The true story behind the new rainbow house across the street from the Westboro Baptist Church

On Melissa Harris-Perry's eponymous show on Saturday, she brought viewers up to speed on the now-infamous rainbow-painted house that sits across the street from the Westboro Baptist Church, most famous for its anti-gay activism.

Aaron Jackson, the man behind the house, is the co-founder of the group Planting Peace -- and not a resident of Topeka, Kansas. "Aaron's group has been active around the world for eight years now," said Harris-Perry, "Opening orphanages in Haiti and in India, planting trees in the rainforests of South America and launching a health program to help children in developing nations."

Aaron, she said, decided to do a little visible activism of his own. "Aaron decided to use Westboro's tactics against them -- but not in a way that makes war, but rather in a way that generates peace. He bought that little house and decided to paint it in the rainbow colors of the gay pride flag, and dubbed it the Equality House."

Harris-Perry added, "Aaron and Planting Peace intend to use the publicity and funds that they are receiving from this house to bolster existing anti-bullying campaigns and to eventually create their own anti-bullying initiatives."

Watch the video, which first aired on MSNBC on March 23, 2013, below:

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy