<i>This column appears in the July 2 issue of DFW.com Ink Edition magazine, available for free in boxes and racks throughout Tarrant County.</i></p><p><em>DFW.com Ink </em>doesn&rsquo;t like to think of itself as political. We prefer to focus on fun stuff &mdash; food, music, movies, nightlife &mdash; and leave the heavy lifting to our news-reporter colleagues. </p><p>But sometimes silence is not an option. </p><p>The raid last Saturday night by Fort Worth police and Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission officials at the Rainbow Lounge, a newly opened gay bar on South Jennings, is one such instance. Taking place on the 40th anniversary of the famed Stonewall riots in New York City, regarded as a landmark step forward in the gay civil-rights movement, these actions (which resulted in the arrests of seven men) would seem to be a tragic reminder of a bigoted and hateful earlier era.</p><p>As it turns out, I have a personal interest in all this, and not just because I&rsquo;m a gay resident of Fort Worth. A few days earlier, I had interviewed Todd Camp, a former colleague and the founder of Q Cinema, for a story I was working on about the state of Fort Worth&rsquo;s gay life. We agreed that there has been increasing tolerance in the community. (Todd, who was at the bar Saturday, called to tell me what had happened.)</p><p>Police say the raid was a routine operation that only turned violent when a number of patrons at the bar began making sexually aggressive and explicit gestures toward the officers. DFW.com went to the Rainbow Lounge on Sunday afternoon, where we talked to gay and straight people, men and women, who were at the club at the time of the raid. What they described was anything but routine: bullying by officers who, when questioned about what was going on, refused to answer or were openly hostile. (You can see our report at dfw.com/videos.) They said they watched one young man, Chad Gibson, brutally thrown to the ground. Authorities said Gibson tripped and fell while being apprehended. He ended up in the ICU. </p><p>The police statement also said patrons "made sexually explicit movements toward the police supervisor" and that another assaulted a TABC agent "by grabbing the TABC agent&rsquo;s groin." Once again, none of this jibes with what eyewitnesses told us; and it sounds a lot like tired, homophobic language used to demonize gay people as deviant and bestial creatures who need to be tamed.</p><p>Of course, there are two sides to every story, and perhaps the police are telling the truth. An internal affairs investigation has been launched, and Police Chief Jeff Halstead is encouraging witnesses to contact the division at 817-392-4270 to give their accounts. But for now, "official" statements issued by the police are cold comfort. (TABC was scheduled to release a statement Wednesday, after our deadline, saying its officers apprehended Gibson.) </p><p>The timing of all this, on the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, is appalling. Police insist that it was mere coincidence, but the very fact that they weren&rsquo;t aware of the significance of the date, and the loaded nature of raiding a gay bar on this night, speaks volumes about their obliviousness to a minority community. Think about it: How proud of the Fort Worth police force would you be if they raided a mostly African-American bar on Martin Luther King Jr.&rsquo;s birthday &mdash; and then pleaded ignorance? </p><p>Another detail that sticks out: The Rainbow Lounge was only open a week. This is no way to encourage new business development in Fort Worth.</p><p>If there is a bright side to this unfortunate incident, it&rsquo;s this: The outpouring of support, both locally and nationally for the gay community here, has been extraordinary. A Facebook group that Camp started called Rainbow Lounge Raid is about 4,500 members strong and counting. Local politicians, including City Councilman Joel Burns and Mayor Pro Tem Kathleen Hicks, have issued strongly worded statements demanding immediate investigations. </p><p>But that&rsquo;s not enough. We need to know more from the police. We need to hear from Mayor Mike Moncrief and Congresswoman Kay Granger, both of whom have thus far been silent. </p><p>And we need to be assured that, if wrongdoing is discovered, the punishment will be swift. The reputation of our fair city hangs in the balance. </p><p>You may not regard yourself as political. You may think "gay issues" have nothing to do with you. But if you consider yourself a proud citizen of Fort Worth, sometimes you have no choice but to stand up and be heard.