Westboro Baptist Church to Target Bellevue Victim's Funeral

Westboro Baptist Church, the Kansas-based group that seizes on current events to spread their anti-gay message, plans to picket the funeral of Bellevue mom Gloria Koch Leonidas, who was .

The group posted on its website that it plans to be at the St. Demetrios Church in Seattle between 10:15 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. before heading to the King County Courthouse to protest. They plan to end their protest at St. Demetrios about 15 minutes before the start of. 

The protest and other events planned in Western Washington are scheduled to coincide with the filing of signatures to add to the November ballot Referendum 74, which seeks to overturn . For a referendum, the sponsors need to submit at least 120,577 valid signatures of Washington registered voters. If the R-74 challenge is certified for a public vote in November, the law stays on hold until the voters have their say. Here's the Secretary of State's explanation of what will happen if the minimum required signatures are filed today, June 6.

Several organizing events have popped up on Facebook to organize a "shield family and friends of shooting victim" and a "whatever you want to call it against Westboro Baptist Church."

Westboro-counter protesters say that they plan to protest quietly and act as a "buffer" at the funeral.

In specific regard to Gloria Koch Leonidas's funeral, Gloria was not shot at Cafe Racer. She was shot in the subsequent car-jacking on 8th & Seneca. I and others plan to gather with peaceful loving intent in a manner that will shield those attending services from the hateful and inflammatory message of WBC. This a somber, peaceful event that seeks to create safe respectful space for those attending the funeral. We don't want to politicize or even disrupt the funeral if possible.

However, Hank Kerns, funeral director at Sunset Hills Memorial Park and Funeral Home, says that Leonidas' family has requested that all protesters -- both the Westboro protesters and the counter protesters -- be asked to leave.

Kern also says that it's likely that the Westboro church will not show up.

"They always say that, and then they never do," he said. "They like to make a stink, but they never come."

Kern said that in case Westboro does show up, the funeral home has adequate arrangements to deal with the group.

Washington in 2007 made laws protecting funerals from protests.