Fred Phelps, Founder Of Anti-Gay Westboro Baptist Church, Dead At Age 84

Fred Phelps, the founder and leader of the rabidly anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church, has died of an undisclosed illness, according to KSN TV in Kansas. He was 84.

For years, members of the church picketed the funerals of gay men and even soldiers, waving incendiary placards reading “God Hates Fags” and “Thank God for Dead Soldiers.” Ironically, the WBC has inadvertently helped drive pro-LGBT forces, as well—from concerned allies blocking them at funerals to the creation of Equality House, an LGBT resource center right across the street from the Phelps compound.

While its unclear who will succeed Phelps as leader of Westboro, it’s unlikely his death will signal the end of the church.