As promised, we went back at 3 for the kids leaving at the end of the school day. By this point, only the twinkie guy and the two others (that got left when the Phelps clan left via shiny Lincolns in the morning) were there. I added a few more photos to the gallery.

The twinkie guy held an extension cord to demonstrate the male/female aspect of electrical plugs, saying that this proved that homosexuality was unnatural. Someone yelled at him to tell him his big tool belt was “very Village People.” I was amused to see him waving the plugs at the transgender kids that walked across the street to confront him. Their cohorts over on our side of the street yelled encouragements, such as “smack him with your tits!” and chanted “We’re people! Not Plugs!”

After a bit the two bible guys walked over to the corner of Astor and Broadway — out of their pen! A group of us went with our signs to get between them and the kids headed that way on their way out of the school. At first the police didn’t like it and told us to go back to our pen, but we told them we didn’t want the kids to get yelled at by the bible-thumpers. They were sympathetic, and just brought some more barricades and made us and the two bigots a new holding area. Our original four good guys were eventually joined by more people, including several teachers from other schools that had arrived by that point. I had a bit more flashback to my southern upbringing than I wanted as one of them yelled in the cadence of a fire and brimstone preacher about gays, AIDS, etc. It was an interesting experience — we were standing right next to them in a 4′ × 10′ barricaded space next to Astor Hair.

One of the kids handed us a white paper heart that said, “My Big Gay Heart Loves You.”

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Updated: See James’s afternoon report, including some nice photos of the kids that crossed the street to confront the bigots.

Coverage of today’s Harvey Milk “event”: CNN International and 365 Gay

Fred “God hates Fags” Phelps, the man famous for picketing funeral of people who have died of AIDS and the Matthew Shepard funeral, arrived with his little group to protest the first day of school at Harvey Milk High School.

There are a lot more anti-Phelps protesters — we arrived at 7:30am and there was already a huge crowd.

I have a gallery with a few photos I took. Highlights of the morning:

• The crowd cheered the school kids as they walked past us to enter the school.
• The Police actually moved the barricades to give us more room, and put us closer to the Phelps gang across the street, when the “FAGS FDNY” and “Thank God for 9/11” signs appeared. I’m sure they also appreciated it when the Phelps people brought out the American flags to stand on.
• Someone yelled out, “Love the ”http://bloggy.com/gallery/phelps-harvey-milk/phelps">purple jacket</a>, Fred!"
• Around 8:15 black towncars arrived and took most of the Phelps people away. They used a car service!
• There was one heavy guy on the Phelps side wearing a Twinkie box as a hat.
• They used printed lyrics to help them out while singing.
• There was a big garbage truck next to them, being loaded with demolition debris, for most of the demo. When it left around 8:30, people yelled, “Hey! Your ride is leaving!”

I’ll be back there at 3:00 when the kids get out of school.

Here is what I wrote when people started screaming about segregation and “the gay high school.”

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Updated: James’s post and photos are up too.

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Updated again — I’m in the photo at the top of the MSNBC article — the blue and white striped shirt.

Last night President Flight Suit said we’re going to ask the rest of the world for money and bodies to help us clean up the mess we created in Iraq and Afghanistan. Last week, Richard Boucher, the State Department spokesman had this diplomatic thing to say about “Old Europe”:

“Mr. Boucher,” a reporter asked at the daily briefing, “do you have anything on the proposal for the creation of a European Union military headquarters in Brussels independent of NATO, something that has angered the United States, according to reports?”

“I’m not quite sure what proposal that is,” Boucher said, according to a transcript. “You mean the one from the four countries [Belgium, Germany, France and Luxembourg] that got together and had a little . . . had a little bitty summit . . . .”

“That’s exactly it,” the reporter said, "and Belgium insisting to . . . "

“Yeah, the chocolate makers,” Boucher quipped and reporters laughed. “Sorry. No, I . . . I think they’ve been referred to that way in the press; I shouldn’t repeat things I see in the press.”

Artist Kiki Smith works on a piece of art in this undated publicity photo. Smith is among the artists that PBS’ ‘Art in the Twenty-First Century’ follows, documneting the challenging proscess of transforming inspiration into art. The series airs at 9 p.m. EDT Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 9-10 (check local listings). (AP Photo/PBS/Art21)

After years of never watching TV, I’m still getting used to having a digital recorder, and looking to see what’s on TV that I might actually want to see.

As a visual person, I look at Yahoo! Top Stories Photos to see what they’re showing. I was amazed to see a photo of Kiki Smith on the page. It was to illustrate the TV show Art in the 21st Century on PBS. How have I not heard of this?! A show that talks to the likes of her, Paul Pfeiffer, Collier Schorr, etc. is definitely something I want to see. The web page gives air dates, so set those recorders.

I saw Kiki Smith in person at LFL Gallery when I was there for Danica Phelps’s opening on Friday night.

It’s time to be there for the Harvey Milk kids on Monday morning and afternoon.

Fred Phelps and his ilk will be screaming their god-soaked obscenities at young gay kids on Monday as they attend the first day of school.

Supporters are encouraged to be at the school at 7:30 am on Monday, September 8 (first class is at 8:00 a.m.) and 3:00 pm (end of school day), with happy signs and encouragement. The Harvey Milk School is located at Two Astor Place at the corner of Astor and Broadway (take the 6 train to Astor Place or the N or R to 8th Street and Broadway).

James has more info.

Last Sunday we went walking around LIC – to see the Socrates Sculpture Park and catch a bit of the Float parade.

The Marching Band playing “Like a Virgin”

Austin Thomas and her gold El Camino

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(Other images are thumbnails in the interest of reasonable download times)

Artist on Wheels — an organization that encourages disabled people to explore their artistic abilities

Krypton Neon Shop

Clubhouse by Jesse Bercowetz, Matt Bua, Sabine Heinlein, and local kids

The last thing I’m posting is a sad one that makes me angry. When something happens like the seawall crumbling in a Manhattan park across the river, it gets fixed. We don’t put up chain link fences to cut off people from the water for years, hoping it will eventually be restored before the whole park falls into the river. The predominantly non-white people who visit the Queensbridge Park don’t get such treatment. The parks along the water were full of families having cookouts and enjoying themselves, but most of the park was cut off from the water. A study, not an actual repair plan, has been announced regarding what’s going to happen. The park was built in the 1930s, when our country was better able to find money to fund public amenities than it is now.

Yea! A non-war post!

…the best minds of my generation (suck)
24″×30″, Enamel on plywood.
Johan Olander, 2003

We recently encountered the clever work of Johan Olander at a preview for Russell Simmons’s “Art for Life” benefit at Kenny Schachter’s gallery in the Village. It was organized by Simon Watson, the sweetest person working in the arts, and head of Downtown Arts Projects.

On the second anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, seven in ten Americans continue to believe that Iraq’s Saddam Hussein had a role in the attacks.

I blame the media for being collaborators with the Bush regime.

… an occasional series…

We’re lucky the Bush regime doesn’t just put poor people without health insurance into concentration camps. Their only health proposal this year seems to be making it easier for emergency rooms to deny care to the uninsured.

While watching the credits for Bowling for Columbine, I noticed Yoko Ono was one of the people in the list of acknowledgements. If we were more like Canada, John Lennon would probably still be alive.