Sat. May 21, 2011
Topeka, KS -
Comedienne Lisa Lampanelli took a unique stand against the anti-gay and vindictive bullies from Westboro Baptist Church, who protested her performance in Topeka on Friday night.
When the Topeka-based hate church targeted Lampanelli for her outspoken position on gay rights, the comedienne fired back earlier this week on Twitter. She promised to donate $1,000 to the Gay Men's Health Crisis, the nation's oldest HIV/AIDS organization, for every member of WBC that protested her show at the Topeka Performing Arts Center.
After her show on Friday, Lampanelli said on Twitter that it appeared there were 44 protesters.
She tweeted, "Thanks to these a-holes, $44,000 will be donated to the GMHC!!!"
"We are grateful for Lisa Lampanelli's kindness and courage to fight homophobia," said CMHC CEO Marjorie Hill. "She is holding up a mirror to bigotry and hatred, and reflecting back love and generosity."
The donation to the gay rights charity will made in the name of Westboro Baptist Church.
The church, which is not affiliated with a larger denomination, is made up mostly of the 81-year-old Fred Phelps' extended family. WBC is monitored by the Anti-Defamation League and is classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
In March Nate Phelps, the son of Fred Phelps, spoke about the years of abuse he suffered at Westboro Baptist Church.
"I think that he's a sociopath," Nate Phelps reportedly said of his father. "I think that he fits that based on his inability to empathize with others, his calculated cruelty, and by laughing at the harm he causes. I've seen that growing up with him."
Comedian Lisa Lampanelli versus the Westboro Baptist Church
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