Gandalf the White and Professor Albus Dumbledore are having a wedding -- and you're invited.
The two fictional characters will wed this Sunday, June 7, at the Equality House in Topeka, Kansas. The Equality House is a building painted the colors of the gay pride flag and sitting across the street from The Westboro Baptist compound. It is sponsored by non-profit Planting Peace.
A potential marriage between Gandalf and Dumbldore started as a viral news story when Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling tweeted a meme proposing "what if Dumbledore and Gandalf were gay together?" when Ireland passed the country's Marriage Equality Referendum. Westboro then tweeted at the author, threatening to picket a fictional wedding ceremony -- and Rowling had the perfect response.
This series of interactions inspired Plating Peace founder Aaron Jackson to make the wedding a reality in order to raise money to counter the hateful messages of the Westboro Baptist Church.
"When we read the battle between J.K. Rowling and the Westboro Baptist Church, we instantly connected with Ms. Rowling’s message on many levels," Aaron Jackson, President of Planting Peace, told The Huffington Post. "The Equality House was founded to take a stand against the hurtful words and actions of hate groups like the WBC. People often question why we even mention them, and Ms. Rowling’s words were spot on. We must actively stand up to hate and ensure that LGBTQ youth understand that they have a broad platform of love and support in this world. That is a core part of what we do at Planting Peace. We are delighted to be hosting the Dumbledore and Gandalf wedding and stand with them in the face of bigotry and celebrate equality for all. The WBC won't have to go too far to picket this union. They can look out their front window."
The Equality House will hire local actors to play the parts of Gandalf and Dumbledore at what Jackson describes as "a traditional wedding ceremony."
In the past, the house, which was first painted the colors of the rainbow flag in March 2013, has played host to a child's lemonade stand for peace, a gay wedding and a drag show -- all essentially on the anti-gay church's front lawn.
The wizards' wedding will take place on Sunday, June 7, at 2:00 p.m. at the Equality House. Interested in helping the Equality House fight the messages of the Westboro Baptist Church? Head here.
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