The southeast corner of Cedar and Tulare avenues next to Roosevelt High School had been filled with hundreds of rainbow-clad LGBTQ supporters Monday afternoon when a miniscule group of protesters from Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas showed up bearing anti-gay and anti-abortion signs.

Up until that moment the busy southeast Fresno intersection looked more like a street party with music and balloons. Pro-LGBTQ banners spanned the high school’s fences along Tulare and Cedar avenues, placed there in support of students who were being targeted by the Westboro protesters.

Community members who turned out in support of Roosevelt school included local clergy, Fresno Teachers Association leaders, and the two candidates running for the Roosevelt region trustee seat on the Fresno Unified School Board. Community advocate Jennifer Cruz said it was one of the biggest turnouts of the gay community and their supporters in Fresno in recent memory.

According to Westboro’s news release, they chose Roosevelt for their protest because of the school’s student PRISM and Set Apart: Christian clubs. The Westboro protesters are scheduled to demonstrate Thursday morning at Reedley High School, choosing that school because of its GSA (Gay Straight Alliance) and Catholics in Action clubs. The student clubs were described by Westboro as “sodomite and faux-Christian:”

Westboro church members have engaged in protests targeting gays and dead military service members for more than 30 years and have been labeled a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center and is typified by its slogan, “God Hates F—.”

Cruz said she suspected they might have come to Fresno because the Central Valley is a more conservative part of California.

“But I think what we’re really seeing in Fresno, the fifth-largest city in California, we have become very inclusive,” she said. “And even though we remain about four or five decades behind the Bay Area or L.A., we have a very supportive community. And Fresno’s about love your neighbor.”

Constantly Surrounded

When the handful of Westboro supporters finally arrived Monday afternoon at the intersection they were quickly surrounded by counter-protesters who attempted to use their rainbow umbrellas to block views of the Westborn supporters’ signs, following them as they first crossed Tulare and then Cedar.

When they returned to the median they got a warning to keep moving to the corner from the Fresno Police Department, whose officers on motorcycles and squad cars were keeping a close on the proceedings.

“Don’t touch them,” Cruz warned the counter-protesters, using a megaphone to be heard over the traffic noise. “That’s what they want.”

The Westboro group never did cross over to Roosevelt’s corner, and instead were followed by news media and protesters on Tulare before returning to their van parked on 11th street.

Shirley Phelps-Roper, whose late father Fred started the protests decades ago, explained the reason for the church’s protests as anti-demonstrators clustered around.

The group is targeting high schoolers “because that’s where they’re taught to disobey God,” she said as a counter-protester shouted “love wins” nearby.

“The Scripture says in these days, before the coming of the second advent of Christ, that the children are their oppressors and women rule over them,” Phelps-Roper said. “That’s the picture of this country, not to mention all the rest of it. It’s awful.

“You understand, when you’ve got daily destructive events. Have you been here long? How long have you lived in this country?” she asked a Latina news reporter.

Community Support Was Strong

The Westboro protesters never did cross over to the southeast corner where the biggest crowd of LGBTQ supporters awaited them. They included the Rev. Suzy Ward of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Visalia, one of numerous clergy at the event.

“The real message of Jesus is about love. And when you attack or marginalize groups of people, that’s not spreading the love of God. So that’s why I’m here,” Ward said.

Political opponents Elizabeth Jonasson Rosas and Joseph Aquino, running for the Roosevelt region seat, found common ground in support of Roosevelt’s students and the community.

“I’m here for our students,” Jonasson Rosas said. “Fresno Unified is a safe space for all of our kids. And I want to show our student body that they are supported, whoever they choose to be or whoever they are. They are part of this community and they are loved.”

Aquino, who is openly gay, said he was gratified by the large number of supporters who gathered at the street corner next to the high school.

” I think this is just a testament to show that our community is linking arms and we do not let anything stand in our way. It’s truly moving, and it touches me deep in my heart,” he said. “This is not a weak community. As you can see, we are a strong community. And, you know, despite our different views, we can see all of us here uniting for one thing, and that’s protecting our LGBTQ parents, our teachers, our educators, and most importantly, our students.”