Nonprofit Unveils Rainbow House Beside Westboro Baptist Church

Members of the antigay Westboro Baptist Church woke up to a technicolor surprise this morning, when a progressive nonprofit began painting a house directly across the street from Westboro's compound in the bright, bold colors of the rainbow flag.

Six months ago, Planting Peace, a nonprofit historically dedicated to environmental conservation, bought the house at 1200 S.W. Orleans St. in Topeka, Kan., directly across the street from the series of homes owned by Westboro members and the church itself, known as the Westboro "compound." 

"I feel the Westboro Baptist Church is the poster child… that's pushing inequality," Planting Peace founder Aaron Jackson told The Advocate. "So I thought the best place to start was to counter the Westboro Baptist Church's message."

Jackson has been living in the house for the past month and a half, with the intent to turn it into The Equality House, a drop-in center that will support a variety of LGBT and antibullying efforts. Before that can happen, though, Jackson says he and his colleagues at Planting Peace want to raise $1 million to support existing equality and antibullying programs. Planting Peace has launched a CrowdRise page to support that goal, where the team has already raised more than $10,000. Find more photos of the house and information about the cause right here.