The Westboro Baptist Church, infamous for picketing funerals among its other anti-gay activities, is donating $50,000 to the Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC).
Sort of.
After comedian and gay rights activist Lisa Lampanelli heard that Westboro congregants were going to protest at her upcoming show in Topeka, Kan., she came up with a plan: For every homosexual-hating member of the Church that showed up, she would give $1,000 to the HIV advocacy and support group Gay Men’s Health Crisis in the church’s name.
“It’s gonna be hilarious to write out the checks to the GMHC and have them send thank-you notes to the WBC for their ‘generous contributions,'”Lampanelli told TMZ.
We think so too, Ms. Lampanelli. In fact, we’ve come up with a thank-you note of our own:
Dear Westboro Baptist Church,
We, the LGBT-loving feminists at Ms., would like to express our gratitude for your generous contribution to the Gay Men’s Heath Crisis. You have not just donated $50,000 for the important work of GMH, but also provided great publicity for a bitingly hilarious comedian and trenchant content for our blog.
However, in watching the above YouTube video, we noticed that you may need some help in return. Many of you were holding signs that send hateful messages towards the LGBT community. Do you perhaps just need more information about LGBT people, or about HIV-AIDS or even about your own sexuality? We suggest you contact the LGBT National Hotline at (888) 843-4564 between 4pm and midnight EST on weekdays, or visit Out in Topeka’s website for LGBT resources in your area.
Again, thank you so much for your donation to GMHC. Hopefully, with continual help, we can find a cure for the awful diseases of both HIV-AIDS and homophobia.
Sincerely,
Ms.
Correction: The post has been corrected to state that the LGBT National Hotine hours are 4pm to midnight EST Monday-Friday; the original post said incorrectly that it was 24-hour.
