Thu. March 10, 2005
Fort Wayne, IN -
Fred Phelps Sr., the fiery anti-gay activist who became internationally known when he and his followers picketed the funeral of Matthew Shepard following his anti-gay beating and murder in Wyoming, is taking his “God hates fags” picket signs to Fort Wayne, Indiana. Again, the focus of their protest is Shepard — this time, a four-day run of The Laramie Project, a play based on the aftermath of Shepard’s murder.
The protests March 13 are planned for the Lincoln Museum, which rented out its auditorium for the run of the play, and will include six area churches targeted by Phelps’ Westboro Baptist Church, based in Topeka, Kansas. A statement from Phelps and his church calls the six churches sponsoring the play “sodomite whorehouses masquerading as churches.”
Some of the churches are developing task forces and drawing up contingency plans with the help of the Fort Wayne Police Department. Others plan to ignore the pickets, but police say they are preparing for the protests and will have a presence at every event.
According to the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, area groups dedicated to diversity and anti-discrimination are not giving the responses Phelps usually ignites: Instead of ignoring him outright or mounting counter-protests, they’ve extended an invite — join them at a forum to hash out the issue.
“We could have people stand on the other side of the street and protest right back, but that doesn’t solve anything,” said Rob Grayless, who is the regional head of Indiana Equality, which pushes for equal rights for gays.
Phelps told The Journal Gazette he intends to accept the offer.
“We’ll accommodate it if it’s anywhere near reasonable,” Phelps said. “It’s just a wonderful way to show the contrast between the truth of God and the abomination of sin.”
Phelps’ only demands, he said, were that the forum is at a time and place that’s convenient and that it have plenty of security to protect his church members.
“Don’t talk to me about fags, they’re violent beasts,” he said.
Written By Ross von Metzke
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