The Shawnee Dispatch / Counter-protest scheduled for Friday at SMN

Archive for Thursday, October 22, 2009

Shawnee Mission North will present "RENT" as its fall musical.

October 22, 2009

Students at Shawnee Mission North High School are turning the tables on a group protesting the school's production of "RENT."

The announcement of a protest Friday afternoon by Topeka's Westboro Baptist Church prompted students to come together for a silent counterprotest. The church, led by Fred Phelps, is known for picketing funerals of AIDS victims, soldiers killed in action and any number of cultural events it deems in violation of biblical teachings.

Hannah Holloway, 2009 North graduate, helped to organize the counterprotest.

"We found out that Fred Phelps heard about our production of "RENT" and he was going to protest," she said. "We knew that the news would cover it and people would find out, so we decided to take his hate speech and turn it into something positive."

"RENT" is a musical based on the lives of impoverished artists and musicians living in New York. Its characters introduce mature themes such as homosexuality, AIDS and drug abuse.

The school's drama and musical departments, along with the city of Mission and the school's Coalition group turned the themes of the production into a way to help the less fortunate of Johnson County with a food and blanket drive, Holloway said.

"We are tying in the 'No Day but Today' theme (a popular song from the play) with the counterprotest by collecting donations during the counterprotest," she said.

While the Shawnee Mission School District is not taking an active role in Friday's events, Leigh Anne Neal, director of communications, said the district and school have talked with the Overland Park Police Department to ensure safety to students, parents and staff during the protests.

"They (the school) are working and communicating with the Overland Park Police Department in anticipation if a group of representatives from Westboro Baptist Church comes to the area," Neal said. "Our focus is to continue our regularly scheduled day and make sure staff, students and parents are able to do that."

Neal said in the past the district has had groups come to protest but the school and district have not organized a protest.

Holloway said word of the counterprotest spread through a Facebook group started by Nathaniel Zoschke, SMN senior.

"We invited people to a group and event and spread the word," Holloway said. "I totally disagree with the messages that are being propagated by Phelps. I'm very against the hate messages."

Although, Holloway hasn't seen the SMN production of "RENT," which is a toned-down version of the Broadway production, she said the school was doing a great thing by performing it.

"Regardless of how censored it is, it's a fantastic play," she said. "I'm very proud of my high school. It's a really fantastic high school. It was a huge part of my life and to see someone go up and insult it, I wanted to show my pride and turn this negative into a good thing."

The silent counterprotest will begin at 2 p.m. in front of Shawnee Mission North High School.

The final performance of North's production of "RENT" is at 7 p.m.Saturday in the school's auditorium.

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22 October 2009
at 11:33 p.m.

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proged (Anonymous) says…

This Friday we are told that we can expect a visit from that angry congregation from Topeka, the Fred Phelps extended family and religious cult. They are coming to Shawnee Mission North with the explicit purpose of conveying a message of hate to our youth. They call themselves the Westboro Baptist Church, a fine example of the evil of religious patriarchy. wbc is an extended family of lawyers who, while dominated by a physically and psychologically abusive father, intrude upon peaceful communities in order to promote the destruction of gays and other people who don't agree with their effort to spread what they say is god's hate for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and trans people.

It seems like bullying to me and I am surprised that this group can raise the banner of religion and conservatism in order to terrorize gay people, queer students at Shawnee Mission North.

Remember the so-called marriage amendment that the Republicans and Religious Right imposed on Kansas a few years back. The passage of that amendment is proof that while Phelps and his family are among the few to openly reveal their hatred of gays that perhaps a majority of Kansas Republicans are more polite haters hiding in the wings, ready to support anti-gay policies and to impose them on all society.

Republicans like Phelps, Brownback and Tiahrt believe they are messengers of a personal god they claim to talk to every day. This god also talks back to them and tells them to execute gays, if only His divine laws can be enacted. For many of these people a big daddy god also tells them how to brush their teeth. (I don't know how many millions Americans imagine they are having a two way conversation with god as I write.) I am not kidding you. These people sound certifiable yet they, or politicians a lot like them, are running and ruining Kansas and the nation. It seems that fanatical and frankly psychotic religion is is a bigger problem in the United States than drug abuse.

Self proclaimed conservatives thought they were talking to god, tried to run the country and economy and failed miserably. Forty years of conservative rule and look at the nation. Now this very conservative congregation comes to pick on our gay and lesbian kids! I don't get it.
27 October 2009
at 4:14 p.m.

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Sky (Anonymous) says…

Hang in there students. People often feel that if the disagree with you then you have no right to express your ideas. We all have the right to express ourselves–right or wrong. Sounds like a group of young leaders at this school!

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