School Pride
My old high school will be the target of a Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) protest next week. It's still unclear as to why. Fred Phelps' estranged son Nate spoke there last year, and apparently the Equality Club (formerly the Gay-Straight Alliance) is quite active in the community. That may be it. Also, the WBC folks need to stop and stretch their legs on the way home from the Superbowl, and it's not that far from the highway.
My first feeling upon hearing the news was pride. I have never been prouder to be a Clayton High School graduate than I am right now. Phelps is such a cartoon that being the subject of his ire means that you must be doing something right. More than that, the aforementioned Equality Club, the school, and the community are all planning to meet the protest with dignity and love. The Club is taking donations, which will go to the Human Rights Campaign and Growing American Youth, a local group that supports LGBT teens. I hope my donation goes toward the same-sex prom they throw every year.
Also, if the WBC crew have to protest something (and they always do, apparently), better my old high school than a funeral or a synagogue. Haters gotta hate, but if the less hurtful their hate, the better. So, come Monday, I'll be dressed in orange and blue and be cheering on the Greyhounds with more passion than I ever had as a student.
Update: So, the rally happened and the Westboro folks were outnumbered around 100-to-1. Counter-protests to Westboro are always controversial, with a good number of folks taking the "ignore them and they'll go away" philosophy. I can see the merit of this, but, as one of the organizers pointed out, the Westboro protest was really an excuse for a rally about inclusion. Not to get too corny here, but it's good to see how much love outnumbers hate in a situation like this. Also, as the principal mentioned in the first article, students were going to react somehow, and it's best to channel that reaction into something organized and constructive.
Also, it looks like the whole event stayed fairly upbeat, with lots of joking and singing. I can get behind that, even if, as one protester said: "They didn't even have the courtesy to come in March, when at least the weather is nice."
My first feeling upon hearing the news was pride. I have never been prouder to be a Clayton High School graduate than I am right now. Phelps is such a cartoon that being the subject of his ire means that you must be doing something right. More than that, the aforementioned Equality Club, the school, and the community are all planning to meet the protest with dignity and love. The Club is taking donations, which will go to the Human Rights Campaign and Growing American Youth, a local group that supports LGBT teens. I hope my donation goes toward the same-sex prom they throw every year.
Also, if the WBC crew have to protest something (and they always do, apparently), better my old high school than a funeral or a synagogue. Haters gotta hate, but if the less hurtful their hate, the better. So, come Monday, I'll be dressed in orange and blue and be cheering on the Greyhounds with more passion than I ever had as a student.
Update: So, the rally happened and the Westboro folks were outnumbered around 100-to-1. Counter-protests to Westboro are always controversial, with a good number of folks taking the "ignore them and they'll go away" philosophy. I can see the merit of this, but, as one of the organizers pointed out, the Westboro protest was really an excuse for a rally about inclusion. Not to get too corny here, but it's good to see how much love outnumbers hate in a situation like this. Also, as the principal mentioned in the first article, students were going to react somehow, and it's best to channel that reaction into something organized and constructive.
Also, it looks like the whole event stayed fairly upbeat, with lots of joking and singing. I can get behind that, even if, as one protester said: "They didn't even have the courtesy to come in March, when at least the weather is nice."