This is the way I heard it.

October 2nd, 1977.

It's a warm Sunday afternoon in downtown Los Angeles, and the young baker is just trying

to get home.

There's a spring in his step and a smile on his face, and for good reason, the young

baker loves his job, and he's just finished another very satisfying day at work.

But suddenly, he's approached by a known homosexual, behaving erratically.

The young baker isn't sure what to do.

The known homosexual is standing in front of him and jumping up and down and yelling

incoherently.

He raises his right hand high over his head as if he's about to strike a blow or throw

something.

The young baker knows how quickly things can escalate, especially in this part of town.

So he strikes first, smacking the known homosexual in a place where he does not expect to be

smacked.

And just like that, the incident is over before it began.

Except it wasn't.

That night, video of the encounter made the evening news, and the reaction was swift.

Almost immediately, people began smacking each other all over town.

Soon the smacking was being replicated in San Francisco.

New York, Kansas City, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Boston.

It spread like a virus, and no one was immune.

...