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Westboro Baptist Church’s picketing at UCLA outstripped by pro-LGBTQ+ counterprotests

Six members of the Westboro Baptist Church, an anti-LGBTQ+ group, picketed near the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs on Monday morning. WBC also held similar protests at USC and two high schools in Los Angeles. (Jintak Han/Daily Bruin senior staff)

By Jintak Han, Marilyn Chavez-Martinez, and Justin Jung

Feb. 10, 2020 11:34 a.m.

This post was updated on Feb. 11 at 12:24 a.m.

The anti-LGBTQ+ Westboro Baptist Church picketed near the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs on Monday morning.

About 20 people carrying pro-LGBTQ+ signs gathered near the six WBC members and blasted music from a speaker. There were also law enforcement officials and UCLA officials present. Across the street from the picketers were more UCLA officials, law enforcement officers and spectators.

The Southern Poverty Law Center has designated the church a hate group since at least 2006, describing the group as “arguably the most obnoxious and rabid hate group in America.”

WBC was picketing at UCLA for several reasons, said Timothy Phelps, a member of the group. He said these reasons included preaching and warning people about the Bible. 

UCLA said in a statement although it respects the free speech rights of all groups independently organizing events such as these, respecting this right should not be seen as an endorsement of that speech.

“We will support the members of our community who are targets of this spiteful action and we encourage all UCLA students and community members not to embolden WBC’s detestable speech by engaging with this organization,” the statement read.

Jarod Cordes, a second-year psychology student, said they heard about the picket in an email UCLA officials sent Thursday. Cordes also said that in addition to overt anti-LGBTQ+ demonstrations, there also exists more subtle prejudices against LGBTQ+ people in politics.

“There’s something to say about the fact that we can all agree that this is bad, but there’s a lot of low-key homophobia that exists in higher levels of politics that people just seem to kind of like accept and move on with,” they said. “There’ll be an initial phase of everyone getting mad, but then we just kind of accept it because there’s nothing we can do about it.”

About 20 people launched a counterprotest against the Westboro Baptist Church picket near UCLA. They carried pro-LGBTQ+ posters and blasted music near the WBC members. (Jintak Han/Daily Bruin senior staff)

WBC’s stop at UCLA was one of four planned school pickets by the group including one at USC and two local high schools. The group also picketed at the Academy Awards on Sunday night. WBC has been coming to LA for about 40 years, Phelps said. 

Hanna Harris, a teaching artist formerly affiliated with Get Lit, a poetry education nonprofit, trailed the church members from their first protests of the day at Alexander Hamilton High School. Harris, who identifies as queer, said she was especially passionate about confronting the church members because her work involves teaching children.

“I think it’s pretty disgusting to go to a high school or really any institution of learning, but specifically a high school, and subject kids as young as 14 to things like homophobic slurs (and) threats of existential perish,” Harris said.

Although the reaction at UCLA was largely muted, the high schools WBC visited displayed a united show of resistance. Counterprotests organized by the Parasol Patrol, a youth LGBTQ+ activism group, drew dozens of students and faculty at Manual Arts Senior High School and Alexander Hamilton High School.

There will be a postevent community space event Monday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the UCLA LGBTQ Campus Resource Center for people to process the picket, UCLA officials said.

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Jintak Han | Former senior staff photojournalist and news reporter
Jintak Han is a former senior staff photojournalist and news reporter who graduated in 2020. He served as an Assistant Photo editor from 2016 to 2017. Working at the Bruin through his entire undergraduate career since 2014, Han has won national recognition and numerous awards for his photojournalism. He is also known for his investigative reporting for the City & Crime beat. Han currently works as a freelance photojournalist and reporter for multiple news organizations.
Jintak Han is a former senior staff photojournalist and news reporter who graduated in 2020. He served as an Assistant Photo editor from 2016 to 2017. Working at the Bruin through his entire undergraduate career since 2014, Han has won national recognition and numerous awards for his photojournalism. He is also known for his investigative reporting for the City & Crime beat. Han currently works as a freelance photojournalist and reporter for multiple news organizations.
Marilyn Chavez-Martinez | News and outreach senior staff
Chavez-Martinez was the 2020-2021 Outreach Director. She was previously an assistant news editor managing the campus politics beat and still writes for the Daily Bruin news section occasionally. She is also a fourth-year English and Economics student at UCLA.
Chavez-Martinez was the 2020-2021 Outreach Director. She was previously an assistant news editor managing the campus politics beat and still writes for the Daily Bruin news section occasionally. She is also a fourth-year English and Economics student at UCLA.
Justin Jung | News senior staff
Jung is a senior staff reporter and a photographer for the Bruin. He was a 2021-2022 assistant News editor for the campus politics and city and crime beats. Jung was also the 2020-2021 assistant Enterprise editor. Jung is a fourth-year global studies student.
Jung is a senior staff reporter and a photographer for the Bruin. He was a 2021-2022 assistant News editor for the campus politics and city and crime beats. Jung was also the 2020-2021 assistant Enterprise editor. Jung is a fourth-year global studies student.
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