The Equality House in Topeka, Kansas, which stands opposite the Westboro Baptist Church has been attacked this week.
Planting Peace, a non-profit organisation that does exactly what its name suggests, have been spreading love all over the world for a while now. They traveled to Antartica to declare it ‘the world’s first LGBT-friendly continent’ and even sent a Pride flag into space in the past.
But it looks like one of their earliest, and most famous, projects is under attack. The equality house, a glorious rainbow painted house that sits opposite the hate-mongering Westboro Baptist church, acts as a symbol of hope and peace in a very dark place. But that house was this week spray-painted with anti-gay and bullet holes were found on the exterior in what the organisation believe to be a homophobic attack.
NBC news spoke to Planting Peace founder Aaron Jackson, who was in the house at the time of vandalism. He told the news agency that he was awoken at around 1 am when he heard loud noises coming from outside. He called the police, and once they had arrived on the scene, they found the anti-gay slurs on the house. A few days later, seven bullet holes were also found on the same side of the home.
“The Equality House has been a target for acts of hate and intolerance that reflect the same experiences our LGBT family face every day,” Aaron said to NBC. “Planting Peace frequently receives hate mail and even death threats, but over the past three months we have seen an increase in physical acts of vandalism and violence. While it may seem shocking to some, it’s a heartbreaking reality.”
He also said someone claiming to be a member of the KKK had visited the house and declared an ‘open season’ on the LGBT community.
“In three years of existence, this is the most activity we’ve seen, beyond the regular incidents of people driving by and yelling anti-LGBT slurs,” Aaron concluded.
You can find out more about Planting Peace and the excellent work they do at plantingpeace.org
