... "Phelps’ most public era began in 1991 after alleged homosexual activity in a local Kansas park brought on his first protests. Taking his crusade national, he thrust himself into the spotlight for picketing after the 1998 murder of gay college student Matthew Shepard.
"Westboro Baptist picketed at the funerals of victims of everything from tornadoes to AIDS to school bus crashes, declaring the deaths retribution for society’s acceptance of homosexuality. The family says it spends $250,000 a year on travel, and the church’s website now claims to have staged more than 53,000 pickets."