The assholes at Westboro Baptist Church are planning to picket a showing of The Laramie Project — a play about the fatal gay-bashing of Matthew Shepard — tomorrow night in Vancouver, Washington. While Westboro typically dispatches only a few people from its home in Topeka, Kansas to picket a veteran’s funeral and insight hatred against gays, a much larger group of 75 locals are planning a counter protest.
“We feel like our theater program is under assault,” says Mark Bergeson, a communications teacher at Lower Columbia College who is organizing the counter picket with eight student groups. He expects county and city officials to participate. Westboro Baptist (which is not actually affiliated with the Baptist church), he says, “is a hate mongering group masquerading at church.”
While the community is coming to defend the drama club and protest hate groups — Longview residents protested an Aryan Nations meeting there last year — residents aren’t necessarily out to defend gay rights.
“On the issue of homophobia itself you would find mixed opinions here,” says Bergeson. He calls gay rights a civil-rights issue. “It’s better to put it in the spotlight.”
Bergeson wants the counter-demonstration to remain civil and non-confrontational. “The last thing we need is an ex-veteran’s deceased buddy to come down here and pop one of them,” he says. “They are kings and queens of frivolous lawsuits.”
Disgruntled vet-friends not included, protesters will gather at 6 p.m. in the parking lot near Maple Street and 15th Avenue in, Longview, Washington. The picket and counter picket — assuming the Westboro minions show up, will run from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Just for the record, Longview is 30 miles north of Portland/Vancouver. Perhaps the church is in Vancouver? I was thinking I’d participate in the counter-protest if it were indeed in my backyard.
DON’T FEED THE TROLLS.
Seriously, guys. Has the internet taught you nothing? This is a tiny group largely comprised of Fred Phelps’ family. They’re in the midst of being decimated by financial judgements, and will fall apart when Fred dies sometime soon anyway. This isn’t some sort of insidious evil that must be “exposed”, they’re garden variety morons that can simply be ignored. Anyone that is going to be won over by GOD HATES FAGS signs will not be won over by reasoned debate and counter-protest, I promise.
P.S. To the Christians that are going to be counter-protesting: We know you’re not all psychotic douche-bags, don’t worry.
“The last thing we need is an ex-veteran’s deceased buddy to come down here and pop one of them,”
Coming from a communications teacher (or anyone else), that sentence doesn’t make a bit of sense.
On that not, Dominic: “the Baptist church” isn’t an organization that a sub-church does or doesn’t belong to. Perhaps it’s not a bad idea to put down the pipe for a bit before posting.
Coming from someone that doesn’t give a fuck that you are a communications teacher (because let’s face it, “communcations” is the equivalent of taking bowling classes in college), maybe you should take that cock out of your ear before posting. Your opinion is worth shite – realize it and stop telling people what and what not to protest. Go find a copy of the constitution and “communicate” it to yourself dipshit.
I’m not a communications teacher. Go read the original post, dipshit, and then attempt some reading comprehension.
Incite, not insight.
I am curious. These idiots lost a multi-million dollar lawsuit. The church is comprised of a handful of members all from the same family. How are they able to afford to travel to WA/OR with an outstanding court order to pay? Unless, shudder to think, they’ve moved to the Pacific NW?