Gandalf And Dumbledore Married In Front Of Westboro Baptist Church Headquarters
In the words of Bob Dylan, the times they are a-changin’, but not everyone is happy about it. What started as a throwaway joke by J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter book series, ended in the marriage of Gandalf (of Lord of the Rings fame) and Dumbledore (from Rowling’s own Harry Potter universe). What’s more – the ceremony took place directly in front of the headquarters of the homophobic hate group Westboro Baptist Church.
It all started after Ireland legalized same sex marriage last month. Rowling jokingly tweeted about her and J.R.R. Tolkien’s wizard characters tying the knot.
Seizing the opportunity to do what they do best – spread hate – the Westboro Baptist Church responded through Twitter, promising to picket the ceremony should it take place.
Equality House, a non-profit organization dedicated to LGBT issues, caught wind of the exchange and decided to host the ceremony themselves. As an added bonus, Equality House sits directly across the street from Westboro’s building in Topeka, Kansas. The wizards got hitched in a mock ceremony attended by some 100 onlookers, but the usually vitriolic protesters from the WBC were nowhere to be found. They kept their doors shut for the entirety of the proceeding.
After the ceremony, “Gandalf” read a statement written by he and his newlywed husband: “When you are gay, lesbian, transgender, bi, queer or questioning, we say this: you are loved! You are beautiful. You are worthy. You are valued. There’s nothing wrong with you. You are perfect, you are not alone, and you have a community of support—that’s obvious.” He added: “Love is love! All love is equal. Be proud of who you are and and live an authentic life.“
As of yet, there is no word on whether or not another ceremony will take place in Ireland.
