Two Gay Teens Were Verbally Harassed at my Mall Today

[romantico]

I was at the mall yesterday and I saw two teenss,I'm guessing 17 maybe 18, holding hands and kissing. I live in a blue state (Connecticut)and thought it was sweet. I then heard some yells coming from above. I and the two teens were on the lower level of the mall and the yelling was coming from above on the second level.Anyway, I heard the word faggot and blowjob yelled. The two teens quickly stopped holding hands and looked terrified as they walked very quickly away. This all happened so fast. I looked up and saw some other teens laughing and shouting. I shook my head and went on my business.

All day I could not shake it. School is out all this week and the mall was filled with kids. I think what really got my attention was about a half an hour later at BORDER'S I saw two kids, a guy and a girl, kissing to the point where I was just disgusted. The guy was licking and the sounds were just too much. I was probably more sensitive considering what I had just seen a half an hour earlier.

As a bisexual man, I was really disturbed by this. I was disturbed that security didn;t try to stop those kids. Or the fact than no one there was phased by this at all. I am even more disgusted with myself that I didn;t do anything. I was deep in though on other matters and saw the mall was busy and just wanted to finish what I was there for and leave and avoid the rush.I should have tracked the boys down and given them a piece of my mind or at the very least approach the two teens and ask if they were okay. I just did,'t think fast enough.

Anyway, I needed to vent because its still fresh on my mind. Thnaks for listening!!!

[Midlodemocrat]

1. If you don't mind my asking, which mall?

Some of the malls in the valley are not quite as blue as other areas.

And, I'm sorry you had to see that and even sorrier that those children had to go through that. How awful.

[Janice325]

2. As a lesbian, I hate blatant displays of heterosexuality, that is, serious

making out in inappropriate public places. (Please don't flame me, as I get pissed off at gays doing the same thing). Holding hands or a quick peck doesn't bother me, anything much more, please go get a motel room.
If you had said anything to the heterosexual couple, romantico, they probably would have been pissed off at you and considered that harassment on your part.
We live in a very strange, scary world now. Fucking Dimson certainly isn't helping any. :cry:

[DemKR]

3. Blue/red is irrelevant

Homophobia happens everywhere from New York City to Provo, Utah. Aside from the fact that all kids can be really cruel, if you saw a security officer not doing anything, I would try to remember the time, place, and date that this happened and report it to management. What good is a security officer that doesn't do their job?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

4. security should have been called on the couple in Borders

I don't think that bookstore wants to become a makeout hangout--I'm hetero and would have gone straight to the management saying that it was not appropriate and that I wouldn't buy books in a store that allowed this.

[romantico]

5. This was at

The West Farms Mall. WHat really pisses me off is they were just holding hands and laughing. I think one of them gave the other a quick peck on the cheek. I smiled. I thought it was sweet and harmless and something we don't really see. Now I know why. Because some assholes are not compfrtable with it.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

12. Oh, what the gay couple did did not bother me in the least

what the hetero couple did in Borders DID bother me--it was out of line.

Unfortunately, the atmosphere of hate and intolerance, bolstered by rw talk radio and, sadly, some sermons, have emboldened the bigots.

[LostinVA]

14. Yup, me too, and as an ex-big box bookstore manager

I can tell you I would have asked them to stop. And, if they didn't, they would have been asked to leave.

[xchrom]

6. it's horrifying isn't it?

i have no problem with public displays of affection -- nothing about it bothers me.

but bigotry and sexism tolerated -- encouraged even beccause security DOESN'T show up and give them the boot.

it's just a nightmare if you ask me -- i mean it's 2007 fer christ's sake.

[Smarmie Doofus]

7. Note: they didn't yell "soddomites" or quote...

>>>I then heard some yells coming from above. I and the two teens were on the lower level of the mall and the yelling was coming from above on the second level.Anyway, I heard the word faggot and blowjob yelled.>>>>

... (selectively) passages from the Hebrew bible. We might conclude, then, that maybe 'religion' is not as involved in the majority's anitpathy toward homosexuality as we tend to assume.

What else is going on here?


A nasty business.... whatever the case.

[Tyo]

8. No. but ask them where their anti gay attitude came from

I'll bet even money that God comes up or that they reference the Bible even if they've never read it themselves.

Having religion-based prejudices doesn't mean that you have to go around sounding like a street preacher.

[mitchtv]

9. I would think it came from their parents

in conjunction, of course, with the parent's so called religious convictions

[romantico]

10. I wish I had confronted them

How I feel now I just would have made a scene. Yeah, I would have been out numbered but I would have made damn sure they thought twice about attempting such a hate rant next time they encountered two guys holding hands.

[Smarmie Doofus]

13. Interesting speculation... but *speculation* nonetheless.

>>>>I'll bet even money that God comes up or that they reference the Bible even if they've never read it themselves.

Having religion-based prejudices doesn't mean that you have to go around sounding like a street preacher.>>>>


I came across the following yesterday in a book I'm reading (Constantine's Sword: The Church and the Jews, James Carroll).

He's writing about the *homogenization* of religious belief in Europe just before the Crusades.( BTW, GLBT historians will tell you that's when Europe also had a big spike in anti-gay sentiment):

"And such was the tenor of the time, that insider feelings could never be more intensely enjoyed than when attacking those who do not belong."

So what comes first... the chicken or the egg? Is it the *religion* per se ( Remember,they may have never *read* the bible, much less been influenced by it.)

Or is it the desire to *belong*, to belong to a powerful, superior majority ( in the period Carroll was talking about, the Church; in our time,the heterosexual majority) that underlies the scapegoating behavior.

They may say it has something to do with religion. But we agree that they probably don't even know what the religious issue is. You put too much stock in what they 'say'. These are people who shout "faggot" and "blow-job" at innocent people at the mall.

Do they sound like the kind of people who could or would accurately represent their motivations?

[OregonBi]

11. This happens all to often

Unfortunately this remains to this day - the bigotry of the fundie heterosexuals. Can they be that much different because of their genetic makeup that I?

That is true bigotry when two people in this nation cannot openly love each other for what they are and not be harassed or beat to death because of it.
Does your state allow a concealed carry firearms permit?
Mine does and there are hundreds of us that make use of it every time we are out in public.

How sad we as a society have become when we have to arm ourselves to protect us from fundie bigots while out in public.

I would have alerted the mall security to the harasser's behavior in a hurry!

[Scooter24]

15. Wow...sorry you had to witness that

:( But it's all too common. It even happend once to me. I was in the mall shopping with my boyfriend and a few straight girl friends for a birthday gift for my brother, and we were holding hands. As we were walking, we heard a group of 3 boys yelling "fag!" and laughing. Our schools have open campus so at lunch there are always a lot of kids at the mall. So anyways, we stopped, I looked at them, they made a motion of something like "what? you want a fight?" and I smiled. Took my boyfriend a little closer to them, and then gave him one hell of a kiss right in front of them to the applause of several bystanders. We were very close to a fight I'm sure, but as we were walking away, we heard a man mention something about calling the school if they were to start trouble. I didn't even look back, but I'm sure they were pissed :)

[Divine Discontent]

16. you go scooter! way to be the bigger person :) n/t