Peaceful Counter-Protesters Surround Westboro Baptist Church Demonstration at UWM

A group of approximately 175 people, mostly students, gathered in Spaights Plaza on Thursday afternoon, before counter-protesting an appearance by members of the infamous Westboro Baptist Church.  A few of the protesters made emotional testimonials as to why they came out to oppose the WBC and reminded the counter-protesters to remain peaceful when confronting the members of the church.

The counter protest was organized by UW-Milwaukee student Jill Hoffman on Facebook and spread quickly via word-of-mouth after people heard that the controversial WBC would demonstrating on campus.  According to WBC’s website, the group chose to picket at the UWM campus because the University is recognized for being a very diverse campus and has a 5-star ranking on the LGBT-friendly Campus Climate Index.

“We can’t allow people to see this hate without a counter message of love,” said Hoffman.

The Westboro Baptist Church, located in Topeka, KS, started gaining national attention in 1998 after picketing the funeral of hate crime victim Matthew Shepard with signs such as “God Hates Fags”.  In the mid 2000’s the church began picketing at the funerals of military members killed in action, claiming that military deaths are God’s punishment for the United States’ tolerance of homosexuality.  They regularly picket concerts of famous entertainers that the group feels are living in ways that do line up with their interpretation of the The Old Testament.  The WBC is considered a hate group by the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center.

According to LGBT Resource Center Executive Assistant Sarah DeGeroge, the 5-star LGBT-friendly rating is done by a non-profit organization called Campus Pride and is determined by looking into a campus’ polices and organizations. DeGeorge also said that UWM is one of only two universities in Wisconsin to achieve that rating. UWM was also recently named as one of the top-30 LGBT-friendly colleges and universities in the country.

“A lot of people still have really bad experiences from high school surrounding their gender identity or sexual orientation,” said DeGeorge. “We do get students who come to UWM specifically because of that list. Overall, it just contributes to a better climate for everyone.  The more diverse of a student population we can get, the better it is for everyone.”

After the rally in Spaights Plaza, the group of counter-protesters marched through the UWM Union towards the corner of Maryland Ave. and Kenwood Blvd. to confront the WBC members where they were picketing. The Westboro group retreated from the sidewalk onto an open grass area behind and were quickly encircled by the group of counter-protesters.  Many people in the counter-protest held up their homemade signs about love, pride and embracing people of all walks of life.

UWM Police took position between the opposing groups and quickly made a circle around the WBC with yellow “Do Not Cross” tape to keep some space between the demonstrators. The WBC danced around a bit and sang versions of popular songs with their own made up lyrical content to convey their beliefs. Members of the church also held their trademark signs that read things such as “You Can’t Change Your Chromosomes” and “God Hates Trannies.” After a few songs or about 20 minutes, the WBC was finished and was escorted off campus by police as the crowd of counter-protesters cheered their departure.

UWM Junior Benjamin Slowey was one of the counter-protesters happy to see the WBC leave and pleased with the results of the counter-protest.

“There’s nothing that Westboro could say that’s going to degrade the integrity, acceptance and pride that we have with being such a diverse campus,” said Slowey. “Seeing our campus in unity like that, to be able to counteract hate, it’s really powerful.”

According to a recent statement from the Dean of Students, UWM is a natural choice for speakers seeking a public place in which to express themselves and consider promoting free speech one of its core values.

Police did not report any arrests or incidents during the protest, according to UWM Director of Media Services Michelle Johnson.

The full statement is below.

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UW-Milwaukee Campus visitors and policies regarding free speech  UWM has had visits in the past year from a number of speakers who have drawn large crowds and significant media attention. We expect this to continue this school year as Milwaukee is frequent stop for political candidates and activists representing a wide range of activities and views. As the largest university in the city, UWM is a natural choice for speakers seeking a public space in which to express themselves. The university does its best to make space available because supporting free speech is one of its core values. It does not discriminate among speakers, even when their views are disagreeable, controversial or in conflict with university values. It does require speakers to adhere to policies and guidelines set forth by the university in regard to the time, manner and place of their expression. Anyone protesting a speech must follow guidelines on protests in university buildings. In addition, the city of Milwaukee has its own rules regarding demonstrations. I encourage students and employees to familiarize themselves with campus and city policies before engaging in any kind of demonstration or counter-demonstration.