Despite a well publicised threat to hold a protest during the funeral of iconic Star Trek actor Leonard Nimoy, the Westboro Baptist Church's plans were thwarted by one simple thing. They could not find out where the funeral was going to be held.
This was not the first time the church, known for its anti-gay protests, has descended upon funerals of celebrities who are advocates of LGBT rights.
Nimoy, who passed away at 83, was one of the staunchest allies of the LGBT community in America. He passed away due to end stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He was best known for playing the half human, half Vulcan character Spock in the Star Trek franchise and is revered by fans across the globe for his famous line "Live Long and Prosper."
Using one of its official Twitter handles, Westboro announced: "Leonard Nimoy's funeral is today, but nobody is sharing WHERE. So Westboro AND @WilliamShatner can't attend :(."
Its Twitter accounts were also flooded with posts ridiculing Nimoy's Spock character and saying he is going to hell because of supporting gay rights.
Shatner, one of Nimoy's closest friends on and off screen, was unable to attend the funeral because of a previous commitment he had made to raise funds for the Red Cross in Florida.
"Here I am doing charity work and one of my dearest friends is being buried. The church has insinuated that I too am going to hell, what a time to be alive!" he tweeted.
Even if Westboro's protest did go ahead, fans were at the ready to protect Nimoy to the end, discussing plans on how to encircle the Westboro Baptist Church to keep them from their plan on social media.
When news of Nimoy's death was released, celebrities took to Twitter to pay their respects to the entertainment icon. Even President Obama expressed his condolences through a White House statement.
" Leonard was a lifelong lover of the arts and humanities, a supporter of the sciences, generous with his talent and his time. And of course, Leonard was Spock. Cool, logical, big-eared and level-headed, the center of Star Trek's optimistic, inclusive vision of humanity's future. In 2007, I had the chance to meet Leonard in person. It was only logical to greet him with the Vulcan salute, the universal sign for 'Live long and prosper.' And after 83 years on this planet – and on his visits to many others – it's clear Leonard Nimoy did just that. " part of Obama's statement said.
In an effort to keep the event free from fanfare, Nimoy's family kept the memorial private, choosing not to release information about the funeral's whereabouts.
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