You’re right, Tim. On Saturday’s protest everyone was trying to be on their best behavior and so no one was getting into it with those who were for Prop 8 and carrying the religious hate signs.

I meant if a group like that popped up in West Hollywood on a Friday night, especially now, things would get ugly.

I dunno, If the JHOP types had made an appearance in NYC’s West Village, I’m pretty sure they would just have been ignored, like so many other kooks you find on the streets of manhattan. My experience is that most New Yorkers are prone to just ignore potential trouble makers unless that trouble gets in their face, at which point said trouble makers would have maybe one opportunity to avoid a look that would kill.

Any physical contact coming from thumpers like these is rare, and they immediately start to play “victims” unless they are crazy, at which point somebody is gonna get hurt. Any gay person attacked in the Village will immediately be assisted by other gay people, so you don’t see too many activists spoiling for a fight down there anyway.

Of course, your mileage may vary in the outer boroughs.

http://hetnorm.com/2008/11/18/lou-engle/

If that religious group did that in West Hollywood, I think they would have been beaten up badly.

That’s not very likely. SoCal gay politics are VERY different from SF. They would likely have been argued with by very sincere people quoting Scripture. If that didn’t help, they’d be surrounded by gays who would direct others away from them.

For example, at the protest on Saturday there were five counter protesters with big hate signs. In front of them were 8 to 10 gay people telling those who came up, “Don’t confront them, don’t argue with them, don’t give them attention.”

No one did.

I figure David’s got it right.

I don’t blame them in the Castro for kicking that group out of the neighborhood. According to the news story on KTVU, those religious folks were there every week trying to convert gay to straight (isn’t it ironic that the argument used to be that gays were the ones trying to recruit and convert straights?).

So although it might not have helped our cause and gave their side ammo, I must say that I can’t blame the people who ran them out. In fact, I’m quite proud of them.

If that religious group did that in West Hollywood, I think they would have been beaten up badly.

Well, for starters they are led by the son of Lou Engle, a charismatic Fundamentalist of the Dominionist variety. He believes himself to be a “prophet”.

JHOP is a franchise and is also associated with “The Call”, which put on that underattended rally in San Diego. They focus heavily on recruiting young, “hipsters” into their cult.

According to Right-Wing Watch:

Engle is an unabashed “dominionist” – someone who thinks the church, under the leadership of modern-day apostles like him, should rule over government and other institutions of society. He thinks of himself as a John the Baptist who badgers Christian teens to adopt a radical lifestyle of fasting and prayer that will bring God’s intercession against gays, liberal judges, and the like. And his style – screaming at the top of his lungs and rapidly rocking back and forth – is a sharp contrast with Dobson’s polished media-star demeanor.

A new report by People For the American Way Foundation documents some of his other charms, which include:

praying for God to “terrorize” judges until they fall like stars from the sky

believing that the appearance of the goddess Minerva on California’s state seal is a sign of demonic domination over the state by the “Jezebel spirit”

suggesting that marriage equality is Satanic and legal abortion spells America’s doom

More on Engle, JHOP and the folks chased out of the Castro here:

http://www.rightwingwatch.org/category/individuals/lou-engle