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When Mary Hawk took her 5-year-old son to Kennywood earlier this month, she expected to be shaken up. She just thought it would happen on a roller coaster, not during the stage show.
She was watching a production called “Pirates of Kenny Cove” on Fri., May 11, a show that included material Hawk felt was homophobic.
One scene depicts a crew member in need of CPR, but all members on the pirate ship are reluctant to perform the procedure. Finally, a crew member with a limp wrist and a lisp comes on the scene and proclaims, “I’ll do it, sweetie.” His actions are quickly reprimanded by the master of ceremonies, who says, “We’ll have none of that here,” and the play continues.
Hawk was disturbed.
“As a parent I look to talk to my children about diversity, but they still pick up from the general public that being gay is not all right,” she said. “You think you can parent them out of social stigmas, but experiences like this challenge the values I’m trying to impress on them.”
Hawk filed a complaint with Kennywood on May 14. She called again the following Wednesday and got a response two days later from Kennywood general manager Jerome Gibas.
“He told me that I was the only one who expressed concern over the content and that he didn’t think it was offensive,” she said. “At that time he told me they weren’t going to remove the content.”
She refused to give up, however. She e-mailed 25 friends and co-workers the same day Gibas called her. She asked them to pass around her story and to pressure Kennywood to remove the offensive dialogue.
Hawk’s e-mail circulated so quickly, she says, that a friend later told her she received it from eight different people in a matter of hours.
“Lots of other people were doing the same thing I was, sending it out to their friends and coworkers and anyone who’d listen,” Hawk says. “Many of my friends told me they’d contacted Kennywood — gay and straight, old and young.”
Gibas called Hawk 24 hours later and told her the content was removed.
“Ultimately, he did the right thing,” she said. “The fact that it was removed so quickly shows the ability of people on both sides to get the right thing done.”
Ehrrin Keenan was one of the friends who received Hawk’s e-mail.
“It’s this everyday homophobia that creates the environment that allows for discrimination and hate and violence to exist and go unchecked in our society,” she said.
Mary Lou Rosemeyer, a spokeswoman for Kennywood, said the park received a “very, very low number of complaints.” She remarked that more people called to complain that Kennywood was closed on Mother’s Day.
“People’s view of what is offensive is very different, and some people don’t pick up on things others do,” she said. “No one here was sensitive enough to pick up on it, but we responded and it was an easy thing to change.”
Hawk and Keenan are happy that e-mail recipients responded so quickly.
“As Pittsburghers, we love Kennywood,” Keenan said. “We have memories of it as a wonderful place, too. And, we just want them to be true to their mission of being a fun place for everyone.”
This article appears in May 31 – Jun 6, 2007.
Mary Hawk……Thank you!
way to ruin kennywood forever.. mary
I was one of the ‘very few people’ that emailed Mr. Gibas regarding the homophobic content. It makes me very happy to know that you truely can make a difference in the world, however small it may be. I thank everyone else involved for thier time and patience and for not backing down on something they believe in.
Way to go Mary…
It never ceases to amaze me how backward segments of Pittsburgh can be (i.e. Tyler Tyler)…If making Kennywood a more well-rounded and politically-correct environment for all “ruins it forever” and, the writer doesn’t patronize the park any more – that will make it all the better for me, my SUPER sister-in-law and her family. That way there will be one less guest at the park to expose us to their underlying homophobia. Sadly, I – and others like me – have given up on “changing” Pittsburgh for the better…it was easier to contribute to the brain and cultural-drain of the region by simply moving to a major metro (I suggest you research cities attempting to draw a “creative class” to them and you will inherently see a mention of GLBT populations as amongst the “most wanted” to rehabilitate stalling economies). Granted, in major metros, we deal with an inflated cost of living and congestion…but, also enjoy the freedom of knowing we have less of the challenges caused by daily subversive ignorance and discrimination in housing, employment and general every day living (like a Dive Show at a local amusement park).
Just to play Devil’s Advocate here, would you have started an e-mail campaign if they’d mocked Christian values? What if it had a “men are dumb” joke? What if it had been a black comedian telling another “white folks can’t dance” joke? Just how thin skinned do you expect folks to be? What ever happened to “being able to take a joke”? Where is the P.C. line drawn?
Now, please DO NOT take my devil’s advocacy here as a sign that I agree with the content of the play, or that I disagree with you that it was the right thing to do to have it removed. It’s a purely academic curiousity on my part. I’ll be sure to ask the two gay men in my D&D group of their opinions on this subject as well.
Tim from DC,
You’re a complete moron. What happened at Kennywood was unquestionably wrong, BUT IT COULD HAVE HAPPENED ANYWHERE…YES…ANYWHERE. It has nothing whatsoever to do with Pittsburgh. I lived in the unofficial gay capital of the U.S. (West Hollywood, CA) and I saw homophobic incidents even there. It happens EVERYWHERE.
But I want to Thank You for taking your narrow-minded, anti-Pittsburgh, sweeping generalizations out of town! Now can you please stop polluting our message boards?
Johnny Positive:
I, too, have experienced homophobia here in DC…but, never witnessed it written into scripts for public performance!
PS. When did the “unofficial gay capital of the U.S.” migrate from San Fran to West Hollywood?
Just to answer the “Devil’s Advocate”… I ask, why do you have to make fun of others to entertain? If a writer is That lazy and talentless that they are unable to think of humorous content that doesn’t rely on stereotypes and childish name calling, then the writer should reconsider their career choice. Plain and simple. Humor is to make people laugh. Do that without degrading or promoting stereotypes and you have your answer, and MUCH Better entertainment!
I agree with Tim.
It COULD happen anywhere (JP) but growing up there I found it to have a homophobic attitude.
Maybe cause its population is older?
PittRepub, I have to agree with AmericanSocrates that humor that hurts groups of people is cheap and shows lack of talent.
In answer to your quetion…certainly we all have issues that push our buttons, and the comments in the Pirates show pushed mine. I probably would not have called the park if there had been “men are dumb” or anti-Christian humor, but not because I think that is any funnier — I don’t. However, I believe that when you belong to a majority population, (white, male, middle class, Christian, etc.) it’s easier to speak out against that which you find inappropriate, and certainly much easier to find acceptance around whatever ticks you off. In the article, Kennywood management pretty much said that’s why the anti-gay humor was thought to be acceptable, and why I’m willing to bet anti-Christian content will never appear in the show.
Finally, please ask all of the people in your D&D group what they think, not just the gay guys…don’t assume this issue only matters to those who are gay. I happen to be straight myself, and you know where I stand.
Mary, PLEASE! What are you teaching your children about diversity, tolerence and compromise? If something is distasteful to you, it is not necessarily distasteful to others. By getting all of your friends to browbeat the staff at Kennywood, all you taught your child was to do whatever it takes to GET WHAT YOU WAMT!
I find your “crusade” ridiculous, selfish, and a perfect example of the hypocritic “liberal” facade of the type of people who are ruining disciplined society. Take your child to Idewild next time, unless Storybook forest is too risque for you.
AmericanSocrates, I never said anyone HAD to make fun of someone for humor, but I do see plenty of comedians on cable doing fat jokes, Bush is a dumb redneck jokes, blondes are sluts jokes, etc, that it does not appear to be going away any time soon. Stereotypes do exist for a reason. Take for example the character of Jack on Will & Grace. While I’m not a stereotypical Republican i.e. the Pat Robinson Fundamentalist Christian crowd, I’ve met plenty of Republicans who are. (I’m more of an economic/Constitionalist type.) I’ve also met the stereotypical short hair cut flannel wearing dyke, the limp wristed lispy gayman, the overly perky aerobics instructor, the over zealous body builder who works out umpteen hours a day, the smelly hippie who doesn’t believe in deodorant, the Yellow Dog Democrat (a phrase that comes from the fact that they’d rather vote for a Yellow Dog than a Republican and has nothing to do with bravery and which yes, I have had to explain several times), the born-again preachy Christian passing out Jack Chick tracts, etc, etc. My point is, stereotypes exist for a reason. There are a lot of folks out who are like that, and it’s neither a good nor a bad thing. So now, rather than one of the sailors being gay (even if he is a stereotype), we now have a completely straight show at Kennywood. Are you completely sure that’s better? Maybe what should have been removed as the announcer’s “we’ll have none of that here” comment, and the sailor in need of mouth to mouth could have turned out to be gay too? Wouldn’t that be more diverse? What happened to the Great American Melting Pot?
mhawk, obviously it was pretty easy for the minority to speak out in this case. It took what, a couple of e-mails and a few phone calls, and a day to get the show changed? Frankly, with the internet, the minority gets to speak out pretty darn loudly (and that’s a good thing, yay First Amendment!). Did you think to ask the actors if any of them are gay and if they were offended by the humor? Why wouldn’t a few words to the child that being gay isn’t a bad thing, it’s a personal choice, and isn’t wonderful to see gays being represented in the show? But now, thanks to a knee jerk reaction by (probable) liberal, we’re gay free in the Kennywood shows. I have to go back wouldn’t it have been better to have the sick sailor turn out to be gay too and to show it as normal rather than removing all mention of gayness from the show?
Wouldn’t that teach tolerance better? I don’t have to promote the gay lifestyle to tolerate it anymore than I have to promote the born again Christian lifestyle to tolerate them.
I don’t sign in often on the weekends, but I’m looking forward to the civil responses (like Socarate’s and mhawk’s) and dialog on Monday.
PittRepublican… I think we may agree. It isn’t the stereotypes themselves that are necessarily the problem, because the parody humor lies in the rediculousness of it. It is the NEGATIVE portrayal of others that is the real issue here. And like you said, if the Captain turned out to be gay and instead of using the weak “We’ll have none of that here!” Line, then you would have an even funnier skit and at the same time CELEBRATE the fact that Humans are all unique and great in their own way.
America is great because of the dynamic environment created in our diversity, our free market economy, and our freedom to express ideas in an open forum. When only ONE person has the loudspeaker such as during this skit, then others have to speak up and be heard like Mary Hawk did so we can improve on the messages and ideas that are being broadcast.
So one person was offended out of how many who have seen the show and they decide to remove it…great. I have not seen the show and cannot comment on it, but if only 1 person contacted Kennywood to complain, then it couldn’t have been that bad/noticeable. So she got 25 of her friends who didn’t see the show to write in as well. I am sure they didn’t go out to Kennywood to see if it offended them at all, but instead took their friend’s word for it. It would be nice if people weren’t seals and actually had a mind of their own.
Knuppster: I don’t need to see the discrimination (or oppression – if that word makes you more comfortable) to know it for what it is.
The same way I don’t need to be hit by a bat to know it hurts.
It’s nice to see that Kennywood was sensitive enough to take action. The quantity of complaints is irrelevant. When you’re selling quality family entertainment, you should question the impact of your material. Intolerance in any form has no place in our media, especially not that created for children.
I would also like to comment that the use of this quote boggles my mind: “She remarked that more people called to complain that Kennywood was closed on Mother’s Day.” What’s your point? Everybody has a mother. Not everybody is gay.
ActionJackson…all I am saying is that one person out of how many was offended and for that reason they changed it. I don’t condone discrimination, but seriously when hundreds or thousands of people see the show and don’t say anything, but one person does, you should not change your product just because of the one person. I get sick and tired of reading about people (businesses and govt.) bending over backwards for such a small portion of the population. I would understand if it was blatantly offensive, but in this case nobody else seemed to even notice the homophobia that was occurring in the show.
Knuppster: AND, with that one commentary you have just touched upon what I see to be the demise of society – a total lack of concern for anyone else’s sensitivities, feelings – or concerns. Me, Me, Me…I…I…I! “Mary” doesn’t even fit into the category being disparaged…and, she was thoughtful enough to look out for another group (and their feelings) to do something about it. G-O-N-E are the days of common courtesy, compassion or thoughtfulness. Look around you – people are SHOCKED when someone is nice – it was once the other way around.
In your case it sounds like you see ‘inclusiveness’ as pandering! Which it clearly is not.
AJ…..Dude if we change something every time one person was upset we wouldn’t have anything to enjoy. I am all for people having a right to voice their opinion, but the super minority should never set the agenda for the majority. If enough people were offended, fine then get rid of it. Like I said I haven’t seen it, so I cannot comment on the specifics of the skit. If only ONE person complains, then that person should buck up and deal with it.
Kudos, Mary & company for standing up for change. It’s not okay to make fun of people and can be hard to be the one(s) to say that. My family & I are more inclined to visit Kennywood this summer knowing that they have removed that mean content. If they hadn’t, I can definitely say that we would have never returned. Thanks a million to you all!!!
Change has to start somewhere; sometimes with one person. Mary was brave enough to stand and point out the derogatory content. I can’t imagine changing this one aspect of a show would ruin or detract from anyone’s enjoyment of the show or the rest of the park for that matter. And, just because Mary was the only one who called in a complaint, doesn’t equate to Mary being the only one who was offended…
Well done Mary Hawk and Friends! Little things like the underline message in this play) do make a difference.
There was evidence at a trial here in the UK that small messages accepting homophobia, like the one in this show, are linked to homophobic violence. The Bomber who set off a nail bombs in London in Brick Lane in East London, Brixton in South London and in the Admiral Duncan Pub in Soho killing several people and injuring many, was a member of a far right group who hated people from the black, asian, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersexed communities. At his trial it was evident that he had growen up in a culture very close to that of many white middle class young men, he had followed the undertone of these messeges to an appauling conclusion.
I applaude you Mary Hawk and your friends for not sitting on the fence and accepting this as just another joke at the expence of the LGBTI community, like I applaude anyone who highlights homophobic and any intolerant undertone in the media which includes the entertainment media.
I see a few statements with different versions of “Gone are the days”. Are you serious? Can you please go back and watch some TV from the black and white days? African americans and women seemed to be the target of many stereotype jokes. The “N” word had it’s place in comedy on somewhat family shows. If those where the good days than this is one more step to leaving them behind us.
i think it’s sad that even at kennywood people can’t take a joke. the whole political correctness thing is pretty much a slap in the face to freedom of speech. It’s a shame we are teaching our children to be offended rather than having a sense of humor about life, no wonder there are so many angry and unhappy people in the world today.
Mary-
You’re my hero! Thanks for standing up for what you believe in, and for making people see that it’s NOT okay to push their homophobic agendas on anyone. The fact that Kennywood even
“okay’d” that scene in the first place says a lot about the small-minded people working there. I’m glad they removed it even if they claim only a “small number of people were offended”.
You ROCK Mary Hawk!!!!
K. Cook
Robinson Twp.
For all of you who are applauding this trampling of the First Amendment (which has NO guarantee that you shouldn’t be offended by things other people say), I offer this counter scenario which would have resulted in the same outcome.
A church group goes to Kennywood, sees the same Pirate play, and then all of its members call Kennywood and protest the gay character because Kennywood is supposed to offer a family friendly atmosphere and that gay character offends their Christian values.
How soon would you have been calling Kennywood to demand that the gay character been put back into the play?
The result is the same, namely a Kennywood play with no gay characters. Back to being an invisible, unseen minority for you BGLTS!
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
Nope, nothing at all in there about getting to live a life free of hearing things that offend you.
I’m sorry Mary, but upon thorough contemplation of the situation, you’ve done a grave harm to the First Amendment rights of everyone. You are not entitled to never hearing anything offensive.
PittRepublican: You are right…better the character be in the show – stereotyped and ridiculed – presenting that message to the masses versus invisible. The LGBT community suffering their form of black-face is clearly a better option than ANYONE taking any type of action. As far as your “Now, please DO NOT take my devil’s advocacy here…” clearly you’ll want to drop-off your powdered wig for dusting prior to debating whether any advancements in race, gender, ehtnicity, religious beliefs or sexual-orientation have taken place since the days when the First Amendment was written into the Constitution by the all white founding fathers.
I agree with Janice in the letter to the editor section of this weeks CP. Her comments were right on target. A mother’s opinion is so relevant to this issue. I hope Mary posts both her article and Janice’s letter to the editor side by side on her fridge. So Mary’s child can see that mommy made a mistake and let that be a lesson to the family. I think because Kennywood was so swayed by one persons opinion somebody should call them and suggest they put the lines back in the skit.
Friggin’ Idiots:
If something is OFFENSIVE to someone are you really going to tell them to ignore it and NOT be offended by it? The people who took a stand in their beliefs and did what they thought was right should be commended for actually taking ACTION and not bitching on some comment board about it! Was that part of the show was SO funny that it ruins your Kennywood experience now that it’s gone? If so, may I suggest you jump off one of our many bridges or get over it!
Captain Morgan, It sound to me like you have something stuck up your butt? Why do you have to resort to name calling and offering ways or us to kill ourslves? I’m not saying Mary should’nt have complained. She did,great she got her responce from Kennywood. One of the main problems comes in when she was the only one to complain and retold the story to her “Friends” who blindly took it on themselves to complain about something they DID not see with their own eyes.
Well the paper confirmed that she didn’t make up this scenario and that it was in fact in the show. I don’t need to see the scene to know it’s homophobic, can you tell me why it is? Here is why it was for me, not because of the stereotyping of a limp wrist and lisp, but because he offered to put his mouth on a another man’s and the announcer said “now now, we’ll have none of that here”. There is nothing wrong with two men kissing, but this wasn’t even that. It was supposed to be CPR! If Kennywood is so family friendly that they cannot have such a thing, don’t put it in the show at all! Which, now taken care of. Kudos.
Homosexual behavior is morally wrong and a sin against our God and Savior Jesus Christ. Children should not be exposed to any reference of homosexual activity and God fearing parents should teach children tolerance yes, but also that homosexual activity is a SIN! But Jesus allows the sinners to repent.
THE ENTIRE PITTSBURGH REGION IS MADE UP OF CLOSED-MINDED BULLIES.
having been the victim of snide remarks and anti-gay attitudes during my youth, i am never one to keep quiet about harassment and discrimination when it happens. in fact, i have a whole website devoted to this kind of bullying – it’s called anti-gay.com, but this letter isn’t about that. you see, everywhere i go in pittsburgh, bigotry and bullying happens – it is for this reason that i want to bring pittsburgh into the limelight as a most intolerant town of bullies.
exhibit A: when i was walking to my car from giant eagle grocery, i was sure that i saw (out of the corner of my eye) a man making a circle by pressing the tip of his thumb against the tip of his forefinger – then spitting through it and in my general direction. it is disgraceful that this is the attitude i get wherever i go. i am bullied wherever i go.
MY COMPAINING ABOUT BEING BULLIED DOES NOT MAKE ME ANY KIND OF A CRYBABY-WOMANWIMP OR A CRYBABY-GIRLIEWIMP. i’m simply a man who is voicing his complaints.
though cities and towns all may be environmentally-conscious and therefore “green” nowadays, there is still bigotry and bullying (and other OLD customs) which are running amok in any progressive town. one old custom that i am vehemently opposed to is a lack of diversity. there are three environmentally-conscious and therefore green “valley savings banks” that have banned me from their buildings after i sent them mail which expressed my outrage over their all-female staffs. there is a “valley pet store” which banned me because i refused to stop wearing the same tube-tops/short-shorts as i see females wearing everywhere i go. there is even an environmentally-conscious and therefore green “valley veterinary hospital” which once banned me as a client because i used sites like pissedconsumer.com and pghcitypaper.com to criticize their all-female staff as a mark of sexism. they bullied me through their lawyer, i was told that i was making defamatory statements by stating AN OPINION about their all-female staff being a mark of sexism. the lawyer sent me a bullying letter, in which he told me that i’d face legal action if i were ever to be near (or even speak of or write about) the place again. though i’ve learned that opinions and truthful statements are not considered defamation, and that a lawsuit on these grounds will fail, i will never (outwardly) refer to the place (or its location) by name.
now, regarding the intolerance shown by the “valley vet” and other “valley businesses” who’ve denied me, i will say that my not being well-known or famous should have no effect on how i’m treated. my name may not be as well-known as names like tim dalton (007) or hall linden (barney miller) – i may not be a star like tim o’brien, tin curry or hall wilkerson (from malcolm in the middle) – my name may not be as lucid as names like tim kris, tin burton – hall johnson (of the famous “negro music-drama”) or even the semi-famous hall scott. my name is not as famous as these names, but even no-names like me do not deserve the treatment i get from bigots in western pennsylvania. i don’t deserve it on a train, i don’t deserve it in the rain. whether or not i’m 68 years old, whether or not i’m having lunch in a subway sandwich shop, i deserve tolerance. all people deserve tolerance. that statement shouldn’t be anything new
brighton dark, that’s thecontrast when comparing westernpennsylvania to any other place i’ve lived in. bright on dark. i’ve never been treated so badly, and this is my complaint: i do not deserve the treatment i get. i am not a criminal and i am not a maureen (pardon me, a moron), what i am is a man studying gender most every day of my life (and asking myself why so many facebook photos portray the female gender as the shorter gender, much like the photo of a certain nick mcelhinny and his shorter female counterpart). i realize that i am a member of the taller/broader/stronger gender, and i DON’T deserve to be slighted or disrespected like i’m a member of the lesser gender who wants to compete like a man but who will not compete unless a “woman’s division” has been made to compensate for the lesser gender’s lesser heights/widths/strengths/appetites. i don’t require compensation for a competition because i am a man. i’m not a maureen and i should not be treated as one.
getting back on-topic, it DOESN’T MATTER that the types of people who slight me are mindless and robotic zombies who love to be getting on their knees and outright worshipping a football team with the words “ferris bueller, you’re my hero” (as if to suggest that they, themselves, are too lackluster to be their own superhero). this just DOESN’T MATTER – i am not complaining about ANY joiners who populate pittsburgh, whether they’d be 1) women who can’t budge a 100-pound barbell yet who compensate for their frail bodies by calling themselves “strong women,” 2) steelers fans who cherish a football team’s accomplishments to compensate for their own lackluster existences and/or accomplishments, or 3) homosexual “men” who lack the self-respect and dignity to regard themselves as their one and only man and who therefore rely on a “real man” to compensate for their lackluster masculine existences/identities). i’m not complaining about these people at all, i am complaining about BIGOTS who slight me for being who i am.
i am slighted for not being a pittsburgh steelers fan. actually, i am slighted for wearing a cleveland browns cap everywhere i go. now, it’s true that i am not a sports fan. it’s true that i wear my browns cap simply to make steelers fans feel psychologically raped (or violated – or whatever the cleveland browns do to the lackluster and paltry existences of pittsburgh steelers fans). in a way, i guess i could be asking to be slighted…but the simple fact that residents of pittsburgh are even capable of feeling raped or violated by the sight of anything that’s pro-cleveland, the simple fact that they feel a cause to slight somebody wearing a cleveland browns cap…well, that just points to the kind of losers who populate pittsburgh.
i apologize – i do not want this letter to bash the joiners of pittsburgh, i’m sure that they’re…hmn, nice people? i do not want to take issue with anything but the bigotry shown to me – the bigotry that is so reminiscent of the anti-gay bigotry i’d been exposed to as a young adult. pittsburgh is an anti-gay city because residents of pittsburgh are so apt to belittle anyone whose happiness and pleasure relates to the cleveland browns – and because…well, who is “anti-gay” if not anyone who is so apt to belittle anyone else whose pleasures may be not “mainstream” enough?
i realize that people in pittsburgh have had their hearts and minds changed by the “mainstream,” by the steelers-worshipping attitudes of pittsburgh residents. i will continue to support the browns, but someone close to me who has never watched football in 60+ years (and who’s always had more of an animosity rather than an interest) has become a steelers fan after years of being exposed to the steelers-praising, numb-sculled zombies of pittsburgh. this outwardly-inflicted change of mind which has been inflicted by steelers’ fans is anti-gay. i say this because, well, if one’s heart and mind can so easily be changed through communication, then how long is it going to be before bible-worshipping christians invoke the same kind of “talk therapy” to change the minds of gay people?
if one’s mind and interests can so easily be changed through communication, then how long is it going to be before bible-worshipping christians invoke the same kind of “talk therapy” to change the minds of gay people?
pittsburgh is a town with anti-gay tendencies, evidenced by a love of steelers’ football being inflicted by fans of the steelers and onto someone with absolutely no interest in football. the people of pittsburgh should be ashamed of themselves for being proud of altering peoples’ minds in this way. how long will it be before pittsburgh residents start trying to change the minds of masculivoids (that is, “men” who look for the man of their dreams in other men) – how long before pittsburgh residents start trying to change their own minds through talk-therapy? maybe they want to be rid of an addiction to smoking that they were BORN WITH, maybe gambling, maybe pornography. the bottom line is that if steelers fans continue to change the hearts and minds of non-steelers fans, it’s going to lead to more changes of hearts and minds…which, in turn, is going to compromise the entire “born this way” defense of smokers, gamblers, gays and other addicts who had no intention of changing anything about themselves even before they uttered those three words. the end of the “born this way” defense will, by the way, fuel the “ex-gay movement” and will lead to a proliferation of anti-gay attitudes and ideals.
also, the end of the “born this way” defense will be the fault of pittsburgh. if people learn that minds can be changed through total immersion in steelers-fanaticism, then minds will be changed in every conceivable way. the smoker will become a non-smoker despite his “genetic predisposition,” the (predisposed) slot-machine addict will not donate any more money to old people, the fabled “gay gene” will be overridden by the choices one makes, the shopoholic will refrain from shopping…and the “strong woman” who’s been indoctrinated into thinking that she’s simply a man with a womb, well, she’ll realize that she’s not just a wombman. she’ll realize that there is no B in woman because she is missing balls which provide testosterone, which is responsible for mens’ deeper voices and mens’ more powerful bodies, as well as mens’ body-hair (maybe females want men shaved because of a form of penis-envy known as testosterone-envy).
summing up, i REFUSE to be bullied because i wear a “cleveland browns” cap, i REFUSE to have my mind changed through communication (whether that communication is pro-steelers, pro-strongwoman or pro-gay), and i REFUSE to be exposed to bigots who bully. also, residents of pittsburgh MUST change their steelers-praising attitudes, or at least keep them out of the limelight, because i REFUSE to become a pro-gay and pro-steelers nitwit who’s void of any identity aside from the identity pushed upon him by the bigoted bullies who want everyone to think like them.
mr. dylan terreri, i
dr. sheldon cooper, ii
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“When I’m hungry, I eat. When I’m thirsty, I drink. When I feel like saying something, I say it.” – Madonna
http://www.jaggedlittledyl.com/essays