A USA Appeals Court judge has upheld the right of fundamentalist Christians to torment grieving families as part of an anti-gay crusade. Fred Phelps: Hatemonger at large The Westboro Baptist church led by Fred Phelps has for years traveled the USA picketing funerals of people who have died due to HIV and, more recently, the families of soldiers killed in the middle east. Their placards include messages such as "God Hates Fags," "Thank God for Dead Soldiers," "Matthew Shepard rots in Hell," and "Thank God for 9/11." Phelps teaches his followers, many of whom are members of his extended family, that God creates misfortunes in and for the USA because of the existence of homosexuals within its shores. The appeals court judge said in his ruling that the church's statements legitimately aired issues of public interest such as gays in the military, Catholic Church sex abuse scandals and the "political and moral conduct of the USA."
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Saturday, 26th September 2009 - 9:07pm