Peace Police

The 50-ish souls who gathered last Saturday to protest a panel discussion predisposed toward hate (“State Sanctioned,” June 5) made their point: that no one can just show up in the middle of the most progressive neighborhood in town, the Near Southside, and peddle questionable information, or misinformation, without pushback.

The discussion “Protect Kids” at the Fire Station Community Center was focused on “the impact of LGBT ideology, the social contagion of transgenderism, and the dangers of pornography,” as advertised on social media earlier in the week by hosts LUCA (Latinos United for Conservative Action) and co-hosts Tarrant County Citizens Defending Freedom and Texas Coalition for Children.

Kat Valentine, who’s been living on the Near Southside for the past 17 years and is a queer parent, said, “When we see things like this trying to move into the neighborhood, we try to make our presence known that it is a safe space here. We don’t want their misinformation and inflammatory remarks and hatred that they are trying to incite when [they say] a ‘contagion’ of transgenderism. I feel like I need to speak up and show that I’m a giving and accepting person.”

Several protestors wondered aloud why Mayor Mattie Parker and Fort Worth City Council allowed an anti-LGBTQ event into not only a public venue but the Near Southside in particular in the first place.

Ally Amy Ramsey thinks Mayor Parker made a “huge mistake,” and “the message that this is sending to the gay and trans community of Fort Worth brings a dangerous element to a really kind, loving, and inclusive community. As a cisgender straight woman, I love coming to this neighborhood because everyone feels welcome. These groups like LUCA come to the school board meetings and spew hate and ban books. They’re not based in inclusivity and kindness.”

The community center’s adjacent park accommodated various ages, genders, and colors, a ton of rainbow imagery, multiple slogans on placards, and some groovy sidewalk chalk art. “ ‘Y’all’ means ‘all’ ” was just about everywhere. Two cops guarded the doors to the community center.

“A bunch of us who are allies or in the LGBTQ neighborhood decided to have a Pride event to show how much this community supports everybody,” said neighbor Michele Massaro. “It wasn’t necessarily in response to what was going on inside because we didn’t want to confront them or make anything aggressive. We wanted them to see that we welcome everybody.”

This column reflects the opinions of the editorial board and not the Fort Worth Weekly. To submit a column, please email Editor Anthony Mariani at Anthony@FWWeekly.com. He will gently edit it for clarity and concision.

Read about how recent trends in cinema are promising for the LBGTQ community in our Screen article here.