FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - The Westboro Baptist Church is scheduled to speak outside two Fresno County high schools later this month, but why is their expected arrival sparking such a response? The planned preaching sparked an immediate reaction from both Kings Canyon Unified School District and Fresno Unified School District, both stating that they would be boosting security ahead of the visit. Westboro Baptist Church to speak outside schools in Fresno, Reedley Westboro Baptist Church is known for its anti-gay beliefs. Its members travel across the country to carry out protests at military funerals, in front of holocaust museums and other locations in order to spread their ideologies. The group is set to speak outside Roosevelt High School in Fresno on Oct. 28 and outside Reedley High School on Oct. 31. This event is not at all affiliated with our school and has not been planned in collaboration with Fresno Unified. It will take place outside of school hours. Fresno Unified School District “We bring this gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, preaching to every creature, so that in the day of judgment, which is upon this nation, as is her destruction, there will be none that can say I did not know,” Shirley Phelps-Roper with the Westboro Baptist Church said in a statement to YourCentralValley.com. In a statement, the City of Reedley described itself as a diverse community that respects one another, honors one another, and treats one another with dignity. "As City employees, however, we have taken an oath to uphold the Constitution which guarantees them their right to free speech, regardless of how incendiary and divisive we may personally find their message," said Reedley City Manager Nicole Zieba. ‘Stand up’: Local groups to counter Westboro Baptist Church valley visits Others have also come out against the Westboro Baptist Church's message, including LGBTQ Fresno and Fresno State Communications Professor Douglas Fraleigh. "I disagree with just about everything they stand for personally," Fraleigh said. But Fraleigh also says, that no matter how much he disagrees with the church, he acknowledges their right to speak freely. "Hate speech, although often very repugnant, under the current status of the First Amendment cannot be prohibited just on the grounds that it's bad or it's objectionable or it's wrong," said Fraleigh. According to Fraleigh, unless it can be proven that a person's speech has the intent of causing violence that person's language cannot be restricted. So while the Westboro Baptist Church is free to do and say whatever it wants - Fraleigh says everyone else is as well. "The First Amendment has had a lot to do with advocacy that has caused a change," Fraleigh said. "If you look at public opinion polls on support for marriage equality, it's gone up by quite a bit over the past 20 years and public advocacy has had definitely a role in that" Fraleigh says he's heard of many advocates who are ready to counter-protest the church and he thinks that may be one of the best ways to take a stand against them. "The best remedy for bad speech is more speech," said Farleigh.