A group of radical, fanatical Jihadi Islamic protesters gathered at the Global Atheist Convention on Sunday April 15 2012. Seemingly they felt that atheism was a threat to humanity and their very existence.
Gregory and I had a smooch in front of these whack-jobs and they started howling that we would “burn in hell”.
Our friend Pete Darwin captured the moment with my trusty Nikon and the rest is history.
There’s been a bunch of coverage online:
- AronRa (YouTube) (USA/watch to 1:00)
- Alexander Ryking
- Amerika Bülteni (Turkish/USA)
- Ateist Canavar (Turkish)
- Atheist Republic (Facebook)
- Australian Skeptics Forum
- Butterflies and Wheels
- Dave The Happy Singer (Australian)
- David Icke’s Official Forums
- death + taxes mag
- Democratic Underground
- digg.com1
- Dispatches from the Culture Wars
- DNA Magazine2 (PDF) (Australian)
- DV.is (Icelandic)
- European Freedom Initiative
- Friendly Atheist
- Furious Purpose
- Gay News Network (PDF) (Australian)
- Gladly, the Cross-Eyed Bear (Australian)
- Gregory Storer (Australian)
- In Vino Veritas (Australian)
- Joe. My. God. (USA)
- Libertarian Republican3
- Newsvine (Grishman’s Column)4
- Obama 2012 Election – Blog archive5
- Occupy All Streets -> Ⓐnarcho Queer
- On The Record
- Pharyngula (USA)
- Photo submitted to reddit by Pete Darwin (comments)
- queer.de (German)
- Star Online (Australian)
- same same (Australian)
- The Caudal Lure (Australian)
- the burned over district
- The Raw Story (1)
- The Raw Story (2)
- Thoughts and Cute Things6
- topix.com
- UAAR Ultimissime (Italian)
- Wolfies World
If you find any other places that have covered this story, please let me know.
Dead links
- http://digg.com/newsbar/topnews/gay_guys_kiss_in_front_of_islamic_fanatics_at_2012_global_atheist_convention
- http://www.dnamagazine.com.au/articles/news.asp?news_id=16500
- http://www.libertarianrepublican.net/2012/04/two-gay-men-give-each-other-big-fat.html
- http://grisham.newsvine.com/_news/2012/04/16/11232432-gay-men-kiss-as-muslims-protest-atheist-convention-in-australia
- http://obama2012election.com/gay-men-kiss-as-muslims-protest-atheist-convention-in-australia
- http://shadedspriter.tumblr.com/post/21518900834/gregory-storer-and-michael-barnett-gay-kiss
Original photographs on Google Photos and Facebook.
Thanks to Katy Perry for inspiration.
Wow it’s been posted and reported on everywhere!
I left the protest shortly after the “Where are your women!” chants. Wish I’d been there for the kiss but I think I just missed it.
You’re so kissable.
How very brave and fine of you. Just be careful where you go for the next few years, these fundies have very long memories and very short fuses,
Indeed. Thank you.
How is it that you call these guys radical and fanatical whack-jobs when they are just standing up for what they believe in, yet its ok for Ali Hogg to be a radical, fanatical whack-job? Same difference. We all fight for what we believe in. In my opinion Ali Hogg seems like just as much as a whack-job as these guys. They are just on different sides.
Your argument is flawed Paul. The Jihadi fundamentalist protesters at the Global Atheist Convention were trying to oppress people and force them to have a very narrow set of rigid beliefs. Ali Hogg or any other equal rights campaigner is not trying to oppress anyone. You may have a personal issue with Ali Hogg, but what issue do you take with her motivation to improve human rights?
Abbott is a politician. He’s a public figure. Part of the job is having to put up with protests, which is of course everyone’s right. Protests happen in lots of ways. Ali Hogg certainly has a unique style. There’s nothing wrong with that, nor is there anything wrong with the muslims protesting at the GAC, they’re allowed to do that too. Everyone can believe as they want. Abbott as a public figure will be the subject of all sorts of protest. That’s not the same as atheists meeting for a conference as private citizens. The muslims may well be standing up for what they believe, it’s whacky. They should expect to be ridiculed because they want everyone else to be just like them, or burn in hell.
Abbott has not expressed such desires. Ali Hogg has not expressed such desire. I can see which ones are more whacked and fanatical.
I don’t even know Ali Hogg but how does the way she act improve human rights? I think Alex Greenwich has done way more for human rights and same sex marriage than Ali Hogg could ever do and without the whack-job attitude. Why get down in the mud with the pigs? It just shows you are no better than they are.
Whatever you think of those fighting for human rights and how they/we do it has nothing to do with the protesters at the GAC last Sunday.
Anyway, I wasn’t arguing about what the Muslims were protesting about. I was questioning your description of them when either side has the capability of appearing radical, fanatical and like a whack-job. Believe me, I am on your side.
Paul, thanks, glad to hear it. 🙂
Just one thing though, at the start you said “… when they are just standing up for what they believe in”. These people, the protesters, the ones who you say are just standing up for what they believe in, are of the same mentality as the people who fly planes into buildings and who strap bombs to people and get them to walk into crowded cafes. I hope you can see why I feel compelled to describe them the way I do.
Well, the truth is they are standing up for what they believe in whether we like what they stand for or not. I guess none of us are entitled to having the whole world follow our philosophies and beliefs. There is always going to be opposing sides and always going to be fanatical radicals on any side.
I suppose that’s what we call perspective. 🙂
You can see and feel the hate and revulsion building in the mob of unwashed muzzies. They must do classes in Hate 101 and wait for opportubities to practise it. The good thing is that they embarass themselves and to most looking on, prove the silliness of their belief system and make it even less atttractive to potential converts. They fewer believers of childish monotheistic nonsense the better for all of us.
First of all, can I just say to Mikey Bear, you are bloody awesome for that.
Secondly, to those describing the Muslims in the picture as merely ‘standing up for what they believe in’, and comparing them to Ali Hogg, et al, what those particular Muslims obviously believe in is that they have a divine right to enforce their particular interpretation of Islam on everyone, whether they like it or not, as evidenced by them going out of their way to do such ‘standing up’ at an atheist event. Conversely, those fighting for equal rights for LGBT people, whatever you think of their methods, are simply advocating for the right to exist without discrimination. As such, I don’t really see the equivalence, sorry.
Thanks! Totally agree. And sorry for the late publication of your comment but it somehow got caught in my spam filter.
Amazing how a simple act of love and affection can be so radical and polarising. Well done, guys.
Thank you. 🙂
I was there! You guys rock! I was proud of you. The convention was awesome. Thanks for sharing your pics.
Thanks Deborah. 🙂
People threatening me with hell vastly over-estimate the power of their god to intimidate me.
Oh yes, I can relate to that too kafoodie. 🙂
Great job guys. Yeah let them smell your fur. Love earnst respect. This bear kiss was may be a small kiss for us but it is a great kiss for the rest of homofobic world.. 🙂
Thank you for your support. 🙂
MikeyBear,
You are a hero to stand up for what you believe in in the face of such aggression and hatred! You make us proud!
Thanks heaps RM. 🙂
Great kiss, and a classic moment of profound comment-without-words. I wish I had been able to make it over!
Thank you!
i watched this on youtube and wanted to comment but Comments are disabled for this video. so i came here to comment . soooo .
i just wanted to say that this made me laugh well more a chuckle coz its late night right now. im not gay , but if i was there i would have given you both a kiss just for doing that .
Too kind! Thanks.