Area School Prepares for Anti-Gay Protesters

In preparation for an upcoming protest to be staged by the Westboro Baptist Church, a Kansas-based anti-gay group, the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School held a forum yesterday to discuss possible responses.

Although participants suggested several courses of action—ranging from ignoring the protest completely to having a concurrent pro-gay celebration—those present agreed that their response would be non-violent and respectful.

Principal Christopher Saheed emphasized student safety as his main concern, warning students against engaging directly with the protestors.

“They are not reasonable,” he said. “They are irrational. They could care less about reason.”

The church—which has earned a “hate group” designation—has demonstrated against homosexuality in Cambridge in years past, including at Harvard’s commencement in 2003.

The church has announced that its members will also picket in Lexington and Reading next month. Famous for picketing Matthew W. Shephard’s funeral, the group also holds anti-gay protests at funerals of AIDS victims. Recently they have begun demonstrating at soldiers’ funerals across the country, saying that their deaths are evidence of “God’s judgment” of America.

The CRLS forum was organized by Project 10 East—the school’s gay-straight alliance—and Students Teaching and Advocating Respect. Kathy Keegan, Project 10 East’s supervisor and the discussion’s moderator, told the audience that the school would need to be cautious in their interactions with the hate group, which has filed lawsuits against the institutions that they picket.

School committee member Marc McGovern, who was present at the meeting, said he supported the idea of a large, positive counterdemonstration to draw the media’s attention away from the group’s negative message.

“I’d rather that publicity be about our community,” he said.

But Cody Doucette, a CRLS high school senior who serves on the school committee, said he thought it would be more “powerful” if students refused to acknowledge the group’s presence.

“They say the most hateful, cruel, and ignorant things because they want you to get mad,” he said. “That’s their game.”

Others at the meeting recommended a middle ground, suggesting that awareness and counterprotest events should be held, but indoors, away from the church group picketers.

Final plans for the school’s response will be decided later by a student leadership committee that was formed at the end of the meeting.

—Staff writer Sofia E. Groopman can be reached at segroopm@fas.harvard.edu.

—Staff writer Michelle L. Quach can be reached at mquach@fas.harvard.edu.