I have made the decision not to post a link to the WBC announcement. I ultimately concluded that the world doesn't need me pushing that venom even for educational purposes. Suffice it to say that "fag" and "whore" are front and center. They even threw "fourfooted [sic] beasts" in for good measure.
As you might imagine, my college friends and I have been trading messages about this situation since the news broke. We all decided that anything the WBC was against is almost certainly a force for good in the world. I expressed hope that I myself played some small role during my time in college and through my support of Vassar since in helping to create an institution that pisses these people off so very much. The best line from these messages came from a friend who indicated that with all the talk of "Vassar's loose, whoring women," he must have gone to the wrong parties. Nice.
What pleases me most, but does not surprise me, is the College's response to the WBC announcement. Social media went crazy, with many posts from students and alums being humorous. The administration came out forcefully against the WBC, with acting College President Jon Chenette writing a letter to the Vassar community that included:
Yesterday I sent an email to the campus community about plans announced by the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, to picket Vassar on February 28 in protest of our open support of LGBTQ students, employees, and alums. As I said in that message, we look forward as a college to any opportunity to counter messages of hate and bigotry and to underscore our values. Since the campus and alumnae/i became aware of Westboro's plan, we have received an outpouring of support for reaffirming our commitment to inclusion.
Many of you have posted similar sentiments on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media. The responses from members of our community, while not surprising, have been remarkable and have made all of us who have read them proud to be part of Vassar. In the face of Westboro's statements, we want to celebrate the inclusiveness of our community and the multitude of backgrounds, interests, and preferences that enrich our experiences. In an effort to coordinate activities that members of the campus and alumnae/i communities are planning, the senior staff of the college has organized a group representative of students, faculty, staff, and alumnae/i to serve as a clearinghouse and sounding board. I know they will foster an array of events that will speak powerfully to our values.
Perhaps my favorite response was by a Vassar student, who created a CrowdRise site to raise money for The Trevor Project. From the posting:
The Westboro Baptist Church has announced that they will picket Vassar College on Feb 28th. In response, we are raising money for the Trevor Project, "the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth." Our goal is to raise $4,500, or $100 per minute that the WBC is planning to protest for.
As of this writing, over $56,000 has been raised, or over $1,000 per minute of the planned protest, and the story made the front page of The Huffington Post. I like the idea of this type of protest and am pleased to support it. It sends the WBC a strong message that every time they mobilize to spread their filth, armies of people will mobilize in opposition and money will be raised to counter their viewpoints. I do wish that the students hadn't ended their call for action with a preposition. Yes, I can be an asshole, too.
Nicely done, Vassar, nicely done.
13 February 2013
14 February 2013 Addition: Almost $68,000 and counting!
22 February 2013 Addition: Looks like the total is up to almost $85,000. Marvelous!
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