'Angels' guard Orlando shooting victim's funeral from extremist Westboro Baptist Church protesters

Suzette Gutierrez Cachila Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Many people dressed as angels stood guard to protect the funeral of an Orlando shooting victim from Westboro Baptist Church protesters.

The protesters, carrying anti-gay banners, were stopped by around 200 people wearing angels costumes who prevented the protesters from going near the funeral of Christopher Leinonen. The wings of the "angels" effectively blocked the protesters from view of the mourners who attended the funeral.

Supporters of the gay community stand outside a wake for Christopher Leinonen, who was killed in the shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando. June 17, 2016 05:09pm EDT | Reuters/Jim Young

"I think our presence here is just to show support for the families of the victims and we want to make sure that we're an ally," a supporter named Suzanne Draper said, according to BBC.

The angel costumes were created with the help of Orlando Shakespeare Theater's volunteers. Jim Helsinger, the group's director, said angel wings convey "loving support to the fallen" and invite people to stop the hate and anger, NBC News reported.

The idea is not really new. It came from a similar event in Wyoming in 1998 when the court was holding a trial for the murder suspects of the slain Matthew Shepard, a gay student.

Other supporters created a large rainbow screen to block the protesters.

"We originally made it as large as possible because we didn't know the location, we wanted to make sure we could block the [Westboro Baptist Church] signs," Wesley Wizner, one of the supporters said.

Westboro Baptist Church, a small organization of about 40 people, is known for its anti-gay stance and hate speeches against homosexuals. In its website, godhatesfags.com, WBC says it "engages in daily peaceful sidewalk demonstrations opposing the homosexual lifestyle of soul-damning, nation-destroying filth."

Leinonen, 32, was one of the victims of Omar Mateen, who shot openly at people at the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando, killing a total of 49 people and wounding over 50 others. Reports say Mateen was radicalized, having pledged allegiance to the terror group ISIS through a 911 phone call before committing the crime.