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March 31, 2010

Father of Dead US Marine Ordered to Pay Anti-Gay Protesters
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A Pennsylvania man has been ordered to pay the appeal costs of a
homophobic church that held a protest at his son’s military funeral. The
father, Albert Snyder, initially won a $5 million judgment against the
Westboro Baptist Church, which demonstrates outside military funerals to
publicize its anti-gay views. Church members believe that military
deaths are God’s punishment for homosexuality in the United States.
Snyder’s son, Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, was killed in Iraq in
2006. A federal appeals court overturned the $5 million penalty last
year after ruling the church’s First Amendment rights were violated.
Just last week, the court ordered Snyder to pay Westboro over $16,000 to
cover the costs of its successful appeal.



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