Listen to this articleAn IndieGoGo campaign set up to erect a “God Loves Gays” billboard in Topeka, Kansas near the Westboro Baptist “Church” has surpassed its $50,000 goal and still has 30 days to raise funds. The campaign, a spin-off of “God’s” Facebook page which has 1.7 million likes, has raised over $80,000 and surpassed three of its four “stretch-goals” — $10,000 for the Trevor Project, $10,000 for bus ads in Topeka, and $10,000 for the National Alliance to End Homelessness.
If the project reaches $100,000, the next stretch goal, a billboard will be erected in Provo, Utah.
“The Westboro Baptist Church is a hate group based in Topeka, Kansas. This group protests at the funerals of soldiers, murdered children, and more. They carry around with them hate-speech signs that say that God hates gay people,” the project reads. “This evil lie has been put into the world by bigots like them for thousands of years. The time has come to right this wrong. God LOVES gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.”
The Topeka billboard was unveiled Monday. The billboard company has reservations about it, says the project organizer.
“They seemed a tad nervous,” he wrote. “Thus far they have only let Me purchase the billboard through March of 2015. I wanted to purchase the full year. I also wanted to investigate other bigger billboards around town. But before they’ll do that the billboard company wants to see if the community accepts it and likes it first.”
A spokesperson for Lamar told Mashable, “We support the First Amendment right of advertisers and believe that it is in the best interest of our company and the communities we serve to accept advertising copy openly. We do not accept or reject copy based upon agreement or disagreement with the views presented. We are firmly committed to our copy acceptance policy.”
Donations can be rewarded with bumper stickers and t-shirts.
The funding page says Salt Lake City, not Provo, UT. Currently at $92k!