Volunteers paint a home dubbed ‘The Equality House’ with gay pride colors across the streets from the Westboro Baptist Church, known for its stances against gays, in Topeka, Kan. (Photo: Carol Hartsell)
By Sarah Clarke
For Fox4KC.com
TOPEKA, Kan. — Known for their “God hates fags” slogan, members of Westboro Baptist Church will soon have to face the gay pride flag — or its colors — every day.
Aaron Jackson, a humanitarian who helped found Planting Peace, a charity that has in the past assisted orphanages, rain forests and helped with de-worming programs, bought a house located across from the church six months ago.
In a phone interview with FOX4KC, Jackson said he and a team of volunteers will spend Tuesday painting the colors of the gay pride flag on it. So far, Jackson said he’s received nothing but support from the Topeka community.
“People keep coming out, honking horns, taking pictures,” he said. “There has been no negative response.”
Jackson said his non-profit is calling the house the “Equality House.”
Jackson told the Huffington Post he knew nothing about Westboro Baptist Church until it kept “popping up” in the news.
“And one night I wondered, ‘Where is this church?’ he said. “I got on Google Earth. I was ‘walking down the road,’ did a 360 view and I saw a ‘For Sale’ sign sitting in the front yard of a house. Right away it hit me, ‘Oh my gosh, I could buy a house in front of the WBC!’ And immediately I thought: ‘And I’m going to paint that thing the color of the pride flag.’”
Jackson said he’s wanted to get involved in gay rights activism for some time, but wasn’t sure how until the opportunity to buy the home presented itself.
