This should be interesting.
Nate Phelps, estranged son of the infamous Westboro Baptist Church Pastor Fred Phelps, plans to speak at an atheist rally.
Never ones to miss a chance to picket, Westboro church supporters will protest the so-called Reason Rally, according to a news release from SecularStudents.org
"Nate Phelps brings a powerful voice and story to the rally," Reason Rally organizer David Silverman said in the release. "He shows us all that if you can come out as an atheist in that family, it's possible anywhere."
The younger Phelps is described on his website as an LGBT advocate who, "speaks out against the dangers of religion and child abuse."
The site says Phelps left his father's home at midnight on his 18th birthday after enduring "extreme physical punishments and abuse, extreme dietary and health requirements, and other extreme expectations," while growing up under his father, according to the site.
The Reason Rally release has more on the gathering, scheduled for March, 24:
The Reason Rally, billed as the largest gathering of the secular movement in the nation's history, is a free event on the National Mall with the intent to "unify, energize, and embolden" nonreligious Americans to gain legislative and social equality.
Richard Dawkins, comedian Eddie Izzard, and the band Bad Religion are expected to attend.
In the past, the Westboro Baptist Church has gained national attention for a number of controversial moves, such as protesting at the funerals of US soldiers.
