Wilson High School, in Long Beach, California, could have easily become the latest thumbtack on Westboro Baptist Church’s never-ending God Hates Fags tour yesterday. Students decided not to let that happen.
Of course, the organized counter-protest to Westboro is often exactly what this group of zealots is after, because it generates media attention, and in their minds legitimizes their cause. But the chance for some three thousand students to claim their school campus as a place of tolerance is a beautiful thing. Which is why we declare Wilson High the winners here, because Westboro actually helped students find an opportunity to come together — with signs, cheers, and camaraderie — outside of a school basketball game. They came together against hatred. And made a party out of it.
And that’s great education.
(photo via)
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
schlukitz
Westboro Baptist Church is national disgrace.
Michael
This is brilliant! I wish I could have been there! lol …
…and yes that IS great education!
What those students did is much more potent than little baby Westboro.
Michael
expansionofspace.blogspot.com
1EqualityUSA
NOM is next
gollygeegaygoy
As far as I am aware this is one hate group, westboro, that has not been allowed tax exempt status. It seems to me they should actually pay more tax, considering the level of police protection they need for every attention seeking stunt. Well done to the students for not putting up with their shit.
cubbie
I would like to see these types of counterprotests, to actually surround and encase the Westboro bigots with their backs to them holding up their signs. Kinda puts the mute button on them.
tavdy79
@cubbie: It’s been done at funerals in the past – the counter-protestors dress as angels, with huge wings that block the Westboro Wingnuts from the view of the mourners. Unfortunately as they count as a protest themselves they’re now kept separate.
1EqualityUSA
The Westboro Baptist Church provides color to the palette, a very dark color. Without the dark, the light would not look as bright.
schlukitz
No. 7 · 1EqualityUSA
The Westboro Baptist Church provides color to the palette, a very dark color. Without the dark, the light would not look as bright.
In the same manner in which Hitler brought color to the palette?
Six million Jews and some tens of thousands of gays are turning over in their graves at this very minute.
1EqualityUSA
Contrast is. That is our fate. It’s not good and it’s not right, but it is. We can learn from our history, but know that human nature does not change. These Westboro people are gnats. Hitler was gargantuan. I see your point, Schlukitz. If these Westboro people weren’t gnats, I’d likely have stronger language to counter their pathetic existence.
B
No. 9 · 1EqualityUSA wrote “Contrast is. That is our fate. It’s not good and it’s not right, but it is. We can learn from our history, but know that human nature does not change. These Westboro people are gnats. Hitler was gargantuan. I see your point, Schlukitz. If these Westboro people weren’t gnats, I’d likely have stronger language to counter their pathetic existence.”
Something else to keep in mind: in 1933, when the Nazis took over, they had 1/3 of the seats in Parliament. They managed to get Hitler appointed as chancellor mainly because the other parties were squabbling among themselves and couldn’t reach an agreement.
There was a fire in the Reichstag, blamed on “communists” (they arrested a Dutch communist named Marinus van der Lubbe but the consensus is that he was duped by Nazis, who needed an excuse for martial law). Hitler managed to get himself turned into a one-man Reichstag to handle the crisis, and he used that authority to shut down all democratic institutions.
(Citation: http://www.fff.org/freedom/fd0403a.asp, which is based on William Shirer’s book “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich”).
The moral of the story is that bad things happen when the “good guys” fight among themselves to the point of not seeing the threat the bad guys pose and not doing anything about it. Also, don’t let yourself be spooked into suspending civil rights and democratic institutions because of some random “terrorist threat” – what you may get can be far worse than the terrorist.
1EqualityUSA
Me ears are open, B. Thanks for your input. Thanks to you too, Schlukitz. Though Weatboro people are gnats, a swarm of them are annoying.
schlukitz
No. 9 · 1EqualityUSA
And I see your point as well. Like the process of natural selection. It is neither good or bad, right or wrong. It just is and just the way things work. No judgment here.
That said, however, as a species, we humans have taken on the gargantuan task of separating ourselves from the jungle…and the beasts therein. One good example of that, is having removed ourselves from the food chain. We are no longer the “hunted” but rather the hunters.
Call me a silly optimist, if you will, but I would like to believe, religious faith or none, that there is a spark of decency in all mankind that compels him to rise above the fray of the jungle and create a more Utopian existence for himself. An existence where compassion and understanding rule, instead of intolerence and discrimination that are the law of the present.
Based on empirical evidence, one has to admit, that human nature has, indeed,changed. Cannibalism is frowned upon. Christians are no longer being thrown to the lions and Womens Lib and the elimination of slavery are two more recent testimonials to change in human behavior. The fact that same-sex marriage, so vigorously opposed by organized religion, has become a secular right
We can change and we are changing. And much of that change has absolutely nothing to do with organized religion. In fact, truth be known, organized religion often aided and abetted some of the less desirable human traits which have been outlawed by government.
Not to slam religion per se, while not giving a free pass to it either, but spoken as a non-believer, studies have shown that we are no more more “sinful” or wrong-doers, than their religious counterparts. I would refer you to the following.
http://www.speakout.com/activism/opinions/4991-1.html
Cassandra would have us believe that all of the good done in the world is attributable to religion, while all the bad in the world is attributable to atheists, a popular notion that is promoted by disseminated by organized religion in a vain effort to keep their own belief system viable and afloat.
As for the Westboro people; gnats, while small, can be irritating as all hell as well as ruining many a good nights sleep. And, as we have learned over the course of our existence, simply ignoring them, does not make them go away.
Screens, however, do a fabulous job of keeping them at bay. And those few that manage to get through, are easily taken care of by bug sprays and bug-zappers. ;P
schlukitz
No. 9 · 1EqualityUSA
Sorry. Someone came to my door and I did not get to finish my thought in paragraph no. 4.
I began that paragraph by saying The fact that same-sex marriage, so vigorously opposed by organized religion, has become a secular right in seven countries around the world is also graphic proof that humans do, indeed, change.
1EqualityUSA
Something B said, “Something else to keep in mind: in 1933, when the Nazis took over, they had 1/3 of the seats in Parliament. They managed to get Hitler appointed as chancellor mainly because the other parties were squabbling among themselves and couldn’t reach an agreement.” Words to heed, Schlukitz.
schlukitz
No. 14 · 1EqualityUSA
Words to heed, Schlukitz.
Definitely. Only when Bill Perdue and I (under another pseudonym) were saying the same thing awhile back, we both got accused of being racists, being from another Era and using Godwin’s Law to shut-down the conversation.
Both Bill and I have long felt and stated our belief, that what we are seeing here in America since 9/11, is very much akin to what was going on in Hitler’s Germany.
Ok. Having said that, let the hate mail begin. LOL
1EqualityUSA
Complacency sneaks up and bags people.
terrwill
For a while it seemed like Hasiliab and the folks at Queerty were going to adopt that inbred cunt and continue to post threads with her vile, horseface mug in them. I beg that posters simple ignore any and all refernces to them and their ilk. They are nothing but publicity whores. Their “protests” sometimes contaminate the area with no more than 5 of these subhuman scumbags yet they get coverage like there were a thousand of them. Their long battle to torture the family of Matthew Sheppard by waging a legal battle to errect a “Matthew Sheppard in hell” in the family’s town was the final straw for me. While it is notable that the school has the decency and sense to counter these scumbags, I would ask that fellow posters simply ignore any reference to these vile beings. Such publicity whores that they are, they probably read the posts while they are engaging in the revolting “family fun” that has created a whole compound of creatures whos grandfathers are actually their father…….
Schlukitz,you have become infrequent, we need your common sense to come around these threads more often……
1EqualityUSA :I usually stand with you on your posts, however a black hole provides no color at all to add to a palate….
1EqualityUSA
Terrwill, they exist, so therefore, unfortunately, they are on the palette. They serve to show what hatred is about. They serve to show that hatred is ugly. NOM and Westboro are one.
schlukitz
No. 17 · terrwill
Schlukitz,you have become infrequent, we need your common sense to come around these threads more often……
Your supportive comment is very much appreciated, my friend Unfortunately, the kidney-punches are becoming a bit painful to endure at my age. I would like to enjoy what little I have left of my life without a pair of boxing gloves strapped around my fists.
There are too many getreals, YCHTTs, Cassandra’s and Bs to deal with, I am afraid.
The black holes may exist and add the palette, but I have no desire to paint…or venture into deep space to experience them. ;P
terrwill
@schlukitz: Yes our friend Michael Letterman has adopted a new moniker and his sole puropse in live is to lurk in these threads and snipe at any posts I make. Unfortunatley there are way too many asshats who emerge from under their rocks to spew their vile bile at posters on these threads…It is actually kinda of sad that their lives are so damm empty that the only satisfaction they get is to lie in wait under the cloak of anonimity of the internets and snipe to gain some grain of satisfaction into their sad lives..
…..and please none of the “what little I have left of my life” I am connfident will be reading your posts on various threads for decades to come……….
schlukitz
No. 20 · terrwill
Ah yes. Dear Michael Letterman. One more in a plethora of asshats to darken our doorstep.
I have been posting on Queerty for about three years now. During that time I have watched one courteous, respectful and intelligent poster after another just throw their hands up in despair and vanish from this site without a trace because of the asshats who dominate and disrupt the conversations. So many, in fact, that I have forgotten the names of a good many of them, sad to say.
You’ll have to forgive me if that makes me feel like somewhat of an albatross on Queerty. It is only the kindness of people like you and all of the other cool commentators on this site with whom I regularly exchange dialogue, that keeps me coming back here.
Thank y’all for being.
1EqualityUSA
Schlukitz, you have a poetic way with words. I like it. It is filled with imagery, so, even though you say you are not a painter, the image is still there.
Joey in CT
I disagree with telling people to ignore them. Letting them have their 15 minutes of fame over and over again…does show more and more people each and everytime just how fucking rediculous they are and eventually this entire nation will hate them enough and we might be able to have them deemed an illegal cult like the KKK or NeoNazi’s. Free speech my ass. Not when it promotes harm to the nation. The youth of this nation will rise to power in coming years and we’re about changing this shit. We won’t take it, ever. We’re tired of having to defend ourselves and our neighbors over and over and over again, Gay:straight, black:white, smart:hillbilly. Anyone wants a fight? Bring it on I say. We’ll fuck you up! Lord knows Im ready to kick Meghan Phelps’s horse-cunt face in.
It amazes me when people havent heard of them, but one look at their anti-soldier signs and the fact that they picket fallen veteran funerals is enough to enrage this entire country. IMHO, They fucked themselves when they went from picketing just the gays to gays and aids victims and fallen vets. No one has more love and devotion for their country like Americans and most certainly vet fams. No one! Commonsense…you never fuck with the sentiments of veteran families. EVER!
Oh man….I’ve waited a few years for this.
They’re coming to CT on March 19th to protest a performance of “The Laramie Project” in Barkhamstead (I think) on March 19th.
I can’t wait to counter them. We already have a group of 160+ people planning on attending and it is slowly growing. AWESOME!
EVERYONE who is offended by these bastards needs to show support and stand in solidarity with everyone else. It’s not only us gays that they target. Think of all those poor moms and dads and other family members who’s children/loved ones have died in war and these assholes picket their funerals. “Thank god for maimed soldiers”??? WTF is that? This group should be targeted as domestic terrorists…because thats exactly what they are.
I wish I would be able to get close to them, I would spend my entire paycheck to make those angel wings for as many people as I possibly could. I’ll gladly drop several hundred dollars to block their protest.
CT doesn’t want that scum here. We’re full to the brim, what with Dodd and Leiberman already here…lol….j/k.
But yeah…sooo excited!
terrwill
@Joey in CT: While I tend to be on the side of ignoring this inbred bunch of swine. I would ask that you take turns pointing mocking each one of them. Like tell Meghan how fucking ugly she is, and tell Jacob what a Gay face he has………….Both are Fred’s Graddkid/kids
blackjack44
as former Long Beach State alum and the many years i lived in long beach, watching that video made me feel awesome. Lb is one of the most gay friendliest cities in america and messboro should have known theyd get eaten alive!
PROUD of you Wilson!!
blackjack44
correction: as a long beach state alum, not former*