Subject: 12/3/98 P.E.R.S.O.N. Project news
From: Jean Richter <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 03 Dec 1998 14:48:55 -0800

1. TX: Fred Phelps plans protests against Texas A&M University
2. Paper on multicultural education and queer youth posted to web site

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From: "Megan Wright" <[email-masked]>
Organization: Texas A&M University
Date: Thu, 3 Dec 1998 10:19:06 +0000
Subject: Fred Phelps & the Aggies

the article's from today's issue of our university paper, The 
Battalion
the batt's online at http://battalion.tamu.edu

fyi, the Megan Wright who wrote the story is *not* me.  
there seem to be 2 of us running around the campus!

thanks, 
megan wright
**
[email-masked]
http://people.tamu.edu/~mcw1321

                         Baptist group to protest apology 

                         MEGAN WRIGHT
                         Staff writer

                         Members of the Westboro Baptist Church, from
                         Topeka, Kan., will protest outside the
                         TransWorld Dome in St. Louis before the Big
                         12 Championship between A&M and Kansas State
                         University Saturday in response to University
                         officials' apologies in regards to comments
                         made by A&M football player Dan Campbell
                         during Bonfire. 

                         In a news release, the church condemned the
                         apology issued on behalf of Campbell's
                         statement, "I am glad to go to a school where
                         men like women and women like men." 

                         "President Bowen and Coach Slocum made Dan
                         Campbell grovel before the fags because he
                         exercised his First Amendment free-speech
                         rights," the release said. "Dan Campbell
                         showed cowardice and weakness yielding to fag
                         pressure." 

                         Becki Elkins Nesheim, coordinator of the
                         Department of Student Life's Gender Issues
                         Education Services, said the Westboro event
                         is an attempt to undo the positive action of
                         the University. 

                         "These people are taking a situation that the
                         University is trying to turn into something
                         positive into something ugly that they have
                         filled with hatred," Nesheim said. "His press
                         release concerning Dan Campbell, Texas A&M
                         and homosexuals is nothing more than
                         hate-filled speech." 

                         In the news release, Westboro announced its
                         intent to picket in St. Louis with signs and
                         demonstrations visible to all who enter the
                         stadium. 

                         "Kansas State should have no trouble beating
                         a fag Aggie team, cowed by the Texas A&M fag
                         student body into abject silence," the
                         release said. "When football players must
                         give up free-speech rights to satisfy fags,
                         they lose heart." 

                         Fred Phelps has been the pastor of Westboro
                         for 43 of the church's 45 years of existence.
                         Phelps said the purpose of the protest is to
                         let people know the word of God. 

                         "We are going to be there to let people know
                         that God hates fags and the fact that they
                         seem to have a powerful influence these days
                         at universities and institutions of
                         education," Phelps said. "What Dan Campbell
                         said was innocuous. It shows the political
                         power of gays and the fact that they are
                         worming their way into the liberal domain of
                         academia." 

                         Phelps said members of Westboro are planning
                         a protest trip to Texas A&M in the near
                         future. 

                         "Because A&M has allowed fags to take it
                         over, it is damned," Phelps said. "We are
                         planning to make a trip to A&M either before
                         the end of the semester or early next
                         semester. We will set up in whatever type of
                         student union is available and preach the
                         word of God." 

                         As far as potential reactions from Aggies in
                         St. Louis, Phelps said he is unconcerned. 

                         "When we protested in North Carolina, we had
                         police protection, and we will have the same
                         this weekend," Phelps said. 

                         "The protesters will have signs tailored with
                         our logos and messages that A&M is a fag
                         school to the point that a guy will have to
                         retract his completely innocuous statement." 

                         Nesheim said Westboro primarily is a group
                         that marches and protests incidents around
                         the country. 

                         "This group does not just stand around
                         quietly with their signs during their
                         protests," 

                         Nesheim said. "They make a lot of noise and
                         generally like to cause a big scene. That is
                         how they get their attention." 

                         Director of the Baptist Student Ministry Bob
                         Mayfield said Dan Campbell spoke his mind,
                         and the response from Westboro was
                         unnecessary. 

                         "The statements from Dan Campbell were his
                         opinions and what he felt like expressing at
                         the time," Mayfield said. "As I see it, the
                         Bible teaches us that homosexuality is a sin,
                         but on the same hand, so is hatred. Their
                         rhetoric was a harsh response filled with
                         hatred. As a Christian, if we are to offend
                         other people, we are supposed to let the word
                         of God himself be what is taken as offensive,
                         not our own works or actions. We need to
                         preach that which conveys the love of Christ
                         and let people be offended by that love, not
                         by us." 

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I've posted a copy of Glen Philip Hansman's paper on multicultural education
and queer youth to our web site at URL:
http://www.youth.org/loco/PERSONProject/Resources/OrganizingResources/hansman.html

At over 30K it's too long to post here, but if you can't access the web and
would like the paper emailed to you, please let me know (and tell me whether
you'd like it as an MS Word document or plain text).

===================================================================================

Jean Richter -- [email-masked]
The P.E.R.S.O.N. Project (Public Education Regarding Sexual Orientation Nationally)
CHECK OUT OUR INFO-LOADED WEB PAGE AT:
        http://www.youth.org/loco/PERSONProject/