gee, why am I not even remotely surprised? The Westboro Baptist Church has been gloating about their Supreme Court win,
Counter-Protesters get inventive...
where their funeral protests were declared protected free speech.The funeral of a widely noted and loved celebrity is the perfect place to protest what they perceive to be all the sins and evil in our society – and now, it’s a confirmed protected form of free speech.
Many people, myself included, were initially disturbed by the Supreme Court victory for such a hateful group. But I knew soon after my initial anger that the freedom of all kinds of speech needs to be protected, not just ones I agree with. The fact that the WBC can protest means that I can also counter-protest, like we did at American this past January when they came to protest us, and potentially start a discussion that our society can have. We can’t do anything about WBC protesting her funeral, but we can do something about who they see when they show up. Fans wherever her funeral is being held should stage a counter-protest, with hugs and love and songs and talking about our favorite Elizabeth Taylor moments, photographs, and memories – because nothing is more harmful to hate than love.
UPDATE: They never showed. I guess it wasn’t worth it; or they couldn’t get their act together in time? Regardless, Elizabeth Taylor arrived fashionably late to her own funeral. Somehow, this makes perfect sense. RIP, Liz.