It has come to our attention that the Westboro Baptist Church will be at Mason in protest of Pride Week on Monday, March 30 from 7:40AM-8:20AM. They will be at the corner of Braddock Road and 123 (Ox Road).
There are a few different ways that this will be dealt with.
Phelps-A-Thon
Our friends at Driving Equality have set up a Phelps-A-Thon to counter Fred Phelps’ hateful message. For every minute the “God Hates Fags” clan is protesting, they will be collecting donations for Pride Alliance. The money raised will go to help fund LGBTQ programming! Check out the site to take the pledge and make this as positive as we can!
>>>>>CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE PLEDGE<<<<<
PLEASE SHARE THAT LINK WITH PEOPLE YOU KNOW!!
Counter-Demonstration
There is some attention being paid to this on Facebook and other places. While we at Pride aren't the ones planning it, LGBTQ Resources has been in talks with GMU Police about how this will work. Some very important points:
- As many of you know, the Westboro Baptist Church is EXTREME, and they know the exact limit they can go before breaking the law. They also know, from many years of practice, how to upset others to the point where others break the law, and/or get sued. So we're making efforts to remind students and others interested in counterdemonstrating to be VERY smart, nonviolent, and follow the directions of the Mason police.
- Mason police will direct counter-demonstrators to two zones on the sidewalk. Once in those zones, the police will be protecting us all equally. So PLEASE stay in those zones and do not go into the street!
- Police buffer zones are there for OUR protection as well. ALL sides will have the right to "sight and sound".
- Remember to check in with yourself and be aware of how much power you're letting them have over you. We have the same rights to voice our opinions, and we can do that in creative ways that don't stoop to their hateful level!
This is a highly emotional issue - deal with it in a way that makes you feel validated. Let's try to make sure that we don't put so much energy into this that we take away from the energy going into Pride Week programming.