God hates Los Angeles. At least the Westboro Baptist Church seems to think so. Only one day after carrying their "God hates fags" signs to Elizabeth Edwards' funeral in North Carolina (Dec. 11), the fundamentalist Christians of the WBC are in L.A. for a little Sunday-style protesting downtown outside the Pico Playhouse. The Playhouse's own Mechanicals Theater Group is putting on a production of The Laramie Project, a play about the aftermath of the 1998 murder of gay college student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming.
Here's what the WBC is saying about it:
WBC to picket the Laramie Project at The Pico Playhouse, a fag propaganda play about Matt Shepard (in Hell for 12 years now.)
Judy Shepard raised her son to be a disobedient pervert, and God cut that child off. His blood is on her hands! From the day that he was cut off to today, Judy Shepard has spent all her resources on teaching the young people of this nation the same rebellion that caused God to cut off her own son; and making a profit on it! How sick is it to make money off of a child who is dead at your hands?! Matt Shepard has been in Hell now for twelve 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! "Be not deceived; God is not mocked." Gal. 6:7.
God Hates Fags! God Hates Fag-Enablers! Ergo, God hates fag-infested & fag-enabling Los Angeles, CA and all having to do with spreading sodomite lies via The Laramie Project; a tacky piece of cheap, lying, fag propaganda masquerading as legitimate theater.
"Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind; it is abomination. Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith." Lev. 18:22, 23
The Laramie Project (which was made into an emmy-award-winning movie in 2002) is a play by Moisés Kaufman and is based on news reports, journal entries and more than 200 interviews of people in Laramie Wyoming in the aftermath of the murder of Matthew Shepard. It covers the town's reactions, the funeral and the trial of the killers (the court found that their motive for the attack was that Matthew Shepard was gay). The play does not advance a gay agenda (contrary to what the WBC contends) and has been performed nationwide and all over the world (including high school and college productions) since 2000. The Westboro Baptists are featured in it (they picketed Matthew Shepard's funeral) and they often picket its performances.
The WBC protest will take place on Sunday, Dec. 12, from 6:15 PM to 7:00 PM.
A video about the play and the WBC protest is in the left column of this page.
Those wishing for more information about Pico Playhouse's production of The Laramie Project or who would like to purchase tickets to see it (perhaps the best kind of counter-protest) will find it here.
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Comments
disgusting I would never go see that play
Huh? Did you read the article in its entirety?
First - Carol R - and that is your absolute right. However, it's also the right of the actors to put on the play. In my opinion, the story of the murder of young Matthew Shephard and subsequent events is one that should be told. It's just a tad too far (some 3000 miles) for me to attend, or I'd be there.
Of course, the presentation is NOTHING like the WBC's description. Hugh, I love your articles, as you know. In this one, I think I'd have put the actual description in, rather than just a link - so that those who don't bother to follow it would hear the 'real' intent and description of the play, rather than giving all the 'play' to WBC.
And while we are on the topic if these sickos - isn't there some group as incensed and with the money to manage it, who could consistently counter protest both wherever WBC goes and regularly at their home base?
Frankly, I don't understand Carol R's reaction. It never occurred to me that anyone would take WBC founder Fred Phelp's description of ANYTHING seriously. I guess I was mistaken. Either that or she sees the world the same way Phelps does and that's even worse.
Here's a description of the play:
"The Laramie Project" is a play (and a 2002 movie) written by Moisés Kaufman. He and fellow members of the Tectonic Theater Project went to Laramie, and over the course of the next year, conducted more than 200 interviews with people of the town. From these interviews they wrote the play The Laramie Project, a chronicle of the life of the town of Laramie in the year after the murder. THE LARAMIE PROJECT is one of the most performed plays in America today. It has nothing to do with promoting a gay agenda and, as far as I know, Matthew's mother Judy had nothing to do with the production or with teaching anyone to be gay.
I think your criticism is valid so I've added a description of the play to my article.
That photo is probably a bit dated. But the bigger question is: why do you waste your time and column space talking about either the group *or* the play?
BTW: you've been spammed again. I've seen that domain before.
It's news about the influence of religion and it's my town the WBC is messing around in. Isn't that cause enough to waste time and column space?
So what are you saying, Terry, that trying to foster understanding and compassion is "a waste of time"?
I'm profoundly disheartened by your lack of compassion, though not surprised. Since it's no one you love, why give a damn, right Terry?
Because while Terry doesn't want to sound as crazy as the WBC (too late, he's already referenced the Bible UFO site in his latest Flood fluff piece) he perhaps agrees with them on this issue? (We know he does on a number of others)
I'm just glad I live in the UK where gay people don't get persecuted for being who they are
The "Laramie Project" is propaganda. Matthew Shepherd was murdered over drugs and money. Of the two that murdered Matthew Shepherd, one later confessed to being homosexual himself. They even stated in a prison interview that the issue was drugs and money. The homosexual activists latched onto the story and made him into a martyr, but those are the facts. He was not murdered simply because he was a homosexual.
And what citation can you provide which is more reliable the court?
And where did you get your "facts" Mary, Fox "News"? Everything you said is patently false... an outright lie. But that's the way homophobia works. You justify the villains while vilifying the victims. Unfortunately you've posted your comment in the wrong place. We don't hate here, and we get our news from several sources, and we reject bigots and homophobes.
There's some facts for your Mary.
What the gay community latched on to was that a young by was tortured and murdered and for the simple reason that he was gay. The murder just happened to coincide with a vicious advertising blitz by the Christian right that summer (dubbed the summer of hate) which culminated in Matthew's death.
If I were you Mary, I would take some time to be thankful that you've never had to suffer as Matthew's mother and family suffered. Be grateful that nobody's out to destroy you just for being who you are.
And the crowd goes wild...Westboro Baptist one of the United States version (along with the thousands of supporters) of Al Queda!
Great article and shared!