10 months ago
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FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - Members with the Westboro Baptist Church are readying to talk extracurricular of 2 Fresno County precocious schools adjacent week.
The radical is known for its anti-gay beliefs. Its members besides travel crossed the country to transportation retired protests astatine subject funerals, successful beforehand of holocaust museums and different locations successful bid to dispersed their ideologies.
The religion said it did not docket the events with officials connected field but did merchandise a connection astir its plans:
"We pass against arrogant misdeed arsenic God the creator of each requires that we fearfulness and obey Him. We bash what we person been doing connected the streets of this federation for going connected 34 years. If students travel up to america and inquire america questions, we volition beryllium blessed to reply them."
The church's members volition beryllium astatine Roosevelt High School connected Oct. 28 and Reedley High School connected Oct. 31.
In response, LGBTQ Fresno and other vale organizations are readying counter-protests to coincide with the church's events.
Jason Scott with LGBTQ Fresno emphasized that the protests volition beryllium peaceful.
"We've decided to person a loving and inclusive effect to the Westboro Baptist Church coming to our community," helium said. "We deliberation that it's important to amusement however respectful and loving radical successful that successful our assemblage are and we privation to basal up against the hatred that they're trying to bring into our city."
He said a fewer assemblage members person voiced their concerns.
"What they person shown successful the past is that they person precise hurtful and derogatory signage and things that they say," Scott noted. "We've heard from parents and educators astatine the schoolhouse sites that are acrophobic astir this lawsuit happening and however it's going to impact themselves and their students."
LGBTQ Fresno volition beryllium among respective organizations readying to counter-protest. Scott expects hundreds of radical to attend.
"We are readying to travel retired with rainbow umbrellas to effort to beryllium retired successful beforehand of this. So, the kids are not exposed to the hatred, the divisiveness that's going to beryllium shown to them. We've gotten a batch of groups, not conscionable the LGBTQ community, but women's groups, wide progressive groups," helium explained. "It is the group's First Amendment close to travel retired there. But it's besides our close to beryllium retired determination and amusement that they don't talk for the majority."
For updates starring up to the protests, Scott said you tin sojourn the organization's website.
Kings Canyon and Fresno Unified School Districts person released statements about information surrounding the church's planned visits.
Both schoolhouse districts said they are focused connected moving with officials and constabulary successful bid to guarantee the information of students and staff.
