Good reminder.
Ironically Phelps probably did as much as any other individual to help the gay rights movement pick up steam in the late '90s. Not on purpose of course, but in the same way that Emmet Till’s murderers and Chief Bull Connor orchestrated events that galvanized the civil rights movement in the 1950s.
As one longtime activist recently wrote:
I do not respect Fred Phelps, nor do I forgive the pain he inflicted, but I value him. I value what he contributed to the struggle for LGBT equality. I am grateful that because of his presence, millions woke up to understand homophobia better and to confront it. […] He achieved the most epic fail in modern history. Not only did he not inspire a single person to his point of view, he drove millions away in revulsion. For everything he lost in personal credibility and respect, he helped fortify the well being of those he sought to destroy.
