Michael Marcavage and his antigay Repent America group await a Dec. 14 hearing on several felony and misdemeanor charges related to their raid against OutFest, a Philadelphia gay street festival.

Marcavage has not drawn headlines recently in the Philadelphia newspapers or gay media. But his efforts (covered here by XGW) drew praise yesterday from Focus on the Family.

Predictably, Focus portrays the disruption of entertainment festivals as heroic when done by antigay activists, but "militant" or "intolerant" when done by gay-affirming faith groups like Soulforce. Focus stereotypes the OutFest attendees as "shirtless gay men in leather."

It remains difficult for observers to determine what really happened at OutFest, and whether some of the criminal charges are justified.

Addendum: OutFest’s photo gallery indicates that some attendees wore leather; most did not. Focus stereotyped the crowd. Why Focus sees something wrong with men in leather remains unclear: If Pat Boone can wear it, then why not some gay people?

Addendum, Dec. 14: In her comment here, Sharon B. links to a 365gay.com report that Repent America attempted to disrupt on-stage events and shout down festivalgoers.

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