We all know how much the Westboro Baptist Church hates gay people. Well apparently karma is about to jump up and bite them in the ass.
The most hateful church in America has some colorful new neighbors. This week, members of the Florida-based nonprofit Planting Peace unveiled a project months in the making: Equality House, an activism center located directly across from the Westboro Baptist Church outside Topeka, Kansas.
From now on, the group known for picketing the funerals of everyone from military members killed in action to Mr. Rogers, in protest of America’s tolerance of homosexuality, will wake up every morning and stare at an LGBT rainbow—after Equality House members painted the building to match the gay pride flag.
Project Peace director of operations Davis Hammet spoke to TakePart from inside Equality House. He tells us the idea for the project originated months ago, after Planting Peace members heard about the protest of Josef Miles—a 10-year-old who took it upon himself to hold a sign in front of Westboro that read “God Hates No One.”
If 10-year-old Miles had the courage to hold a counter-protest—why couldn’t Planting Peace?
“We walked around Westboro’s neighborhood on Google street view and thought: ‘It would be awesome to get a house right there and paint it rainbow,’ ” says Hammet.
As it turned out, the house directly across the street from the church was for sale. After months of negotiations, Project Peace purchased the property for just over $80,000.
