Shirley Phelps-Roper | |
|---|---|
 Phelps-Roper in 2007 | |
| Born | Shirley Lynn Phelps (1957-10-31)October 31, 1957 (age 67) Topeka, Kansas, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Washburn University (BA,JD) |
| Spouse | Brent Roper |
| Children | 11, includingMegan |
| Parent(s) | Fred Phelps Margie Marie Simms |
| Relatives | Nathan Phelps (brother) |
Shirley Lynn Phelps-Roper (néePhelps; born October 31, 1957) is an Americanlawyer andpolitical activist. She was the lead spokesperson of theWestboro Baptist Church ofTopeka, Kansas, an organization that protests againsthomosexuality conducted under the slogan "God Hates Fags" until a power struggle within the organization reduced her status.[1]
Shirley Phelps was born October 31, 1957, inTopeka, Kansas.[2] She is the daughter of Margie Marie (Simms) and pastorFred Phelps, minister of theWestboro Baptist Church, anindependent church characterized as ahate group by theAnti-Defamation League and theSouthern Poverty Law Center.[3][4][5] She obtained a Bachelor of Arts in criminal justice in 1979 and a Juris Doctor degree in 1981 fromWashburn University in Topeka.[2][6]
Phelps-Roper practices law for Phelps-Chartered Co., the Phelps family's law firm established by her father in 1964.[7] According to her firm's web page, she has been licensed to practice in Kansas and federal courts.[6]
Besides her father Fred, Shirley Phelps-Roper was the most active spokesperson of the Westboro Baptist Church and answered many of the e-mails sent to the church in a column called "Dear Shirley".[8] She and other family members have become known for picketing at funerals ofAIDS victims with signs such as "God hates fags" and atfuneral processions for American soldiers killed in combat.[9][10]
In 2006, in the aftermath of theWest Nickel Mines School shooting, Phelps-Roper was invited toHannity & Colmes onFox News. During the interview,Alan Colmes questioned Phelps-Roper as to whether the fiveAmish girls deserved to die, to which she responded that they did, prompting condemnation by Colmes and co-hostSean Hannity who called her sick and evil.[11] In February 2008, Phelps-Roper traveled to the community ofDeKalb, Illinois, to picket memorials for the victims of theNorthern Illinois University shooting. Phelps-Roper said that "God [had] sent the shooter" because they "don't love Christ". Her plans, however, to picket other university memorials were blocked.[12]
By 2014, Phelps-Roper's duties as spokesperson for the Westboro Church had been reduced after a power struggle within the church, and her authority transferred to an all-male board ofelders.[13][14]
Phelps-Roper was arrested on June 5, 2007, on suspicion of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Police alleged that she allowed her son to trample an American flag while protesting the funeral of a soldier inBellevue, Nebraska, which is a misdemeanor in the state.[15] Phelps-Roper announced her intent to challenge the constitutionality of the Nebraska statute. The charges against her were dropped when she agreed to dismiss pending lawsuits filed against Sarpy County in state and federal court.[16][17][18]
Phelps-Roper was named a defendant in the Supreme Court caseSnyder v. Phelps. She has been placed on thelist of individuals banned from entering the United Kingdom for "fostering extremism or hatred".[9]
Phelps-Roper is married to Brent D. Roper and they have 11 children. Five of her children, notablyMegan Phelps-Roper, have left the church.[19][20][21]
In a 2007Channel 4 documentary featuring Welsh personalityKeith Allen, Phelps-Roper said on camera that her oldest son, Samuel, was born out of wedlock. When asked if she would go to hell for her actions, Phelps-Roper explained that "I know better" and had "put away" such behavior.[22][23]
Drain as church spokesman marked a shift from Shirley Phelps-Roper, the former longtime church spokeswoman, who was clearly a leader and an influence in the church.
