Give yourself a hug from me.

So, I'm in Moravia, in a town called Brno - the second largest in the Czech Republic. It's interesting and I will have lots of pictures to show once I am able to be in a place with a more consistent internet connection, but for now, I just want to write about what happened today so I can stop thinking about it for awhile. I have to apologize in advance because I know people will be upset about what Amanda and I witnessed today and the fact that we were even there - but truly - we didn't think it would get so out of hand.

So.

Amanda and I came down to Brno so that I could do some sightseeing and she could do some interviews with gay activists in the city. Brno also held their first pride parade ever, which is pretty exciting. Having been to prides in Phoenix, San Diego, and New York - I know them to be days filled with fun, music, laughter, rainbows, and drag queens - the greatest people on the face of the Earth. I have shared in watching people stand up for who they are and who they love. There have always been messengers of hate at these events - most notably, Reverend Phelps, the man himself, and his cronies at San Diego pride with their ever-so-clever God Hates Fags memorabilia. But, the love and joy of those celebrating their community always tuned out the messages of hate.

Amanda and I went down to the event around noon and joined the small handful of people who had gathered so far for the event. Pink triangles were handed out and rainbows were painted on faces. There was excitement in the air and police were on guard, as there had been threats from right-wing and neo-nazi organizations in the area. A man dressed as a monk walked through carrying a huge cross and another man preached to the crowd, but no one paid them much mind. Another group of "protesters" gathered nearby to pray for the "sinners" in the crowd, but again, things were peaceful. Music played and besides the fact that the crowd was small, it seemed much like a normal pride festival.

The program began with organizers getting on stage and talking to the crowd - this was all in Czech, so we didn't know what they were saying - but the gist seemed to be about equality and love. A pair of extremely handsome men stood near us holding two little boys - one with a tee shirt that said, "I get my muscles from my daddies" and the other's saying "I still have TWO parents." They were absolutely adorable and I couldn't get enough of them. A trio of drag queens got up on stage and performed, and Amanda and I were laughing and having a great time being part of this historic event that means so much to the community here.

And then things got crazy.

A bottle of water was thrown at the drag queens and people behind us started freaking out and pushing forward. Neo-nazis had attacked the group and were hitting and kicking people all around us. Amanda and I turned around to see the man behind us now on the ground being kicked mercilessly by a skinhead. Eggs were being pelted at people and Amanda and I began to run. We ducked behind a van when the sound of explosions started, something going off right near our feet, and we both thought that guns were being shot at the group. We ran as fast as we could down the street, not looking behind us to see if the others were following, Amanda tearing off her stickers and buttons as we went so we wouldn't be identified. We stayed down the street for awhile and joined others who had fled the event, all comparing notes and trying to calm down.

Eventually, we ventured back. I was concerned about the little boys and their daddies, but luckily they seem to have gotten out of there okay, though the two little boys were still crying as they navigated the crowd to leave. SWAT-type officers had taken posts at every street corner, so the square seemed much safer. We stayed a distance from the festivities, trying to recoup some of our previous elation at being in the CZ for this event. The drag queens went back on stage, which I thought was awesome and incredibly brave - though I should have known - some the toughest and most amazing people I have met in my brief lifetime like to put on wigs and sing Cher on Saturday nights. We saw skinheads being escorted in for processing and learned later that the explosions we heard were M-80 fireworks being chucked into the crowd.

Seeing the SWAT team, Amanda and I sucked it up and joined in the march down the street. Both GLBT and straight individuals marched together, shouting and smiling, flanked on both side by officers in full riot gear. The march was peaceful - only a few people booed or yelled anything that seemed negative - and we made it back to the square.

By this point, Amanda and I were tired and decided to stop in a cafe on our way home to grab a drink. As we waited in line, people started running through the square, and smoke was pouring into the cafe. Figuring out promptly that it was tear gas, Amanda and I ran up the stairs into a grocery store, but got a good dose of tear gas, which is a fun experience, let me tell you.

We made it home to the hotel where we are both resting now. There is a large party for pride tonight but we decided not to go, of course. We're going to go to the movies and try to forget, for a few moments, about all the hate in the world. I haven't been this sad about the world for a long time. Generally, I try to focus on how to make the world better, to work to end injustice or suffering, rather than trying to get bogged down in how terrible things are.

But, today, it's difficult.

I have watched my GLBT friends be disowned, hit with glass bottles, yelled at, told they were going to hell and failed to be served at restaurants. But I have never witnessed anything like what I witnessed today. Hate is so powerful that it is all-consuming. Today, there was no fear of arrest for these people, there was no conflict of conscience about harming another human being. Hate flowed through them until it poisoned everything about a day that I have always seen as a symbol of love. So, I'm asking you - give each other a hug today, share your love with the people closest to you - because the only way I can see to overcome the disgusting acts of violence I saw today is to love each other just a little bit more and not take anything for granted.


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I wanted to add this - this blog is not a reflection on the Czech Republic. I have seen no other acts of violence in my time here and find Czech people very peaceful. What occured today is about hate in a particular segment of society. And having spent my entire senior year of college writing my thesis on women in white supremacy groups, I can say that these people exist in full force in the United States. The Czech people I know would be as disgusted with this behavior as I was and an event like this could have just as easily happened in Little Rock as it did in Brno. I know you all know this, but I just wanted to be clear.