Plenty of people have commented that churches have proven to be a surprisingly common point of interest in Pokémon Go, frequently as Pokéstops and occasionally as gyms. This is even true for what is quite possibly the most controversial and hated house of worship in America, the Westboro Baptist Church. The church and its members have become infamous for their tendency to exploit everything from soldiers’ funerals to national tragedies as a means of advertising their homophobia, antisemitism, and general hate for everyone and everything that differs from themselves. Now, they are in the public eye once again, because a Clefairy sat atop its gym.
The Westboro Baptist Church was enough of a landmark to have a gym placed there in Pokémon Go, and at least one trainer saw that as an opportunity to have a little fun and make a bit of a statement. A team Instinct trainer by the name of Pinknose claimed the gym and placed a Clefairy as its reigning champion– a Clefairy by the name of LOVEISLOVE, nonetheless.
Giving credit where credit is due, a Westboro Baptist Church member at least stayed true to the Pokémon theme with their reply.
It’ll will be interesting to see how the situation develops as other teams take aim at the Westboro Baptist Church Gym, because I imagine quite a few people being a lot more aggressive with their efforts to aggravate the group.
Source: Kotaku