Editing Matthew Shepard (section)

==Anti-gay protests==
Members of the [[Westboro Baptist Church]], led by [[Fred Phelps]], received national attention for picketing Shepard's funeral with signs bearing [[homophobia|homophobic]] slogans, such as "Matt in Hell" and "God Hates Fags".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gaytoday.com/garchive/events/101498ev.htm|title=Top Story|publisher=Gay Today|access-date=January 3, 2012|archive-date=April 4, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120404163159/http://www.gaytoday.com/garchive/events/101498ev.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

Church members also mounted anti-gay protests during the trials of Henderson and McKinney.<ref>{{cite web |title=Put the victim on trial? |last=Cullen |first=Dave |work=Salon |url=https://www.salon.com/2001/01/02/shepard |date=October 11, 1999 |access-date=November 27, 2017 |archive-date=December 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201042752/https://www.salon.com/2001/01/02/shepard |url-status=live }}</ref> In response, [[Romaine Patterson]], one of Shepard's friends, organized a group that assembled in a circle around the Westboro Baptist Church protesters. The group wore white robes and gigantic wings (resembling [[angel]]s) that blocked the protesters. Despite this, Shepard's parents were able to hear the protesters shouting anti-gay remarks and comments directed toward them. The police intervened and created a human barrier between the two groups.<ref name="CNN-pleads"/> 

[[Angel Action]] was founded by Patterson in April 1999.<ref name="CNN-pleads">{{cite news|title=Suspect pleads guilty in beating death of gay college student|url=http://www.cnn.com/US/9904/05/gay.attack.trail.02|date=April 5, 1999|access-date=January 18, 2007|publisher=CNN |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070102094210/http://www.cnn.com/US/9904/05/gay.attack.trail.02|archive-date=January 2, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Whole World Was Watching|url=http://www.paraview.com/patterson/index.htm|access-date=January 18, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061015183949/http://www.paraview.com/patterson/index.htm|archive-date=October 15, 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref>