Sheldon, Dannemeyer and Gay Pride Festival

The violence at Orange County’s gay pride festival left me angry and frustrated. In hindsight, it is easy to see that ignoring the fundamentalist protesters would have been the more powerful statement. After all, what could be a louder and more powerful statement than the festival itself? At the time, however, it is easy to see how some of the festival-goers lost their self-control and were swept up in the hatred of the protesters.

I videotaped an interview with Ralf Freeman, the Santa Ana chairman of the Traditional Values Coalition. Twice Freeman stated, “Homosexuals produced AIDS.” There were posters that read, “AIDS Is the Cure” and “God Gave Gays AIDS.” There was even a 15-year-old girl who, with pompons in hand, cheered, “G-A-Y, Got AIDS Yet?”

At a time when the gay community is burdened by the suffering and death of its own, it is understandable why a gay man or woman might strike out at those who taunt and jeer. I do not wish to defend the violence on Sunday but to help others understand the frustration and anger that many of us experienced.

BRYAN STEELE

Laguna Beach