This story is about me, I was the victim of discrimination in Columbia Tennessee, Please help me out anyway you can, I need to fight this on principle alone. Please repost this on your blog and lets get this all the way across tribe. If you are able to help me out with legal advice or whatever else please do so.
Hello guys and gals,
I am writing this letter to everyone I know to remind you all that racism and prejudice still exist in our country, let me tell a story. AS most of you know now I live in a small town in the South and have since September, as we all know the South is still very much behind the times as far as being liberal and open to anything other than white church going people, if you are Gay, Black, Hispanic, Middle Eastern you more or less are not welcomed into the community and for the most part treated like crap. I never really realized how rampant it still is. Here is my story. Last night March 24th against my better judgment I went to a local establishment with two other friends, and my sister, apprehensive to go I went anyway, as soon as we went in, we were started down by most people in the bar. As we retrieved a drink, Jeff my friend, and Brian and myself found a nice little corner to chat and talk along with my sister. Brian was our Designated Driver for the evening, so he was drinking coke. We stayed about 1 1/2 hours and then it started, about 10 police officers came into the bar, some stood on the other side watching us and others and two circled our table and stood there for roughly 20-30 mins while, the three of us chatted and talked, my sister was out mingling and dancing so the three of us gay men kept to ourselves, we were, not loud, offensive, or causing any trouble. I believe the Police were earring into our conversation and really feel they were told to watch us and find a reason to get us out. After a while the police officer a good OLE southern boy, leaned over and said you three have to leave, shocked and wondering why we asked and he stated we were publicly intoxicated...OK wait hold on a minute what's wrong with this picture, three men, quite, minding there own business in a BAR having a few drinks uh..isn't that what you do at a bar?? Meanwhile other people in there were running around, Loud, obnoxious and causing a scene were allowed to run freely around and nothing was done. As the officer asked us to leave we of course did not resist and rounded up my sister and began to walk out of the bar, again we asked why we were being asked to leave and told again we were intoxicated. OK wait our friend who was arrested was drinking coke and our DD, as we went out the door 6 officers followed and arrested my friend FOR NO REASON none at all, we were confused on why he was being arrested and I KNOW it was because we were gay, and my friend with no offense to him was the most obviously one, he lives in San Francisco so needless to say not used to this type of treatment, nor am I having always lived in liberal cities. The cuffs went on so fast you would have been as confused as I was.
One thing they failed and did not due was a sobriety test, does anyone wonder how you can get arrested for being intoxicated but yet there is no proof he was drinking? And had they done a sobriety test would have realized then there was no cause for the arrest and they would be arresting him for exercising his right to free speech, and to being openly gay. They would have had to let him go had they done a sobriety test. DOES THIS PISS ANYONE ELSE OFF?? After he was arrested the police who sat back and watched and innocent man get arrested asked US why was your friend arrested we didn't see him do anything?? UH hello anybody home what's wrong with this picture?? Of course they could have cared less since apparently it is standard Practice in Tennessee to arrest people for being gay, and speaking there mind. OK fine we were asked to leave but wouldn't anyone know else want to know why. OK the point of the matter as I was talking to a friend is yes they have the right to refuse service, but only because we were gay and not wanted there fine we were leaving but we didn't have time to leave before he was arrested. So now I begin a long battle, I will be an activist on this matter, I now understand racial profiling to a T. and it is sad that it took something like this to make me get involved, and take charge of a country that I live in. I think it's time that America wake up and realize that as a gay CULTURE we contribute more to this country then most people realize, it's time to people realize this, and help stop hate and bigotry, racial issues, cultural issues and the like. To all my friends regardless of your beliefs think of this as happening to you, I had become complacent thinking this attitude no longer existed, dead wrong it does and this is something I am going to start devoting a lot of time to now, how can we say we live in a land of the free and home of the brave if we really can't be free or brave for fear of repercussions.
Please Please I am asking all of you to Forward this to as many people as you can, for my friends sake, mine and yours.
I have contacted the ACLU already and will pursue this with a passion, it is the principle of the matter, people before me made the way for us to be free and open and now we actually have gay channels and are allowed to go to our own events and the like, but more needs to be done, I suspect his happens more than anyone knows.
Please send me you comments and send this to as many people as you can because it is just plain wrong and something needs to be addressed and people stop being so complacent it does still exist and needs to be wiped out, we should all have the same rights, regardless of our beliefs.
Hello guys and gals,
I am writing this letter to everyone I know to remind you all that racism and prejudice still exist in our country, let me tell a story. AS most of you know now I live in a small town in the South and have since September, as we all know the South is still very much behind the times as far as being liberal and open to anything other than white church going people, if you are Gay, Black, Hispanic, Middle Eastern you more or less are not welcomed into the community and for the most part treated like crap. I never really realized how rampant it still is. Here is my story. Last night March 24th against my better judgment I went to a local establishment with two other friends, and my sister, apprehensive to go I went anyway, as soon as we went in, we were started down by most people in the bar. As we retrieved a drink, Jeff my friend, and Brian and myself found a nice little corner to chat and talk along with my sister. Brian was our Designated Driver for the evening, so he was drinking coke. We stayed about 1 1/2 hours and then it started, about 10 police officers came into the bar, some stood on the other side watching us and others and two circled our table and stood there for roughly 20-30 mins while, the three of us chatted and talked, my sister was out mingling and dancing so the three of us gay men kept to ourselves, we were, not loud, offensive, or causing any trouble. I believe the Police were earring into our conversation and really feel they were told to watch us and find a reason to get us out. After a while the police officer a good OLE southern boy, leaned over and said you three have to leave, shocked and wondering why we asked and he stated we were publicly intoxicated...OK wait hold on a minute what's wrong with this picture, three men, quite, minding there own business in a BAR having a few drinks uh..isn't that what you do at a bar?? Meanwhile other people in there were running around, Loud, obnoxious and causing a scene were allowed to run freely around and nothing was done. As the officer asked us to leave we of course did not resist and rounded up my sister and began to walk out of the bar, again we asked why we were being asked to leave and told again we were intoxicated. OK wait our friend who was arrested was drinking coke and our DD, as we went out the door 6 officers followed and arrested my friend FOR NO REASON none at all, we were confused on why he was being arrested and I KNOW it was because we were gay, and my friend with no offense to him was the most obviously one, he lives in San Francisco so needless to say not used to this type of treatment, nor am I having always lived in liberal cities. The cuffs went on so fast you would have been as confused as I was.
One thing they failed and did not due was a sobriety test, does anyone wonder how you can get arrested for being intoxicated but yet there is no proof he was drinking? And had they done a sobriety test would have realized then there was no cause for the arrest and they would be arresting him for exercising his right to free speech, and to being openly gay. They would have had to let him go had they done a sobriety test. DOES THIS PISS ANYONE ELSE OFF?? After he was arrested the police who sat back and watched and innocent man get arrested asked US why was your friend arrested we didn't see him do anything?? UH hello anybody home what's wrong with this picture?? Of course they could have cared less since apparently it is standard Practice in Tennessee to arrest people for being gay, and speaking there mind. OK fine we were asked to leave but wouldn't anyone know else want to know why. OK the point of the matter as I was talking to a friend is yes they have the right to refuse service, but only because we were gay and not wanted there fine we were leaving but we didn't have time to leave before he was arrested. So now I begin a long battle, I will be an activist on this matter, I now understand racial profiling to a T. and it is sad that it took something like this to make me get involved, and take charge of a country that I live in. I think it's time that America wake up and realize that as a gay CULTURE we contribute more to this country then most people realize, it's time to people realize this, and help stop hate and bigotry, racial issues, cultural issues and the like. To all my friends regardless of your beliefs think of this as happening to you, I had become complacent thinking this attitude no longer existed, dead wrong it does and this is something I am going to start devoting a lot of time to now, how can we say we live in a land of the free and home of the brave if we really can't be free or brave for fear of repercussions.
Please Please I am asking all of you to Forward this to as many people as you can, for my friends sake, mine and yours.
I have contacted the ACLU already and will pursue this with a passion, it is the principle of the matter, people before me made the way for us to be free and open and now we actually have gay channels and are allowed to go to our own events and the like, but more needs to be done, I suspect his happens more than anyone knows.
Please send me you comments and send this to as many people as you can because it is just plain wrong and something needs to be addressed and people stop being so complacent it does still exist and needs to be wiped out, we should all have the same rights, regardless of our beliefs.
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Tampa Bay Area
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