How One Little Girl Is Fighting Hate With Love

Yesterday, a house near Topeka, Kansas was home to the wedding of Kimberly Kidwell and Katie Short. While most same-sex unions don’t make the front page, this one was different.?Kimberly Kidwell and Katie Short were married on the front lawn of The Equality House, which happily and defiantly stands across the street from the Westboro Baptist Church, best known for its motto ?God Hates Fags.? Members of the Church spend their time, when not picketing same-sex weddings, frequenting the funerals of fallen soldiers, Sandy Hook victims, and most recently, the funeral of late Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), the longest serving member of U.S. congress. They justify their hate by claiming to speak and act on behalf of ?the wrath of God,? which, according to them, is brought onto any and all who support same-sex rights.

The Equality House was established by Planting Peace, an organization who created the house in order to ?…serve as the resource center for all Planting Peace equality and anti-bullying initiatives and will stand as a visual reminder of our commitment, as global citizens, to equality for all.?

Image Courtesy of KCTV5 News
Image Courtesy of KCTV5 News

Needless to say, the folks at Westboro didn’t embrace The Equality House with open arms. They recently made headlines by picketing a lemonade stand run by Jayden Sink, a 5-year old girl who was selling ?lemonade for peace? on the front lawn of The Equality House. Members of the church not only heckled Jayden’s peace-supporting customers, but went a step further to call local authorities in an attempt to remove the young girl.

Image Source: Huffington Post
Image Source: Huffington Post

The actions of The Westboro Baptist Church are enough to make you want to get out your pitchforks and head straight for Topeka. But, as anyone who is even remotely familiar with history can attest, the greatest advances towards social equality have been achieved through focusing on what you can do, not who you can change. While championing the civil rights movement, one of the most prophetic statements made by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was:

?He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.?

Below is a list of organizations who are not only making a difference, but have room for you to get involved, too.

Planting Peace- An organization founded by Aaron Jackson and John Dieubon in 2004. Planting Peace has a global presence, and focuses on everything from the establishment of orphanages in Haiti, to marriage-equality support here at home. Their mission is to ?support global peace in a hurting world.?

Human Rights Campaign- Founded in 1980, HRC mobilizes grassroots actions in diverse communities in order to provide support to LGTB individuals.

Christians For Marriage Equality- Christians For Marriage Equality seeks to establish a united representation of Christians who do not oppose same-sex couples right to marry.

American Foundation For Equal Rights- As the sole sponsor of the federal court challenge of California’s Proposition 8, now known as Hollingsworth v.?Perry, AFER is leading the fight for marriage equality and equality under the law for every American.

Edited and published by CB

Southern California writer, thinker, progressive.