Westboro Protests; Mason Counter-Protests
By Broadside Staff Writer Matt Loffman. Photo by Hal Walker.
Members of the Westboro Baptist Church gathered at the corner of Braddock and Ox Roads on the Fairfax campus Monday morning to protest the start of Pride Week, over a month after the crowning of Mason’s first drag queen as Homecoming queen.
The nearly 10-member group held signs that said, “God is Your Enemy,” “America is Doomed,” “God Hates Fags” and “You Eat Your Kids.”
Their protest Monday was met by a counter-protest led by the LGBTQ Resources Office that attracted both Mason students and people from around the area.
“We’re trying to counter the message of hate that the Fred Phelps crew is bringing to Mason,” said Ric Chollar, Associate Director of Mason’s LGBTQ Resources Office and faculty advisor for the PRIDE alliance. “We can say we’ve had several hundred people help kick off Pride Week.”
The protest came in the middle of the morning commute, and some people who drove by honked in support for the students who held signs that said, “Love your enemies” and “My God loves all.”
The WBC left campus by 8:15 AM. The Mason protest was part of a series of protests the church planned on Monday in the DC area including ones at Fairfax High School and the White House.
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