Protesting Scientology, Anonymous Marches in San Diego Pride Parade

On Saturday July 19, members of the internationally renown anti-Scientology activism group Anonymous marched in the San Diego Pride Parade as their own contingent, while another Anonymous rode in the motorcycle group Dykes on Bikes. Anonymous appeared in front of over 180,000 celebrants to show their support for the LGBT community–and to alert them to Scientology’s bigoted and biased attitudes towards the lesbian, gay, bi- and transgendered population.

Anonymous, featured in the August issue of Maxim magazine, include all races, creeds, cultures and orientations in their over nine thousand members around the world.

“In his book Dianetics, Scientology’s founder, L. Ron Hubbard wrote garbage like homosexuals are intensely dangerous to society, since the aberration is contagious–his words not mine. That's just wrong!” explains one Anonymous who participated in the march. “Hubbard and his followers also feel that if homosexuality can’t be cured by Scientology, then those individuals should be removed from society without remorse. That sort of thinking is disgusting!”

“And they oppose gay marriage!” chimed in another masked member of Anonymous.

Anonymous’ use of masks was viewed with curiosity at the parade staging grounds. “If you’re proud to march, why do you wear masks?” asked a bikini clad go-go boy.

An Anonymous explained that the group appears in masks to represent “every person,” and to symbolically disguise their identities from the so-called “Fair Game Policy” of Scientology which states that anyone who opposes Scientology’s point of view can be “harmed, tricked, lied to, destroyed.” Members of Anonymous have been the focus of Fair Game since beginning their activism in February of 2008, and have been chased, stalked and harassed by members of Scientology and their hired private investigators.

“Sort of like gay civil rights activists in the 50s and 60s…” nodded the dancer. “I guess that makes sense. So then get ready to party hard, Anonymous!”

As Anonymous, described in the media as “making activism sexy again,” marched the mile long route through San Diego's Hillcrest district, they were greeted with cheers, whoops, hugs, and shouts of “Anonymous, we love you!” as their theme song “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley blasted from a bull horn and a long cat puppet mascot danced as part of the group.

“The LGBT community knows Scientology is a nasty hurtful cult,” said one parade watcher. “We love that Anonymous exists–and that they’re here today!”