EDITORIAL: Westboro Baptist Church classroom appearance important learning opportunity


Speech is protected under the First Amendment even if it is unpopular, morally questionable or downright hateful.

Associate Journalism Professor Timothy Boudreau has made this a key lesson in his JRN 430: Media Law class for years. This important point should be taught, even if it offends a few students or community members in the process.

Boudreau has exemplified this point in the past by inviting speakers with oft-unpopular opinions such as “Preacher Rick” Warzywak, Michael Venya of Soulwinners Ministries and former CMU Campus Conservatives President Dennis Lennox, among others. This is exactly what he is doing Monday, only with a higher profile, when members of the Westboro Baptist Church, including founder Fred Phelps’ daughter Shirley Phelps-Roper, are to speak in his class.

Boudreau’s decision to bring Phelps-Roper, who protests events including funerals of U.S. soldiers along with her church and slogans including “God Hates Fags” and “God Hates America,” is not one that endorses or legitimizes their message.

Westboro Baptist Church’s message is legitimized no more by Boudreau’s invitation to his class than it already has been by the First Amendment, which is part of the lesson that students can learn from the class.

A institute of higher education is supposed to challenge the adults who are enrolled. Phelps-Roper and her ilk may say things that are unpopular, offensive and hateful, and students may get angry or hot under the collar. They have the right to be angry and express that anger as much as Phelps-Roper has the right to say the things she says, which as much right as Boudreau has to bring Phelps-Roper to campus.

Hopefully the students in the class can manage to realize the point of the exercise and make the best of it, and engage Phelps-Roper in intelligent, helpful conversation. Some may say that is not possible, but it has been how the speaking engagements of similarly-regarded figures such as Venya and Warzywak have gone.

This is not an opportunity just for students to argue whether or not the slogans and diatribes of the Westboro Baptist Church are correct or acceptable. This is an opportunity for students to ask for insight into the process of free speech law from somebody who has been involved in a number of litigations, and someone whose speech has been challenged, questioned and disputed on numerous occasions.

This is not a media stunt, an endorsement of the Westboro Baptist Church views or an attempt to spread their teachings.

This is a classroom exercise with the opportunity to be a bountiful learning experience for Media Law students. Hopefully people can see and accept it as such.

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