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A creative blog by Jim Kalin on The Whole 9

Novelist Jim Kalin lives in Los Angeles, writes a monthly column for Amateur Wrestling News, and has traded in his speargun for a banjo. His wife and son sing harmony.

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EL CRY-OTE

January 28, 2009
5 Comments (see all)

My seven-month old son, Kyd, knows a kitchen staff at El Coyote Mexican restaurant that I have never seen. We always sit on the patio, and if our favorite waitress, Rosio, is working, she scoops Kyd up and zooms away on a tour of the place that always includes the bar, front desk, and ultimately the kitchen. He is always returned to my wife and me smiling.

Lately, El Coyote has been having some lean days. The staggered economy is part of the problem, but they have also been victim of a witch hunt.

Apparently, the owners’ niece is a Mormon, and a donation was made to that church by them on her behalf. It was an innocent and generous gesture with no intention of making a political or moral statement. But the gay community, stirred up by the passing of Proposition 8, has boycotted the restaurant because the Mormon Church was the main proponent of the issue.

I understand the gay community’s anger. I voted against the proposition and was disappointed when it passed. Anybody who believes that the institute of marriage will be ruined if gays are extended that privilege should have their heads examined. And if these dullards are so concerned with preserving marriage, make divorce illegal. I would think that by including homosexuals, the number of marriages increases, and if a membership flourishes, doesn’t that denote success?

But this boycotting of El Coyote disturbs me. It’s definitely a show of post-election anger and misunderstood protest. If you’ve ever been inside El Coyote, it’s obvious that the owners hire a healthy percentage of gay employees.

This is what I believe; the gay community is furious about Proposition 8, and El Coyote has been a victim of their witch-hunt. But they are too late. Why weren’t these major marches and protests done before the election? And if the gay community feels cheated and wants the results overturned in the courts, what happens when a vote goes their way?

Homosexuals have been victimized and ostracized forever. They know unfairness firsthand, and exclusion of basic rights is a relentless shadow. But they must be careful not to repeat the injustices that have been visited upon their community. They are better than their opponents. They must organize sooner the next time against them.

And El Coyote is not one of these opponents. 


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  1. bmurphy

    You know, my partner and I were just discussing this not too long ago. The gay community didn’t “organize earlier” because we, like so many other Americans became fat, happy, complacent, self-absorbed, distracted, and/or disconnected … That’s right. I said it.

    Why is it that more often than not, we are REactive as opposed to PROactive? Why is it that there is an organized connectivity within our community only AFTER something goes wrong OR in the name of annual tradition (i.e. PRIDE, Black History Month)? If this is the only time you come crawling off your couch and out into the streets to give back to the community, stand for something, speak on something, fight for something, define something, move something; then NEWSFLASH: You are part of the problem, not the solution!

  2. theredhead

    Brooke, good point but I have to say, anyone who has seen the film “Milk” should be ready to organize and continue Harvey Milk’s PROactive activity! Wow, amazing man, loved the film, loved what he stood for.

  3. bmurphy

    I’ve heard raves about this movie! I am beginning to wonder whether or not it needs to go on the top 30 list of things I need to do within the first 30 days of my being home!

  4. joncoffelt

    If I were El Coyote, I would make a public statement to the public letting them know that this was a donation on behalf of the owner’s niece who is Morman. I would would posit that the niece didn’t talk about what these repercussions would be in, in fact, the bill was passed. People tend to do negative things in a selfish way. That said, the restaurant should have understood that there are reprucussions concerning things of this sort.
    Now that they are the recipient of all of this negativity, I feel the only way to fight this is to release a public statement condemning their own actions and to give the same amount of money to a gay community service group. While they may seem insane, things like this have proven track records of success.
    If the El Coyote doesn’t want to admit that their actions were negative to their gay community and clientele then sadly they will remain in their self-made situation. This matched money will do more for the restaurant than anything else they could possibly do. Actions certainly do speak louder than words.
    namaste

  5. entertained1

    As far as I’m concerned, if you put your name on something, even if it’s a tiny little donation, you’d better be prepared to back your position and explain. El Coyote was an easy target – they were here whereas the Mormons and the Knights of Columbus feel more like throwing rocks in the dark.

    I think I’d have a public statement and a strong showing in donations to things like the Pride Parade…perhaps a float with their staff waving and throwing out goodies. Errors in judgement can be costly.

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