Newlyweds Albus Dumbledore, Gandalf Marry On Lawn Outside Westboro Baptist Church
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Albus Dumbledore, revered headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and Gandalf the White, leader of the Fellowship of the Ring, were married Sunday afternoon in a ceremony in Topeka, Kansas.
Actors dressed as the fictional wizards tied the knot at The Equality House, the rainbow-colored house across the street from the hate group Westboro Baptist Church's headquarters. The ceremony was in response to the group's criticism of Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling and her suggestion that the wizards could get married in Ireland following the country's historic marriage equality referendum.
On Twitter, the Westboro Baptist Church promised to picket any ceremony involving the wizards and got a brilliant response from Rowling herself:
"The sheer awesomeness of such a union in such a place would blow your tiny bigoted minds out of your thick sloping skulls," she wrote.
Aaron Jackson, founder of the LGBT advocacy organization Planting Peace which owns The Equality House, told BuzzFeed there were over 250 super fans of both wizards in attendance.
"There were people of all ages from all over the world. The crowd was asked at one point in the ceremony to stand and say ‘I will’ to show a community of support. While the overall tone was joy and fun, everyone seemed to really support the underlying message about standing up to hate and bigotry with love and compassion," said Jackson.
Planting Peace raised money for LGBT advocacy by asking those in attendance to donate in lieu of bringing gifts. Following the event, the wizards mingled with the crowd and signed Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings memorabilia for attendees. "One lady asked them to bless her unborn child by touching their wand and staff to her belly," Jackson added.
Congrats to the happy couple!
