“Angry Queers” Email: Mars Hill is Anti-Gay, Q Center Doesn’t Represent Us
A sample of the damage done by vandals at Mars Hill Church. Photo courtesy of Mars Hill.
By Erin Rook, PQ Monthly
The “angry queers” who claimed responsibility for the vandalizing Mars Hill Church in SE Portland early this morning said that the church is anti-gay and anti-woman, and that Q Center’s recent attempts at dialogue with the church don’t represent them or their needs, according to an email sent to FOX12 Oregon.
PQ Monthly has reached out to both the Q Center and Mars Hill Portland for response to the email. Logan Lynn, public relations/innovations manager for Q Center, confirmed that he had seen the email. He had no comment on its content, but mentioned that he had spent the afternoon at the church sweeping up glass with Rev. Meckley.
Mars Hill Pastor Tim Smith has not yet responded to a request for comment. The church’s press release refers to the vandals as members of a “gay rights group.”
This is the email, as sent to PQ by FOX12:
USER PROFILE INFORMATION
Email Address: angryqueers@mailinator.com
Zip Code: 97214 First Name: Angry Last Name: Queers
FORM QUESTIONS
Message:: in the morning of April 24th, angry queers smashed out the windows of Mars Hill Church in Southeast Portland. Mars Hill is anti-gay anti-woman. Mark Driscoll, Mars Hill’s head pastor, said that women be subservient to their husbands and gay people are a cancer. This action was taken in memory of Mark Aguhar, a trans femme of color artist from Chicago who killed herself a month ago. We also hold in our hearts Paige Clay, a transwoman of color who was found murdered in Chicago on April 16th; all other trans women who have been murdered by this cissexist, femmephobic, racist, transmisogynistic society. Children who are forced to attend Mars Hill are indoctrinated in hateful dogma that teaches them their natural desires are an abomination that will damn them to hell. Dan Savage’s “It Gets Better” campaign does nothing in the here and now for queer kids trapped in abusive home or religious settings. And it never got better for Mark, Duanna, Paige, Agnes, Deoni, or the countless other trans women who are regularly murdered. When Mars Hill moved to town, “representatives” of the queer community from the Q Center met with officials from the church in order to have dialog. What we have to say to the Q Center is this: FUCK YOU, you don’t represent us. You prioritize social peace and the bourgeois aspirations of rich white cis gay people over the more pressing survival needs of more marginalized queers. he only dialog we need with scum like Mars Hill is hammers through their windows.
For community reactions to the incident, read our earlier coverage of the vandalism. PQ has contacted the Portland Police Bureau for additional information, but is still awaiting reply. We will continue to follow this story as it develops.
The opinions expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect the views of the post’s author or of PQ Monthly.
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14 comments on ““Angry Queers” Email: Mars Hill is Anti-Gay, Q Center Doesn’t Represent Us”
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Excellent investigative reporting, PQ! We will stay tuned for the follow up.
Ah, Angry Queers, YOU do not represent US. Our community is one of love and peace. We know we can’t control how everyone thinks but we know better than to put on a violent display if something disturbs us. Smashing windows solves nothing and creates more problems. Yes, I know that church’s teachings are despicable. Still, they have a right to be there. We don’t have to like it but we do have to accept that. As I posted on Facebook: Acceptance means you can’t pick and choose. Tolerance means you accept it. That church has a right to exist – like it or not. Because if they don’t, then neither do you. Then neither do my friends and I and I am not willing to accept that. Nor, I think, are my friends.
Chris — you are absolutely right. They do not represent us in any way. And they are hurting the cause, not helping it. We will never shut up the bigots and haters, but this just gives them more reason to hate us even more — to paint all of us with the broad brush of violence.
An eye for an eye soon makes the whole world blind — Ghandi
is this the full email that Fox12 sent? I saw a different version (longer) posted on indymedia. http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2012/04/415192.shtml
just curious who edited it, be that adding or subtracting text.
Hi Mary,
The email we posted is exactly what we received from FOX12 Oregon. Thanks for alerting us to the different/longer version. I’ll be sure to look into it to see if we can determine whether the email was edited by FOX12 or if, perhaps, the authors sent a different version to indymedia. If you come across anything else of interest to this story, feel free to email me directly.
Thanks!
Erin
erin@pqmonthly.com
Well said, Chris Reed….I am with you. Violence is never the answer. I say go to the church and offer help, love, friendship, etc…win them over with love.
“Faith, Hope, Love….of these Love is the greatest”
Well this email is proof that this was the action of a couple young anarchists sequestered within academia. No one else talks like this! I’m torn between calling the action outright stupid or enjoying the nostalgia re-imagining 70s era feminism and the heyday or Queer Nation. Why bother denying responsibility for something so clearly on the fringe? Those rocks would have just gone into another Starbucks window if not for this church.
FOX12 Oregon has confirmed that the email they sent me is the email they received. My guess is that the email’s author(s) submitted a somewhat different version to different outlets. Of course, I cannot confirm that unless/until I hear from the folks behind the message.
While I don’t agree with a lot of the Q Center’s dealings, I applaud them for doing outreach and creating a relationship with this group. As someone who was raised in a conservative christian household, I would have never had the courage to come out and change my life if it weren’t for the acceptance of my queer friends and community here in Portland