Son's Gift turns into Bigot Nightmare in Meade, Kansas - Help!

[kevinbgoode]

UPDATE

I posted this in General Discussion and Gay Topics, but this is certainly an activist thread as well. There is a family being attacked in Meade, Kansas over the display of a rainbow flag.

A few days ago, I posted a story that was unfolding in a small Kansas town over the display of a rainbow flag. Since that time, apparently a few things have happened: The owners have sent their son to stay with his grandparents while this stupid controversy continues, and apparently last night someone (or group) vandalized the flagpole and removed the flag.

While I know this isn't a pressing news item for most (and I understand why) this is important for other reasons. No one should be ordered around by the American Taliban, especially in the use of their property and in particular a gift from their 12-year-old son. It appears these people are facing intimidation from some members of their own community.

Someone posted a post office box address for this bed/breakfast/restaurant in Meade on the towleroad.com website. Scroll down to the comments section and you'll be able to get an update account of a conversation with the owners.

http://www.towleroad.com/towleroad/2006/07/rainbow_flag_br.html

A few moments to extend words of encouragement sure would be nice for these people right now. . .and by a postcard if possible. . .


Edited original post:

In the little town of Meade, Kansas, this family-owned bed and breakfast/restaurant looks like a popular operation - until the 12-year-old son of the owner went to the Wizard of Oz museum and purchased a rainbow flag for his father as a souvenier...dammit..I'm not spelling tonight...Anyway, the son told his dad it reminded him of the song in the movie "Over the rainbow" and like any proud father, he put the flag on the pole under the American flag. Well, all was good...until the town wiggiest wingnuts decided to start trashing it as a symbol of gay pride - demanding that it HAD TO GO. . .and from the little pseudo-christo-fascist radio station to the little wiggy newspaper to one of the local ministers calling to demand it be removed, the town is in an uproar trying to ruin the family's business over the flag.
One local told a television station that the rainbow flag was just like having the Nazis raise a flag in a Jewish community. . .an example of utter looniness if I've ever seen one. .. but further evidence of the grassroots fascist revolutionary propaganda issued by the American Right and Taliban.

See for yourself. . .there's a nice videoclip here at one of the local stations:

http://www.kwch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=KWCH/MGArticle/WCH_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149189283448

[gkdmaths]

1. Sorry, Im not going to watch the clip.

It just kind of makes me sick.

beatings for some people should be legal. I didnt say that out loud, I simply thought it.

sounds like they were unfortunate enough to live in a town built of significatly insecure myopic fundamentalist children.

[msongs]

2. more proof that intelligent design is a fraud lots of rainbows in hawaii

does that mean everyone in hawaii is gay?

Msongs
www.msongs.com/howarddean2008.htm

[wolfgirl]

5. Rainbows...

Didn't God end a rainbow to Noah after the Great Flood...it was a sign of God's love?!?


Those people are nuts! Preaching hatred is what is killing us all.

[azurnoir]

3. This is enough to

make me want to pray to the tornado gods(they live in Kansas too) remove the town except for the B&B no injuries only property damage 'cause these people need a real problem to deal with.

[Fridays Child]

4. Email your expression of support to Mr. Knight...

[e-mail]

[DURHAM D]

6. Do you know their mailing address - want to send a note

and some $$. Thanks in advance.

[kevinbgoode]

7. Here is their regular address:

JR & Robin Knight
Lakeway Hotel - Bed and Breakfast Inn
115 N. Fowler, Meade, Kansas 67864
PO BOX 1029, Meade, Kansas 67864-1029
Toll-Free: 877-276-2700 - Phone: [phone]

You have to make sure you use the P.O. Box number too. . .I took this from a comment posted at another forum by someone else - he said that the town is too small for home mail delivery, so it has to be addressed to the P.O. Box.

And. . .thanks. I think a nice note is very appreciated. If you click on the towleroad website link I have in the first post, there is a new long comment by one of the owners of the hotel. It's actually very inspirational....:-).

[madmichelle]

8. Where are the priorites?

maybe these people should be raising fuss over more important issues, like starving people, people without healthcare, the lives lost at war, etc. etc. if these people could create so much attention over something that needs no attention, can you imagine what bigger and better things they could be doing. Where are the priorites?

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

9. Well, I feel that this does need attention.

Homophobia that is severe enough to result in fundy's boycotting and vandalism is something that should be addressed. Yes, healthcare and war are major issues, but it is simple enough to send this family a supportive email or a small rainbow flag.

Sorry you feel differently.

[tbyg52]

10. I think she's talking about...

...the people who objected to the flag, not the innkeepers. That's how I read it, anyway.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

11. Going back and looking at it again.

Yeah, I think you're right.