[Editor's note:] This is a comment of an American following the article Is Falun Gong a Cult written by cultic researcher Rick Alan Ross.

Thank you for your work on educating people about Falun Gong. I for one deeply appreciate it. My fiance and I used to live in Flushing, Queens. As you may know, this area of Queens has a very large Asian community: primarily Northern Chinese (Mandarin speaking) and Korean. We stayed there for almost 3 years before moving to another part of Queens about 2 years ago. In the time that we were there, we had numerous unpleasant encounters with Flaun Gong practitioners ranging from hostile to offensive.

You see, we are an interracial couple. I am Caucasian and my fiance is Chinese. There were many times when people mumbled offensive comments about us (sometimes in English, other times in Mandarin). I clearly recall one evening when we were having dinner at a restaurant near our home. These four middle-aged women were chatting about cultivation and that ridiculous little wheel. We entered, they abruptly stopped, glared at us, made a few rude comments, and then picked up their conversation again - occasionally staring at us. (We speak Cantonese & English at home... I know some Mandarin. I was able to identify a few words and short statements. Among them were: "filthy", "wicked", and "no hope for (?)").

Flushing is very crowded, still you can tell when someone is trying to harm you versus accidentally bumping into you. There was one time when I was shoved into with enough force to create a large bruise on my leg ... by a man that was a good foot taller and 100 lbs. heavier than me. I saw this same delightful individual participating in a Falun Gong parade/protest a month after the incident.

We have been ignored when going to certain stores staffed by practitioners.

And to make things even better. I am an openly bisexual woman. Although I am in a stable, loving relationship for the long run, I remain a vocal supporter for the rights of the glbt community. For the past few years I have attended NYC's pride parade. Here's a tip to anyone who reads this: do not walk around Flushing with any gay-pride paraphernalia one you. You will be hassled.

I digress. Again, Flushing is crowded, but it is still small enough that after a few years you become familiar with people in your community. I knew who a lot of Falun Gong members were, they new my fiance and I. That only made things worse.

Original text from: http://www.cultnews.com/?p=2346

(Cultnews.com, January 28, 2009)