Gay Couple Holds Wedding Across From Westboro Baptist Church
A lesbian couple held their wedding ceremony directly across from Westboro Baptist Church Saturday night.
Kimberly Kidwell and Katie Short were married on the front lawn of the Equality House, a project started by Aaron Jackson, founder of the charity Planting Peace. Jackson, who bought the house last year after researching the location of Westboro Baptist on Google Earth, painted the house rainbow colors in protest of the church’s anti-gay message. While Jackson said he had pleasant interactions with the Phelps family, church members protested the couple’s nuptials from across the street.
“I guess I was almost numb after seeing them for a minute. I knew the signs would be there, and I wasn’t even angry about it. We were just so ecstatic to be getting married,” Kidwell said.
Although gay marriage is illegal in Kansas, the Supreme Court is expected to make a ruling on two same-sex marriage cases next week, and Johnson wanted to mark the occasion with a wedding at the Equality House.
“We wanted to help play a role in bringing light to this critical issue,” Jackson told the Huffington Post in a phone interview. “None of us know exactly how the court is going to rule, but no matter what they say, there is still a lot of work to be done.”
Jackson then posted on Facebook that he was looking for a couple to get married there, and Kidwell said it sounded perfect for her and Short, who are from Arkansas — where same-sex marriage is also illegal.
“Since it’s illegal in Arkansas, we were really going to wait for it to become legal, but I read an article a couple of months ago that said out of the top nine states that were least likely to approve same-sex marriage, Arkansas was number one,” Kidwell said.
Kimberly Kidwell and Katie Short were married by a lesbian minister in front of 100 family members and friends. The majority of the wedding — including the cake, flowers, and harp music — were donated by local businesses and residents.
