BOYSTOWN — Westboro Baptist is coming. Maybe.
The Kansas-based church, which is known for its anti-gay ideology and frequent funeral pickets, has announced it will protest Pride Fest at 4 p.m. Saturday outside the Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St.
Westboro Baptist has taken to social media this week, posting picket-sign photos and a short video that said: "The competition is FIERCE for scoring a spot to picket the Chicago PrideFest!"
Pride organizers don't seem too concerned.
"Every year, there's always a couple people who have [anti-gay] signs," said Jennifer Gordon of the Northalsted Business Alliance, which organizes Pride Fest.
"Everyone's too focused on celebrating Pride and having a good time to care," she said. "It's just not worth our time."
This isn't the first time Westboro Baptist has tried to picket in Chicago.
When the controversial church sent five people to protest outside the Center on Halsted in 2008, ChicagoPride.com reports, more than 100 members of the LGBT community gathered to block the message.
In 2013, Westboro Baptist threatened to picket Roger Ebert's funeral and a Chicago Bulls playoff game, ChicagoPride.com reports. The church never showed.
