The odious Westboro Baptist Church will hold a protest outside East Lansing High on Thursday, November 18. Their news release explains that they are protesting against the “spoiled brats” who attend the “fag-infested” and “pervert-run” school.
(Click here for the church’s schedule of events.)
The “church” is well known for holding anti-LGBT rallies near military funerals. A court case brought by Albert Snyder against the church for protesting at his son’s funeral will be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court this session. Adding to consternation about the case was the appeals court ruling against Snyder that ordered him to pay $16,000 of the church’s legal fees.
The sect consists primarily of Preacher Fred Phelps and his large family. This new round of protests aimed at the Islamic Center in Dearborn, Hillel at Wayne State and East Lansing High suggests the Phelps’ family is expanding its sights beyond military funerals.
Tom Rico of the Peace Education Center , Reverend Kathryn Bert of the Unitarian Universalist Church and Angela Waters Austin of One Love Global have been instrumental in organizing community meetings to devise strategies that keep ELHS students safe, while educating them about the issues of free speech versus hate speech. The community strategy session will be held:
- Tuesday, November 16 - All Saints Church, 7 p.m.
Check back often for updates. A suggestion from Nathan Triplett is that the community should organize a counter-protest at a different location, to deny the Phelps family the attention they seek.
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The session on Tuesday is the larger session intended for the entire community. Please plan to attend the TUESDAY session.
I may come to the meeting, but if CNN and all the other new organizations would quit feeding this monster it would stop promoting their agenda. It’s awful and it’s repugnant, but they live for all the attention they create also. I’d love it if NO ONE showed up to hear them, see them, or give them one ounce of air time, though I know this isn’t possible. Hate sells, hate makes the headlines. If nothing else I believe this can be a wonderful opportunity to have conversations,especially with our children, about the true nature of God, love and acceptance, and to promote a more safe environment for lesbian, gay and transgendered kids at E.L. High School, as well a the whole community. This protest will be ugly, but many good things will come of it I’m sure.
Wouldn’t it be cool if every student, teacher, counseler, janitor, lunch-lady, etc. were to call in sick Thursday, and the NutJobs were the only ones there to hear hate being spewed? Just a thought…….