Date: Thu, 03 Dec 1998 14:48:55 -0800 From: Jean Richter Subject: 12/3/98 P.E.R.S.O.N. Project news 1. TX: Fred Phelps plans protests against Texas A&M University 2. Paper on multicultural education and queer youth posted to web site ======================================================================= From: "Megan Wright" 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 ** gromit@tamu.edu 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." =================================================================================== 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 -- richter@eecs.berkeley.edu 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/