To: comments@foxnews.com; comments@newsdigital.com
PRESS RELEASE for immediate release
Fred Phelps, well-known anti-gay activist, the Reverend of the Westboro
Baptist Church, and the mind behind the very controversial website
http://www.GodHatesFags.com has decided to bring his hateful propoganda to
Oberlin College. Oberlin, situated in northeastern Ohio, is known for being
among the first colleges in America to let women and African-Americans
through its doors, and famous for its progressive attitudes toward
minorities of nearly all kinds. Phelps and his congregation, which consists
mostly of his family, will come to Oberlin+s Tappan Square at the corner of
Main and Lorain Streets on May 9th.
They intend to protest the college+s
hiring of openly gay athletic director, Michael Muska, as well as Oberlin+s
generally liberal views on the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered
communities. Many of Oberlin+s have joined together in response to this by
planning a party in the Square on that day. Food and drink will be served
under the slogan "Fun, Not Phelps". Many bands, some from the college+s
world-famous Conservatory of Music, and other performers will be there.
The following is excerpted from the website: http://www.GodHatesFags.com :
April 26, 2000
WBC to picket Oberlin College in Ohio in religious protest/warning that
God Hates Fags, May 9 at noon
This college in Oberlin, Ohio (near Cleveland), has hired a filthy fag
(Mike Muska) as Athletic Director. The story below, taken from a fag
magazine in Phoenix, demonstrates how the sodomites are crowing about it.
For 40 years (1835 to 1875) Oberlin's president was the great Bible
preacher and revivalist, Charles G. Finney. Pastor Finney must be spinning
in his grave, that Oberlin college has now been overrun by semen-drinking
sodomites. Under pro-gay president Nancy Dye, the dog is eating his own
vomit and sows wallowing in feces. 2 Peter 2:22.
Oberlin touts filthy, destructive lifestyle
The show of their countenance doth witness against them, and they declare
their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Isa. 3:9. Were they ashamed when they
had committed abomination? Nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could
they blush. Jer. 6:15. Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, giving themselves over
to fornication and going after strange flesh, are set forth an example,
suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. Jude 7. Shame on Oberlin -- a vile
stinky leper colony.
WBC warns anal/oral copulating Oberlin
The mission team from Westboro Baptist Church will conduct this religious
street service to educate and warn Oberlin to repent and flee God+s wrath
to come (Lk. 3:7) at Lorraine & Main, 12:30 p.m.
Beelzebub, King of Sodom Chancellor of Oberlin College
The college+s official response on this matter, from President Nancy Dye,
is below.
This is the message received by Oberlin College students over e-mail:
This message is being sent out at the request of the President's Office.
Please do not reply directly to this message.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
May 5, 2000
To The Oberlin College Community
I write to let you know that about a dozen members of a Topeka, Kansas,
group that calls itself the Westboro Baptist Church and is headed by Fred
Phelps, have announced that they are coming to Oberlin on Tuesday, May 9,
from 12:00-1:00pm. The purpose of their visit is to demonstrate against
Oberlin College's openness to and acceptance of homosexuality. This
protest will occur only on the public sidewalk at the northeast corner
of Tappan Square.
The group, which reportedly has no connection or formal relationship to
any Christian denomination, has protested at many other colleges and
universities over the past few years. While its members have been
generally law-abiding, their protests include hateful messages and
provocative language in an attempt to incite onlookers to lose their
tempers and assult the Westboro Church members. I urge all members of
the Oberlin community not to attempt to engage the demonstrators: this
is exactly what they want you to do, so please keep cool!
The Dean of Students Office and the Office of Chaplains have been in
conversation with students and others about an appropriate response
should this event take place. At this writing, I understand that the
Chaplains' Office, the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Union,
and the Multicultural Resource Center are sponsoring a picnic and music
at the bandstand on Tappan Square during the noon hour on May 9. Members
of the Dean of Students Office, the Chaplains' Office, and staff of the
Counseling Center will be available at the event to speak with anyone who
wishes, and will be in Wilder Hall at 1:00pm to speak with interested
members of the coummunity.
Let's use this occasion to celebrate our diverse community, every one of
whose members is cherished.
Nancy S. Dye
College's Official Statement:
On Tuesday, May 9, Fred Phelps creator of the "God Hates Fags" website,
will visit Oberlin College and speak on Tappan Square. Mr. Phelps is a
professional hatemonger who makes a profit from goading opponents into
action and then suing them. He is at Oberlin to make good on a protest
against the hiring of our openly gay athletic director. We, the Oberlin
Community, recognize the First Amendment right of Fred Phelps to spread his
message of hate and oppression. We are under no obligation to listen to,
hear, or otherwise give credence to his views. The Christian community at
Oberlin views it as a special affront. Rev. Steve Hammond has this to say:
I find it particularly painful that Rev. Phelps calls himself a Christian.
I hope everyone in the community, especially the people who are the targets
of his hate, will realize that his message has nothing to do with
Christianity. People from our congregation and other churches in town will
be on Tappan Square to express our opposition to Fred Phelps' distorted
view of the gospel. Rev. Hammond will join the community of Oberlin, both
college and town, on Tuesday in a day of peace and love on Tappan Square,
as a visible protest against the rhetoric of hate and violence. Our goal
is not to engage Mr. Phelps but instead to provide a positive alternative
that allows LGBT people and their allies to show their support for a
hate-free environment. There will be no anti-Phelps protest but instead
games, music, and performance art designed to discredit Mr. Phelps and his
message. We feel the best way to combat hatred is through this kind of
positive action. The First Baptist Church at 44 E Lorain St and pastored
by Steve and Mary Hammond will be open from 11:30 to 12:30 for prayer and
meditation.
Contacts:
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Forward to relevant persons.
President
PRESS RELEASE
for immediate release
Allison Moon at allison.moon@oberlin.edu
Channing Joseph at channing.joseph@oberlin.edu
Tori McReynolds at tori.mcreynolds@oberlin.edu
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