Students, faculty and staff gathered in the Duke Chapel for breakfast Monday to support the University's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in response to a small church's anti-gay protest just off campus.
More than 400 people attended the breakfast, which took place while four members of the Westboro Baptist Church picketed in front of the Medical Center from 7:30 a.m. to 8 a.m.
At the breakfast, students discussed the controversy surrounding the protest while eating bagels and muffins. Lines of people waiting to get in stretched down the Chapel steps.
"Part of what made the event so amazing is that people were willing to stand outside for 30 minutes to show their support," said sophomore Aliza Lopes-Baker, treasurer and chair of the advocacy committee of Blue Devils United.
Some students who attended the breakfast said they had not expected the large turnout, especially because the event was held early on a rainy morning.
"I'm thrilled, people don't always know that there is this much support," junior Caroline Griswold said. "I think there is a perception of Duke as a homophobic campus. I hope that when this is published in the local news, that people will know that Duke will not stand for hate."
LGBT Center Director Janie Long, however, said she was not surprised by the large crowd. She added that students, faculty and staff have been supportive of the LGBT community since she arrived on campus.
But about a half-mile away, the Westboro Baptist Church was protesting the same LGBT community students turned out to support. The church-known for protesting at the funerals of American military casualties-is considered a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks extremist organizations. The group is based in Topeka, Kansas and has been picketing against gays since 1991.
The small group from the church gathered at the intersection of Erwin Road and Fulton Street carrying signs such as "F-s are beasts" and "Pray for more dead kids."
The group did not attract much attention during its protest, aside from a handful of students and curious onlookers commuting through the area.
"I just wanted to see pure hate. It's an interesting thing," sophomore Brian Solomon said. "I expected it to be worse."
Shirley Phelps-Roper, a lawyer and spokesperson for the church who was part of the protest, said the group's mission was to inform the University of its sinfulness and to announce that the world will soon come to an end.
"This is a clueless bunch of young people who have been taught rebellion all the days of your life," she said. "You are taught that's a lie, that's OK.... It's OK to change your spouses more than you change your underwear."
In addition to homosexuality, Phelps-Roper said the Church decries adultery, abortion and fornication.
Phelps-Roper also called President Barack Obama the "the beast" and added that America was doomed because it had elected him.
When asked whether he had ever interacted with gays, Jacob Phelps-a protester and Phelps-Roper's nephew-said one of his bosses at work is gay, and that the two of them have a great relationship. Members of the church do not let religion interfere with their professional lives, he said.
But Phelps said his boss would have to be "a moron," if he were unaware of Phelps's views.
Craig Kocher, associate dean of the Chapel and director of Religious Life, said the religious community rejects the views of the Westboro Baptist Church and is committed to showing its support for the University's LGBT members.
The church is independent of other Baptist churches and possess beliefs that differ from those of most Baptists.
"[Westboro Baptist Church] flies under the banner of a church, but it's not a church anybody in religious life would recognize," Kocher said. "I think an event like this is proof for the Religious Life community and the LGBT community and the wider campus that there can be friendship in surprising places."
Most students at the breakfast said they were not interested in the positions Phelps-Roper expressed and called her views "hateful" and "disgusting."
"My dad is in the military, and I am friends with several LGBT people, and it is unacceptable to make a protest like that," sophomore Lindsey Ricchi said.
Administrators said they were pleased that a confrontation was avoided between members of the church and the Duke community.
Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta said he was glad students used positive channels to respond to the picketing, directing attention away from the demonstrators.
"They created a forum for love. That should piss them off," he said.
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