Anti-gay rallies at funerals draw complaints

Parents of fallen soldiers and war veterans stood with Ald. James Balcer Monday to publicly denounce the actions of an anti-gay, anti-American religious group that holds rallies at soldiers’ funerals.

Standing before the eternal flame in Daley Plaza, Balcer, who represents the 11th Ward, called the actions of members of Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan., hateful.

“We believe these protesters have stooped as low as possible,” he said. “Those who are protecting our nation provide the fundamental right of the 1st Amendment. But to protest at funerals is wrong.” (source)

He’s right, it is wrong and extremely disrespectful to picket and protest at anyone’s funeral. This is the same group that has been protesting at the funerals of gay men for years. It’s the same group who protested at Matthew Shepard’s funeral.

I agree with him, but you know what bothers me? It’s “ok” for them to picket the funerals of gay men, but when it’s a service man’s funeral they stage a protest at, suddenly, that’s not ok? Is that the logic? And, if they really believe that it’s wrong to picket the funeral of anyone, where the hell were they when the Westboro Baptist Church pulled this crap at Matthew’s funeral, along with hundreds of other gay men? Where was their collective voice then?

You’ll excuse me if I just can’t get too excited about this.

“We believe these protesters have stooped as low as possible.” Well, I thought that when they started picketing the funerals of gay men who had died of AIDS, but apparently, Ald. James Balcer, and I would suspect many others like him, didn’t think that was so bad.

Think of it this way. Thirty years ago, gay bashers were getting off with little more than a slap on the wrist. Police raided gay bars with impunity, all because the public didn’t really see anything wrong with the police roughing up some gays. It’s exactly the same thing here, all over again.

People are people - we are all the same. I’m sure it was very hurtful for Judy Shepard to see Fred Phelps outside the church where they were holding her son’s funeral holding a sign that read “Matt In Hell”. Who cared about that?

No one did, except for a few of Matthew’s friends, who put on sheets and dressed up as angels to hide the ugliness of Fred Phelps and his ilk, from those attending Matthew’s funeral. With out-reached arms, they surrounded Fred Phelps and his group, preventing anyone from seeing their hateful signs.

Pure class.