Wed. May 1, 2013
Chicago, IL -
Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) is planning to protest the Chicago Bulls playoff game on Thursday over Jason Collins, who on Monday become the first male athlete in a major professional sport to come out as gay.
The Topeka-based hate church, which is made up mostly of Fred Phelps' immediate family, said in a press release issued Tuesday that they are protesting because Collins has "come out admitting that he's a proud fag."
The Phelps' clan has a history of failed protests in Chicago.
In 2008, WBC's attempt to protest at the Center on Halsted, Chicago's gay and lesbian community center, was halted when more than 100 people outnumbered the 5 WBC members and effectively blocked their anti-gay message.
WBC claimed that they would picket Roger Ebert's funeral in April; however, members of the church failed to show.
Recently the church has seen major defections over its anti-gay and anti-semitic message. Most notably Phelps' granddaughters left the group in November.
The Bulls take on the Nets Thursday evening at the United Center.
Related: NBA veteran Jason Collins: 'I'm gay'
For the complete article (non-reader view with multimedia and original links),
Tap here.
Head to the local LGBTQ news, events, directory and people network at ChicagoPride.com