Choosing peace

Some faces, deeply wrinkled, registered awe at the sheer bustle of the nearly hundred-strong crowd; others, smooth with youth, beamed with a pride hate couldn't touch. Bodies -- some draped in rainbow-striped flags -- heads adorned with golden-tinged halos milled together, so in the dusk enveloping North Jordan Avenue, they almost seemed to move as one.\nThey had gathered to support the IU Department of Theatre and Drama's production of "The Laramie Project," an often-controversial work detailing the life of Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old man brutally murdered for one reason: he was gay. So last night, as the sun set, a throng of people descended upon the sidewalk opposite the Wells-Metz Theatre to raise their voices together -- without organization, without a designated leader to guide their path. And they were expecting a guest.\nFred Phelps, a Kansas minister widely known for his radical rhetoric concerning homosexuality, had sent numerous faxes and e-mail messages to IU administrators, media outlets and the police department. He was coming, he said, to protest the "homo-fascist" regime that is Bloomington and to decry "Laramie's" "satanic sodomite agenda." And, notably, he's a featured character in "Laramie."\nBy 7:26 p.m., less than an hour before the show was slated to begin, Phelps, who Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Office Director Doug Bauder deemed a "crazy nut," hadn't shown. But that didn't deter "Laramie's" supporters from gathering in peaceful opposition, and at 7:36, when a bus carrying senior citizens from Meadowwood Retirement Community growled up to the Wells-Metz doors, the vociferous crowd -- regardless of sex, gender, age, ethnicity or race -- exploded in one united cheer. \n"Even if he doesn't come, this is still really cool," sophomore Katherine Novotny said. "Look at all of us -- we're all out and supporting diversity. That's just really cool."\nThey weren't protesting, exactly, sophomore Brandi Sorley was careful to point out. Rather, the crowd clustered at the corners of Seventh and Jordan Avenues was there to celebrate the tolerance that typifies Bloomington.\n"We're here to support 'Laramie,'" Sorley said. "We don't want to inflame this guy. We just want to show our support for what the theatre department is doing."\nAmid constant exhortations to keep off the street -- for, according to Wells-Metz production manager \nGrindle, the group couldn't demonstrate on theater property -- the quiet chorus of a cappella group Ladies First rose above the chatter. And while IU Police Department officers patrolled the area unobtrusively, they weren't expecting a hostile arrival of the expected guest -- yet. \n"We just want to make sure there are no problems," IUPD officer Joe Wise said, noting Phelps, a disbarred attorney, had sent an e-mail warning of his Bloomington protest, as is often his custom. "We knew what his schedule was, and we anticipate he'll show up."\nIf he does, students say they'll be ready.\n"We'll definitely be coming out tomorrow," Novotny said. "The worst thing we could do would be to get involved in his violence, though. That would just reinforce his opinion."\nBauder's office received word of Phelps' probable arrival this week and is prepared to deal with the reaction should he indeed show. \n"We're hoping we're not going to have to face this, but we've got responsible people who are willing to help us deal with this," he said. "It's not something GLBT has to take on alone. We have a wonderful group of colleagues through Bloomington United, among other groups, that are ready and prepared for this." \nBauder said he thinks Phelps' threats may only serve to heighten awareness of IU's tolerance toward all sexual orientations and genders.\n"I'm more saddened by this than anything," Bauder said. "I don't understand how someone can be that filled with hate. ... Frankly, the less attention he gets, the better. We're encouraging people to ignore him if he shows up, and by all means, go to the play. It's a very healing experience -- go, hold the hands of your partner or whoever you're with, and appreciate the work of the artist who put it together."\n-- Contact senior writer Holly Johnson at hljohnso@indiana.edu.