By AMIR KURTOVIC
Photos By KHOLOOD EID
Protests tend to bring together people of similar backgrounds and political persuasions. That is, unless the protest is against the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC), the group known for protesting with signs saying “God Hates Fags” and “Thank god for 9/11″.
Bikers in leather jackets, Marines in uniform, students with piercings and tattoos, Church members and gay people all came together Nov. 12, in House Springs to voice their opposition to the WBC.
More than 1,000 people gathered at the Faith Community Church to protest and raise money for the scholarship fund established for the two daughters of Sgt. 1st Class Brian Woods who died Aug. 16 in Afghanistan.
Woods was a graduate of Northwest High School in House Springs, and when the WBC announced they would protest there, some in the community decided to do something about it.
Tyler Lawson, a University of Missouri-St. Louis accounting major, was the main organizer of the counter-protest. He graduated from Northwest High School in 2007 and wanted to show support to Woods’ family.
“When I heard that Westboro Baptist Church was coming here, I was infuriated,” Lawson said. “We, as a community, can show the world, and show these people, that they weren’t going to come into our town and tell us how to believe.”
Founded by anti-gay activist Fred Phelps, the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) is known for their protests against gay rights. Since Sept. 11 and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, WBC members have received media attention for protesting the funerals of military personnel who died in the wars. According to the WBC belief structure, the events of 9/11 and the deaths of soldiers are God’s punishment because the U.S. is too tolerant to gay people.
“They hate without basis,” said Mackenzie Morris, a sophomore Webster University photography major, who decided to attend the protest after reading about it on Facebook.
More than a dozen WU students attended the protest. Seanna Tucker, a sophomore scriptwriting and English major, held a sign that read “Love your neighbors,” standing along Highway 30 with hundreds of other people with signs.
“I think it’s an interesting mix of people that Westboro Church has inspired negatively,” Tucker said.
Jenna Thomas, a sophomore vocal performance and French major, stood next to Tucker holding a sign that read “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.”
Lawson said he was overjoyed with the turnout for the event and the diversity of the people there. He credits the success of the event to his social networking on Facebook and the free promotion by alternative rock station 105.7 The Point.
“This is more than a 20-year-old with two jobs could ever hope for,” Lawson said. “It’s amazing that I was able to reach out and touch so many people and get everybody behind me in such a short amount of time.”
Sarah McCart, a sophomore international studies major, said she vehemently disagrees with the views promoted by WBC members, and decided to come to the protest.
“It makes me feel really happy to see so many different groups of people here, standing together, all supporting the same thing,” McCart said.
The Westboro Baptist Church is involved in protests around the country, and encourages its members to attend as many as possible. Their Web site has a “Picket Schedule” listing the places they are protesting and the reason for the protest. One recent listing on the schedule, for a Nov. 17, protest at Lincoln University in Jefferson, Mo., blamed gay people for the deaths of soldiers who attended the school.
“Your parents and grand parents turned that University over to the fags, don’t blame us for the fact that your peers are coming home (from various forums, and in various interesting ways) IN BODY BAGS,” according to WBC Web site.
Sgt. First Class Brian Woods graduated Northwest High school in 1996. Woods was a Marine initially and went on to become a Green Beret Special Forces medical sergeant. He has serving his first tour in Afghanistan and died after being shot on a patrol in Ghazni, Afganistan. He is survived by his wife and two daughters, 5-year-old Lilly and 9-month-old Ella.
The event at Faith Community Church was not all about protesting the WBC members. Attendees also donated money to a scholarship established for Woods’ daughters. The event reportedly raised more than $1,500.
