God hates…?
In 1998, the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old student, shocked the country. His death and the subsequent trials of his two murderers made headlines for more than a year.
The most hated family in America?
God Hates Fags! and Fag Enablers. Ergo, God hates the Queen Mary's College, and
the fag-infested UK, England, and all having to do with spreading sodomite lies via The Laramie Project, this tacky bit of cheap fag propaganda masquerading as legitimate theater. Fags are beasts.
— Press Release from Westboro Baptist Church threatening to picket Queen Mary's College in Basingstoke, England, during a staging of The Laramie Project, a play about American youth Matthew Shepard murdered because of his sexuality. This led the British government to ban church leader Fred Phelps and his daughter Shirley Phelps-Roper from entering the country.
The Westboro Baptist Church from Topeka, Kansas, is mainly composed of relatives of the founder, pastor Fred Phelps, who style themselves "the most hated family in America". Their core belief — that God will punish the West for its acceptance of homosexuality — has seen them protest at dozens of US servicemen's funerals brandishing garish placards stating "God hates the USA" and "Thank God for dead soldiers". Details of the church's plans to picket in Britain were posted on their website with the slogan "God Hates England; Your Queen Is A Whore".
Ben Summerskill, chief executive of Stonewall, the gay right group, described the church's plan as "distressing". "The Laramie Project is a very serious play about a young man who was beaten to death just because he was gay. To regard that as a cause for celebration will make a lot of people both gay and straight feel very uncomfortable," he said.
The UK Border Agency said it opposed "extremism in all its forms". A spokesman added: "Both these individuals have engaged in unacceptable behaviour by inciting hatred against a number of communities. We will continue to stop those who want to spread extremism, hatred and violent messages in our communities from coming to our country".
Religious extremists protesting at London's Pride festival. Singer Boy George gives his response. Images courtesy of Urban Shotz Photography.
Matt Shepard has been in Hell now for ten years, with eternity left to go on his sentence — without appeal, parole, or time off for good behavior. All else about Matt is trivial and irrelevant. Deal with it, you stupid Brits. You'll join Matt Shepard soon. God hates England. — Press Release from Westboro Baptist Church. Phelps has bought a plot of land in Laramie where he plans to build a memorial celebrating the murder, despite local opposition.
Comment
The Westboro Baptist Church believe that pretty much everything that goes wrong is God's vengeance upon the peoples of this world for permitting homosexuals to love each other (though one wonders if they've ever paused to reflect that God has been conspicuously parsimonious with his blessings upon such countries as Afghanistan and Somalia, whose laws regard homosexuality rather more as the WBC would prefer). — Andrew Mueller, The Guardian
It is relatively easy to issue statements against extremists, distance oneself, and condemn them. It is more challenging, and uncomfortable, to acknowledge what one might have in common with those we find abhorrent. This is the real challenge that Westboro Baptist church presents. And among those who have condemned Westboro are some who preach rejection of faithful gay relationships, who deny their baptism and Christian ministry, and who refuse their wisdom. Some have attempted to negotiate opt-outs from equalities legislation so they can themselves discriminate against lesbian and gay people in employment and in the provision of goods and services. — Jonathan Bartley, co-director of the religion and society thinktank Ekklesia
The Laramie Project
Even though The Laramie Project has been edited down from almost three hours (the original length of the play) to a lean 96 minutes, the harrowing nature of the subject matter - the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard - and the clarity of the voices of the inhabitants of Laramie, Wyoming, give this film a remarkable emotional power. The Laramie Project was created from over 200 interviews conducted with Laramie residents before, during, and after the trials of the two boys who killed Shepard; the interviews create an amazing cross-section of American views on homosexuality, religion, class, privacy, and so much more besides. Even though it features an all-star cast - Steve Buscemi, Janeane Garofalo, Christina Ricci, Peter Fonda, and Laura Linney are only a few of the recognizable faces - the material has not been glamorized and the performances are both honest and intimate. Even abbreviated, it's a remarkable piece of work.
The Laramie Project
Moises Kaufman and his Tectonic Theater Project have written a play documenting the aftermath of the savage killing of Matthew Shepard, including the perspectives of both friends and strangers: The Laramie Project. This innovative theatrical composition, structured not in scenes, but in "moments," addresses the various issues relating to the tragedy of Shepard, a young gay man whose murder has since become a symbol for America's struggle against intolerance. Kaufman's approach is actor-based, as opposed to text-based; a side-effect of this actor-based approach is that in print form it seems as though something is missing. However, the play promises to move the reader with its authentic portrayal of a small town facing a terrifying event.
The Whole World Was Watching:
Living in the Light of Matthew Shepard
When Matthew Shepard was murdered, he became the eye of a media hurricane that culminated in the arrival of Baptist minister Fred Phelps to picket the funeral with signs reading "Matt burns in hell" and "The Wages of Gay Sin is Death." Patterson, Shepard's best friend and a "tomboy" with three gay brothers in her large Irish family, marshaled support for foiling Phelps' espousal of the killers at their trial, thereby launching herself as global activist and spokeswoman for gay acceptance. She went on to become a consultant for The Laramie Project, an award-winning play later filmed by HBO, and reinvent herself to carry half of the Derek and Romaine Show on satellite radio. Her often-hilarious stories of budding-lesbian girlhood offset by summer vacations in Denver with a dying brother; of her undergraduate career as one of the Casper Queers (of Casper College, where she met Shepard); and of Shepard's funeral-turned-media-circus retrace this gutsy yet introspective woman's deeply moving personal journey into international political activism.
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