Westboro Baptist Church has announced
that it will protest next month's Chicago Pride Fest.
In response to an On Top Magazine
story announcing the
participation of Jennifer Hudson in the 2-day street festival,
the anti-gay, Topeka, Kansas-based church tweeted, “@LGBTNewsNow
@OnTopMag @WGNNews Westboro Baptist Church to picket @PrideFestChi!
#SoExcited,” along with an infographic which read “Fag Marriage
Dooms Nations” and a link to a Vine video.
The 6-second
second video strings together footage of gay pride events and gay
milestone moments set to the single No
Matter Where You Are by UsTheDuo. In the video's final
frame, a female Westboro member holding a baby and a colorful “Sin
And Shame Not Pride” sign lip-syncs to the track's chorus: “No
matter where you are, I'll be there.”
With an Illinois law allowing gay
couples to marry taking effect on June 1 – though a handful of
counties, including Cook County, started issuing licenses to same-sex
couples weeks ago – this year's Gay Pride celebration is expected
to attract additional media attention.
(Related: Anti-gay
activist Fred Phelps dead at 84.)