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My experience at the Hands Off protest. The Good, the Bad, and signs of hope. [1]
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Date: 2025-04-07
The protest at the State Capitol in Saint Paul, MN on Saturday was interesting. I kind of knew what to expect after having attended the Women’s March event in 2017, but after listening to a number of speeches — all of which sounded similar — I kept on being distracted by what sounded like a dance party on the west side of the crowd, so I slowly made my way over there to see what was going on because they obviously weren't there for the speeches. I thought that they might be counter-protesters but it sounded like too much fun for that to be the case. What I found was unexpected, but it represents the best of humanity in fighting back. I found my tribe of weird, happy people of all colors and genders and sexual orientations.
To set the scene for those of you unfamiliar with the crazy Jesus freaks who show up at every event in the Twin Cities metro area with more than 2 queer people, they bring a megaphone and signs telling us all that we're going to hell because we happen to enjoy our lives and refuse to be as miserable as they are. They are at every Pride event of course, but the LGBT community usually tends to ignore them. Well, with fascism on the rise my tribe decided to show up today and fight back. Not with violence, but with music and dancing and community. Unlike the staged event on the capital steps, this was organic and powerful and joyful, and I felt at home. We were confronting directly the evil infecting our politics and refusing to submit and be quiet, and after being drowned out by our music and chants of "Go home!" the Jesus freaks eventually retreated and left us all to celebrate, and it felt like a small win in a world gone mad.
I don't fault you if you were inspired by any of the speeches you heard on Saturday, even if I wasn't. Speeches are important, as are mass protests, but the lesson I took from the protest is that we can win, even if they are only small victories, because eventually enough small victories can change our country, one Jesus freak at a time.
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