First Amendment protects Westboro anti-gay protests

2010 Westboro protest in Virginia (Wikimedia/JC Wilmore)

In a ruling that upset as many people on the left as the right, the Supreme Court ruled last week that Westboro Baptist Church, a radically anti-gay Kansas congregation, is protected by the First Amendment when it protests at the funerals of soldiers killed in the War on Terror. The tiny church has picketed over 600 military funerals and is known for carrying signs with slogans such as “God hates fags” and “thank God for dead soldiers.”

Westboro Baptist is a tiny church located in Topeka, Kan. It is headed by Fred Phelps and the congregation is made up almost exclusively of his family. Phelps, a disbarred lawyer, has 13 children, 11 of which are lawyers. Interestingly, Phelps is a longtime Democrat. He was a Kansas Democratic organizer for years and was invited to and attended both of Bill Clinton’s inaugurations (although he protested at the second one). He has been protesting against gays for twenty years.

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