LGBTs, along with many others, are celebrating the death this morning of the virulently anti-gay Rev. Fred Phelps. The 84-year-old Phelps died at the Midland Care hospice in Topeka, Kansas late last night.
Before his death, Phelps was reportedly excommunicated from Westboro Baptist Church, which he founded in 1955.
Phelps spent his life fanning the flames of hate and celebrating death -- he and his followers joyously picketed the funeral of Matthew Shepard in 1998. Phelps and company also picketed the Oscars, the funerals of celebrities, and even funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, claiming the soldiers were killed by God because of America's tolerance of homosexuality.
Across the blogosphere, people are celebrating Phelp's passing, with many nasty comments including those from people saying they hope he "burns in hell."
"Fred should spend all eternity with one cock up his ass, another in his mouth," posted Chris Winters at Facebook's Fred Phelps Deathwatch page.
While distraught over Phelps' antics and anti-gay messages in his life, others are still urging kinder, gentler rhetoric about his death. David Robinson runs the San Francisco chapter of Keshet, a networking and support organization for LGBT Jews and friends. Speaking to SF Weekly, Robinson quoted the Talmud: "When the Egyptians were drowning in the Red Sea, the angels wanted to sing, God said to them, the work of my hands is drowning in the sea, and you want to sing?"
"I'm not rejoicing at Phelps' death, but I'm not mourning it either," Robinson said. "He spread such intense hate of LGBT people. The world is a better place without him."
Wallace McBride runs The Collinsport Historical Society, a website dedicated to the classic TV series Dark Shadows, which has a huge LGBT fan base. McBride is also asking his site members to not gloat about Phelps' death.
He has a better idea of how people can mark Phelps's passing.
"Please consider donating to an LGBT organization in your community," McBride wrote on the site's Facebook page.
"I don't see any payoff in celebrating someone's death," McBride said to SF Weekly. "Especially a man who lived almost a century trapped in the throes of ignorance and bigotry. Yes, he was a jerk who caused more suffering than any good society should have allowed. But he wasted his own life celebrating hatred. I don't plan on following him into that downward spiral."
As the Good Book says, what you sew, so shall you reap.
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