I’m sure everyone knows who Fred Phelps is. For those who don’t, Mr. Phelps is a pastor of a Baptist church in Topeka. Phelps claim to fame is his rabid homophobia. Phelps preaches that homosexuality is the evilest of sins, and that we as a nation are being punished in part because we allow homosexuality to run rampant.
While Phelps apparently wasn’t able to make it to Denver, a bunch of his followers did. They staged a protest against a Denver judge’s ruling that a woman could not teach her daughter that homosexuality was wrong. (The woman was a “former” lesbian, and the case was a custody battle with the woman’s former lover.)
Phelps followers showed their class with signs stating “God Blew Up the Shuttle” and “Thank God For Sept. 11.” Libby Phelps defended the signs, saying, “I see that [September 11th] as a warning (against sinners).”
When told that a counter protest/fundraiser had netted $3,000 for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities, Phelps daughter Shirley showed that she inherited her daddy’s tolerance for others, “‘The only words I can offer those people is, “Give a lot of money,” because if you sold your soul for this folly you better make it worth your while.'”