Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY is one of the most LGBT-friendly universities in the country, which is enough to prompt Westboro Baptist Church to protest there. According to the group, “doomed American academics” that “promote the fag agenda… mock the word of God.” The Vassar community is poised to counter the Phelps clan’s odious message, according to a letter from the college’s Acting President Jon Chenette:

In the face of Westboro’s statements, we want to celebrate the inclusiveness of our community and the multitude of backgrounds, interests, and preferences that enrich our experiences. In an effort to coordinate activities that members of the campus and alumnae/i communities are planning, the senior staff of the college has organized a group representative of students, faculty, staff, and alumnae/i to serve as a clearinghouse and sounding board. I know they will foster an array of events that will speak powerfully to our values.

The fruits of that effort are already incredibly apparent. Vassar alum Josh de Leeuw (’08) launched a fundraiser for The Trevor Project, which provides suicide prevention support services to LGBT youth. His goal was $4,500, the equivalent of $100 for every minute of Westboro’s protest. In just a few days, the Vassar community has already raised almost ten times that amount, with just over $41,000 committed as of this post.

The messaging and tactics of the Westboro Baptist Church are reprehensible, but often serve as a catalyst for a powerful counter-response. This is not the first time — even this month — that a community has used their appearance to raise money for LGBT groups, and it probably won’t be the last. (HT: Queerty.)

Two granddaughters of Fred Phelps, the leader of the virulently anti-LGBT Westboro Baptist Church often found protesting with “God Hates Fags” signs, have left the group. Megan and Grace Phelps-Roper were among the most visible members of the group online, with active social media presences that promoted the group’s hateful message until last year. Megan posted her first tweet since October yesterday, linking to a statement announcing their exodus and apologizing for their actions:

“We know that we’ve done and said things that hurt people. Inflicting pain on others wasn’t the goal, but it was one of the outcomes. We wish it weren’t so, and regret that hurt.

We know that we dearly love our family. They now consider us betrayers, and we are cut off from their lives, but we know they are well-intentioned. We will never not love them.

We know that we can’t undo our whole lives. We can’t even say we’d want to if we could; we are who we are because of all the experiences that brought us to this point. What we can do is try to find a better way to live from here on. That’s our focus.

Up until now, our names have been synonymous with “God Hates Fags.” Any twelve-year-old with a cell phone could find out what we did. We hope Ms. Kyle was right about the other part, too, though – that everything sticks – and that the changes we make in our lives will speak for themselves.“

While this statement is presumably just a first step in those changes, it’s also a heartwarming reminder that regardless of the prejudices people are raised with and humanity’s most stubborn tendencies, they can actually still learn new things about themselves and their LGBT neighbors.

For more information on Megan’s journey away from the church, read this excellent feature by Fast Company’s Jeff Chu.