Proving once again that there is no group more bigoted and in search of special rights than the Christofascists, an
employee of Rocketown, a Nashville,
Tennessee music venue and non-profit Christian youth outreach organization, was fired this
week for wearing a t-shirt from the punk band
Hostage Calm
which read "I Support Same-Sex Marriage". While t-shirts for other bands are allowed, the Christofascists just could not tolerate anything that challenged their toxic hate and fear based religious beliefs. A photo of the offending t-shirt is shown at left. The band (pictured below) is not taking the travesty sitting down and per their wish I am blogging about the outrage. Here are highlights from their commentary on this example of Christofascist bigotry:
Today, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a longtime supporter of Hostage Calm
and marriage equality was fired from his job at the Nashville music venue,
Rocketown, for wearing his “I Support Same-Sex Marriage” shirt to work. A friend
from Nashville contacted me about the situation and told me of Wes Breedwell,
this seven-year employee of Rocketown who now finds himself the victim of
discrimination. We called this brave man to hear his story, demonstrate our
support, and figure out how we can help.
What I heard from him was a long pattern of discrimination against him for
not being Christian and for supporting marriage equality.
It’s important to note that they didn’t fire him for wearing A SHIRT. They
fired him because of what that shirt stands for. For what that shirt threatens. This shirt represents an idea that all people have the right to live their
lives without being told who to love and whose love is more valuable. It
represents equality under the law. It represents the freedom to choose.
So how could a youth center not support such a vital, foundational
understanding of human freedom and equality as part of their social mission?
Hostage Calm has played Rocketown multiple times. In my prior visits, I was
under the impression that Rocketown was a positive force in this Nashville
community: they had a music venue, skatepark, and other outlets for Nashville
youth. But a youth center and music venue cannot be a positive force in the
community if it degrades and belittles the value of some of our people based on
sexual orientation or gender identity. That is the force that tears communities
apart, not that enriches them.
Hostage Calm promises to do everything in its power to raise awareness and
challenge this injustice in Nashville. We will certainly never play Rocketown
again. We’ll continue
to post more information as Wes and H.C. take further action. For now, you can
help by reposting his story to shine a light on this injustice, and by
boycotting the venue. Most of all, please send all your support to Wes Breedwell
and his fight for justice.
No doubt the folks at Rocketown are patting themselves on the back in a self-congratulatory manner for their godliness. I truly want nothing to do with Christianity if these bigots are what it has come to represent.
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| Hostage Calm |
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