TOPEKA, Kan. — Planting Peace, a progressive non-profit organization dedicated to environmental conservation, has purchased a house across the street from the anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church, giving it a new paint job that pays homage to the rainbow flag, a symbol of LGBT pride.
The organization said Tuesday that a Google Earth search last December led them to buying the house, located directly across the street from the Westboro compound, home to anti-gay extremists famous for their “Gods Hate Fags” protests.
Equality House, Topeka, Kan.
Aaron Jackson, co-founder of Planting Peace, told LGBTQ Nation that the group has settled on naming the home “Equality House,” and that Planting Peace would launch a campaign to counter their neighbor’s anti-gay protests.
“Planting Peace’s mission is to spread peace. We have orphanages, medical programs and a rainforest conservation program all over the world,” said Jackson. “Our goal with this is to raise awareness, stand up to bigotry, and promote equality.”
Equality House volunteers.
Photos courtesy of Aaron Jackson
Jackson said Planting Peace plans to create a drop-in center at the house designed to support LGBT anti-bullying efforts.
He said that the organization has created a CrowdRise page, which as already raised over $10,000., with the ultimate goal of raising more than a million dollars to support equality efforts. Jackson said funds raised from this project will be used to create and sustain anti-bullying programs.
“An estimated 4,000 kids commit suicide each year because they hear a message that they are ‘less than.’ It is our goal to help change that message. We thought no better place to start that message than countering the message of the Westboro Baptist Church,” he said.
“I always was very interested in equality and activism for gay people, and the kids killing themselves — some of it influenced by their (Westboro’s protests) actions — it made sense,” he said. “I’ve wanted to do something, and I knew when I saw that house for sale that it all came together.”
Meanwhile, Jackson said that he’s already “met the neighbors,” and they have been very friendly thus far.
He noted that just minutes before speaking with LGBTQ Nation on Tuesday afternoon, Shirley Phelps-Roper, daughter of Westboro founder Fred Phelps, had been out front with her camera taking pictures of the Equality House’s new paint job.
“We want this house to be a message that where there’s hate, there’s also love,” said Jackson.
“But we also want to raise awareness and capital, and we want to put all that money into creating and sustaining anti-bullying programs, along with supporting anti-bullying programs that already exist,” he said.Beyond the symbolic message of the home, Jackson said that volunteers who live and work at the Equality House will focus on promoting equality and managing the groups anti-bullying initiatives.
The Westboro Baptist Church is best known for its protest of the funerals of U.S. service members, and first came into the national spotlight in 1998, when it picketed at the funeral of Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old gay man who was brutally attacked on the night of October 6, 1998, then tied to a fence and left to die.
The church is not affiliated with the Baptist denomination or any other Baptist church. According to news reports, almost all of its members — fewer than 100 — are related to founder Fred Phelps either by blood or marriage.
Donations to Planting Peace and Equality House can be made here.
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in ur face
ha!
nice
im all about equality but WOW is that an eye sore
Now this is awesome :)
like, like like, like like, like,……
Hell fuckin’ yeah!!!
Take that Westboro ….idiots
“Real Topeka people, man!” ~ Cameron Crowe <3
It’s BEAUTIFUL !! <3
AMAZINGNESS!!!
except that the rainbow is also a Christian symbol. It stands for God’s promise to not flood the Earth again, so I don’t really know how much of an impact it would really have had, but Fu*k Westboro just the same!! :)
Love it!
When I’m older and have my own house, I’m going to paint the picket fence sorta like this. Gay pride! I support it!
Dangerous, though!
Just beautiful!
I wish I could paint a few boards for my daughter!
I hope it’s real! If so it is THE best pic on the net!
The greatest leaders of change in the world faced danger in everything they said, did and stood for. Change doesn’t come easy.
I like the colors! Really gets the Gay rights message across!
Love it!!!!!
Ha Ha! In your face haters! This is such a BOLD statement! I just hope they have a good security system. Hateful Christians (those 2 words together are not what Jesus had in mind) can be pretty evil when they believe in something. I say bring it on!
Probably gonna be tough for them, but I would do this too! Always push the issue, or it will be ignored!!
Absolutely Awesome!!
cool
THIS!!!!
let the flames begin
SO glad this house stand there….. Such a lovely thing standing against Bigotry, fear and hatred. BIGOTS WILL END>>>>>>> Love those who respect others with love <3333
Those Westboro people are nutty enough to burn the place down
This seems to be creating a situation that will not go well- especially when you consider the level of crazy exhibited by these bigots…
Great, though the order is: blue, turquoise, green, yellow
No it is not an eye sore … it’s Diversity, it’s Pride.. It’s we are not going to roll over any more, we are not 2nd class citizens. We are Humans who feel & bleed just like everyone else…
Beautiful! I love it! :)
we should all have rainbow houses , looks great
LOVE it!….But…hope they are ready for those psychos at Westboro to do something stupid…those people are REALLY messed up
LOVE IT. Stick to those hating bastards.
LOVE IT!!!! That’ll drive them crazy!…oh wait, they already are, my bad
Awesome!!
Jorge Alberto chequea.
now that is something i would do…
Awesome yes. But this could look worse than the Hatfields and McCoys if somebody doesn’t move Westboro
Stay Strong Equality House!
I Started laughing when I saw this article. I loved it so much I just cracked out laughing, I thought it was great to see that someone had the guts to put this kind of a statement across the street from the most disgraceful church in the United States!
i love this! pity those living across the street from the wbc thugs, though.
Who doesn’t like rainbows!?!?
aWESOME <3