Wednesday, November 03, 2010

Spain's Gays and Lesbians to Stage 'Kiss-in' During Pope's Visit

THE GUARDIAN: Organisers use Facebook to form 'queer kissing flashmob' in front of Barcelona's cathedral on Sunday

Photobucket
Pope Benedict XVI will be confronted by a homosexual 'kissing flashmob' this Sunday in Spain. Photograph: The Guardian

Spanish gays and lesbians will welcome Pope Benedict XVI to their country at the weekend with a massive homosexual kiss-in to be staged in front of Barcelona's cathedral.

Organisers have invited gays and lesbians from around Spain to congregate in Barcelona during the papal visit on Sunday to form what, on their Facebook page, they call a "queer kissing flashmob".

The plan is for participants to meet at the city's gothic cathedral and start kissing as soon as the pope steps out of the building at 10am.

"No placards, no flags, no shouting and no slogans. Only kissing allowed," the Facebook page reads.

"When Benedict XVI passes in front of us we will kiss, man-to-man and woman-to-woman," Marylene Carole, one of the organisers, told the Spanish news agency EFE.

A whistle or horn will mark the beginning of a two-minute period during which couples are expected to maintain mouth-to-mouth contact. "Once the kiss is over we will go on our way as if nothing had happened," she said. >>> Giles Tremlett in Madrid | Wednesday, November 03, 2010