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planting peace

Planting Peace set out to create the universe's largest LGBTQ-friendly space.

It's official. Space has been declared LGBTQ-friendly.

GIFs by Planting Peace.

With a GoPro, a pride flag, and a high-altitude balloon, a nonprofit set out to make an important statement about human rights.

On Aug. 17, the team at Planting Peace followed in the footsteps (though, with significantly less genocide) of explorers like Columbus, Magellan, Raleigh, and others, laying claim to the vast nothingness that is space!

How did they do that? With a flag, of course.

Just outside Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Planting Peace launched a high-altitude balloon carrying a pride flag and a GoPro.

The pride flag soared 21.1 miles above the Earth's surface before coming back down. While the three-hour flight was short-lived, it was powerful in its symbolism.

The purpose of Planting Peace's action was to emphasize the importance of LGBTQ rights as universal human rights, with LGBTQ individuals able to live free from fear and discrimination on the basis of who they are.

"The backdrop of space gave us a stunning, inspiring and peaceful canvas for our message of hope to our LGBTQ family," wrote Aaron Jackson, president of Planting Peace, in an e-mail. "I would love for LGBTQ children who are struggling to see this, and look up to the stars and remember that the universe shines brightly for them, and they are not alone."

You might remember Planting Peace for some of their other awesome work.

They're the folks with the rainbow-colored house across the street from the Westboro Baptist Church, battling the notorious organization in Pokémon Go.

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And earlier this year, Planting Peace brought a flag to Antarctica to declare it the world's first LGBTQ-friendly continent!

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Spreading a message of love (and having fun at the same time) is important work. It's something we can all do.

Maybe you don't have the ability (or desire) to paint your house all the colors of the rainbow, and maybe sending a GoPro 21 miles into the air doesn't sound like your idea of a great way to take care of your electronics. Even so, there are little things you can do, just like Planting Peace, to help make the world a better place.

The group's message is something we can all get behind, and something we can all help spread in our own little ways: "You are loved, valued, and beautiful. There is nothing wrong with you. You are not alone, and we will stand with you."

Watch the pride flag's epic trip to space below.

The trolliest church in the world may have met its match.

It's only been out for a few days, and Pokémon Go is already an international phenomenon, with players around the world doing what they can to "catch 'em all."

One of the more interesting stories, however, comes from Topeka, Kansas, home of the Westboro Baptist Church.

In the real world, the Westboro Baptist Church is known mostly as a hate group. But in the world of Pokémon Go, the church is listed as a gym, meaning it can be "fought for" by nearby players. Locals looking to troll the notorious church jumped at the opportunity.

Over the weekend, someone with a Clefairy Pokémon nicknamed "LoveIsLove" took control of the gym:

Amazing, right?

The church responded with its usual brand of cartoon-villain-like hatred.

I was interested in finding out who was behind the "LoveIsLove" Clefairy, and I had a pretty good idea of where to start.

I had a hunch that Davis Hammet, director of operations at the organization Planting Peace, might be the human behind the Clefairy.

Planting Peace is a nonprofit best known for the Equality House, a rainbow-colored house located across the street from the Westboro Baptist Church. Equality House bills itself as a symbol of compassion, peace, and positive change, and it serves as a resource center for Planting Peace's human rights and anti-bullying initiatives.

All screenshots courtesy of Davis Hammet.

In other words, Equality House strives to be Westboro's polar opposite — and it does a pretty good job.

Interestingly, Equality House is also included in the game as its own Pokéstop, a place where players can refuel on potions, Pokéballs, and other items.

In contrast to Westboro Baptist Church being a gym — a place of battle — it all kind of makes sense in its own way.

I reached out to Hammet, who told me that while he could confirm the person behind the "LoveIsLove" Clefairy was a teammate who helped take control of the WBC gym, he didn't know their identity in the real world.

In the days since "LoveIsLove" took control of the Westboro gym, its ownership has changed hands several times.

Hammet had an idea: He would win the gym back.

He hung up the phone and headed across the street to reclaim what was once his.

Along the way, he ran into a Staryu and sent along a photo of the the wild Pokémon with one of Westboro's hateful signs looming close behind.

It was certainly a sight to behold.

There, he and his Pokémon, which he nicknamed "Stop Hate!" won back control of the church. It was a symbolic victory, declared in the name of love and trolling.

Neat, right? All in a day's work, Hammet said.

"Planting Peace counters major messages of hate wherever they are, from Pokémon Go to the Republican convention."

Equality House attracts around 150 visitors per day, and with its new status as a Pokéstop, it's only seen traffic increase over the past few days.

The game may seem silly to some, but for others, it's having a big effect on their lives.

The Westboro Baptist Church battle is just one of many interesting narratives that have emerged from Pokémon Go's release.

Others include stories of strangers becoming friends and people claiming that the game's structure has helped them cope with depression.

More than 20 years since the Pokémon brand hit the U.S., it's still going strong.

From Your Site Articles

An 8-year-old transgender girl has big plans for a house in Topeka.

We've all heard of the Westboro Baptist Church, right?

They're the people who show up to protest just about every event imaginable (concerts, funerals — you name it) with their over-the-top homophobic signs and shouts. They're basically a YouTube comments section come to life.

Here they are protesting before the funeral service for Justice Antonin Scalia (who wasn't exactly a fan of gay people, anyway). Photo by Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images.

So, since 2013, a group called Planting Peace has been trolling WBC with Equality House, located across the street from WBC's home in Topeka, Kansas.

Decked out in rainbows, the Planting Peace house stands for pretty much the polar opposite of WBC. It's the organization's resource center for human rights and bully prevention initiatives.

Image via Planting Peace/YouTube.

A year ago, 8-year-old transgender girl Avery Jackson visited Equality House after it had been painted the colors of the transgender pride flag, and it gave her an idea.

While Equality House was only temporarily painted those colors (for one week in honor of transgender day of remembrance), Avery thought it was a really cool idea.

And she thought it'd be even cooler to do something a little more ... permanent.

"The purpose of Planting Peace's Equality House is to counter the actions of hate groups like the Westboro Baptist Church with love and compassion."

"I loved the Rainbow House when it was painted like the transgender flag," she says. "I felt so happy and proud to be transgender."

Image via Debi Jackson/YouTube.

Avery set her sights on a house located right next to Equality House and planned to raise money to buy it and paint it the trans pride colors year-round.

Planting Peace joined forces with Avery, and together they're trying to raise $70,000 to buy the home next door and deck it out in trans pride colors permanently. How cool would that be?

If Avery and Equality House raise the funds needed, soon this house will be decked out in the colors of the trans pride flag. Image via Debi Jackson/YouTube.

"The purpose of Planting Peace's Equality House is to counter the actions of hate groups like the Westboro Baptist Church with love and compassion, and serve as a symbol to the LGBT community that they are not alone, that they have support from so many people," Planting Peace President Aaron Jackson tells Upworthy by email.

"I was deeply touched when Avery visited us and said it brought her joy and gave her confidence," he adds. "She inspired us to partner with her to create a symbol of support for the transgender community by expanding the Equality House and permanently painting our neighboring house the colors of the transgender flag."

Learn more about the plans for Transgender House at the video below.

Baby penguin + LGBT pride = perfection.

Yes, gay penguins are, in fact, a thing.

For example, this furry little guy standing tall next to a rainbow flag is totally on board the equality train for his queer bird brothers and sisters:

The group Planting Peace snapped this pic while trekking across Antarctica on a pretty worthwhile adventure. All photos courtesy of Planting Peace, used with permission.

A group called Planting Peace recently visited Antarctica in order to proclaim it the "world's first LGBT-friendly continent."

(Your move, rest of the world.)

Of course, that title is largely symbolic — but that doesn't mean the point Planting Peace is trying to make isn't a very real one.

The group's goal is to remind us that in many parts of the world, LGBT rights are nonexistent — despite the fact the UN Human Rights Council clearly specifies LGBT people as deserving of the same rights and protections as straight, cisgender folks.

Yeah, we've come a (very) long way in the U.S. But it's still illegal to be gay in dozens of countries throughout the world, as Planting Peace pointed out on its blog.

"Let this declaration serve as a catalyst to create the momentum needed to bring LGBT rights to every continent in the world," the group wrote. "Visibility and advocacy for the rights of sexual minorities is desperately needed."

If the name Planting Peace rings a bell, it's because this isn't the first time the group has made waves online.

Most notably, the nonprofit — which focuses on humanitarian and environmental initiatives to keep "spreading peace in a hurting world" — created the Equality House adjacent to the Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas in order to counter the "church's" hateful, homophobic messaging.

Or maybe you remember when Gandalf and Dumbledore tied the knot in celebration of queer love (a move that was praised by J.K. Rowling)? Yep, Planting Peace was behind that too.

Or maybe you recall that amazing billboard that pointed out the big flaw in now-infamous homophobe Kim Davis' argument against marriage equality?

All Planting Peace's fine work.

Combating discrimination is a serious job.

But Planting Peace is an example of how you can take the not-so-serious route in helping to change hearts, minds, and laws, too.

One penguin at a time.