Raid of Ft. Worth Gay Club on 40th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots Leads LGBT Leaders to Hold a Candlelight Vigil For Those Arrested and Injured

By Chastity Kirven, Contributing Writer

On June 28, 2009 at 1:00am, on the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, a life was seriously impacted by what witnesses say was excessive force used by police and agents of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission during a raid of a gay bar – that had been open only five days – in Fort Worth, Texas. The brutal zip-tie arrest of seven individuals for public intoxication inside the Rainbow Lounge left one man, identified as Chad Gibson, hospitalized with a brain injury.

“I’m outraged, hurt, and concerned,” said Randy Norman, Manager of the Rainbow Lounge. “You don’t know how it felt to see my patrons thrown around like rag dolls. This was supposed to be a safe place and my heart goes out to Chad as well as his family.” Randy takes a minute to wipe the tears from his watery red eyes still filled with raw emotion from his recent nightmare. He then goes on to say, “It’s tragic that after only five days we were raided and I don’t understand why this happened.”

Yesterday, July 1, 2009, a candlelight vigil was held on the front steps of the Rainbow Lounge in support of victims of the raid, in a show of solidarity and hope for Chad Gibson to have a speedy recovery.  The mood was sober and overflowing with uncertainty.  As candles were lifted, anonymous voices rose over the silence declaring: “You are not alone and we will continue to fight until justice has been served!”

Daniel Scott Cates, Million Gay March of Texas organizer, said: “It’s unfortunate for a number of reasons that this happened but it’s helped our community come together. I have a mixed bag of emotions but I’m very happy to see the strong support for Chad.” A moment of silence was observed and candles were blown out.  The crowd headed inside the bar. As the crowd moved toward the door, there was an air of sadness and disbelief.

“I can only describe what happened that night like a scene out of a movie,” said Lindsey Thompson, who worked the door at the Rainbow Lounge the night of the raid. “It was like the riot scene in the film Milk and it felt like it was illegal to be gay.”

Lindsey’s roommate, Dylan Thomas, was one of the seven arrested the night of the raid and still suffers from some injuries. “I was arrested for public intoxication but I only had one drink,” said Dylan with a look of disbelief. “I’m still shocked, humiliated, and pissed off that this happened to me.”  He stares blankly and appears to still be reeling from his nine-hour stay in jail. “I would tell President Obama that our country has been through slavery, women’s rights, and now it’s our turn for equality. This incident just proves we  have a long way to go.”

Josh Taylor, arrested when he questioned police about arresting his friend Dylan Thomas, agrees with Dylan’s feelings about the raid. “I’m livid! This was ridiculous and I feel like I was targeted.” He looks down and then continues, “Why was I targeted? What was behind the brutality?  I just want answers.”

“The bottom line from the Fort Worth police chief was that his staff needs sensitivity training, so I think they all need to be sent back to kindergarten.  There is no excuse for discrimination,” said Elizabeth Pax of Queerliberaction.

Donations are requested to cover Chad Gibson’s medical and other expenses related to the raid, which can be taken at any Compass Bank.  There are rallies and  City Council meetings planned for next week. The outrage is still apparent on the faces of those arrested and the vigil ended with a feeling of an immediate need for LGBT equality.  The Rainbow Lounge’s manager Randy ended the night by saying: “President Obama, please give us the respect we deserve, the answers we need, let us keep our pride and our honor as we honor your office in our quest for equality.”

Chastity Kirven is an author, activist, artsist & filmmaker. Her debut novel “What Goes Around Comes Back Around” was nominated for a Lambda Literary award & her documentary short about same sex domestic violence is playing at film festivals across the U.S. Chastity’s artwork will be featured in the September 2009 issue of Curve magazine. A dinner with Chas will be auctioned off along with some art pieces & copies of her book for charity by Butch Voices in Austin on July 11, 2009. She will have a book signing for the OutWrite Author Series in Washington D.C. On July 23, 2009. She has been a GLBT speaker at the Day of Decision rally  & recently the Million Gay March of Texas. She is a community activist helping save a local food pantry program for 3,000 homeless HIV patients & helps promote post HIV infection education.  Chas can be contacted at www.facebook.com/cdkirven or www.Myspace.com/cdkirven.