Grosse Pointe Farms, USA - A Topeka, Kan., church known for ugly protests at the funerals of soldiers nationwide has vowed to picket the opening night production of a Grosse Pointe South High School play later this month, but the school says the show will go on.
The controversial play, The Laramie Project, is an account of the torture and beating death of gay college student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyo., in 1998. Grosse Pointe South Principal D. Allan Diver said Monday the students will get a real-life lesson in the need for tolerance.
"If a hate group shows up, it would concern me a lot. But no, I would not cancel the play," Diver said, noting he received just one parent complaint about the play, which was selected by a committee that included teachers and parents. "That would be exactly what they want.
"I would use the protest as a teachable moment, because it is."
The Westboro Baptist Church has staged loud protests against the play nationwide, including at about 20 high schools, church-member Shirley Phelps-Roper told The Detroit News on Monday.
"That play has one purpose ... to teach rebellion to the sons and daughters of this generation against the standards of God; to call God a liar," Phelps-Roper said, adding between four and 10 of the church's 71 members will travel to the school to protest the play.
The church has conducted more than 35,000 protests in more than 600 cities in the past 18 years, she said, most notably for disrupting services with loud protests at funerals for soldiers who have died in Iraq. They claim God allows soldiers to die in Iraq as punishment on the nation for tolerating homosexuality. The church, which is not associated with any known Baptist conventions or associations, is classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
"It makes us all more passionate about the work we're doing," said senior Jon Manganello, 17, a member of the 20-student cast who plays multiple roles. "It will heighten the message, and show there are still people out there who feel so passionately that homosexuality is so wrong.
"By performing the show we are teaching people that (gay-bashing) is not OK."
Dan Jensen, director of public safety for Grosse Pointe Farms, said plans are in the works to beef up security opening night on Nov. 21. It's not the first time they've dealt with the sect: Four protesters turned up at the funeral of a soldier at the Grosse Pointe War Memorial last winter, Jensen said.
"We're not going to tolerate any violent behavior," Jensen said.
"If you come here and you want to protest we're going to let you, as long as you play by the rules."