Saturday, July 17, 2010
Singer and song writer Lady Gaga has warned her fans attending concerts about “hateful” protests that are set to take place during a concert she will be having tonight in St. Louis, Missouri. The Westboro Baptist Church will be protesting outside the venue during her concert. Gaga warned of these protests on her Twitter page.
“At the risk of drawing attention to a hateful organization, I would like to make my little monster fan [sic] aware of a protest being held outside the Monsterball in St.Louis tonight. Although we have had protesters before, as well as fundamentalists at the show this group of protesters are hate criminals and preach using lude [sic] and violent language and imagery that I wish I [could] protect you all from.”
The Church, based in Topeka, Kansas and not affiliated with any Baptist organization, had planned to protest at Gaga’s prior concerts held in St. Louis. The most recent protest was scheduled in January and was later canceled prior to the concert. According to Shirley Phelps-Roper, a spokesperson for the church, “[God] hates homosexuals and God hates fags [and] God hates whore Gaga,” which is why the group plans a protest at tonight’s concert.
“So when she gets up there and tries to hook God with that thing He calls an abomination; if you love what God hates, then God hates you,” said Phelps-Roper in January. According to the church’s website, the protest begins at 7:10 p.m. and lasts until 8:00 p.m.. “Now what type of wicked hypocrites would we be if we did not warn this little false prophetess and all of her over-indulged sycophants that they are each one, individually heading straight to hell in a gender-confused, self-loathing, tone-deaf hand basket and that a gift from the God they hate? So, we made a couple of songs just for this event,” said their website.
Gaga tells her fans to not listen to the group. “My request to all little monsters and public authority is to pay these hate criminals no mind. Do not interact with them, or try to fight. Do not respond to any of their provocation. Don’t waste your words, or feelings, no matter what you hear or see. You are more fortunate and blessed than they are, and in your heart just pray for them. Be inspired to ignore their ignorant message, and feel gratitude in your heart that you are not burdened or addicted to hate, as they are.”
The Church plans two other protests at her concerts in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on July 20 and Kansas City, Missouri on August 3.