The Post-Gazette carried the NYT story about the police raid on a gay bar in Ft. Worth. You can read the full story at Pam's House Blend. Ft.Worthians have created a new organization and defined this a unifying moment for the city's gay community.
Related to that event, here's a post from a new radical trans/queer organizing group, Bash Back
What is Bash Back?
Bash Back! formed in 2007 with a small group of Radical Transfolk, Queers and Allies organizing against the Republican National Convention. In April of 2008 over 100 radical Trans/Queer/Allied folk met in Chicago to formulate plans against the RNC/DNC and to start a long lasting network. Anyone who agrees with the Points of Unity can start a Bash Back! Chapter.
POINTS OF UNITY
Members of Bash Back! must agree to:
1. Fight for liberation. Nothing more, nothing less. State recognition in the form of oppressive institutions such as marriage and militarism are not steps toward liberation but rather towards heteronormative assimilation.
2. A rejection of Capitalism, Imperialism, and all forms of State power.
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3. Actively oppose oppression both in and out of the “movement.” All oppressive behavior is not to be tolerated.
4. Respect a diversity of tactics in the struggle for liberation. Do not solely condemn an action on the grounds that the State deems it to be illegal.
There is a Philadelphia chapter, but nothing connected to Pittsburgh that I can find. Point of Unity #4 is clearly problematic in that it masks tolerance of violent resistance which I abhor. I'm wondering if they will show up at the G20 protests.
Personally, bashing the police back in Ft. Worth would have been a useless response and probably further alienated the community. Peaceful protests and organizing has unified the community and generated a lot of pressure for the authorities to investigate the incident. I see that this wouldn't appeal to Bash Back members, but I can also foresee that a failure to take action by the authorities will probably generate a statewide howl of protest. There are a lot of gay in Texas, especially Dallas.
