Conservative organization Westboro Baptist Church has announced plans to picket SM East on Jan. 19. 

The church, founded in 1955, began its protests in Topeka in 1991 under the leadership of Pastor Fred Phelps. The causes they picket against include LGBT rights, the military and people of the Jewish and Catholic faiths. 

A news release, published on the WBC website on Dec. 25, named SM East and Olathe Northwest as the two area schools to be targeted by upcoming protests. 

“The high schools of the United States are full of students that have been brought up on a steady diet of lies including: It’s okay to be gay; God loves everyone; Transgender can’t be helped, Fornication is to be expected; Divorce is normal,” the press release said. 

This is not the first time the church has targeted SM East. A picket was staged at the school in 2009 in protest of the openly-gay homecoming king the student body elected in 2007. 

Though a specific cause was not given for the protest at East on Jan. 19, the news release cited the reason for the Olathe Northwest protest as the school’s Gender-Sexuality Alliance. 

“Olathe Northwest High School has a Gender-Sexuality Alliance club that’s sole purpose is to push sodomite-values down the throats of every single person at the high school,” the statement read. “If anyone complains about the…filth that they promulgate every day, they claim “discrimination”.”

In advance of the protest, SM East principal John McKinney sent a message to students and their families. 

“In addition to ensuring the safety of our students and staff, I have also met with student representatives to discuss peaceful, positive ways to counter the WBC’s efforts,” McKinney said. “Please keep in mind that while we are taking this group’s presence and proximity to the SME campus very seriously, we do not want to draw unintentional and unwarranted attention to their efforts.” 

At the 2009 protest, the church was largely ignored by students and staff, and as a result the protest ended early. With this in mind, the students of East are being encouraged to avoid interaction with the protesters.

WBC did not respond to the Mission’s request for comment.