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Antigay Protest Backfires By Accidently Raising Thousands For Queer Teen Gala

Sometimes, it's okay to make a mistake.

An Australian anti-gay group bumbled plans to sabotage annual LGBT teen dance by accidentally donating thousands of dollars to the event.

The Victoria Same Sex Gender Diverse Formal is an annual event held in Australia where non-straight teens come to celebrate their unique and varied identities. They dress however they want, bring whomever they want as dates and dance in a space that is safe and open.

In an effort to bring even more teens into the event this year, Minus 18, the group behind the formal, decided to crowdfund tickets for teens who couldn't afford the $40 price of admission.

When anti-gay group Stop Safe Schools Coalition (named after a federally funded government initiative, Safe Schools Coalition Australia, which seeks to end discrimination of non-conforming students), found out about Minus 18's crowdfunding plan, however, they quickly devised a plot to shut down the event.

In a call-to-action on their Facebook page, the leaders of Stop Safe Schools Coalition urged their members to buy up all the tickets to the formal, effectively preventing anyone else from attending.

Fortunately, their efforts completely backfired as they forgot that the ticketing program was set up as a crowdfunding system. Essentially, the money they thought would go toward purchasing tickets actually went toward donating tickets to LGBT teens in need.

As one of the group's members pointed out “You realise that if the conservatives do buy all the tickets, you can just allow registered people on a waiting list in for free? They’re effectively subsidising tickets for those who can’t buy one."

Minus 18 originally set up a goal of raising $15K for the event through ticket sales. After this blunder, they've reportedly raised over $30K and counting.

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