Reply #24: From personal experience... [View All]

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Sometimes, freaking out is not a good choice when confronted by a violent crowd. I actually avoided a massive gang rape once. I worked one night as a dancer at a club that I had no idea was thoroughly, thoroughly corrupt. At the end of the night, the bar security (who were all high on god knows what) surrounded me for what was ostensibly going to turn into a gang rape. Around ten or fifteen customers were blocking the entrance so I couldn't leave. I sensed these guys had pulled this before and that the girls 'freaking out' was part and parcel of their fun. So I stayed calm and tried reasoning with them. That didn't work. I don't know how I came to the idea, but I started acting ridiculously... ooo ooo ooing like a chimp and making loud strange noises and weird faces. For some reason, I got lucky and this broke their trance. They couldn't help but laugh at me. After, they actually told the other customers to move out of the way and let me through.

My point is... sometimes freaking out is bad for survival and only gives your enemy what he wants. Clarity of mind is the best asset for survival. My other point is that we all *think* we know what we'll do until we get into a situation with these weirdos. The actual events usually catch us off guard and they don't have the emotional charge that we imagine.

Not freaking-out helped, but for the most part I was lucky. If a gang of people attack you, there is little you can do. I think that if roving security gangs are operating in gay areas it can along help. Are we really worried about a backlash? What, will sympathetic straights be less sympathetic if we defend ourselves? Are we really worried about violent homophobes becoming more violent by our gestures of self-protection?

People expect people to respect themselves and they RESPECT people who protect themselves. I think forming self-protection units will be a visual demonstration to the straight community of how bad it really can be for us, it will deter attacks, and it will give us strength as a community.