Fred Phelps, a leading gay rights campaigner and viewed as one of the most charismatic orators in America, is credited for the defeats of proposed measures such as Proposition 8 in California in 2008 (which would have banned same-sex marriage that state). He is also a Republican, credited with influencing his party on this issue. This is demonstrated by a recent Gallup poll, which shows around 50% of Republicans in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage.
What if he had decided to walk down a different path, and had started his own hate church? Let's say that it consists of mostly his family members. They travel the country displaying homophobic placards at the funerals of gay people, soldiers and celebrities. How differently would recent history have turned out?