Montana Tea Party Hosts “Hanging Of Fruits”?

Is it safe to be gay under the Big Sky?

Fuck no.

Innuendo, bullying and under-the radar criminalization of gay people just aren’t enough. Threats of violence and lynching seem to be the only way to deal with these uppity queers in Montana.

Tim Ravndal, (whose Facebook page lists the following information:
Tim Ravndal, Montana Constitutional Warriors, Montana Coordinator for the Second Amendment March, Montana Coordinator for the Tenth Amendment Center, Montana Coordinator for the National Nullification Center, Montana Tea Party Movement, Organizer
PO Box 287
Townsend Montana 59644
1-406-266-5212 or 1-439-5860
thornyacre@dishmail.net )
hosts a conversation on his Facebook page where he comments on an article by the Billings Gazette on the lawsuit by the Montana ACLU by seven same-sex couples, condones torture and hanging of “fruits” and makes explicit inference to Matthew Shepard’s murder.

Transcript:

Tim Ravndal: “Marriage is between a man and a woman period! By giving rights to those otherwise would be a violation of the constitution and my own rights”

Kieth Baker: “How dare you exercise your First Amendment Rights?”

Dennis Scranton: “I think fruits are decorative. Hang up where they can be seen and appreciated. Call Wyoming for display instructions.”

Tim Ravndal: “@Kieth, OOPS I forgot this aint(sic) America no more! @ Dennis, Where can I get that Wyoming printed instruction manual?”

Dennis Scranton: Should be able to get info Gazette archives. Maybe even an illustration. Go back a bit over ten years.”

But see for yourself:

(click screencap to enlarge)

Disgusting. I found it here.

And it’s not the only public homophobic comment by a Montanan lately. This one’s running for office.

MTCOWGIRL’s also on it….

Andy Towle’s take on the story here.

And this from Left In The West.

And, finally, excellent local media coverage.

Report The Hate

Jul27 by D Gregory Smith

Okay, I’m gonna ramp things up a bit.

The Southern Poverty Law Center has a history of standing with people and groups against hate, prejudice and bigotry. From their website:

The Southern Poverty Law Center is dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry, and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of our society. Using litigation, education and other forms of advocacy, we work toward the day when the ideals of equal justice and equal opportunity will be a reality.

We employ a three-pronged strategy to battle racial and social injustice:

We track the activities of hate groups and domestic terrorists across America, and we launch innovative lawsuits that seek to destroy networks of radical extremists.

We use the courts and other forms of advocacy to win systemic reforms on behalf of victims of bigotry and discrimination.
We provide educators with free resources that teach school children to reject hate, embrace diversity and respect differences.

They also have a portal for reporting hate incidents under their “Hate Map” of the United States- which is quite interesting, by the way. Just click here and then the button that says “Report a Hate Incident”.

I’m encouraging you to report the Montana GOP for their hateful platform plank:

We support the clear will of the people of Montana expressed by legislation to keep homosexual acts illegal.

You can also add any weblinks you think appropriate. I would humbly suggest you add this one.

Maybe we’ll get some appropriate attention to end this draconian bigotry. If not, I still have a few aces up my sleeve….

Why Montana Matters

Jul6 by D Gregory Smith

I’ve been getting some exposure over my post Montana Republicans Are Now Officially Homophobes and Bigots. Andrew Sullivan linked to my blog. Outrage was expressed on the Montana GOP’s Facebook page. Another Facebook page wants to “Tell MT Republicans to Remove Hate from their platform“. The Missoulian published my editorial. Several other media outlets picked up the story. I’ve been doing my best to keep the legs under this issue. Other people have been great at spreading the news.

It’s not enough.

People are asking me if I’ve lost my mind- “Why does this matter so much to you?” “Why can’t you let go?” Let me explain.

As long as that plank is in the Montana Republican platform, it sneers at all LGBT persons throughout the United States. As long as that plank exists, it allows bigotry and homophobia to claim official sanction. It encourages intolerance, hate and the violation of human rights. It promotes ignorance, both social and scientific. It takes a segment of human society and seeks to criminalize them because of their biology, their sexuality, their choice of self-expression. It creates confusion, shame and fear in the minds of children, parents, institutions and churches. It also creates attitudes of moral superiority and bullying, mocking that phrase “all men are created equal,” substituting Orwell’s “some are more equal than others”. In short, it’s in the best interests of every human being in this country to see that this plank is changed.

Why?

Because you never know who’ll be next.

Sure, Montana isn’t exactly the political mainstream- it isn’t mainstream at all, really. Sure, there aren’t a lot of LGBT persons here. Sure, there isn’t a lot of impact on the rest of you. But this is a STATE. One of Fifty. And along with Texas, it’s discriminating against a specific group of Americans. Where does the creeping stop? Will Wyoming jump on board? Is Idaho next? Utah? Nevada? Arizona? Alaska? Who knows?

Make fun of us if you want, but if you discount Montana and it’s impact on the United States of America, you misread history. Montana’s natural resources and people have nurtured this nation since Lewis and Clark pioneered the Missouri. This isn’t just the home state of Gary Cooper, Myrna Loy, Ivan Doig, Norman MacLean, Evel Knievel, Charlie Russell, Henry Plummer and Ted Kaczyinski. It’s the place that nurtured such prominent political and social figures as Mike Mansfield, Jeannette Rankin, Chet Huntley, Lester Thurow, Lee Metcalf, Jack Horner, David Lynch, Marc Racicot, etc. Political leaders have made this a place to see and be seen. Teddy Kennedy on a bucking bronc in Miles City, or candidate Obama marching in the Butte fourth of July Parade- in fact he was here twice- and returned as president.

It matters. Maybe not to you. Not yet.

But stopping this now will be a hell of a lot easier than later, when it’s YOUR bedroom they’re talking about.