[/caption]People from all over the DC-metro area rallied at the White House today to counter the protest held by the Westboro Baptist Church, an organization that advocates for the systematic execution of homosexuals and their families and the deaths of our troops overseas.
The counter-protest was led by GW students and LGBT advocates Colin MacDonald and Ian Goldin, who used Facebook to amass a group of fifty members to the Church’s seven. The group did not have a permit to protest, and thus had to remain in the streets, where they raised over five hundred dollars for Gays and Lesbians Opposing Violence in what they called the Phelps-athon, named after Fred Phelps, leader of the Church.
The group was notably diverse, including Republicans and Democrats, gays and straights, men and women, and people of all different religions. Students from other schools also came to join the GW students, including members of the University of Maryland's College Republicans. The main chant and theme of the counter-protest was “God Doesn’t Hate,” to counter the message of the Church, which is that God hates troops, gays, and Islam, among other demographics.
While the Church dragged American flags back and forth across the sidewalk, the group sang patriotic songs such as the Star-Spangled Banner, God Bless America, and God Bless the USA. At one point, GW student and proud Catholic Michele Walk invited everyone to take a moment to “pray for the souls” of the members of the Westboro Baptist Church.
“We will forgive you,” someone shouted into the megaphone, which turned into a chant chorused by everyone in the vicinity.
There were also chants of a slightly more humorous, albeit perhaps more offensive, nature, including “Two, four, six, eight, how do you know your kids are straight?” and “J-E-S-U-S, Jesus Christ is Fabulous.”
When the Westboro Baptist Church began to leave, the large crowd began to follow them out, singing “Na-na-na-na, hey hey hey, Goodbye.” Police were present on horseback to ensure the Church members’ safe leave from the area.
The group then celebrated what they considered to be a large victory for the cause. “Love is stronger than hate,” MacDonald concluded, to which everyone gave a loud cheer.
-Alex Laska
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