Bryan Lowder says the strange form of protest needs to stop — now:
Back in the beginning, I was generally supportive of the anti-homophobic glitter bombings; they appeared to be a lighthearted, drag-inflected attempt at undermining the moral seriousness of their targets. But as the trend has continued and the operatives grown more self-important, I’ve come to view glitter bombing with increasing chagrin due to its tantrum-like tenor and inability to accomplish more than minor annoyance. In a culture reawakened to the power of civil disobedience by way of Occupy Wall Street, new forms of protest are bound to proliferate; but that doesn’t mean that all deserve to survive.Few people would disagree that the gay rights movement has deservedly progressed to become a beneficiary of mainstream acceptance in the past few decades, but no one is so stupid as to ascribe its ascension to 'glitter bombing', or its former equivalents. What is it about this pathetic practice that makes it seem so distasteful, and so lacking in dignity? Any dunce can see that it is more likely to annoy and irritate homophobes than sway them. It's the sort of thing that might make one say, with unmistakable sarcasm, "Oh, how very mature."