Tent Protest at General Conference
So, my son Tim and I committed to spend a night in the tent to support Rev. Mike Tupper’s tent witness. We're not going to lie. It was a rough night. Sleeping in a tent on the Convention Center grounds made us appreciate Mike Tupper's witness even more. And we only did it for one night, whereas he has done it for 167.
Here's the log from last night:
- a house-less man was arrested for sleeping on the grounds a mere 50 feet down from us. They handcuffed him and charged him with trespassing. Then the police came over and asked Mike if he was alright. Mike should have been arrested too. He did the exact same thing. So, we realized first-hand that class privilege is alive and well (we think that )
- we didn't really get to sleep until the early morning hours because another house-less man was pacing around our tent talking to himself loudly, and judging by the language he used, it was not a pastor rehearsing his sermon.
- there were all kinds of “city noises” such as police sirens and especially the horns and bells of the street cars going by our tent just 50 feet away.
- it got chilly and damp when the dew set in during the wee morning hours.
But it was all worth it, because, as the tent prophet (Mike Tupper) says, none of that compares to the discomforts and pain our LGBTQ members experience being pushed out of their faith community. It’s time we take action even if it challenges and stretches us. You won’t change anything if your battle cry is: “I’m all about fighting for justice...until it interferes with my comforts.”