The point being that, politically, you knew what you were going to get when you paid for your ticket. Michelle Shocked, however, has cultivated a "gay" audience and basically, told them off. It was obviously deliberate and planned.

I don't think it was a violation of free speech to stop the concert. Her audience paid money to see ENTERTAINMENT, to hear her sing. They didn't come to be insulted, railed at, and told God probably hates them. And she was being PAID to entertain.

This is VERY different from going to see a performer whose political or social views you know -- whether you agree with them or not -- but who is going to give the audience their money's worth. Even if you don't agree with the words of a song, you can enjoy the performance.

Michelle Shocked has a history (see my comment about the 1996 performance) of being rude to her audience and unprofessional, including stopping the performance itself in the middle of a song. I agree with Dan that she is obviously not comfortable with herself and is probably even more in conflict with herself than with anyone else.

My major objection isn't with what she said (though I very much disagree with it) but that she was unprofessional and treats her audience very badly.

Linn