Holocaust revisionism of featured speaker Scott Lively reveals that their message is false. Despite the Unitarian Universalists not being fully into the Nicene Creed like most Christians, we mainline Christians respect them more than we respect some obscure pro-family anti-gay group.

Seminar? It's a truly inspiring film

[(Anonymous)]

Folks,

The event is on Sunday because it was the day we could get a venue.
It's at the Unitarian church because they offered it for free and are welcoming to EVERYONE, religious or not, Christian or not. I'm one of the organizers and I don't have a religious bone in my body.

Yes, there's a vigil at 3. Yes, we DO want the faith community there to show that the bigots don't speak for them. Everyone's welcome.

And last, the FILM is not a seminar, for Pete's sake. I challenge you to attend and see if you don't find it a worthy way of countering the hate. I'm glad there's a protest on Saturday and that the Watchmen will see that they are not welcome. But we ALSO need as much hope and affirmation within our community and visibility for the larger community as well. The "movable middle" need to understand that the bigotry is not just blind hate but it's fear directly in opposition to love. They are threatened by a loving and open society. Expressing and demonstrating a loving and open society is a great use of a couple of hours of our time.

If you want to read more about the film and how it's being used to counter hate and bring people together, go to www.inlawsandoutlawsfilm.com

Thanks!