Article:A way to solve Seattle's problems: DUMP KISS CAM!

(The following is from my blog on "Gather")

Most Major League ballparks feature what is known as a "Kiss-Cam." It shows couples smooching in various areas of the ballparks. Granted, there are some kisses and other actions that are censored.

On May 26th, the Seattle Mariners played the role of "kiss police." Or is that "Kiss Gestapo?" An usher approched a lesbian couple who were kissing and were told to stop. Why? Their actions, according to the team made another patron uncomfortable. Let's see, we're in Seattle, the home of Starbucks and probably the most gay-friendly city in the US, aside from San Francisco and the "Kiss Gestapo" are saying Nein?

Now I do have friends that are gay and one that is a bisexual female and when I emailed her this, she almost choked on her glass of Riesling. Even she was not happy with the Mariners. Right now, I'm not too thrilled with their actions and the way they have been playing of late, even with Ichiro in the lineup.

"Certain individuals have not yet caught up. Those people see a gay or lesbian couple and they stare or say something," said Josh Friedes of Equal Rights Washington. "This is one of the challenges of being gay. Everyday things can become sources of trauma."

In a release, the Mariners said the women were told they could continue to kiss but that they had to "tone it down."

"The women refused to modify their behavior, began swearing at the seating hosts and complained that they were being singled out for their sexual orientation," the club said. "We have a strict nondiscrimination policy at the Seattle Mariners and at Safeco Field, and when we do enforce the code of conduct it is based on behavior, not on the identity of those involved," Mariners spokeswoman Rebecca Hale said earlier this week. Yeah, right... and Popeye doesn't eat spinach.

Here's my solution. Get rid of the Kiss Cam! It's a waste of time and energy. It's a land mine WAITING to explode. It distracts from the game. And while we're on the subject of PDA's, could we PLEASE get rid of the marriage proposals on the big screen? What if she says no? You're basically screwed and stuck with a diamond ring and the payments. Propose in private.

Get rid of the kiss cam, Mariners and the other teams that do this. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get some peanuts and Chardonay.