South Broward Community Strikes Back Against Intolerance
Westboro Baptist Church Protesters wave religious signs
February 28, 2019
Hollywood. Jan 14. – God’s Fury. Repent or Perish. Why Did God Destroy Sodom? Morn or Repent. No, it wasn’t Sunday’s church session, it was Monday morning outside of South Broward High School.
As sleepy-eyed students and coffee-toting faculty made their way towards the school entrance, they were confronted by religious pop music parodies blasting over speakers and a group of protesters from the Westboro Baptist Church waving colorful signs. Clad all in black, the group notoriously known for their hate speech, flashed signs blaming homosexuality for Hurricane Micheal’s devastation, “Apostate Jews” for renouncing Christianity, and parents for their “children’s sins.”
They had arrived at 7:10am on the Northeast side of US1 and Harding St. just next to the main school entrance, where most students and faculty enter. They protested public schools’ acceptance and tolerance of Judaism, homosexuality, and the LGBT community. The protest was scheduled with the county prior, so it was legal, however, many were affected by the religious hate that was evident in their demeanor.
“I saw at least two to three people from the LGBTQ+ community that were affected in some way,” said Michael Christian, a senior at South Broward High School.
Four women from the local community arrived five minutes before the WBC members. In complete opposition to the WBC, they all held signs that had one simple message: “Keep Hate Out of Hollywood.” While the school Principal, Ms. Brown, redirected students away from the Northeast side, the women offered support and hugs to the students who seemed affected.
“One student thanked me as he was crossing the street-that made me feel like it was worth it,” said Donna Greene, the parent responsible for organizing the protest on the Southeast side.
Greene saw the protester’s “hate schedule” online and decided she would reach out to others who would see the positive impact of protesting against the message of the WBC. The other protesters with her were Rachel Mazor, Vanessa Cuomo, who lives near the school and is a parent of Hollywood students, and Lynn Cantrell, a South Broward alumni who is active with civic groups in the area.
“I saw that [this group] would be protesting in front of South Broward and I know that they’re a hate group,” said Greene, “I wanted to be there to give an alternate voice, knowing that students would be seeing these people and their signs.”
Both of Greene’s children attended South Broward and, like her fellow protesters, she feels a deep connection with the school and its community.
“[South Broward is] a part of my life and it’s part of our family-I’m going to protect it,” she said, “If you stay silent, then all they see is hate speech and no other speech. I thought-at least let the students know that not everyone believes in that.”
The Westboro Baptist Church is a group notoriously known throughout the U.S. and the world for their intolerant protests of homosexuality, Judaism, and more. They frequently protest outside of soldier’s funerals and religious conferences, spouting words of blame and hate for all to hear. They are mostly referred to as a “rabid hate group” or a “cult”. Many groups and other Baptist Churches’ have dis-aligned themselves from this group, as their message(s) are often ill-intended and confusing.
“[They] give religious organizations a bad name,” said South Broward Media Specialist, Ms. Monica Ridlehoover. “My greatest concern was the students who were coming in, particularly [the LGBTQ and Jewish students] and how they perceived it as they came on campus.”
According to a press release on their website, www.godhatesfags.com, the Westboro Baptist Church was scheduled to protest outside of South Broward High School from 7-7:40am, the National Jewish Women’s Convention in Hallandale Beach at noon, and Hollywood Hills High School from 2-2:40. These times coincided with school opening and closing hours to reach the largest possible audience.
Ridlehoover watched the event unfold from the school parking lot, comforting and offering hugs to students as they walked onto campus if they appeared distressed. She understood the effect a group like the WBC can have on youth.
“It’s tough enough for teens at this age to understand who they are,” Ridlehoover added, “to see a group spewing hatred can have a negative impact.”