Antigay church agrees to obey laws restricting funeral protests

A Kansas church that spreads its antigay message by picketing at soldiers' funerals says it will obey new state laws that have been passed to limit where and when such demonstrations take place, a church attorney said Wednesday. The Topeka-based Westboro Baptist Church aborted plans to demonstrate at soldiers' funerals in Oklahoma, Indiana, Missouri, and Wisconsin this past week. All four states have passed new laws limiting such protests.

"We're not going to get arrested. We obey the law," said Shirley Phelps-Roper, attorney for the church and also daughter of the church's notoriously antigay pastor, Fred Phelps. "We're waiting until all the [legislative sessions] are over to see what tattered shreds they've left the Constitution in."

Phelps-Roper said the group may still show up on the day of soldiers' funerals in those states with new laws but will follow the restrictions on when and where it can picket.

The author of Oklahoma's legislation, Democratic senator Mary Easley, said, "I think they know that we would have law enforcement people present and they would be arrested or other appropriate action would be taken against them."

The group is considering mounting legal challenges to the new laws, which Phelps-Roper said has drawn attention to the church and helped it spread its antigay message. At least 17 states have reacted to Phelps's picketing of funerals by introducing legislation this year restricting such activities.

"We're thanking them kindly," she said. "They drew a huge amount of attention to our message, and that's all we're doing is delivering a message."

The church has outraged mourners across the nation by showing up outside soldiers' funerals with signs that read "God Hates Fags" or "God Made IEDs," a reference to roadside bombs. The group's message is that soldiers are being struck down by God because they're fighting for a nation that tolerates homosexuality.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol, sheriff's deputies, and police kept watch Tuesday over a Guymon church during the funeral of Army specialist Joshua Michael Pearce, who was killed while fighting in Iraq. Phelps's group had threatened to challenge the law, which was hastily signed into law Friday by Gov. Brad Henry.

Oklahoma's law bans protests for an hour before and after a funeral service and keeps picketers at least 500 feet away from a church or cemetery where the funeral is being held. Missouri and Wisconsin approved similar laws, and Indiana's law makes disorderly conduct within 500 feet of a funeral a felony punishable by fines and prison time.

Phelps-Roper called the officials who have passed these laws "legislative Talibans" and said the church won $170,000 in legal fees when it successfully challenged a Kansas funeral protest law nearly a decade ago.

"We don't get up in anyone's face," Phelps-Roper said. "We deliver a message exactly as the drafters of the First Amendment intended."

About 60 of the Westboro Baptist Church's 75 members travel the country to picket military funerals. A group of motorcyclists that call themselves the Patriot Guard Riders are often on hand to shield the families of dead soldiers from the protesters, overshadowing the antigay pickets with patriotic chants and a sea of red, white, and blue flags. (AP)

Reader Comments

These comments are reproduced as written by visitors to this Web site. They have not been edited for content, grammar, or spelling. The viewpoints appearing here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of advocate.com, The Advocate, or its affiliates.

Be the first to comment on this story.

If you would like to submit a comment for posting, please fill out the form above.

All comments submitted via this form are subject to posting or publication. (To send a private letter to an Advocate editor or writer, please use the e-mail button at the top of the page, or use snail mail.) If you would like your comment considered for publication in The Advocate magazine, please include your full name, your city of residence, and a phone number where you can be reached during business hours so that we can confirm your identity. Your e-mail address and telephone number are strictly confidential and will not be shared or used for any purpose other than to contact you about your comment.

See the Contact page for sending comments for reasons other than responding to Advocate editorial and news stories.

Please note that comments sent by fax or snail mail are unlikely to be posted, although they will be considered for publication along with all letters received via e-mail or via this Web page. Comments that chiefly concern Advocate.com content will be considered for posting only on the Web site. The Advocate reserves the right to edit submitted comments for grammar, spelling, obscenities, or libel; we will, however, do our best to preserve the original comment's style and intent. Comments considered for publication in The Advocate magazine may also be edited for length.

More Exclusives

Austerity Chic
How novelist and performance artist Mike Albo gets by in lean times.

Hoping to "Wu" Michelle
Dressing Michelle Obama in November was a game changer for designer Jason Wu. Now he has his sights set on the future first lady’s most high-profile event: Inauguration Day.

A Desert Journey
The Mii Amo spa in Sedona, Ariz., is famous for packages designed to lead people through a spiritual as well as physical transformation. One writer relinquishes herself to the journey and recounts her days in one of the world's most beautiful destination resorts.

Great American Couple
In an exclusive excerpt from his new book, Hollywood Bohemians: Transgressive Sexuality and the Selling of the Movieland Dream, Brett L. Abrams explores the relationship between Cary Grant and Randolph Scott, who led homosexual lives right under everyone's nose.

Mormons Gone Wild
After one man undresses missionaries for his calendar, LDS Church–owned Brigham Young University strips him of his degree.

Constructive Impatience
Stung by the Warren decision, GLAAD's former executive director Joan Garry offers the Obama transition team some sage advice.

Boxer Goes Trans for Eli Stone
Often perceived as male by confused casting agents, boxer-body builder turned actor Dallas Malloy felt a deep connection to the trans minister she plays on Eli Stone.

Mamma Mia! Rises Again
Meryl Streep and company managed to top Harry Potter and Titanic at the U.K. box office, and now Mamma Mia! is poised to break similar records on DVD. Director Phyllida Lloyd talked to Advocate.com about bringing one of the biggest musicals of all time to the big screen.

Letters From Southern Africa: Home Visit
Peace Corps volunteer Zachery Scott heads into the bush to visit with families.

The Other White Meat
As one of the subjects of the documentary about the drag pageant circuit, Pageant, opening in select theaters, and one of the contestants on RuPaul's Drag Race, premiering next month on Logo, Victoria "Porkchop" Parker may not look or act like your typical female impersonator, but make no mistake, she is one of the best.

The Religious Defense
In an excerpt from her new book, Bulletproof Faith: A Spiritual Survival Guide for Gay and Lesbian Christians, author Candace Chellew-Hodge incorporates the wisdom of Xena: Warrior Princess to illustrate her theories as to how gay and lesbian people of faith can protect themselves from those who attack their views.

Photo Finish
Did Prop. 8 backlash cause art censorship -- or its reversal -- at Brigham Young University? Could be, as BYU photography student J. Michael Wiltbank found when his contribution to a two-week-long art exhibition -- eight pairs of benign portraits, each depicting an LGBT-identified BYU student alongside a supportive friend -- had been removed.

The Divine Miss M.
Since the death of performer Wayland Flowers in 1988, his over-the-top puppet creation Madame has been seen only sporadically. But with the launch of her new casino tour, Madame is back.

Whither NLGJA?
The leading professional organization for LGBT journalists is facing a crisis that threatens its very survival. In a changing media landscape and a tough economy, how does a small nonprofit live up to its mission and retain members?

The Road to Equality
Barbara Boxer, the U.S. senator from California, understands why her gay constituents are furious over Rick Warren's role in the inauguration -- it feels like Proposition 8 redux.

A Call to Action for Barack Obama
In the wake of the decision by President-elect Barack Obama to select Reverend Rick Warren to give the invocation at his inauguration, Equality California executive director Geoff Kors calls on Obama to live up to his promise of "One America" and prove he is the ardent supporter of LGBT equality he claims to be.

Gays Shut Out of Cabinet
As if the news of antigay pastor Rick Warren's invitation to deliver Obama's inaugural invocation weren't insulting enough to LGBT Americans, we're now hit with the reality that no openly gay people will be seated at the cabinet table to weigh in on the next antigay flap.

Wading Your Way Through Hollywood
Reichen Lehmkuhl switches hats for his second column and leaves the activist at the door as he offers some sage advice for Hollywood hopefuls. Whether you're gay or straight, what Reichen has to say about "talent" puts the business that is entertainment into perspective.

The Better Angels?
President-elect Barack Obama's choice of Rick Warren to give the invocation at his inauguration puts LGBT Americans on notice: While the next four years hold unprecedented promise for our rights, we may sometimes feel forsaken.

Stage Doubt, Screen Doubt
On Broadway, Doubt -- the story of a steely nun facing off against a heroic priest, whom she fixates on for giving special attention to the school’s only black (effeminate) kid -- worked because of a top notch cast and its unique brand of stylized narrative. If only the excellent Meryl Streep and Viola Davis were enough to make the movie work quite so well.