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One thing sure to get teenagers out of bed early: a threatened protest by the Westboro Baptist Church. This morning, about 100 students, parents, and alumni lined the streets in front of Woodrow Wilson High School in anticipation of a protest by the anti-gay Topeka church. Excited and draped in rainbow flags, the counter-protesters waited for the Church to arrive. And their signage game? Pretty fab.

 

“Grandparents for Equality”

“Gotta love love!”

“Guys, you got it all wrong. I said I Hate FIGS.”

[It’s in the Bible, look it up. (Mark 11:12-20)]

“Wilson parent, proud of our principal and our principles.”

“Live and let love”

Woodrow Wilson Principal Pete Cahall, who came out on the school’s Pride Day, was visibly moved at the sight of his students enthusiastically anti-protesting the WBC. “I’ve got goosebumps,” he said. “It’s really—it’s really great to know I have this support.”

Unfortunately, at 8:45 a.m., when the students were due back in class, there was still no sight of the Westboro Baptist Church on the street, and the crowd dispersed. According to WAMU’s Martin Austermuhle, however, apparently the Church members were standing just around the corner, out of sight of the anti-protestors.

Which kind of defeats the purpose of holding a protest, no?