The Westboro Baptist Church is infamous for their protests at soldiers' funerals across the United States. Taught his father's extreme version of Calvinism from an early age, Nate Phelps was accompanied by extreme physical punishments and abuse, extreme dietary and health requirements and other severe expectations.
He left home on his 18th birthday and moved to California, where he built a new life away from his family. He later moved to Canada and only recently began speaking out about his story. Today, he lives in Calgary, Alberta, and works for the Center for Inquiry, is a vocal LGBT advocate and speaks out against the dangers of extremist religion and child abuse.
The SCC Multicultural Programming Committee is sponsoring the lecture. The college is located at 4601 Mid Rivers Mall Drive in Cottleville. For more information, contact Mandi Smith, student activities manager, at asmith@stchas.edu.
St. Charles Community College is a public, comprehensive two-year community college with associate degrees and certificate programs in the arts, business, sciences and career-technical fields. SCC provides workforce training and community-based personal and professional development as well as cultural, recreational and entertainment opportunities. For more information, visit www.stchas.edu.