The Westboro Baptist Church is in Nevada, spewing their hate and spreading their lies. They are currently protesting at both high schools and universities in Nevada. They are calling their latest string of protests their “transgender tour.”
According to Shirley Phelps, the purpose of the WBC's “transgender tour” is to target younger people who are accepting of the transgenders in the population. They have always targeted gays and lesbians, but now they are going after the transgenders. They protested at Rancho High School. From there, they moved on to protest at College of Southern Nevada and then the University of Nevada Las Vegas.
WBC targeting diverse schools and universities
Rancho High School is the largest high school in the area. There, the Westboro Baptist Church was met with counter-protesters. Many of high school students who attend Rancho protested the WBC's protest.
The University of Nevada Las Vegas has been ranked by U.S. News and World Reports as one of the most diverse universities in the country. Only Rutgers in New Jersey was found to be more diverse than UNLV. And, the university now has gender-neutral bathrooms throughout their campus.
Peaceful protests and counter-protests
There was also a counter-protest held at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Students held signs and chanted as the Westboro Baptist Church did the same.
All of the protests and counter-protests were peaceful.
Not all of the Westboro Baptist Church's protests have been peaceful. At past protests, many people have been arrested. The WBC has also been known to sue those who oppose their views.
History of the WBC
The Westboro Baptist Church is based in Topeka, Kansas. It was founded by the late Fred Phelps.
Before founding the church, he had been an attorney. He founded the church after he was disbarred. One of his daughters is also an attorney. She handles most of the lawsuits the church is involved with. Lawsuit winnings is the major source of income for the WBC. The majority of the members of the WBC are members of the Phelps family or they have married members of the founding family.
What do you think of the WBC's "transgender tour?" Should their protests be protected by the Constitution? Do you think they are exercising their right to Freedom of Speech? Should what they say be considered hate speech? Sound off in the comment section below and let us know what you think.
