WATCH: Teens Defend Trans Homecoming Queen, Run Westboro Church Out Of Town

Image by John Lemieux via flickr,
Image by John Lemieux via flickr, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license.

High school students in Kansas City, MO did not appreciate the Westboro Baptists coming to protest a transgender teenager, and they showed their support for her in a spectacular fashion.

Image via Advocate
Image via Advocate

The so-called Westboro “Christians” had come to protest a transgender teenager being elected Homecoming Queen last month at Oak Park High School. 

Of being elected Queen, Landon Patterson had said:

“To have my [fellow] students and friends vote for me, makes me feel welcomed and loved. For who I am.”

The love and welcoming didn’t end there. When the bigots showed up to protest her crown, Landon’s supporters filled the streets chanting “Long live the Queen! Long live the Queen!” and wearing shirts stating, “I Stand With Landon.”

Then, peacefully, slowly, the teens moved forward en masse. The kept walking toward the Westboro protesters until the bigoted asshats started packing up their signs and driving off. As each vehicle drove away, the hundreds of high-schoolers cheered wildly. One teen is heard to say:

“They are about to get sent right the f!ck back to Topeka where they came from.”

To see the way in which these high school students loudly and vocally supported their fellow student is remarkable and heartwarming. These kids know what is important– they know that love needs to win over hate, and they know that love needs to be louder than hate. They know that peaceful, lawful protest is the way to make your voice heard. They know that when many voices join in support of the disadvantaged minority, we all win. These teenagers truly are the future. And the future looks bright.

Featured image via Advocate.