To the editor:

Thank you for the April 18 front-page article by Julie Rule about the Phelps and Westboro Baptist Church-sponsored demonstration and flag-burning at the Capitol on Monday. It was well-written and the pictures expressed more stridentlyÿwho the reverend is and what he is about than could possibly be conveyed by words alone.

The focus of the day, however, wasn’t on Phelps and his brood, which apparently made up the rest of the flag-burning gang, was on uniting against hatred.

Phelps was but a catalyst. It was about communicating to the the Iowa Legislature about their hand in bringing Phelps here, andÿthat we will not stand idly byÿas they invite such attacks on the LGBT community.ÿ

While there were 70-90 counter demonstrators on the street during the Interfaith Alliance rally, the rotunda was filled with about 200 supporters cheering, applauding and singing.

The State of Iowa has nothing to do with the scholarships, except that Gov. Vilsack and Lt. Gov. Pederson made the announcement at a press conference in the rotunda.ÿ

The scholarships, three of which are to be awarded each year to openly gay Iowa high school seniors for attendance at any of the state universities, are four-year scholarships covering tuition, books and fees.ÿ

The Rich Eychaner Charitable Foundation has fully underwritten these scholarships and they are to be administered jointly by First Friday Breakfast Club, an association of gay men and Lambda Beta Nu, its lesbian counterpart.

Bruce Lehnertz

Board member

First Friday Breakfast Club

West Des Moines