Westboro Baptist Church left confused by 'Sorry for your loss' counter-protest
Screenshot/KSHB-TV

Leave it to the power of almighty Lorde to try to bring the world together. When Westboro Baptist Church members angrily picketed the singer's concert Friday in Missouri in response to her recent pro-gay comments, counter-protesters had a compassionate response: signs of condolence for the group's recently deceased pastor Fred Phelps. "Sorry for your loss," read one large poster. "Live your life and be awesome," said another.
"We realized that it wasn't so much about antagonizing them but sending out the countered safe that we are here for people who need that message and need that positivity," sign creator Megan Coleman told KSHB-TV. Her well intended message was lost in translation to some Westboro members, however. "I don't even know what they're saying," said Westboro member Steve Dralin, who is poised to be the church's next leader.
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Jordan Valinsky is the lead writer for Speed Reads. Before joining The Week, he wrote for New York Observer's tech blog, Betabeat, and tracked the intersection between popular culture and the internet for The Daily Dot. He graduated with a degree in online journalism from Ohio University.
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