Fringe church plans protest at Trinity

Members of the Kansas-based church who believe the deaths of U.S. troops are God’s punishment for the nation’s tolerance of homosexuality have planned a protest at Trinity High School in October.
Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka is planning an Interstate 70 GodSmack tour from the church to Washington, D.C., with numerous stops along the way.
It details its itinerary for protests on its website and does not give any specific reason for choosing Trinity, except to say it’s the next stop on the I-70 tour. The protest will occur during the high school’s dismissal on Oct. 4. The church did not respond to an e-mail Wednesday asking why Trinity was chosen for the protest.
However, on its itinerary, the church accuses parents and teachers “across this doomed nation” of raising their children for the devil and said “so-called adults teach the students to be vain, selfish, sinful, violent, lusty, God-hating brats who turn the grace of our God into lasciviousness.”
“I won’t comment on ignorance,” Trinity Superintendent Paul Kasunich said Wednesday when asked about the reasons for the church’s planned protest.
However, he said, the church sent a letter to North Franklin Township police about its constitutionally protected plan to protest at the school.
Kasunich said he doesn’t know why the church picked Trinity. He suspects its because the group is traveling through the region and Trinity is a big district with name recognition along the path being taken.
He said he will meet with North Franklin police to discuss security during the protest. There will be additional security, he said.
The church members have the legal right to protest, but Kasunich said he will not allow protesters to jeopardize the health and safety of students and staff.
The church is known for its members going to the funerals of fallen service members and holding up signs that say “God Hates Fags.”