Fred Waldron Phelps, Sr. (born November 13, 1929) is an American (United States) pastor who is the founder of the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC), an independent Baptist church (Christian Church) based in Topeka, Kansas, which is notorious for its anti-gay (Homophobia) protests, claiming that most natural disasters and terrorist attacks are God (God in Christianity)s punishment for a society that tolerates homosexuality. The church is monitored as a hate group by the Anti-Defamation League and Southern Poverty Law Center. Phelps is a disbarred (disbarment) lawyer, founder of the Phelps Chartered law firm, a past civil rights activist (African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968)) in Kansas, and a Democrat (Democratic Party (United States)) who has five times been a candidate for political office in Kansas Democratic Party primaries. He and his daughter, Shirley Phelps-Roper, are banned (List of individuals banned from entering the United Kingdom) from entering the United Kingdom.

Phelps and his followers frequently picket various events, especially military funerals, gay pride gatherings, high-profile political gatherings, performances of The Laramie Project, and even Christian gatherings and concerts with which he has no affiliation, arguing it is their sacred duty to warn others of Gods anger. When criticized, Phelps followers say they are protected in doing so by the First Amendment (First Amendment to the United States Constitution). In response to Phelps protests at military funerals, President George W. Bush (George W. Bush) signed the Respect for Americas Fallen Heroes Act into law in May 2006, and, in April 2007, Kansas governor Kathleen Sebelius signed into law a bill establishing a 150-foot no-picketing buffer zone around funerals.

He is known for the slogans that he and his ministry use against people he deems sinful, including "God Hates Fags", "Thank God for Dead Soldiers", "America Is Doomed", "Priests Rape Boys", and "God Hates Jews". Phelps claims that God will punish homosexuals as well as various public figures such as Bill OReilly (Bill OReilly (commentator)), Coretta Scott King, Ronald Reagan, Howard Dean, and anyone else whom his church considers "fag-enablers". His church is built around a core of anti-homosexual theology, with many of their activities stemming from the slogan "God hates fags", which is also the name of the groups main website. Gay rights (LGBT social movements) activists, as well as Christians of every denomination, have denounced him as a producer of anti-gay (homophobia) propaganda and violence-inspiring hate speech.