Texas A&M outshouts Westboro Baptist with Aggie Yell practice

Universalists and members of the Westboro Baptist Church held dueling protests of the city's Equal Rights Ordinance outside of City Hall in Downtown Houston, Monday, Nov. 10, 2014. (Johnny Hanson / Houston Chronicle) less Universalists and members of the Westboro Baptist Church held dueling protests of the city's Equal Rights Ordinance outside of City Hall in Downtown Houston, Monday, Nov. 10, 2014. (Johnny Hanson / Houston ... more Photo: Johnny Hanson / Houston Chronicle Photo: Johnny Hanson / Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 11 Caption Close Texas A&M outshouts Westboro Baptist with Aggie Yell practice 1 / 11 Back to Gallery

When the hate group known as Westboro Baptist Church arrived in College Station to protest Texas A&M University's inclusive policies, a group of Aggie students were ready with a counter protest.

The face-down took place about 8 a.m. Nov. 10 in front of the university's Rudder Theater Complex, 401 Joe Routt Boulevard.

There to meet the Kansas-based group were dozens of students carrying their own placards. Another group of about 100 Aggies gathered nearby at Simpson Drill Field for an impromptu yell practice, according to KBTX-TV. Like it sounds, A&M's 100-year-old tradition of yell practice is loud.

In a news release, the Westboro group said it was coming to the university to protest its commitment to nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. Further, the release took issue with the school's emphasis on football.

"When you do a Google search about them, all you see is jibber jabber about their football team," the release said.

In contrast to the group's placards with hateful slogans such as "You're going to hell" and "Thank God for dead soldiers," the Aggies' signs carried a more forgiving message: "God hates no one" and "All you need is love," according to Business2Community.com.

After the College Station event Nov. 10, Westboro group headed to Houston for a protest at City Hall, denouncing the city's equal rights ordinance. There they were outnumbered by counter protestors from Houston's First Unitarian Universalist Church.

A similar confrontation seemed imminent in July 2012, when Westboro Baptist issued a news release announcing funeral details for A&M alumnus Lt. Col. Roy Tisdale, who was killed during a safety briefing at Fort Bragg, N.C. His funeral took place at Central Baptist Church in College Station.

Soldiers' funerals are a favorite target of the Westboro group because they claim God is punishing military personnel over U.S. tolerance of gays.

In preparation for Tisdale's memorial service, about 650 A&M students and alumni in maroon shirts formed a wall around the church, but the Westboro contingent failed to show up, according to The Blaze.