A Defeat to the Religious Right

Town rejects 'Shepard in hell' monument

by Eric Johnston
Gay.com / PlanetOut.com Network
Casper, Wyo., City Council members on Tuesday night unanimously rejected a request by the notorious anti-gay Rev. Fred Phelps to install a monument saying Matthew Shepard went to hell because he was gay.

The city refused to succumb to lawsuit threats from the preacher, who claims that God hates homosexuals, after a strong outpouring of community opposition to the monument, which had been deemed "revolting" by one gay rights group.

"Mr. Phelps, you are not welcome," said Councilman Paul Bertoglio. "This city will not allow you to place your monument anywhere in our community."

On Oct. 7, 1998, Shepard, a Casper native, was tied to a fence outside Laramie, Wyo., beaten unconscious with a gun and left to die. He died five days later.

Phelps wants to install in a park a six-foot granite monument that would include a bronze plaque with Shepard's image and the words, "Matthew Shepard entered hell October 12, 1998, at age 21 in defiance of God's solemn warning."

Phelps, from Topeka, Kan., gained notoriety in 1998, by carrying signs proclaiming "God Hates Fags" outside Shepard's funeral.

At a City Council meeting earlier this month, city leaders listened to four hours of testimony. All opposed Phelps' monument. And on Tuesday night, about 50 people prayed for the council.

"As I look at Phelps' life, I don't see love as his personal agenda," said Pastor Milo Miller of the Highland Park Community Church. "He disguises his real agenda under the cloak of Christ."

Phelps had said that Casper must allow his Scripture-based monument on city grounds because the town already has allowed a Ten Commandments monument, which was donated to the city in the 1960s by the Fraternal Order of Eagles.

The council now must decide whether to take on a lawsuit, move the Ten Commandments monument to private land or create a special area. The council has taken initial steps to create a designated spot for the Ten Commandments.

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) also strongly condemned Phelps plans.

"Matthew was killed by men who believed that hating people because they are different is something to be glorified. And what fueled them is the same form of bigotry and intolerance fueling Phelps," said Elizabeth Birch, HRC's executive director.

"Phelps' offensive behavior is just another mean-spirited ploy for attention," said Joan M. Garry, GLAAD's executive director. "Having this coincide with the five-year mark of Matt's death makes it even more offensive."

The Matthew Shepard Foundation, founded by Shepard's parents to promote tolerance and understanding, isn't commenting on Phelps, the monument or the controversy.

"We're taking the high road," spokeswoman Sarah McMullen said. "We're going on with our mission."

Phelps has said that national tragedies, including the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the Columbine High School shootings, are God's punishments for the nation's tolerance of GLBT people. Last week, he told the Rocky Mountain News that Casper was "full of gays and gay enablers" and, therefore, condemned to hell.

Posted October 29, 2003