God Loves Poetry: Transforming Messages of Hate

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English playwright Edward Bulwer-Lytton wrote, "The pen is mightier than the sword," in 1839, and in 2011, this old adage continues to ring true thanks to the efforts of two Fort Lauderdale men.

Since the development of language, words have been used to uplift and celebrate, but also to denigrate and hurt. In response to the hateful language of the fervently anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church, Kevin Cobb and Andres Almeida are using the fundamentalist sect's own words against them to celebrate love and diversity.

The couple created the God Loves Poetry project, an art installation that features press releases from the church with most of the text blacked out, leaving affirming poems and messages. The title is also a play on the very words the Church writes on picket signs - God Hates Fags, God Hates America, etc.

"Every time they send out those press releases, it's just blabbing," explains Cobb, 29, a graphic artist. "They announce they're going to picket the funeral of a little girl who was shot in Arizona because 'she deserved it' because of America's changing views towards gays. Well, it hurts people."

After years of picketing AIDS victims' funerals, members of the church turned their attention to the funerals of fallen soldiers from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. When courts upheld local laws to prevent the rabid churchgoers from disrupting funerals, the church took its case to the Supreme Court, which finally weighed in this spring. The court ruled that Westboro's right to free speech outweighed the feelings of family members.

As Mother's Day approaches, the couple's project can provide some sense of solace for parents, family members and loved ones who have suffered from the church members' hateful speech.

"By doing this," adds Almeida, 24, a self-described advocate for equality, "we make them look even less powerful."

While the duo has lived in gay-friendly South Florida for years, they both come from conservative roots. Almeida is a native of Ecuador who grew up in the United States while Cobb was raised in conservative Indiana.

Several God Loves Poetry works are currently on display at O Cinema in Miami, but the project really took off on the Internet.

"We really started as an online project and quickly built support from our family and friends, as well as on Twitter and Facebook," explains Cobb. "You can start something like this anywhere and connect with likeminded people very quickly."

The project has attracted fans from across the cultural, religious and political spectrum, Cobb says, including atheists, ministers, priests, families, seniors, and children.

"Everyone seems to unify. Many of our fans have submitted their own blackout poems."

The project has also been adopted by several universities, including American University, in response to Westboro protests near the Washington, D.C. campus.

Almedia and Cobb's project caught the attention of National Public Radio, which recently featured the project. The reporter contacted members of Westboro Baptist Church, but so far the project has not attracted much ire from minister Fred Phelps' clan.

"Meghan Phelps retweeted us on Twitter once," Cobb recalls. "We don't engage with them either."

Adds Almeida, "We're not looking to vilify them. They do that already."

Instead, Cobb says, "It's creative and therapeutic, taking interesting words and creating something that completely changes their message."

Please visit GodLovesPoetry.com and O-Cinema.org for more information.