Large cardboard angel wings surrounded the casket of Matthew Shepard. Friends and families of the young man, who was killed solely because he was gay, raised the wings to block out the hate emanating out of ?Pastor? Fred Phelps.

Since the funeral, Phelps has gained nationwide attention for his protests claiming that God hates gays and lesbians. He has used a hate crime to spread his message and continues to do so.

Phelps will protest on the University of Utah campus Friday at 11:30 a.m. The impetus: It is the third anniversary of Shepard?s death.

But like those friends and families at Shepard?s funeral, Salt Lake City?s gay and lesbian population will try to combat the insensitive and hateful messages that Phelps tries to promote.

Instead of large angel wings, Salt Lakers will fight the hate with cold, hard cash. An informal pledge drive is circulating around the community (one can find copies at the Utah AIDS Foundation or the Gay and Lesbian Community Center) that will bring money to gay-friendly associations, including the U?s Lesbian and Gay Student Union.

For every minute Phelps protests, these associations will make money. Every time he says the word ?fag? it will financially benefit a gay and lesbian organization.

The community should applaud such an ingenious way to combat hate. It should also remember this next time someone comes around saying that one gender is better than another, one race is better than another or one sexual preference is better than another.

Since the terrorist attacks, it has become all too obvious that Americans still have a problem with religious intolerance. Some have targeted Muslims and people of Middle Eastern descent, simply because they look like the terrorists.

Administrators made buttons with the slogan ?Zero Tolerance for Intolerance,? and we must remember that this slogan should not only relate to the hate unfortunately thrown at the feet of Muslims, but all groups who are still discriminated against. Some Americans continue to treat gays and lesbians as an inferior group.

While continuing to battle this problem head on, this country needs to see more creative ways that turn anti-gay rhetoric on its head.