Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) is an independent Baptist church known for its extreme stance against LGBT rights[1] and its protest activities, which include picketing funerals and desecrating the American flag.[2] The church, based in a residential neighborhood in Topeka, Kansas, United States, is widely described as a hate group[3] and is monitored as such by the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center. Established in 1955 it is headed by Fred Phelps and consists mostly of members of his family,[4][5] and actively involved in the anti-gay movement since at least 1991. They came into the national spotlight in 1998 for picketing the high-profile funeral of Matthew Shepard, a young gay man who was gay bashed to death,[6] and has since attracted attention for many more actual and announced funeral pickets.[7] Though their initial focus was on gay people and the funerals of AIDS patients,[8] the WBC broadened their scope to include all "fag enablers" which included the entire United States for not having a strong enough stance against homosexuality.[9] In 2005, they got moremainstream attention outside the LGBT media when they announced a picket for an Iraqi War veteran's memorial service.[10] In addition to anti-gay protests at military funerals, the organization pickets celebrity funerals that are likely to get it media attention.[11]
Quotes
They died in shame and disgrace, citizens of a cursed nation of...unholy perverts who have departed from the living God to worship on 'Brokeback Mountain'.
- reprinted quote in Advocate magazine (Feb 14, 2006) from WBC press release explaining why it would stage antigay protests at funerals of miners killed in the Sago Mine disaster (Jan 2, 2006 in Sago, West Virginia)[12]
Signs Carried by the Westboro Baptist Church
- God Hates You.
- The Signs of the Times Westboro Baptist Church
- God Hates Your Tears
- Brandon Woolum, Controversial Kansas Church to Picket January 15 Sago Disaster Memorial Service in Buckhannon Huntington News Network
- God Hates America[13]
- God Hates Divorce[13]
- God Is Your Enemy[13]
- God Sent the Shooter[13]
- Thank God for 9/11[13]
- Thank God for $10.9M[13]
- Thank God for the Tsunami.
- Nathan DinsdaleSanta. Father Knows Best
- Thank God for Dead Soldiers[13]
- Thank God for IEDs (improvised explosive devices)[13]
- Thank God for AIDS
- We teach kids to hate when we sanctify bigotry, Connie Schultz, Atlanta Journal Constitution, October 11, 2010.
- Fag Flag (with an inverted flag of whatever country they are protesting against, usually American but occasionally others)[13]
- Fag Soldier in Hell[13]
- Fags Doom Nations (Image)
- Fags Are Worthy of Death (Image)
- Fag Troops[13]
- Repent or Perish[14]
- Don't Worship the Dead[13]
- Your Pastor Is A Whore[13]
- Pope in Hell[15]
- Fear God[16]
- Prepare to meet thy God[17]
- Heath in Hell
- Priests Rape Boys[13]
- God Hates Obama[13]
- The Beast Obama[13]
Attributed
- ↑ God Hates Fags. Westboro Baptist Church. Retrieved on June 20, 2010.
- Westboro Baptist Church Protests Outside Obama Girls' School. Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved on 2010-03-31.
- Mikulan, Steven (2009-02-25). "H8ters L.A. Vacation: Fred Phelps' Antigay Baptists Come Out on Oscar Night". LA Weekly. Retrieved on 2009-05-31.
- Melloy, Kilian (2009-03-12). "Phelps Clan Met with Revelry and Frat Boys in Chicago". EDGE Boston. Retrieved on 2009-05-31.
- ↑ School plans 'safe' show - Page 1 - Times Union - Albany NY. Times Union (2009-11-14). Retrieved on 2011-05-11.
- ↑ Westboro Baptist Church. Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved on June 20, 2010.
- Hate Map KS. Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved on June 20, 2010.
- Westcott, Kathryn (May 25, 2006). "Hate group targeted by lawmakers". BBC News (Barre, Vermont). Retrieved on June 20, 2010
- DeLong, Katie (May 21, 2009). Hate Group Protests At Hamilton H.S.. WTMJ-TV. Retrieved on June 20, 2010.
- Lane, Ray (June 14, 2009). Anti-gay hate group targets Seattle churches. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved on June 20, 2010.
- Barlow, Daniel (August 19, 2009). Church hate group to visit Vt. on Sept. 1. Barre Montpelier Times Argus. Retrieved on June 20, 2010.
- McLaughlin, Mike; Einhorn, Erin (September 27, 2009). "Kansas hate group Westboro Baptist Church protest Brooklyn synagogues". Daily News (New York). Retrieved on June 20, 2010
- Williams, Reed (March 3, 2010). Opponents rally against Westboro Baptist hate group. Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved on June 20, 2010.
- Hate group protests this week. The Temple News. Temple University (March 30, 2010). Retrieved on June 20, 2010.
- Fitzgerald, W.V. (June 16, 2010). Interview with Westboro Baptist Church: Hate in the name of God. DigitalJournal.com. Retrieved on June 20, 2010.
- ↑ John Blake (March 14, 2010). "'Most-hated,' anti-gay preacher once fought for civil rights". CNN. Retrieved on 2010-05-20.
- ↑ "America's most hated family". BBC News UK. Interview with Louis Theroux. 30 March 2007. Retrieved on 2010-09-10.
- ↑ "Murder charges planned in beating death of gay student". CNN (Fort Collins, Colorado). October 12, 1998. Retrieved on December 28, 2010.
- ↑ Church group to protest Pitt. Retrieved on August 22, 2009.
- Phelps' Group Protests At Soldier's Funeral. KMBC-TV. August 5, 2005.
- Rasmussen, Sarah (2008-04-10). "1,000 UW–Stout Students Drive Protesters Off Campus". WEAU. Retrieved on 2008-07-22.
- Peace lines. The Spectrum Online (February 23, 2009).
- "Church plans to picket rocker Dio's memorial service", CNN, May 30, 2010.
- "Kansas Church Plans To Picket Child Funerals: Westboro Baptist Church Cheers Child Deaths", KOCO (Oklahoma City, OK)
- ↑ Far Right: Somebody Hates Fred, The Advocate Jul 9, 2002, page 17.
- ↑ Michele J Eliason, An Integral Approach To Sexual Identity: Beyond Religion and Science, Journal of Integral Theory and Practice, pages 67-87.
- ↑ Fall from Grace - Documentary Directed by K. Ryan Jones - 2008
- ↑ Wing, Nick (12/9/10). "Elizabeth Edwards Funeral To Be Picketed By Westboro Baptist Church". The Huffington Post.
- ↑ The Advocate, Feb 14, 2006, page 22.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
- ↑ Westboro Baptist Church (2006-01-15). Rejoice, Because Your Names are Written in Heaven (PDF). Retrieved on 2007-02-23.
- ↑
- ↑
- ↑