September 7, 2013
The Westboro Baptist Church Will Be Part of a Drag Show
Jason St. Amand READ TIME: 2 MIN.
The Westboro Baptist Church, the vehemently anti-gay group known for their "God hates fags" slogan, will be at the center of a drag performance this October, Queerty reports.
Planting Peace, an anti-hate nonprofit group that aims at expanding equal rights, is planning to make the church's Topeka, Kan., headquarters the centerpiece of a drag show. Planting Peace will hold the event, called "Drag Down Bigotry," at its Equality House on Oct. 26.
"On October 26th Planting Peace will be hosting the first annual Equality House drag themed walk-a-thon!" an announcement reads on Planning Peace's Facebook page. "We are inviting you, your family, and your friends to all come out and parade around the Westboro Baptist Church with us whether in costume or not but either way raising money for the Equality House and looking fabulous during the whole event!! If you or a team would like to sign up or receive more information please send us a Facebook message!!"
In an email to the Huffington Post, Aaron Jackson, president of Planting Peace, said, "Planting Peace is very excited to be hosting our first 'Drag Down Bigotry' walk-a-thon in front of the Westboro Baptist Church. Although we intend for everyone to go 'all out' and have fun with this event, the cause itself is a very serious one. Young LGBTQ youth are committing suicide at a staggering rate because they are being made to feel as if they are 'less than.' We intend to change that message."
Jackson, who will be performing in drag, explained that people constantly email Planting Peace with ideas for upcoming events and that a drag show was one of the most suggested ideas. The group wants to get RuPaul to come to Kansas to support the event and Jackson said he is sending a formal request on Friday.
In March Jackson bought the house located across the street from the WBC headquarters. Jackson and a team of volunteers then painted the home the colors of the pride flag, erected a pride flag on a 30-foot flagpole and called it the Equality House.
When Shirley Phelps-Roper, a spokeswoman and attorney for the WBC, got wind of the Equality House, she said, "I just love it" and that the house "keeps the eyes of the whole earth on this message. Now everyday all people are thinking about is God will not have same-sex marriage."
