big surprise – more fags parading around throwing their gayness in everyone’s faces. Who gives a shit? You don’t see straight people walking around with signs telling people how straight they are.

I reread the blurb and it said you were meeting up with the Westboro Baptist Church? What are they doing here and why have I heard there name a lot but no one says what they are trying to do here in Seattle?

In their Seattle visit, they seek to expand their usual targets of hate to include the Jewish Community, Catholics, African-American churches, and high schools. On June 13, they plan to protest Stroum Jewish Community Center of Greater Seattle. On June 14, they will target Congregation Beth Shalom in the morning, then head to Mt. Zion Baptist Church, St. James Cathedral, and Seattle Pacific University’s Commencement activities. On June 15, they will target Garfield High School, the Anti Defamation League of B’nai B’rith – ADL of Seattle, the Washington State Jewish Historical Society, and the Jewish Transcript. Later this week, they’ll be traveling to Los Angeles to protest the high school that recently elected a gay teen as this year’s prom queen.

A group of individuals and organizations have come together to organize a response to this hate group. We have an opportunity to respond to their hate with something positive for our community. If hundreds of high school students in Wichita, Kansas, can stand up to the Westboro Baptist Church, so can we. If hundreds of high school students in Newport Beach can stand up to the Westboro Baptist Church, then so can we. If straight fraternity boys in Chicago can stand up to the Westboro Baptist Church, then so can we. Our counterprotest will be peaceful because we are peaceful. Standing up to bigotry and hate is not a bad thing. In fact, it is very good.

Some have suggested that the best solution is to ignore this hate group. We believe this is the wrong thing to do. We must stand up to bigotry and hate wherever they appear. Like cancer, we must isolate bigotry and hate so they do not spread and harm our entire society. It’s only been a couple months since a rash of gay bashings hit Capitol Hill. There’s also been a rise in hate crimes against lgbt people nationally since Proposition 8 has been in the national spotlight. While it’s true they do seek attention at their protests, they also seek members, donations, and support. And they will only get those members, donations, and support if they have free and unhindered opportunities to promote their hate. It’s our job to make sure that doesn’t happen. It’s our job to make sure gay bashers are discouraged and people who support equal rights are supported.

Counterprotesting is the right thing to do and we have a recent counterexample of what happens when we don’t stand up to hate. A few weeks ago, Dr. George Tiller, one of only three doctors in the entire country who provided late-term abortions to women, was ruthlessly gunned down in Wichita, Kansas. There is a connection between the rise in attacks on women’s access to reproductive health care services, the attacks on providers of these services, the rise of the anti-choice movement, and the absence of counterprotest and organizing to protect a woman’s right to choose. When we don’t stand up to bigotry and to those who seek to take away our rights, there are real consequences. A defender of women’s rights was murdered and now there are only two doctors in the country that provide late-term abortions, 36 years after abortion was legalized.

While the WBC comes from the Midwest to Seattle to spread their hate, Washington has its own homegrown hate groups. The backers of Referendum 71, the Washington Values Alliance, are trying to take rights away from lgbt people in Washington state. Like the WBC, the Washington Values Alliance seeks to impose their own narrow and extreme religious views on the rest of Washington, while hypocritically reserving special rights for themselves. They believe that marriage is between a man and a woman for life and yet their own leadership includes a man who has been married three times and two who have been accused of domestic abuse. We stand up to the WBC just as we stand up to the Washington Values Alliance and say loudly and proudly “We stand up to your hatred and bigotry and we will defend our communities, our schools, our places of worship, and our civil rights.”

I second Lonnie’s sentiments. Straight people are also not oppressed on the basis of their sexual orientation, that’s the difference. But I know how you bigots like to open your mouth before you think about things, so no surprise here.