Pennies in Protest

One of my favorite Kids of Queers readers is making lemonade out of lemons.

Pennies in Protest Raises Money for Local Jewish and LGBT Organizations

Richmond, VA (February 26, 2010) In response to the upcoming protests by the Westboro Baptist Church in Richmond, Virginia, a local group called Pennies in Protest is calling all Richmonders to donate money to the targets of the anti-gay and anti-Jew protests.

Westboro Baptist Church (WBC), based in Topeka, Kansas, is an anti-gay church known for picketing funerals of AIDS victims, stomping on American flags, and protesting gay and Jewish organizations around the country.

On its website, WBC has announced its plans to protest at four locations in Richmond: The Virginia Holocaust Museum, the University of Richmond Hillel organization at the Jewish Community Center, the Jerusalem Connection, and Hermitage High School because the school allowed the creation of a gay student group.

A local group called Pennies In Protest has started collecting money for every minute that WBC is protesting Richmond organizations. Founded by Richmonders Patience Salgado (aka www.kindnessgirl.com), Jessica Lucia, Sara Heifetz, and Sarah Allen-Short, the group hopes to turn the WBC protests into something beneficial for the targets of the hate attacks. The Richmond group got the idea from a synagogue in Manhattan that raised more than $10,000 for charity during a recent visit from WBC.

You can read more about Pennies in Protest on the website. You do not have to be from Virginia to support this cause. You can donate on the site for as little as 1 cent a minute, you just have to do the math.

This is an incredibly worthy cause and I encourage all of you to stop by and have a look. As you know I have all kinds of issues with Westboro Baptist Church. I can hardly contain my contempt for the lower than life forms that make up the membership.

Please support this effort by some great people.

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