The Westboro Baptist Church Gym is currently controlled by a Clefairy named LOVEISLOVE . ICONIC. I LOVE IT. pic.twitter.com/y4RRv5nXxT
— // Venny // (@DarthVenn) July 10, 2016
Ground zero for players of the augmented reality game Pokémon GO are the gyms where players can train their Pokémons. We saw that in a post yesterday about a guy whose house, formerly a church, is a Pokémon gym and is dealing with crowds of people coming around. Churches are often the sites for gyms, which the game developers say is because they often have parking lots that aren’t in use most of the week. Turns out that one of those churches is the notorious Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas. And its members are fighting for control of the gym.
At first, a Pokémon trainer going by the handle Pinknose took control of the gym using a Clefairy named 'LoveIsLove' after the slogan promoting same-sex marriage.
The church viewed this virtual takeover of their virtual home base as a virtual challenge and mounted a virtual campaign to virtually reclaim what was rightfully—well, virtually—theirs.
The WBC is using a Jigglypuff as their Pokémon of choice for the game. Read more about the battle at The Daily Dot.