galwaygal
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The day love won!
These are the Burkes.
Of late they have become known as Ireland's Phelps family, or the Westport* Baptist Church.
Last Week in NUIG, we had a referendum on LGBT rights on campus, and if the Students Union should support Marriage Equality.
They were firmly in opposition, using posters that compared homosexuality to pedophilia. This was the latest in a year that involved them calling a senator a pervert, a society on campus trying to pray the gay away and generally making NUIG seem like a pretty unfriendly place.
*Westport is a town near where they live
The Burkes
After a student asked them to take down their hateful posters earlier in the day, they called the police. The campus security asked both campaigns to take down their stands as they were in breach of postering policy. They refused to leave and clung onto their board. People stood around and watched, some made fun of them but most just stood there.
Love not hate
A few hours later, things were still stagnating. It looked like the semester would end with the perception that NUIG students were unwilling to take a stand for LGBT equality.
Then someone printed a sign saying love not hate at stood between the two groups.
The Sit in
They staged a sit in, stating that
as long as the Burkes were spreading their message of hate, that they would sit to show LGBT NUIG students that there were more people willing to support and love them.
Gradually they were joined by a few people.
Speaking up
After an hour, someone made a speech - and everyone sat.
Everyone who had been standing there sat, for three hours.
IT WAS AMAZING
They cheered and clapped and sang, and turned the hate into love.
I am so proud to be an NUIG student
I never thought I would break my lurker status, but after this week I am so proud of NUIG I had to share.
The protest was peaceful, and ended after four hours long enough to show every LGBT person on campus that they were welcome, safe and that people would protect them from the bigotry of the Burkes and others.
Sauces in the comments.
EdgyLitirmor
+1 for my alma mater
IThinkIMayBeTheWalrus
Ah Galway.
amybamy
YAY IRELAND!
SPENCIE91
I can see myself!
tomc101
So proud of you NUIG students, Irelands future is in safe hands!
AuronBrosukeJechtNarukamiRamasama
"How can they get their kids to do such awful shite but I can't even get you to clean your room?" -My mother
VulcanTrekkie45
As an O'Dowd, I knew there was a reason that we hated the Burkes.
demodexinyoeyes
The first 2 pics were taken right next to where I was standing! Another angle and I could have made the front page! Noooo!
MichaelCera
Not sure if it has been uploaded yet but for anyone curious, here is the poster that caused such commotion: http://imgur.com/M8raOLS
jubacca
I don't think I have ever been prouder to be of this generation in Ireland. Good on you NUIG! Support coming at you from NUIM :D
transferswitch
as someone who is gay, more importantly someone who wishes for the equality of all men and women this made me tear up. thanks for posting
Bohnson
Thank you for posting and thank you to all the students at NUIG. It's good to know their are safe people and places out there.
aselfdefeatingattitude
Fred Phelps died from reading this.
TheCrowGER
i am not even mad about the fact that we'll way more comments like this in the next days.
mck60
As an LIT student, way to go Galway
AIIOOOCAPTAINJACK
Ditto from TCD!
ectzdc
My last name is Burke...welp
MongoBro
Yeah and we all hate gays!!!! Oh wait...
gloyven
Fair play. I'm Irish and I know what it takes to motivate Irish people to do anything that doesn't involve getting locked. Kudos
RedClatter
You know you're Irish when you go "Ah my mate was at that, I wonder can I see him?"
smurfpuppet
I had to scroll twice, once to read the story then again to check carefully for anyone I knew
OkayByeByebyebyebye
always upvote Eire +1
FatalEden
I was going to say "But why? Ireland ain't that great." Then I saw your username and knew you to be an Irishman/woman at heart. Carry on.
OkayByeByebyebyebye
ha, aaah yeah
MotherofMrFace
YAY GALWAY!!
Quacquaraqua
http://www.hahgay.com/
B0SST0WN
Thank YOU!!!!!!!!
Folamh3
Lovely to see some Irish posts on here.
ectzdc
but then again there are hundreds of us Burkes from Ireland. We are good people...heh..*creepy smile*
imjustgoingtokeepchangingthis
My face is on IMGUR. Today is a good day!
ThisWillNotEndWell
Which one is it? :)
Solkanarmy
dude, just take your posters down, seriously... :P
garrymcmc
I'm still surprised and excited every time I find another Irish person on here and I don't know why
LizBoo
Oh hey! :)
BitofAdickheadReally
There are dozens of us
BrierRabbit
It is not for other humans to judge who a man or woman loves, that they love is what matters.
TheThingNoNotThatOne
Except kids. Loving kids is wrong.
BrierRabbit
Unless you are a parent.
TintreachToirneach
Even in the familial sense of the term? :O
TheThingNoNotThatOne
Definitely. Or at least that's how my parents acted....
theluckysuccess
ah... mine too
TintreachToirneach
No, I meant like parents normally love their kids, familial love - like agape
TheThingNoNotThatOne
Wait, showing love to your kids is normal? I need to call my parents.
TintreachToirneach
And I'm really sorry to hear that, hope things are ok now!
TheThingNoNotThatOne
It was a "my parents don't love me" joke. They love me very much.
galwaygal
TL;dr - Call gays pedophiles in NUIG - you're gonna have a bad time
elithemew
My school is doing the day of silence for those voices that aren't heard and i'm very exited to see the impact it'll have x3
dunnllanes
it was pretty powerful <3
eddiewardo
You haven't posted anything except this post. I checked. and upvoted everything. Make more so I can give you more imaginary points and stuff
ficno
As an NUIG graduate I love this
riiight
Did someone take a video of the speech?
thegfb
I miss NUIG!! fair play, making us NUIG graduates very proud :)
Solkanarmy
"Elton John... do you not think he saw a little of himself in Billy Elliott?" - Dara O'Briain (retracted)
CGriffo124
I have a friend who goes to Galway university, I shall speak to her about this!
jtsince1980
I'm actually shocked there are people like this on our fair isle. Considering how much time was spent hating other things in the north.
fluffylollipop
UCC alumni approves!!!
RarerThanACanOfDandelionandBurdock
Still staggering that people can possess such views in this day and age. Well done OP & NUIG! You're all sound!
BillDeBall
Let me be "that" guy. You think the comparison is insulting because, like them, you assume ALL pedophiles are invariably child molesters
iamagrocerybag
The point is that the word 'peadophile' comes with endless negative association and it is that association that is upsetting.
BillDeBall
So does homosexuality. And when I defend gay marriage, I get called gay even though I'm not. Yet I don't get upset by that. Go figure.
iamagrocerybag
I get called 'nob' a lot even though I'm not, I don't get upset by that cos the comparison isn't particularly offensive, like "gay" isn't.
philbagg
Wut? I would also be offended to be compared to a pedophile that doesn't molest children.
BillDeBall
Sure, why did that evil pedophile choose to be attracted to children instead of adults like everyone else, right?
philbagg
I see your point. But it's like someone who fantasises about rape or murder and doesn't act on it. They're obviously better than the ones(1)
philbagg
who DO act on it, but it's still wrong and I wouldn't like to be compared to them. Consensual sex between same-sex couples doesn't hurt(2)
Zetor
This concept of 'wuv' confuses and infuriates us!
muhphen
I'm trying to imagine all of this happening but with an Irish accent.
thatFamilyMan
+1 for Lrrr, Ruler of the planet Omicron Persei 8
DerFoxeh
(Omicron Perseii 8) "could somebody turn that down?"
aShogunNamedMarcus
And as an added bonus for the day, Fred Phelps just dropped dead, making the world a .00000142% less hateful place
JohnSmithson123
PRAISE THA BEJAYSUS
OfficialSpacePope
It is also, ironically, International Happiness Day
Muchnamesuchuserwow
fred phelps might have held an entire 1% to himself soo maybe even more les hateful
NexiKuro
So now we find out if it was all a scheme to help progressives or not? cool. But, what if his kids don't know, and/or don't want to know?
PSPhoenix
I wonder if Westborro will picket his funeral...cause you know old habits die hard or something like that
marximusprime
But isn't that statement kind of hateful?
cumberbesh
Yes, we must break the cycle!
sydneyzane
Is it wrong I kinda want to go picket his funeral?
sophisticatedanalpalate
It's the most right. I know that doesn't make sense but it's how it needed to be said.
IdKillForAGuinness
Though he had horrible views, I wouldn't recommend it. Be better than he was. Don't stoop to his level.
terbril
The best thing that could ever happen to him is to be ignored by every last human being on the world, and to be forgotten by all humanity.
busdriverdan
Don't do it. Stooping down to his level is the exact thing people like him want.
boruto
While I want to say, "Be better than them and don't picket him," I would not fault you if you did.
BeardKhan
I feel i would still be better if i went and picket at his funeral...
theluckysuccess
If you become what you are fighting,at the end of the day,you are no better than what you are fightng. Why let someone's actions change you?
ItsAgainstTheRulesToThrowOtherPeoplesHeads
The Phelps family says there won't be any funeral for him. Can't imagine why.
princeofnorth
Two wrongs don't make a right. But yeah, I can see why one would want to do that.
DoctorBrobotnik
Picketing funerals is a pretty shitty thing to do. That is one of the many reasons we hated this guy so much, wasn't it?
sydneyzane
That's why it had a question mark at the end. My question is whether or not he deserves it.
Damnyousalazar
I think he does. But I also think it's better to not do it, or else we'd just be continuing the hate, when it's supposed to die with him.
DoctorBrobotnik
Deserves it, yes absolutely. But I kinda hope no one does, just so we can point to when we took the moral high road.
aShogunNamedMarcus
Hey, sauce for the goose. Hell, I'd be inclined to go dressed as "Mr. Slave" (and I'm straight)
SirMisterDudeBroPhD
Jezus chriiiist! :-)
Capsicle
I think maybe this story wasn't told well. It indicates that the Burkes were not rude or hateful, just that they stood in opposition.
BarkLikeATree
hmm well i was there for about 3 hours. It went on from 12 to 6pm. They were rude and aggressive but neither side went into anything illegal
FatalEden
It also fails to mention that by "Asked to take their posters down", if I'm not mistaken, their stall was pretty much torn apart by abusive
RepaidRapidDave
To be fair verbal abuse and slander is instigation.
FatalEden
members of the opposition. I'm not on their side, but the LGBT folk bordered on bullying before the actual peaceful protest kicked in.
OrionRed
That's more information! Thank you for letting us decide for ourselves.
BiteMyShinyMetalDaffodil
Sounds like you are.
FatalEden
Nope - I'm on the side of the LGBTQ community, I just wish they had gone straight to the sit-in; aggression helps nobody.
BiteMyShinyMetalDaffodil
Fair enough, the wording just sounded a bit inflammatory.
OrionRed
I disagree...it's just more information.
BarkLikeATree
one person tore the signs down and he was dealt with by the gardai (irish police) the gardai then deemed that all posters should (1)
BarkLikeATree
be taken down as they contained abusive and provocative messages. likening gay people to pedophiles. The burkes refused to take down (2)
BarkLikeATree
the last poster, which is the one you see two of them holding onto, so the gardai got fed up and left. Everyone there disagreed with (3)
DrBourbonTheOriginal
I honestly cannot understand spreading hate. My schedule is way too busy to care if you're gay or not.
theluckysuccess
I mean, do they even watch Modern Family?
maxamus
I hate that people spread hate.
AStainlessSteelRat
Didn't learn from the post? They didn't even hate on the Burkes, just quietly gave love instead of hate. "A soft answer turneth away wrath."
DrBourbonTheOriginal
H8RS gotta H8 bitches.
UnpopularOpinionPuffinPersonified
Speaking out and standing up against something you believe is wrong is not spreading hate unless you advocate harming them in some way.
DrBourbonTheOriginal
I always imagine how groups like this make it so much harder for a young gay person to admit who they really are out of fear of torment.
UnpopularOpinionPuffinPersonified
But just disagreeing with a person's lifestyle doesn't mean you hate them.
ColonelColon
The Burkes are harming them by merely saying that what they are, what they identify as is bad and wrong. It may not be physical harm(1/?)
ColonelColon
, but tell the college student who is afraid to come out about his sexuality that the Burkes' are not harming him/her, are not (2/?)
ColonelColon
filling him/her with self-loathing and yet more fear. The Burkes are spreading hatred because they're telling others that (3/?)
ColonelColon
it's okay to tell people that they are wrong simply because they are different. (4/4)
Kargathia
There are more points to be made here, but for me the biggie is the arbitrary condemnation of something that doesn't even affect them. (1/2)
UnpopularOpinionPuffinPersonified
So if it doesn't affect you it can't be wrong? Or shouldn't be stood against? Not all wrong things affect others.
Kargathia
... but by condemning they'd have a severe negative impact on other people's lives. And there lies the imbalance.
Kargathia
... Also, I'd consider encouraging systemic repression and bullying definitely to be "harmful".
DrBourbonTheOriginal
This is merely my opinion but equating an innocent person with a pedophile seems pretty hateful to me.
UnpopularOpinionPuffinPersonified
Um, if you believe they are committing a terrible sin, you don't find them innocent. And again equating their perceived sin to another 1/2
UnpopularOpinionPuffinPersonified
2/2 is not spreading hate, but your view on what they do. I can love someone who does something I disagree with.
NurietaGM
Well, with the slight different that being gay is NOT a crime while being a a pedophile totally is.
DrBourbonTheOriginal
Great point (I think your ability to disagree and still love is lost on this group). But how is someone else's sin any of their business?
UnpopularOpinionPuffinPersonified
I would agree a particular person's sin isn't anyone's business. But preaching against a sin in general probably is.
CaptainJonathanSTuttle
At the end of the day, this really says it all.
antielovena
Yes, nuff said :)
DrBourbonTheOriginal
Thanks.
MantisTobagganMD
At the end of the day, most people got two arms.
Solisav
At the end of the day you're another day older.
DrBourbonTheOriginal
And deeper in debt?
mtmonkey
And that's all you can say for the life of the poor.
CaptainJonathanSTuttle
True words, good sir. True. Words.
Solisav
I do what I can, Citizen.