The controversial Westboro Baptist Church – known for its extreme prejudice of homosexuals and its conducting of anti-gay protests at various events, including funerals of American soldiers – will picket at the Kansas Speedway next month during the NASCAR weekend.
The WBC’s official website says that the church shall picket from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Sunday, April 21 before that day’s STP 400 for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Church spokesperson Shirley Phelps-Roper first tweeted the news last weekend.
On March 9, motorsports blog Queers4Gears posted tweets from the WBC’s Margie Phelps that revealed a potential future protest of the series (WARNING: The preceding link contains language that may be offensive to some readers). However, those particular tweets did not disclose the location of a planned protest.
As noted at the time by both Q4G and SB Nation’s OutSports blog, a possible cause for the picket may be Q4G’s interview at Phoenix International Raceway with reigning Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski. In that interview, Keselowski was asked if NASCAR was ready for an openly gay driver and if one would have trouble gaining acceptance in that world.
“I can’t speak for the fans, I can only speak for myself, but in this garage, if you can win, people will want to be a part of what you can do,” Keselowski responded.
The theory that his comments helped trigger the upcoming protest may be bolstered by the message that ends the notice of the protest on the WBC’s website: “God Hates Brad Keselowski!”
Brad Keselowski – along with the rest of America is not a fan of the Westboro Baptist Church.
The Kansas based church is famous for their “God Hates Fags” campaign and announced earlier this week it will protest at the funeral for Lance Corporal Joshua Witsman who was serving his 2nd tour in Afghanistan when he was killed.
The “church” protests funerals and other events nationwide, often carrying incendiary signs, inflaming people at the funerals. “These soldiers are dying for the homosexual and other sins of America,” the church said in a news release proclaiming its plan to protest at Witsman’s funeral. “Thank God for IEDs. We’ll be there to warn this nation: Your soldiers aren’t dying for freedom, they are dying for fag marriage”
NASCAR Driver Brad Keselowski tweeted back in June 2013 about the planned protest at the soldier’s funeral, “understand the constitutional rights allowing some1 2 protest a funeral & feel their should b another allowing them to b punched in the face”
WBC leader Fred Phelps also communicated about the situation earlier this month, going so far as to re-tweet the OutSports pick-up of the Q4G interview while adding a hashtag and the message: “No wonder God kills & maims these idiot race car drivers & their fanatics on a regular basis!” (NBCSports)
