Protesters were undeterred, arguing doctrine with those who stopped to talk.

"It educates these children, I'll tell you," Reverend Phelps said, gesturing to a girl holding a "Save the Gerbils" sign. He said most of the children traveling with him are his grandchildren.

After meeting the motorcade, the group moved to the Massachusetts State House in Boston, where they demonstrated against U.S. Rep. Barney E. Frank '61-'62 (D-Mass.), who is openly gay.

The group drew less attention at the State House, though some stopped to stare.

"I'm sickened," said Melissa Swanson, a student at Suffolk University. "It makes me ill that someone is standing in front of my State House with these signs."

Captain of the State House Rangers Ted Oliver brought a group of guards to the sidewalk to protect the protesters.

"As a Christian man, I really find it offensive," he said. "They should research their own literature."

The group planned to picket at the Fleet Center, where Chicago Bulls star Dennis Rodman was scheduled to play on Friday night. They were also scheduled to demonstrate at Memorial Church on Saturday afternoon against Rev. Peter J. Gomes, Plummer professor of Christian morals and Pusey minister in the Memorial Church, after their trip to Provincetown on Saturday morning. They did not appear.

Reverend Phelps was ordained by the Southern Baptist Church in 1947, but said that his church is no longer affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. He described the organization as "an old-school Baptist church."

The Westboro Baptist Church maintains a Web site located at http://www.godhatesfags.com.