| THIS IS A READ-ONLY ARCHIVE FROM THE SORABJI.COM MESSAGE BOARDS (1995-2016). |
|---|
April 8, 2001 Keith Orr sank into his office chair, opened his e-mail and learned from a friend that he was Fred Phelps' next target. He groaned. Fred, to be polite, is a gay-hating zealot. A Baptist preacher from Topeka, he claims to have picketed, with sympathizers, about 20,000 gay-friendly places and events, including universities, city halls, state capitals, arts performances and small businesses like Keith's. His Aut Bar in Ann Arbor, named for the phonetic spelling of "out," is a little place, one in a cluster of old rehabbed houses across the street from the town's popular Kerrytown area and farmer's market. It serves burgers and Mexican dishes and caters mostly to gays and lesbians. On that Thursday morning when Keith learned Fred was coming, he typed up a quick e-mail and zapped it off to 270 customers and friends. He suggested they turn trouble into dollars for a local gay advocacy group. He said he and his life partner, Aut Bar co-owner Martin Contreras, were pledging $1 for every minute Fred's gang hung around. He asked others to pledge, too. "Feel free to cap your pledge at an hour so you don't worry about Fred breaking your budget," Keith wrote. Within two minutes, the first pledge arrived, for $1 a minute, from Ann Arborite Todd Mundt, who hosts NPR's "Todd Mundt Show." In the next two days before Fred showed up, 207 more people placed pledges from 10 cents to $5 a minute. On a cold, blustery Saturday in February, Fred Phelps showed up in his trademark white hat, with four adults and two small children. They stood outside singing gospel songs and waving typical signs: "AIDS IS GOD'S CURSE." The Aut Bar is normally quiet at 4 p.m. Saturday, but that day about 100 people squeezed in. Keith was busy taking cash and pledges and selling Phreedom Phrom Phelps martinis, and didn't see Fred until he left, 60 minutes after he arrived. Keith waved and called out, "Thanks for coming!" In two days, with no expenses and not much effort, Keith Orr -- with Fred as an unwitting catalyst -- raised $6,000. Wow. The idea has caught on, and Keith is a no-charge, e-mail consultant to others around the country who hope to make money off Fred, in cities like San Antonio, San Francisco and Las Vegas. The Topeka Symphony, which Fred pickets every time it performs, credits Keith's idea for its new pledge campaign: "Every Minute Counts." Last weekend, Keith flew to Madison, Wis., his hometown, where his mom still lives. There, he helped a gay group raise $5,000 in pledges off Fred's appearance at the University of Wisconsin. He also had time to take his mom to a steakhouse, and accompanied her to church. Plus, he worked his way down a list of household chores. Elayne Orr, at 73, is proud of her son and his simple, brilliant idea. Keith was just happy to have an excuse to spend a long weekend with his mom. "See," he jokes, "Fred Phelps does promote family values." |
|
where was this published originally? |
Although i learned of it because its going to be a feature in coming issue |
|