Republican Indiana State Senator Brent Steele said he intends to propose legislation in response to the antics of the Westboro Baptist “God Hates Fags” traveling prayer protesters, making disorderly conduct at the funerals of fallen U.S. soldiers a felony offense. Steele’s announcement comes after a group of Westboro members protested the funeral of an Army soldier killed in Iraq by shouting at the surviving family and dragging U.S. flags on the ground. The case could make for a number of strange bed-fellows: conservatives concerned with respect for the military and flag aligned with gay rights advocates, and the deeply reactionary Shirley Phelps-Roeper, daughter of Westboro Baptsist leader, Fred Phelps, calling for the assistance of free speech liberals.
