When Kevin Oldham, a homosexual musician, died of AIDS-related causes in 1993, Phelps Sr. sent a photo of Kevin to his parents. The photo contained the caption: "Kevin Oldham: Dead ***".
The group came into the national spotlight in 1998, when they were featured on CNN for picketing the funeral of Matthew Shepard, a young man from Wyoming who was beaten to death by two men because of his homosexuality. Phelps Sr. claimed that Shepard's murder was unjust (and the Westboro's website states that Shepard's murderers face the same fate as Shepard – eternity in hell unless they repent), his overt activism against Shepard's sexual orientation, regardless of the mourning of Shepard's family and friends (he called Shepard's mother, Judy, a whore and a "mother from Hell" during the memorial service and told her she'd "soon be joining Matthew").
On Westboro's website, Phelps Sr. maintains a "Perpetual Gospel Memorial" to Shepard. There is a similar "memorial" to Diane Whipple, a lesbian woman killed in a dog attack. Some direct quotes/images from the Shepard page:
A photograph of Matthew Shepard's face with animated flames dancing across it. When the cursor is moved across his face, viewers with a sound card will hear screams and a high-pitched voice shrieking "For God's sake, listen to Phelps!"
A counter which displays how many days Matthew Shepard has "Been in Hell".
The group has also picketed Billy Graham revivals, alleging that the evangelist will burn in Hell for failing to propagate the "God Hates ****" doctrine. In October 2004, the group protested Graham's mass meetings, calling the 85 year-old preacher a "Hell-bound false prophet".
In press releases, WBC referred to Topeka mayor James McClinton as a "wife-beating tyrant". McClinton, who is black, was portrayed in the press release as a gorilla in a suit with a swastika armband.
A WBC member picketing the memorial in Buckhannon, West Virginia on January 15, 2006, Westboro members protested the memorial of 2006 Sago Mine disaster victims claiming that the mining accident was God's revenge against America for its tolerance of homosexuality.
The Westboro Baptist Church declared its intention to picket the funerals of other soldiers as well and did so in August 2005. A group from the church protested at the funeral of Spc. Edward Myers, a soldier from St. Joseph, Missouri, who died in Iraq. Shirley Phelps-Roper (one of Phelps Sr.'s daughters and the main author of the WBC Epics and Hate Letters) told a television reporter, "Who would serve a nation that is Godless and has flipped off, defiantly defied, defiantly flipped off, the Lord their God?" She then reiterated her belief that Myers was burning in Hell.
After University of Missouri coach Kyle Hawkins "came out" as openly homosexual, WBC members announced plans to picket the University and all of Missouri's lacrosse games.
In the wake of the Amish school shooting, members of Westboro Baptist Church planned on picketing the funerals of the five girls killed in the shooting. Their signs were going to call the girls "whores" and that they are "burning in hell". In an attempt to stop them, news radio personality/host Mike Gallagher attempted to dissuade them. After WBC first rejected a monetary offer, Gallagher offered them an hour of unrestricted airtime on his show. WBC accepted, and the picket was called off.
In February of 2007, the WBC threatened to picket the funeral of ten Bardstown, Kentucky family members who died in a fire as well as a similar one in Tennessee where four children died in a fire. In both instances, fliers were sent to the communities stating that God “hates” both states “for promoting sodomy and immorality” and for the states “rabidly persecuting” the church. However, on the Friday before the Bardstown funerals, the church elected to use an hour of radio time to promote their message.
The WBC has also been picketing against Sweden because the pastor Åke Green was convicted for hate speech after having called homosexuality a cancer in one of his sermons. WBC has also been sending abusive faxes to Princess Madeleine of Sweden.
On the day of the April 16, 2007 campus massacre on the Virginia Tech campus, the church declared its intent to protest the funerals of the students killed. In a deal similar to that struck for the victims of the Amish school shooting, Gallagher and the church have independently announced that the church has agreed to not protest these funerals in lieu of three hours of unrestricted airtime on his show.
On August 2, 2007 they have announced they will be picketing those who have died when the I-35W Mississippi River bridge collapsed.
On December 6, 2007 they announced they would be present at the December 8, 2007 re-opening of Westroads Mall in Omaha, Nebraska to "thank God" for the Westroads Mall massacre and would be present at the victims' funerals.
On January 22, 2008 they announced they will be picketing at Heath Ledger's funeral.