Dollywood makes gay woman turn her shirt inside out

[princessbelle]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A lesbian couple is asking for changes at Dollywood after an employee asked one of the women to turn her T-shirt reading "marriage is so gay" inside-out to avoid offending others on a recent visit to the Tennessee theme park complex.

Olivier Odom and Jennifer Tipton said Tuesday they want the park to be more inclusive of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender families after Odom was asked to reverse her shirt when they visited Dollywood Splash Country next to the Pigeon Forge amusement park. The story was first reported by WBIR-TV in Knoxville.

Dollywood spokesman Pete Owens said on Tuesday that Dollywood is open to all families, but their dress code policy is to ask people with clothing or tattoos that could be considered offensive to change clothes or cover up.

Owens said the couple was not asked to leave and complied with the rules to reverse the shirt when asked.

"The park is open every day to everybody," Owens said. "We try to provide an environment for families of all shapes and sizes to enjoy themselves.

Owens said park officials were discussing the matter and would speak with the couple directly.

Odom said that they visited the water park July 9 with friends and their friends' two children when she was asked by a person at the front gate to turn her shirt inside out because it was a family park.

Odom said she complied so as not to make a scene in front of the children, but felt offended.

"That's what we found so offensive — that he said it was a family park," Tipton said. "Families come in a wide range of definitions these days and we were with our family."

The two said they felt they needed to file a complaint with Dollywood because they believed it was important to stand up for their beliefs in marriage equality.

"If marriage equality is going to happen, it's not going to happen if people sit at home quietly," Odom said.

Odom said they understand the park can have dress code policies, but she felt Dollywood needed to make their policies clear and provide better training for employees when determining what is considered offensive.

Odom and Tipton are not legally married, but held a ceremony last year in North Carolina. They wrote an email to the park asking the park "to implement policies that are inclusive of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people; conduct staff sensitivity training; and issue a public statement indicating that the park is inclusive of all families."

Owens said the couple's complaints have sparked discussion at the park about the dress code, a policy that park employees deal with frequently because of the thousands of visitors every year.

http://news.yahoo.com/gay-couple-asked-reverse-shirt-dollywood-200120079.html


I am just sick over waking up to this, this morning. Right here in my area this happened. I am not that surprised but i'm sick that i'm not surprised. I also heard of a couple, friends with someone i work with, that were thrown out of the park because the couple gave each other a quick "peck" of a kiss before riding a ride.

I have bought DollyWood season passes for years. I didn't this year and will be watching to see if anything is done about this. If it is not, i won't be buying a season pass next year or any year thereafter.

The comments that are attached to this article are even more upsetting.

*shakes my head

[princessbelle]

Ok i have to back away for a few. There is so much hate being slammed on these comments that i'm getting hate mail already with my "gay rights" postings.

I am just so pissed off. I just want to scream.

[iamkeri1]

Belle,
Just wanted to slide in under your wings and lift you up. You are a beautiful person, rarely saying anything bad about anyone, so I know it is shocking to you when other say bad things about your people. I'm sorry you are so upset. When we begin to effect change, people get angry; they don't like change, and most of all they don't like to change themselves or change their beliefs. If we were sitting still they would be quiet. There will, of course, be backlash until people settle in to their newer more positive beliefs about queerfolk. The backlash is a sign of the progress.

This one phrase (along with taking positive action, which you did), helps me more than anything else when my anger over injustices gets fired up.

"living well is the best revenge." Live your best life, be happy.

Many hugs to you.
Smooches,
Karen

[dark_crystal]

Has Dolly herself said anything? Someone should call her!

[Bard]

I did see this before and yes the comments on it are very hate filled Doll no longer owns the park and I have to believe SHE would be not very happy about this.. If you go to the artical and read the coments it will make you angry just remember most are made by small people who can not see past what they do not uderstand so they hide behide hate

[DomnNC]

Dolly Parton never owned Dollywood. It is owned by the Herschend Family, she was given a small percentage of ownership for the use of her name. If you want to contact them and complain about what happened you can contact them via their website link below.

http://www.hfecorp.com/properties/

[princessbelle]

Dollywood theme park is the product of a wonderful relationship between Herschend Family Entertainment and entertainment legend Dolly Parton that dates back to 1985. Herschend Family Entertainment is the operating partner for Dolly Parton in her Dollywood Company, which owns the Dollywood theme park and Dollywood's Splash Country water park, both in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Additionally, the Dollywood Company is a partner in the Dixie Stampede dinner attractions located in Branson, MO and Pigeon Forge, TN; and Pirates Voyage in Myrtle Beach, SC.

For more information on Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation, please visit www.hfecorp.com.

Sources: http://www.dollywood.com/dollywood-q10132-c6-Company_Information.aspx





The park first opened in 1961 as a small tourist attraction named "Rebel Railroad", featuring a steam train, general store, blacksmith shop, and saloon. In 1966, Rebel Railroad was renamed "Goldrush Junction" and in 1970, the Cleveland Browns football team purchased the park. In 1976, Jack and Pete Herschend bought the park, and in 1977, renamed it "Silver Dollar City Tennessee" (not to be confused with Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri, also owned by the Herschends). In 1986, Dolly Parton became a co-owner, and the park was renamed "Dollywood".

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dollywood


Apparently it is still currently co-owned by a Dolly Parton Company.

What is interesting is that I can remember back when it was Silver Dollar City and that train ride up the mountain. Showing my age here, but i grew up going there. I got my first bee-sting at Silver Dollar City.

It just hits so close to home with my heart to know gay people have been treated this way here. I am continuing to research and hopefully will find a way to sign a petition or do something....anything.

I'll keep watching and reporting!!!! Thanks all!!!!!

:|

[girl_dee]

i LOVE Dollywood, well i DID.

I am off to rant!

[girl_dee]

I can't find where to rant! Where am I going to do this???

[girl_dee]

I don't like the slogan on the shirt but dammit she has a right to wear it at a damn amusement park.

[princessbelle]

I can't find where to rant! Where am I going to do this???


Apparently the comments section is gone. I don't know why. Maybe a yahoo clitch or maybe so much hate they shut it down.

No clue...but i'll keep watching and keep you posted.

I do know this morning it went from 4,000 comments to 7,000 in a matter of minutes. 95% was hate.

[dixie]

I had posted this earlier this morning on facebook. It irked me too. Especially since I'm supposed to be at the park next weekend for a family get together and my dad's company picnic. We used to go there all the time when I was growing up. Hell, I even performed in the park back when I was on the clogging team.

You know me, I will go and I will either be wearing my "All the cool girls are lesbians" tshirt or my "FCKH8" tshirt. Damn the man! (Sorry, watched Empire Records again.) I couldn't get to the comments either.

Nice how a gay slogan tshirt is bad yet the park is filled with folks wearing confederate flags and racist tshirts. Then again, the parks are in the middle of what we call the Southern Baptist Las Vegas. (Seriously, have you seen Pigeon Forge???) :|

I also remember Silver Dollar City. We had to be "evacuated" off a ride due to a rattlesnake being in it. That wasn't long before it closed. (Bout as bad as FrontierLand and Ghost Town used to be.)

[dixie]

Grrrrr....makes me wanna gather up a couple hundred of my closest friends and descend upon the place in full queer regalia.

[princessbelle]

I had posted this earlier this morning on facebook. It irked me too. Especially since I'm supposed to be at the park next weekend for a family get together and my dad's company picnic. We used to go there all the time when I was growing up. Hell, I even performed in the park back when I was on the clogging team.

You know me, I will go and I will either be wearing my "All the cool girls are lesbians" tshirt or my "FCKH8" tshirt. Damn the man! (Sorry, watched Empire Records again.) I couldn't get to the comments either.

Nice how a gay slogan tshirt is bad yet the park is filled with folks wearing confederate flags and racist tshirts. Then again, the parks are in the middle of what we call the Southern Baptist Las Vegas. (Seriously, have you seen Pigeon Forge???) :|

I also remember Silver Dollar City. We had to be "evacuated" off a ride due to a rattlesnake being in it. That wasn't long before it closed. (Bout as bad as FrontierLand and Ghost Town used to be.)

OMG you clogged up there? I was in a clog group as well when i was little, we didn't clog at Silver Dollar City but we did in Cherokee up on the stages out in the middle of everything. Also at a campground in Pigeon Forge. Our cheerleading team in Jr. High preformed in Pigeon Forge too. Ah, those were the days. That's what drives me nuts. This is my home. I am so angry and hurt and should know better than to be surprised, but still am. If you weren't 100 years younger than me we may have even crossed paths back then.

I hope you have a good trip and i will keep you close to my heart when you go there. Be careful honey. I don't want you getting into a situation, not that you couldn't handle it, that is unsafe. I understand your anger, believe me i share it with you.

Keep us posted how it goes please.

[VintageFemme]

Grrrrr....makes me wanna gather up a couple hundred of my closest friends and descend upon the place in full queer regalia.

yeah! what you said!

[iamkeri1]

Full queer regalia! OMG! Queers are so fabulous, and when you piss them off they will drag out all their queerest crap and flap it in your face! I love it. Take lots of pictures.

On the other hand your Dad might appreciate it more if it didn't happen at his company picnic. Maybe a later date would be better (unless he's into it, of course!)

Smooches,
Keri

[princessbelle]

Grrrrr....makes me wanna gather up a couple hundred of my closest friends and descend upon the place in full queer regalia.


Count me in darlin. I'll wear my shirt with the pink letters that says "Team Femme".

[dixie]

Full queer regalia! OMG! Queers are so fabulous, and when you piss them off they will drag out all their queerest crap and flap it in your face! I love it. Take lots of pictures.

On the other hand your Dad might appreciate it more if it didn't happen at his company picnic. Maybe a later date would be better (unless he's into it, of course!)

Smooches,
Keri

Dad is highly nonconfrontational so he would probably just shake his head and walk away. One of his bosses, however, is also a raging lesbian. (Her own phrase lol) I had drinks with her and her partner at a Christmas party once. I'm sure she'd be game for it, as well as some of the others. Lol

Eh, it is something I will do subtly this time because my son will be in attendance. Next time, not so much.

[atomiczombie]

I heard about this and it makes me mad. Someone should organize a big ol gay protest out in front of the park with rainbows flying out of their asses (figuratively). That might get their attention! lol

[Greyson]

Has Dolly herself said anything? Someone should call her!



This was one of my very first thoughts. I hope Dolly will comment on this directly and not leave it to her PR people.

[girl_dee]

They have no idea what they have done.. gonna be a wild ride alright!

[girl_dee]

I would not have reversed it but I would have REMOVED it for them!

Hey lets do that! Topless Femme Day In Dollywood! Maybe Dolly will join us!

[princessbelle]

I'm thinking she will not be too happy.

I found this.....

The always candid Dolly Parton has revealed that she's in favor of granting gays and lesbians the rights to marry."Sure, why can't they get married? They should suffer like the rest of us do," the outspoken superstar told CNN show host Joy Behar. When Behar suggested Dolly's Southern roots might not mesh with the idea of marriage equality, the singer agreed, "I know that's true."

Dolly's not alone. This year, Reba McEntire surprised some of her conservative fans when she spoke in support of her gay fans and "many gay friends." "Don't judge me and I won't judge you," she said. "Keep an open mind."

Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles, too, recently celebrated her gay fans. "I've always had a large gay following," the singer, who has performed at Gay Pride in Atlanta three times, said. "Particularly in the lesbian community. I am grateful for that ... It also means that I'm a cute girl singing a rock song in an alto voice!"

As for Dolly, the flamboyant entertainer admits she feels a certain kinship with her many gay and lesbian fans."I think it's because they know I'm different too, and it took me a long time to be accepted," she reasons."Plus, a lot of my gay guy friends love to dress up," she adds. "I think they just appreciate the fact that I love everybody for who they are."

Dolly did have some strong words, however, for Houston megachurch pastor Joel Osteen, who earlier this month stated that "homosexuality is not God's best work." "I don't want to talk about him," she said with a laugh. "I think God made us who we are and how we are, and I don't think if [Osteen] was a religious person, he would be judging people."

Dolly herself has weathered gay rumors. She and assistant Judy Ogle are constantly spotted together, and their close friendship (they've also been best friends since the third grade) eventually fueled speculation about whether the two were romantically connected, as well.

"We're totally honest, open, and comfortable with each other," Dolly told AARP magazine of her friendship with Judy. "We've been accused of being lovers. We do love each other, but we've never been like that."

Dolly shrugs off the rumors and insists that the "I dos" she said 43 years ago with husband Carl Dean were meant for life.

"I know we'll never divorce," she says. "He always knows I'm coming home."

Dolly's 'Live from London' CD/DVD was released last week.

Source: http://www.theboot.com/2009/11/17/dolly-parton-gay-marriage/

[Apocalipstic]

I can guess about how all the gays who live in the area and work at Dollywood feel. There are so many, especially with all the shows in the park and surrounding it.

I wonder of there is a policy in place for this type thing at the park? I have a difficult time believing that employees are encouraged to harass anyone, but can suspect that someone living in Southern Baptist Hell, who does not get out much, would think it is their divine duty to be an asshat.

I wonder how high up the management chain this went?

I also remember Silver Dollar City and lived, went to college and worked in the area...(back in the early 80's.)

[Apocalipstic]

I remember when Pigeon Forge was a Baskin Robbins, 3 motels and a bunch of churches lol.

I still visit the area often and was especially amused to see that Gatlinburg is all head shops, ninja weapons stores and Christian T shirt places now. lmao.

Bizzarro.

[dixie]

Someone had mentioned that Dolly had commented and apologized for the incident, but I can't seem to find that info anywhere.

I'm totally game for Topless Femme Day btw....lol!

[Rockinonahigh]

Grrrrr....makes me wanna gather up a couple hundred of my closest friends and descend upon the place in full queer regalia.

Oh heck yeah,sounds like fun....

[princessbelle]

Someone had mentioned that Dolly had commented and apologized for the incident, but I can't seem to find that info anywhere.

I'm totally game for Topless Femme Day btw....lol!


I can't find it either..i'll keep looking.


Me too on the Topless Femme Day, count me in on that as well. I'll still bring my pink "team femme" shirt but i'll just wrap it around my waist.

I hope some of the butches/FtM etc..., will come and support us. :praying:

[Rockinonahigh]

I can't find it either..i'll keep looking.


Me too on the Topless Femme Day, count me in on that as well. I'll still bring my pink "team femme" shirt but i'll just wrap it around my waist.

I hope some of the butches/FtM etc..., will come and support us. :praying:


If I was closer I would be one of the first in the gate,corse I would have to wear my black t-shirt that says .."It wont lick it self" in brite yellow on the frount...I dare them to ask me to take it off..dare em.

[girl_dee]

We could call it *Femme Stampede*........ pfffft dixie stampede

[dixie]

I can't find it either..i'll keep looking.


Me too on the Topless Femme Day, count me in on that as well. I'll still bring my pink "team femme" shirt but i'll just wrap it around my waist.

I hope some of the butches/FtM etc..., will come and support us. :praying:

We could call it *Femme Stampede*........ pfffft dixie stampede

Hmm...I'm thinking for Topless Femme day we should just have Pixie "paint" our tshirt slogans on our bare chests, that way we still get our message across. :giggle:

[atomiczombie]

Someone had mentioned that Dolly had commented and apologized for the incident, but I can't seem to find that info anywhere.

I'm totally game for Topless Femme Day btw....lol!

Topless Femme day... I would fly all the way out from California to see that. I would go topless too just so you ladies wouldn't feel so alone... Heh.

[little_ms_sunshyne]

WARNING RANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PLEASE READ: I apologize in advance! Not a "Sunshyne" moment lol
And I also realize that cursing doesn't solve anything...but please keep in mind that I mean no disrespect as this femme always curses like a drunken sailor!!!!

First of all a big ol "FUCK YOU" to the ignorant comments posted on there.

Now that I got that out of the way

Speechless...Ok maybe not speechless lol But shocked for sure! I dont know if I am more upset about the incident or the comments...

In regards to the incident~ Sure wearing that shirt is a statement...Has Dollywood ever heard of a little something called Freedom of Speech! The tee was in no way vulgar or insulting...I drive around and see those damn "Marriage= Man + Woman" bumper stickers...I choose to ignore it. To each his own.

I just read comment after comment. So blatantly ignorant and hateful. What is the deal with comparing being gay to beastiality? The worst part is that this isnt the first time I have heard this comparison. I am fed up with people pretending like we are another species, uneducated, perverts, etc etc...I dont flaunt that I am a lesbian...I just am! I reserve the right to kiss, hold hands, or just love who I want to love.

Did I also read that lesbians have no souls? :blink:

People so quick to throw out their bible versus and condemn homosexuals to hell. Am I to assume that heterosexuals live a righteous life? *Sunshyne's very sarcastic voice* Surely they do not lust, show signs of greed, have pride, or vanity...

As for the guy that said being gay is UnAmerican...."LAND OF THE FREE" ASSHOLE!!!!

My panties are totally in a wrinkle! Topless Femmes....Dykes on Bikes....And whoever else...I would so be in!

[dixie]

WARNING RANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PLEASE READ: I apologize in advance! Not a "Sunshyne" moment lol
And I also realize that cursing doesn't solve anything...but please keep in mind that I mean no disrespect as this femme always curses like a drunken sailor!!!!

Don't worry, I curse like one too. ;)

First of all a big ol "FUCK YOU" to the ignorant comments posted on there.

I haven't even read the comments (because I know it'll just piss me off worse) but I totally agree and second your sentiment.

Now that I got that out of the way

Speechless...Ok maybe not speechless lol But shocked for sure! I dont know if I am more upset about the incident or the comments...

In regards to the incident~ Sure wearing that shirt is a statement...Has Dollywood ever heard of a little something called Freedom of Speech! The tee was in no way vulgar or insulting...I drive around and see those damn "Marriage= Man + Woman" bumper stickers...I choose to ignore it. To each his own.

I just read comment after comment. So blatantly ignorant and hateful. What is the deal with comparing being gay to beastiality? The worst part is that this isnt the first time I have heard this comparison. I am fed up with people pretending like we are another species, uneducated, perverts, etc etc...I dont flaunt that I am a lesbian...I just am! I reserve the right to kiss, hold hands, or just love who I want to love.

Did I also read that lesbians have no souls? :blink:

People so quick to throw out their bible versus and condemn homosexuals to hell. Am I to assume that heterosexuals live a righteous life? *Sunshyne's very sarcastic voice* Surely they do not lust, show signs of greed, have pride, or vanity...

As for the guy that said being gay is UnAmerican...."LAND OF THE FREE" ASSHOLE!!!!

My panties are totally in a wrinkle! Topless Femmes....Dykes on Bikes....And whoever else...I would so be in!

They love to spout the bible verses. YET...they only spout verses that DO NOT apply to them. I forgot the tally but there are wayyyyyyy more verses dealing with heterosexual and all-inclusive sin than there are for homosexuality. (Yes, Miss Dixie here used to be a Baptist Sunday school teacher...shocking, isn't it? lol) They only pick and choose the parts of the bible that serve their hatred towards others. They downplay or blatantly ignore any parts that apply to them. That's the part that really really really pisses me off. I'm no longer a believer in organized religion, but I do still hold on to some of my spirituality. I don't know which God they think they serve, but according to that bible they like to "throw" at us, that God is a forgiving and loving one. If I did believe in a Heaven, I would get there a lot quicker in my gayness than they will in their judgments of it.

Sorry, did not mean to make this a religious rant, but especially under the Dollywood category it does seem fitting. (Trust me, if you've been there you know what I'm talking about.)

[princessbelle]

They love to spout the bible verses. YET...they only spout verses that DO NOT apply to them. I forgot the tally but there are wayyyyyyy more verses dealing with heterosexual and all-inclusive sin than there are for homosexuality. (Yes, Miss Dixie here used to be a Baptist Sunday school teacher...shocking, isn't it? lol) They only pick and choose the parts of the bible that serve their hatred towards others. They downplay or blatantly ignore any parts that apply to them. That's the part that really really really pisses me off. I'm no longer a believer in organized religion, but I do still hold on to some of my spirituality. I don't know which God they think they serve, but according to that bible they like to "throw" at us, that God is a forgiving and loving one. If I did believe in a Heaven, I would get there a lot quicker in my gayness than they will in their judgments of it.

Sorry, did not mean to make this a religious rant, but especially under the Dollywood category it does seem fitting. (Trust me, if you've been there you know what I'm talking about.)

It is very fitting Dixie and we both know it is a big part of our discrimination down here in the south.

I've posted over and over that i believe in God and the Bible, but not the markers and translations that some use. To me it is a guide and it has been so dramatically changed over the years and so harshly thrown in people's faces for the wrong reasons that it makes me want to scream "WHAT GOD ARE YOU SERVING, IT IS A FAR CRY FROM THE ONE I KNOW".

I have a very Southern Baptist Republican mother. Our relationship has been a journey. We still see things totally different, as a lot of the people down here see things different that "us". So what. They can see things the way they want...that is their right as well.

But when they start throwing things at "us" and telling us what we can and can't do and spewing that hatred like what is on the yahoo comments? I want to just leave. Honestly that was one of my first responses yesterday when i was attacked personally. Sometimes, i really just want to give up and move from here. Sometimes i feel like we are floating in a sea of sharks, all of us down here, on a tiny little boat. It's sink or swim. It's jump in that water and know we will get ripped to pieces but maybe open at least one person's eyes.

What are we to do. Really.

Wear our rainbows and try to talk and reason and change people's minds down here? Or walk away. I struggle with this, more and more everyday. Especially when i read things like this.

Breaks my heart.

[VintageFemme]

i saw this on the news at like 4am this morning on the telley. i have been reading this thread since yesterday early as well as the yahoo news story but hadn't heard it myself until then. the news reporters were commenting that dolly has come out [no pun there] in support of gay marriage herself on many occasions. it will be interesting to see this play out and just how public their [dollywood] apologies go.

the girl who wore the t-shirt and her partner were interviewed briefly and they handled themselves very well. they were respectful, articulate, polite and very honest seeming.

re: the spewed hatred and bigotry in the south, i think that's everywhere truly. not just the south. it's a ginormous issue that is finally getting the light and attention it deserves, and just the fact that national news carriers online and especially in the broadcast media are giving it that attention, screams volumes i think in how far we've really come as a community. we would not be having this same conversation [as horrible as it is] ten years ago when the words 'gay' and 'lesbian' were so dirty still. it's a slow and painful process this mainstreaming of an entire people, but it is happening... slowly and surely.

[princessbelle]

i saw this on the news at like 4am this morning on the telley. i have been reading this thread since yesterday early as well as the yahoo news story but hadn't heard it myself until then. the news reporters were commenting that dolly has come out [no pun there] in support of gay marriage herself on many occasions. it will be interesting to see this play out and just how public their [dollywood] apologies go.

the girl who wore the t-shirt and her partner were interviewed briefly and they handled themselves very well. they were respectful, articulate, polite and very honest seeming.

re: the spewed hatred and bigotry in the south, i think that's everywhere truly. not just the south. it's a ginormous issue that is finally getting the light and attention it deserves, and just the fact that national news carriers online and especially in the broadcast media are giving it that attention, screams volumes i think in how far we've really come as a community. we would not be having this same conversation [as horrible as it is] ten years ago when the words 'gay' and 'lesbian' were so dirty still. it's a slow and painful process this mainstreaming of an entire people, but it is happening... slowly and surely.


I soooooooooooo agree with this. Even though sometimes "we" feel like the world of bigotry is where we see it most, which is where we reside, for the most part, you are right and i've said this before:

When you enter this country and proclaim to be a prejudice ass hat they don't tell you that you have to live below the mason dixon line.

It is everywhere. It is all over the world. It's just when it is so close to home that it seems to be overwelming at times.

And again, i agree with you, at least we are having these conversations, here, on yahoo and on the news. It is painful but it is progress.

Thank you for your great post.

[clay]

...Hmmm...thinking I may just join right in with the topless femmes protest....can I wear my leather vest and leather chaps (no jeans under them)..and show my butch ass..see what they have to say about THAT! Yea...think I will...any other bois wanna step up and join in?

[tapu]

I've been off camping with the Boy Scouts and missed this news initially. I wonder what they would think if some lesbian wore the shirt that says, "Let go of my ears. I know what I'm doing."

[Bard]

for all the hate mongers that post the nasty spew on the comments in the article, there are so many more that support us and do not think we are evil incarnate. I am very proud of who and what I am and that I am going to Marry the woman that I love her family , my family and all my work family support us. Funny thing is that I never miss a opportunity to say we are getting married it doesn't matter what or to whom and all the reactions we have gotten are very positive from reception venues to davids bridal (they call us thier favorite brides) to waiters so it just makes me think there is a not so vocal majority out there that does get it we are not so different.... and last I checked the Bible says "Judge not lest ye be not judged" :readfineprint:

[princessbelle]

for all the hate mongers that post the nasty spew on the comments in the article, there are so many more that support us and do not think we are evil incarnate. I am very proud of who and what I am and that I am going to Marry the woman that I love her family , my family and all my work family support us. Funny thing is that I never miss a opportunity to say we are getting married it doesn't matter what or to whom and all the reactions we have gotten are very positive from reception venues to davids bridal (they call us thier favorite brides) to waiters so it just makes me think there is a not so vocal majority out there that does get it we are not so different.... and last I checked the Bible says "Judge not lest ye be not judged" :readfineprint:


I am very proud of you both as well Bard. It's people like you and others in this thread, on this site, and around the world, that will see us all through.

Horray for the day that this type of thread is no longer needed.

Slowly but surely i believe with all of my heart, we will get there!!!!!!

[EnderD_503]

I really don't understand why people insist on defending monotheist religion and claiming that the christian bible does not condone violence and discrimination; that the fundamentalists who use biblical verse to justify their hatred are reading mistranslations or interpreting it in order to back their own ideas. First of all, the bible is so full of blatant contradictions that you could pretty much justify anything with it. Second of all, those who claim that christianity is all about peace, love and not judging others are interpreting it to fit their own personal needs just as much as those who interpret it to justify their hatred.

They love to spout the bible verses. YET...they only spout verses that DO NOT apply to them. I forgot the tally but there are wayyyyyyy more verses dealing with heterosexual and all-inclusive sin than there are for homosexuality. (Yes, Miss Dixie here used to be a Baptist Sunday school teacher...shocking, isn't it? lol) They only pick and choose the parts of the bible that serve their hatred towards others. They downplay or blatantly ignore any parts that apply to them. That's the part that really really really pisses me off. I'm no longer a believer in organized religion, but I do still hold on to some of my spirituality. I don't know which God they think they serve, but according to that bible they like to "throw" at us, that God is a forgiving and loving one. If I did believe in a Heaven, I would get there a lot quicker in my gayness than they will in their judgments of it.


I'm not sure how you can prove that the christian god is portrayed as "forgiving and loving" in the bible.

Some quotes with context:


1 And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab.

2 And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods.

3 And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.

4 And the LORD said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the LORD against the sun, that the fierce anger of the LORD may be turned away from Israel.

5 And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baalpeor.

6 And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

7 And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand;

8 And he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel.

9 And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand.

10 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

11 Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy.

12 Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace:

13 And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel.

14 Now the name of the Israelite that was slain, even that was slain with the Midianitish woman, was Zimri, the son of Salu, a prince of a chief house among the Simeonites.

15 And the name of the Midianitish woman that was slain was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur; he was head over a people, and of a chief house in Midian.

16 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

17 Vex the Midianites, and smite them:

18 For they vex you with their wiles, wherewith they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a prince of Midian, their sister, which was slain in the day of the plague for Peor's sake. - Numbers 25:1 - 25:18

16 Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished.

17 Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regard silver; and [as for] gold, they shall not delight in it.

18 [Their] bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children.

19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.

20 It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there. - Isaiah 13:16-13:20

23 But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come .

24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.

25 It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?

26 Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered , that shall not be revealed ; and hid, that shall not be known .

27 What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.

28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing ? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.

30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered .

31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men , him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.

37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

40 He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.

41 He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.

42 And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward. - Matthew 10:23 - Matthew 10:42

Saying that fundamentalists ignore the sins that relate to them in favour of those they focus most open is pretty much what you do when you claim that they are doing so. Except you do the opposite, and focus on the biblical passages that you wish to emphasize, while downplaying the passages that describe a wrathful, unforgiving god who calls homosexuality an abomination formerly practiced by nations which have been wiped out by the wrath of god and servants of god.

It is very fitting Dixie and we both know it is a big part of our discrimination down here in the south.

I've posted over and over that i believe in God and the Bible, but not the markers and translations that some use. To me it is a guide and it has been so dramatically changed over the years and so harshly thrown in people's faces for the wrong reasons that it makes me want to scream "WHAT GOD ARE YOU SERVING, IT IS A FAR CRY FROM THE ONE I KNOW".


How can you judge what the right or wrong reasons are? The history of christianity, as well as the bible itself have shown overwhelmingly that if you take christianity as what it is described in its own "holy text," as well as the acts of the majority of its believers throughout the majority of its history acting in accordance with that text, then the view you present here of the bible is really only the view of a minority of christians (and the christian text) over the course of christian history. The view of the bible and christianity as accepting, non-judgmental, peaceful etc. is a fairly modern approach to the christian religion. It may not be the god you "know," but it is certainly the god that has been worshiped and spoken of throughout the majority of christian history and in the christian bible.

Yes, the bible has undergone many translations over the course of history, it wasn't written by one person or in one fell swoop to begin with. The bible is man-made, just like god. As such, it is a complete reflection of the times in which it was written, and the time in which that particular religion was created and eventually popularized. As such, the bible supports stoning women to death for being raped or for performing adultery, massacring entire nations for believing in multiple gods and without so much as leaving a child alive, enslaving polytheists, selling daughters as sex slaves, condemning homosexuals as abominations unto god and so on. The modern PC version of christianity really is a mutation of the original.

So long as the bible is popularly viewed as real evidence legitimizing or illegitimizing an argument, then discrimination will continue; and so will people continue to believe that discrimination can be justified on the basis of religious freedom, and that religious freedom should take precedence over all other civil rights. And that is one of the primary problems with the United States: religion is too highly valued, and viewed to have real worth when it comes to civil rights issues. The bible is not a tool to be used in order to prove the necessity for equality. It should not, and the LGBT community should not be humouring these fundamentalists by trying to argue over verses from a holy text that condones stoning people to death, as though it would somehow help advance LGBT rights.

[princessbelle]

Ender,

Quite simply:

I will believe what i want to believe. I will worship who i want to worship. I will stand proud in doing so.

We can quote scripture all day long back and forth, and let's not forget about dragging out the original writings and the Strong's Concordance, OH and then our personal life experiences, will still leave those on opposing sides shaking their heads and more than likely still on opposite sides.

I'm sorry that you don't "understand it". It is not my desire to make sure you do. I agree with some of your post, and have made that clear with previous posts in the religious threads, that SOME Christianity followers and SOME of those involved have done horrific things. I am not in a secular religion. I am a believer in God. I am not part of a conspiracy to undermine mankind, women, our LGBT community or anyone or anything. I am an ally and i'm trying to get my foot into what i can do as a gay femme to help everyone in my community when the opportunity presents itself. As it has here locally for me in this situation.

This has also been said before as well....there are many, horrific things that have been done by people claiming all sorts of religions and non religions, and it certainly continues today. Christianity is not the singular cause.

Pretty sure there is a thread about this. Yes, i'm positive actually. However, i see where Christianity was brought up here lightly and that is may be why you posted what you did.

At the end of the day....believe what you want. I sure will.

Thank you for your opinions. You certainly have a right to them. As i do mine.

Back to topic...

I found this today.

http://www.christianpost.com/news/dolly-partons-dollywood-charged-with-gay-discrimination-52751/

Gay advocacy groups are charging Dolly Parton's Dollywood theme park with discrimination after a lesbian wearing a ‘‘Marriage Is So Gay" t-shirt was told at the gate that she must turn the shirt inside-out before she could enter.
Related
DADT Repeal Unfounded, Defies Religious Freedom, ADF Says
Lesbian Couple Sues Vt. Inn Over Marriage Ceremony
Can Christians Escape the 'Hate' Label in Gay Marriage Debate?Related Topics
HomosexualityFree SpeechOlivier Odom decided to oblige to the request of the employee of the Knoxville park by hiding the slogan. She then entered with her spouse of one year, Jennifer Tipton.

Odom, under the advice of a group called Campaign for Southern Equality, has since written a letter to the park about the incident that occurred two weeks ago. The letter was published online in the “Censorship in America” blog and several gay advocacy media sites earlier this week.

“To ensure that your customers are not treated this way in the future, I would like to see Dollywood implement policies that are inclusive of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people; conduct staff sensitivity training; and issue a public statement indicating that the park is inclusive of all families,” Odom wrote.

A Dollywood spokesperson said the incident was a misunderstanding and a matter of a strict dress code policy, according to news reports.

"Thousands of times a day our front gate hosts are asked to enforce our dress code policy,” the spokesperson, Pete Owens, told The Advocate.

[princessbelle]

And this.....

I'm still watching and waiting and hoping and praying something positive comes from this....

http://gaylife.about.com/b/2011/07/27/dolly-parton-theme-park-rejects-gay-t-shirt.htm

Dolly Parton's usual support for gay rights was lost in translation at her Dollywood theme park, where a lesbian couple was asked to cover up their pro-gay T-shirts.

Olivier Odom and Jennifer Tipton were visiting Dollywood with friends when park staff asked them to turn their "marriage is so gay" shirts inside out. The couple was told their messaging wasn't welcome at the Pigeon Forge, Tennessee entertainment complex, a so-called a family establishment. The couple later filed a complaint. "Families come in a wide range of definitions these days and we were with our family," Tipton told the AP.

Dolly Parton co-owns Dollywood with Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation, which includes a theme park, Dollywood's Splash Country, and the chain of "Dixie Stampede" dinner theaters. It's also home of the Southern Gospel Museum and Hall of Fame.

The park staff's behavior is far from Parton's position on gay rights. Given the negative press of this incident, Parton will have to again speak out on her allegiance. Her past comments on gay rights, however, speak for themselves. "Having a big gay following," Parton previously acknowledged. "I get hate mail and threats. Some people are blind or ignorant, and you can't be that prejudiced and hateful and go through this world and still be happy." And in 2009 when asked if she supported gay marriage, the country music legend told Joy Behar: "Sure, why can't they get married? They should suffer like the rest of us do."

[tapu]

Get it?? "Let go of my ears. I know what I'm doing."

:superfunny:

[dixie]

I really don't understand why people insist on defending monotheist religion and claiming that the christian bible does not condone violence and discrimination; that the fundamentalists who use biblical verse to justify their hatred are reading mistranslations or interpreting it in order to back their own ideas. First of all, the bible is so full of blatant contradictions that you could pretty much justify anything with it. Second of all, those who claim that christianity is all about peace, love and not judging others are interpreting it to fit their own personal needs just as much as those who interpret it to justify their hatred.

I don't recall saying it is ALL about peace, love and not judging.

I'm not sure how you can prove that the christian god is portrayed as "forgiving and loving" in the bible.
If I wasn't sitting outside my class on my phone, I could quote just as many for peace and love as you have for vengeance and violence, so let's not go there shall we...
Some quotes with context:







Saying that fundamentalists ignore the sins that relate to them in favour of those they focus most open is pretty much what you do when you claim that they are doing so. Except you do the opposite, and focus on the biblical passages that you wish to emphasize, while downplaying the passages that describe a wrathful, unforgiving god who calls homosexuality an abomination formerly practiced by nations which have been wiped out by the wrath of god and servants of god.

I also did not say that there weren't verses that deal with the abominations of homosexuality. I said that they pick and choose what applies to them while ignoring the rest. I objectively view ALL of it, and in doing so use it to remind them to view all as well. The only time is even speak of religion is in something where a religious view is centered, as with the topic at hand. Rarely if ever do I use it in my daily life. As I said previously, I am not a religious person.

I would prefer that you not assume to know what my views are or how I use those views. Needless to say, you would be (and are) extremely mistaken.







And that is all the conversation I will have on religion.

[Glenn]

There is always a distinct possibility for common public retribution whereby corporate policy changes can occur. But.. you still may get the ol Eddy Haskel,"You look beautiful today Mrs. Cleaver." when your wearing your Dollywood is Gay T shirt.

[princessbelle]

There is always a distinct possibility for common public retribution whereby corporate policy changes can occur. But.. you still may get the ol Eddy Haskel,"You look beautiful today Mrs. Cleaver." when your wearing your Dollywood is Gay T shirt.


I'll take it.

It's a start.

[atomiczombie]

There is always a distinct possibility for common public retribution whereby corporate policy changes can occur. But.. you still may get the ol Eddy Haskel,"You look beautiful today Mrs. Cleaver." when your wearing your Dollywood is Gay T shirt.

:shocking: I want a Dollywood is Gay T-shirt!!

[T4Texas]

They love to spout the bible verses. YET...they only spout verses that DO NOT apply to them.


Amen to that. (no pun intended). Unfortunately when dealing with bible belt mentality, you have to remember that they only see themselves as right and there's no changing that. It's such a total hypocritical thing, a double standard. I stopped worrying a long time ago about what straight/religious/other types thought about me and my lifestyle. The straight people don't matter to me because if they can't see me for the person I am, then to hell with them. We are not defined by who we sleep with. The religious types don't matter because the God I believe in is not going to send me to burn in hell because I love someone of my own sex. As for the Dollywood people, they need to understand that their 'family' park should also accomodate different types of family units...because thats the way life is now and they need to get in step with the times.

[princessbelle]

Amen to that. (no pun intended). Unfortunately when dealing with bible belt mentality, you have to remember that they only see themselves as right and there's no changing that. It's such a total hypocritical thing, a double standard. I stopped worrying a long time ago about what straight/religious/other types thought about me and my lifestyle. The straight people don't matter to me because if they can't see me for the person I am, then to hell with them. We are not defined by who we sleep with. The religious types don't matter because the God I believe in is not going to send me to burn in hell because I love someone of my own sex. As for the Dollywood people, they need to understand that their 'family' park should also accomodate different types of family units...because thats the way life is now and they need to get in step with the times.

Great post.

Thank you for joining in.

[princessbelle]

As far as i can find/tell there still has been no contact from Dolly or Dolly's "people" to the woman who was forced to turn her shirt inside out. But i could be wrong...i've been working.

This is a good article...

This will NOT go away i don't believe.

still watching ;)

The Players: Olivier Odom, professional welder and metal-working art instructor; Pete Owens, manager of Dollywood PR and Dollywood's Splash Country--a waterpark connected to Dollywood, an amusement park co-owned by Dolly Parton.

The Opening Serve: On a July 9 visit to Dollywood and Dollywood's Splash Country with her wife and a friend's children, Odom wore a shirt that read "Marriage is So Gay." Odom told us, "When we got to Dollywood Splash Country, the man at the entry gate whispered in my ear that I needed to turn my shirt inside out." Dollywood has a dress-code policy where clothing that is deemed offensive is either covered up or turned inside out.

Owens confirms this in an interview with The Advocate, a gay and lesbian news magazine."Thousands of times a day our front gate hosts are asked to enforce our dress code policy," he said. "It doesn't have anything to do with who the people are or what their belief system is or with anything other than the fact that we try to prevent as best as we can upon entry of the park one of our guests being offended by something someone else is wearing."

In an interview with an NBC affiliate Odom said, "I was curious what he found offensive about the shirt. If it was the fact that it had the word gay on it or that it was in conjunction with the word marriage." Odom sent a letter to Dollywood on the 19th to file her complaint.

"I do not feel that your company has the right to restrict the freedom of speech of its patrons," she wrote in her letter. "My shirt was a political statement of equality."

The Return Volley: We spoke to Pete Owens yesterday. "Dozens of times a month, we ask patrons to turn their shirt inside out," he said. "The park tries to provide an environment that is away or removed from everything else in the world--where people can just enjoy themselves."

Owens also added, "Our park is open everyday to everybody. It's open to every and all kinds of families enjoying their day." He added that though he hasn't met with Odom and Tipton yet, he plans to do so.

Odom responded to Owens's comments in an conversation with The Atlantic Wire today. "I don't know how it's possible to go anywhere without seeing something political," she said. "If someone that wore a shirt that protested the repeal of DOMA, I don't think they'd be asked to turn their shirt inside out." Odom said that, though she didn't see this herself, her wife saw patrons wearing t-shirts with Confederate flags.

Odom pointed out that the park's namesake creates an image problem. "It was my impression that Dolly Parton and therefore Dollywood would support marriage equality," she said. "I know she's only a part-owner, but she's why people come." Dollywood's website cites that Parton is a co-owner of the park. Earlier this month, Parton said she supported marriage equality in an interview with the Toronto Sun. In the same interview, she questioned Christian intolerance of marriage equality.

As of this morning, Odom said she has yet to be contacted by Owens or Dollywood staff.

What They Say They're Fighting About: Dollywood's "restrict[ing] the freedom of speech of its patrons," as written in Odom's letter. Owens confirms that the park and front gate attendants have to make decisions on what is offensive and that it's Dollywood's goal to try and leave politics at the door, thus creating a more enjoyable environment.

What They're Really Fighting About: If gay rights are offensive. Odom doesn't think so. She argues that the neutrality policy at Dollywood is broken if she can't wear a shirt promoting equality. The staff and employee who asked her to change her shirt think differently.

Who's Winning Now: It's tricky, but probably Odom. Granted, the rule that Odom objects to makes it so that she doesn't have to see homophobic shirts at an amusement park. But by deeming Odom's marriage equality shirt offensive, Dollywood has implicitly put itself on one side of the gay rights debate. What complicates this scenario is that main attraction of the park, Dolly Parton, has gone on the record supporting marriage equality and gay rights. Now the park faces an image and damage-control problem. It should be noted that Dollywood has had its share of gay rights controversy in the past as well. In 2004, the park asked a gay and lesbian group to rename a "Gay Day" event and faced protests and threats by the Ku Klux Klan as the event drew closer.

Source: http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2011/07/dolly-partons-dollywood-gets-gay-marriage-t-shirt-spat/40303/

[atomiczombie]

From CNN:

http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2011/08/03/parton-apologizes-for-dollywood-t-shirt-incident/

After a woman was asked to turn a T-shirt reading "Marriage is so gay" inside out while attempting to visit Dollywood's Splash Country in early July, Dolly Parton has issued a personal apology for the incident.

The woman, who according to the Atlantic was attending the park along with her wife and the children of a friend, was asked by the host at Dollywood's Splash Country to turn her shirt inside out at the park's entrance.

According to Dollywood's Splash Country press rep Pete Owens, the park has "a pretty strict dress code," and the host of the park is charged with deciding whether or not a guest's clothing is appropriate. In this case, the request to turn the "Marriage is so gay" T-shirt inside out was made "in the spirit of the dress code," Owens said.


The woman complied with the request, and no one was barred entry. However, Owens told CNN that the park was contacted by the customer on July 19 via email, which said that the couple didn't believe having to turn the t-shirt inside out was right.

Owens said an offer was made to arrange a meeting to discuss what happened, but that fell through. By August 1, Owens offered to refund the couple's admission to the park. That gesture was followed up by a personal apology from Parton herself.

"I am truly sorry for any hurt or embarrassment regarding the gay and lesbian T-shirt incident at Dollywood's Splash Country recently," she says in the statement. "Everyone knows of my personal support of the gay and lesbian community. Dollywood is a family park and all families are welcome. We do have a policy about profanity or controversial messages on clothing or signs. It is to protect the individual wearing or carrying them, as well as to keep down fights or problems by those opposed to it at the park. We even offer free shirts in exchange to those who want to remain on the park."

She continues, "I am and was on tour when this was brought to my attention and I am looking further into the incident and hope and believe it was more policy than insensitivity. I am very sorry it happened at all."

Press officer Owens said he gave Parton's statement to the couple involved and apologized if they were hurt, or uneasy, or embarrassed in any way.

Click the link for video. Yay Dolly! :D

[princessbelle]

Good.

I really thought she would...eventually. She has spoken out to support our LGBT community and it makes me very proud and very happy.

WAY TO GO DOLLY!!!!!!!!! Now, get to work and make sure that supporting our community on gay marriage etc, is off the list of shirts that proclaim "profanity or controversial messages on clothing or signs".

I love happy endings!!!!!