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Lancaster’s first Pridefest was a great success! Lot’s of vendors, lots of music, lots of people! The weather was just beautiful! I can’t stop using exclamation points!The festival was held in Buchanan Park, an excellent setting that gave a bit of privacy to the event, since the main area of the festival sat in a natural “bowl” in the middle of the park. In addition, Franklin and Marshall College fronts 2 sides of the park, which gave the event an added feeling of coziness.
Nearly 3000 people attended the festival, along with 10 protesters from Repent America and Life & Liberty Ministries. Although the street preachers sometimes made entering the park a little more difficult by clogging up the entrance, our 3 dozen Silent Witnesses prevented any confrontations from developing. Once again, there were no arrests.
A difficult situation did develop at the end of the festival, when the gates were finally opened at 6:00 pm, at which point the street preachers entered the festival grounds. Although many of the festival goers had left at that point, there were still a significant number of attendees waiting for the music to end on the main stage. In addition, vendors were still trying to tear down their booths. The street preachers split up individually, with one of them taking up a position directly in front of the stage during the final number. They attempted to pass out literature and to engage the remaining festival goers. Silent Witnesses escorted each of the street preachers throughout the grounds, in order to ensure no confrontations. The street preachers finally left the park at about 6:30.
Another first first us at a Pride festival...we had a couple of counter-protesters as well. They were well behaved and did not attempt to heckle the street preachers.
Check out the pictures of the Lancaster Pridefest on our Photos and Videos page...see the link on the right.
Our thanks to the many Silent Witnesses who worked to make this festival a happy, peaceful event!
About Us
Silent Witness PA (SWPA) is an organization of gay and straight allies dedicated to providing a non-confrontational buffer between those who condemn others based on their sexual orientation or identity and those they condemn. We provide visual protection from "street preachers" and protesters at events such as Pridefests, the showing of films such as Jim in Bold and For the Bible Tells Me So, or staging of plays such as The Laramie Project, using our bodies and rainbow umbrellas as shields. In times of need, we intervene to prevent confrontations between protesters and event participants, often acting as escorts for those who would like to attend such events. Where there are those who publicly promote hate, we will be there to help provide a loving, supportive front opposing them. We are not counter-protesters. Instead, we provide a visual representation of support for those in our society who may feel marginalized.Silent Witnesses receive significant training in non-confrontation techniques specially designed for the type of work they do. Only those who have received this training may participate in an event as a Silent Witness. Silent Witnesses are easily recognized by their special safety vests and rainbow umbrellas.
Silent Witnesses have
been part of GLBT events in Pennsylvania
for the past several years. Our purpose is to act as a "human spiritual
firewall" between GLBT folks and those individuals who believe GLBT's
are an abomination on the face of the earth. This concerned and
dedicated group of activists consists of over 400 local individuals who
have been specially trained to deal with hate-mongers. Because street
preachers and other vicious protestors have a long history of
picketing, antagonizing and subsequently suing various individuals and
organizations, Silent Witnesses stand ready to prevent confrontations
while welcoming and supporting GLBT participants to the event they are
attending.
It is often a
struggle to refrain from arguing with street preachers
and other protestors, but based on
past experience, confronting them is
clearly useless. Their attempts to engage participants in a "dialogue"
are thinly disguised attempts to trap unsuspecting subjects into
listening to their diatribe. They are impervious to logic. And at their
worst, they are trying to earn a living by provoking an attack and
filing lawsuits. It
is precisely this kind of result that SWPA is determined to
prevent.
While individual members of SWPA may hold deep religious beliefs, and are free to express them during events, SWPA supports diversity in all its forms, including religion. For some, it is their belief in the all-abiding love of their God that inspires them to do this work. For others it is their belief in the inherent worth and dignity of all people that drives their participation. Whatever the motivation, the result is the same: we will continue to support the rights of those who suffer expressions of hate.
For more information about Silent Witness PA and training opportunities, please select the Training item on the menu at right.
