6:00am | Long Beach City Councilmembers Robert Garcia and Gerrie Schipske issued a joint statement in opposition to the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) planned anti-gay protest at Wilson High School in Long Beach. The WBC known for its anti-gay positions and protesting at military funerals, will promote their message during a demonstration at Wilson this Friday at 2:45pm. Anti-WBC counter-protests are also planned at Wilson. Both Councilmembers Garcia and Schipske are gay.
In a joint statement, Garcia and Schipske said:
“We stand in strong support of the peaceful demonstrations against the Westboro Baptist Church. The anti-gay, anti-Semitic, and anti-American views of this organization are in stark contrast to the diversity and strength of our City. We will be joining our fellow citizens in a peaceful counter-protest at Wilson High School on Friday.”
On Monday, Greggory Moore reviewed the upcoming protest:
“A circus is coming to town. Not the good kind. No, I’m talking about a sort of DIY tour that’s being put on by the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC). Never heard of them? Maybe you recognize them by their self-styled sobriquet: the “God hates fags” folks. These are the charming men and women—and, alas, their children—who, for starters, go to military funerals so as to disrupt them by screaming that the United States deserves these casualties—and 9/11, and so much more—because of (among a litany of other sins) being overly permissive toward same-sex couples.”
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