Photos: Worlds Collide Outside Obama Speech: Randall Terry, Code Pink, Militant Gays and the 'God Hates Fags' Folks Commune in DC

Posted by Adele Stan, AlterNet at 11:35 PM on October 10, 2009.

Outside the Walter Washington Convention Center in our nation's capital, revelers arriving for the annual awards dinner of the Human Rights Campaign, which bills itself as "the largest national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization," were greeted by members of Westboro Baptist Church -- also known as the home to the "God Hates Fags" crowd. Also on hand were members of Code Pink, the radical women's anti-war organization; Operation Rescue founder Randall Terry with a small band of followers and a giant photo of a dismembered fetus; and 100 or so LGBT activists who protested against HRC and Obama for being too passive in the march toward full equality.

all photos (c) 2009 by Adele M. Stan

Greetings, Earthlings (from the "God Hates Fags" crew of the Westboro Baptist Church).



God sure seems to be doin' a lotta hatin'.



Arguing the Bible with the "fag" hater. Think anybody's mind got changed?

Can't we all get along?



Code Pink is peacefully annoyed with the president.



Randall Terry calls for homosexuals to stop killing babies -- wait, no, didn't anybody focus-group this? --



-- urges homosexuals to repent before a giant photograph of a dismembered fetus.



I prefer to smolder, actually...



Just because you're queer, it doesn't mean you love Obama -- or the Human Rights Campaign. LGBT advocates march in front of Convention Center.



Rick Warren has not been forgotten.



Close-up of Rick Warren sign.



No more Mr. Nice Guy.



Obama had promised to be a "fierce advocate" for LGBT rights. Evidently, some people think, "not so much."



From Davis, Calif., where they lead the Yolo County chapter of Marriage Equality USA, one married couple -- the second same-sex couple married in California in the months before Proposition 8 overturned marriage equality -- joyfully put their relationship in the face of their opponents. Together 35 years, Ellen Pontac...



...and Shelly Bailes...



...have at this guy, who stood above the crowd shouting through a bullhorn a call for repentance. "I used to be a homosexual," he crowed. But now he's cured.



Bullhorn guy's sign (partially blocked by Shelly and Ellen's).



Rainbow crowd moves in to block bullhorn guy with their signs and flags.



Shelly and Ellen show us what it's really all about.

Tagged as: code pink, fred phelps, randall terry, obama lgbt, human rights campaign, obama hrc speech, god hates fags

Adele M. Stan is AlterNet's Washington bureau chief.