One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Photos: Anti-Gay Westboro Baptist Protesters Outside the Oscars, Counter Protestors Try to Balance the Mood
Just like last year, the folks from Kansas' Westboro Baptist Church brought their version of hate to Sunset and Highland to garner attention from celebrities as limos passed by. "We are out here to broach a message and that message is this country has turned itself over to the fags and now this country's doom is inevitable," one protester said.
Among the crowd of around 15 Westboro protestors were five counter-protesters. "We're trying to cover up their crazy hate with absurdity and hilarity," said one man dressed in a tin foil space helmet and cape. But that didn't matter to Westboro members who simply ignored them.
"You've got these people [the film industry] who've got a platform that was given to them by their lord their god, and what are they doing with that platform?" one of the Westboro protesters said. "They are serving themselves, they are serving their lust, they are serving their greed. What they ought to be doing is saying 'Guess what, America, it is not to be gay, it is not okay to fornicate at the age of 14, it is not okay to murder those babies when you do that fornication.'"
"We pretty much think they're hypocrites," said another counter-protester. "They're standing out here trying to spread God's will, but no where in the bible does it say or call people fags, and say they're going to hell for being a Jew or anything. We're coming out here pretty much to spread the happy and keep everything calm because that's how they make money because they will sue you for attacking them."
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
