RALEIGH, N.C. — News that a Kansas church known for its provocative disruptions of soldiers’ burials plans to picket Saturday’s funeral in Raleigh for Elizabeth Edwards has sparked outrage.
Several groups are using social media to plan counterprotests against members of Westboro Baptist Church.
The tiny church, whose congregation largely consists of the extended family of its pastor, came into the national spotlight when members picketed the funeral of Matthew Shepard, the young Wyoming man who was beaten to death because he was gay.
Westboro church has since courted media attention for its message — that God hates gay people — by protesting at the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as prominent people such as Fred Rogers, Coretta Scott King and Jerry Falwell.
The news release issued by the church announcing its plan suggested that God killed Edwards’ 16-year-old son in 1996 and gave her terminal breast cancer as punishment for her more recent public support for government recognition of same-sex marriage.
At least two groups were created on Facebook to arrange protests. “It just seems like the right thing to do, to go out there and show support for human decency,” organizer Ben Requena said.
One group, “Line of Love,” intends to circle the block around Edenton Street United Methodist Church to provide a human shield for the Edwards family.
