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Pa. Tea Party Apologizes for Documentary Controversy



George Brown, president of the Potter County Tea Party, has issued a public apology for his protest of the acclaimed documentary Out in the Silence when it screened at a local library on its tour throughout Pennsylvania.

In an interview with The Advocate, Joe Wilson, codirector of Out in the Silence, explained the project’s mission: “The purpose of the whole tour was really to use this film to raise awareness and visibility about the lives of LGBT people in rural communities and small towns and help strengthen the ability of LGBT people in these communities to begin organizing for change.” The tour has so far covered over half of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties. Yet upon setting up shop in Coudersport, Pa., Wilson and Dean Hamer, his partner and codirector, met with controversy.

The film was set to be screened at the public library, Wilson explained, emphasizing, “just as any community group can do, or any citizen can use the public library for a program.” All was well until the duo received a call from the library director announcing that the event would have to be canceled. “She was receiving angry calls from local pastors for having scheduled a gay and lesbian program at the library. They were making threats that they were going to call for the library to be defunded,” Wilson said

An article that ran Monday on CoudyNews.com provides quotations both from Pete Tremblay, pastor of the Free Methodist Church and the Tea Party's Brown. Tremblay issued a request for people to “call the library ... and in a Christian manner inform them that this event is not a benefit to our community, and ask that it be canceled.” Brown took a different approach: “Should this agenda be continued, we may need to ask if the library should be defunded.”

The library's board of directors ultimately supported the film, saying they would not be threatened. The event was a success, Wilson reported: “It was the largest event in the library in a long time. We had a very supportive crowd from high school students all the way up to elderly people. There were conflicting viewpoints present during the discussion, though Hamer believes these were positive as well, as it made it clear how challenging it can be to be LGBT in that kind of environment.”

Brown issued an official apology for his actions Thursday, stating, “The Tea Party is not concerned with a gay movie, but I as a person was concerned with the library being the venue for the movie, and frankly that had little to do with our Tea Party mission either. In retrospect I should of used my personal email to voice my opinion.”

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Reader Comments
  • Name: Greg
    Date posted: 8/2/2010 1:41:35 PM
    Hometown: Providence RI

    Comment:

    @pepa: not sure yet about your overall philosophy... but if you have a boyfriend, he is a lucky guy. I'm starting to have sexual fantasies about you, you're kind of a gay comic book superhero.

  • Name: johann
    Date posted: 8/2/2010 12:07:51 PM
    Hometown: Orange County Ca

    Comment:

    We need the churches to be "defunded" as they say. Get rid of the tax exemptions.....let's make this a more level playing field.

  • Name: pepa
    Date posted: 8/1/2010 8:01:13 PM
    Hometown: surprise, az

    Comment:

    Lastly, "One thing happens to you and you'd be a sniveling piece of cowardly crap whining for help. Fucking idiot." -- Are you serious or are you talking out of experience? I think a coward would be somebody that will call 911 screaming for help instead of defending himself. However it is quite hilarious that you accuse me of being a coward but you want me to let the cops sort out my problems. LOL. And you call me an idiot? BTW a while back in the blue state of California my friend and I were being attacked by a couple of butt-heads outside a gay club, I ran to my truck to get a large chain I had and once I started swinging one of them ran like a little girl while I was able to choke the other one with my chain. I let him go and they both ran off. Since then those two punks have never been seen in that area again. Since you advocate for calling the cops instead I wondered what you would have done in that situation.

  • Name: pepa
    Date posted: 8/1/2010 7:49:32 PM
    Hometown: surprise, az

    Comment:

    4) "as a matter of fact, you'd never call the police or fire department, since that would emasculate you and make you dependent on big daddy government. You don't want the FDA protecting your food or drugs, and you don't want the EPA to protect your air or water." -- If somebody is bashing your head in I'm not sure how the 911 operator on the other end would stop the basher from hitting you some more. Police and fire arrive AFTER the fact. And to be blunt with you, I'm not sure why you want more police. Haven't you read articles on here how police raid gay bars and harass gay men in certain places and even trap them in sting operations. YET hate crimes continue to rise, and you want more of this. Don't get it. You want more FDA? The same FDA that tells hospitals not to use blood from gay men? How does that protect patients knowing full well you blood is tested anyway? Sorry but you have failed to convince me of your ability to think like an adult and it took "12 y.o" to tell you.

  • Name: pepa
    Date posted: 8/1/2010 7:41:18 PM
    Hometown: surprise, az

    Comment:

    2)"So you're saying that a business owner could put a sign out that says "No Coloreds" and that's perfectly OK with you?" -- Obviously not, but why should I stop him from being an idiot, much like how I don't stop people like yourself from posting incoherent dithers. You cannot stop somebody from hurting themselves. If the owner were to do that, I don't think it helps his business one bit. The majority of the businesses when the civil rights act was implemented were already integrated. It goes to show you that it wasn't government that advanced civil rights, it was, by in large, the private sector, with the government following behind clawing and bantering. 3)" What if they're the ONLY mechanic for 60 miles? What if they're the only doctor?" -- If they are the only ones in the 60 mile radius I don't understand why you think they would refuse money for doing business in such a slow area. They would be clamoring for business. I think the only person being irrational is you.

  • Name: pepa
    Date posted: 8/1/2010 7:31:23 PM
    Hometown: surprise, az

    Comment:

    "@pepa, are you like 12?" No because I tend to comment like an adult unlike you, since you are not able to come up with a coherent counter argument you retort to childish name-calling. YOU are the child. But nevertheless let us go point by point: 1)"You wrote, "also you have the right to do whatever you want on your property." Really? Where do you live, that you could rape or murder or kidnap or steal or defraud if it's on your property?" -- You have failed to recognize the concept of property rights which is what I was referring to, and since most murders, rapes, and thefts occur on the VICTIM'S PROPERTY the citizen has a right to defend his property and himself from aggression, whether by another citizen or even the government. Noticing how you lack any respect for property (or anybody else) I wonder how far you want government to be managing your property. Would you let it tell you which people you can have sex with in your bedroom? Last I check your bedroom is your property.

  • Name: SURPRISE! is full of morons
    Date posted: 8/1/2010 7:10:17 PM
    Hometown: Not much of a Surprise!

    Comment:

    "You do not want gays to defend themselves, you want to emasculate them, make them dependent on big daddy government." Well, ya got me there. You're right. You're SO right, as a matter of fact, you'd never call the police or fire department, since that would emasculate you and make you dependent on big daddy government. You don't want the FDA protecting your food or drugs, and you don't want the EPA to protect your air or water. You'd rather eat tainted food, get attacked by thugs, have your house burn down, watch your mother get raped, choke on pollution JUST BECAUSE YOU DON'T WANT TO BE EMASCULATED. No, sorry, pepa - we know your type. One thing happens to you and you'd be a sniveling piece of cowardly crap whining for help. Fucking idiot.

  • Name: SURPRISE! is full of morons
    Date posted: 8/1/2010 7:01:47 PM
    Hometown: Not much of a Surprise!

    Comment:

    @pepa, are you like 12? You wrote, "also you have the right to do whatever you want on your property." Really? Where do you live, that you could rape or murder or kidnap or steal or defraud if it's on your property? So you're saying that a business owner could put a sign out that says "No Coloreds" and that's perfectly OK with you? "If you don't want mormons [sic] to come in you have the right to refuse them." IF ONLY! But no, your delusional thinking isn't correct, you do NOT have that right. "why do you want to do business with people who don't like gays?" What kind of fucking moronic statement is that? What if they're the ONLY mechanic for 60 miles? What if they're the only doctor? You're such an imbecilic retarded idiot it's almost too easy to point out how idiotically wrong you are.

  • Name: Cris
    Date posted: 8/1/2010 9:52:49 AM
    Hometown: Austin Texas

    Comment:

    "Tremblay issued a request for people to 'call the library ... and in a Christian manner inform them that this event is not a benefit to our community, and ask that it be canceled.'" Tremblay revealed too much by saying "in a Christian manner." If this was really a Christian response, he wouldn't have to remind his followers to act Christian.

  • Name: RMK
    Date posted: 8/1/2010 1:02:30 AM
    Hometown: Chicagoland

    Comment:

    It's really pathetic that a journalist does not know proper grammar. When one hears "should've", it is a conjunction of should HAVE. "Of" is merely a preposition and would make absolutely no sense. I see this so often and I just can't believe how so many people seem to have slept through all of their grammar lessons in school. I have seen this happen in transcriptions of audio on TV as well. It's not just regular people that do it.

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