US: Church to picket basketball playoff games because ‘the NBA is full of fags’
The adamantly homophobic US Westboro Baptist Church (WBC), synonymous with its “God hates fags” slogan, is to picket two NBA playoff games, denouncing Jason Collins for coming out, and saying that “God hates the NBA” because it is “full of fags”.
The flier released by Westboro was headed “WBC to picket NBA games to remind the world that God still h8s fags”, and also contains a doctored version of the NBA logo, containing the terms “fag, homosexual, fairy, gay, poof, bum bandit, sodomite, maricon (Spanish for ‘fag’), queer, ass pirate, NBA”.
The WBC intends to picket two games, the first in Oklahoma City, on Wednesday 1 May, game 5 between Oklahoma City and Houston, and the second in Chicago, on Thursday 2 May, game 6, between Chicago and Brooklyn.
NBA star, Jason Collins on Monday spoke about his sexuality, confirming he is gay in an article in Sports Illustrated magazine. He said: “I’m a 34-year-old NBA center. I’m black. And I’m gay.”
The flier released also refers to Collins as a “filthy beast”, and denounces Michelle Obama, who on Monday, amidst thousands of congratulatory tweets, said “we’ve got your back”, in response to his announcement.
Citing bible passage Ezekiel 33, the WBC suggests that it is made up of watchmen, and that “faux Christians”, must heed their warning, to “flee destruction”, and that supporting openly gay players in the NBA will lead to the “end times”.
The church also took to Twitter, to use a hashtag claiming that “God hates the NBA”. It said: “The #WBC will protest at 2 playoff games because apparently ‘#GodH8sTheNBA‘ CORRECT > #GodH8sFags so #GodH8sFagNBA”
Three people died and at least 170 were injured after two explosions went off near the finishing line of the Boston Marathon.
The church previously blamed homosexuality for the Newtown massacre in Connecticut where 20 children and six adults were killed by a gunman at Sandy Hook elementary school in December.
