Anti-LGBT roundup 10.13.17
The following is a list of activities and events of anti-LGBT organizations. Organizations listed as anti-LGBT hate groups are designated with an asterisk.
Florida Family Policy Council
The FFPC is holding , which it bills as 鈥渢he conservative dinner event of the year.鈥� The event is scheduled for October 28 in Orlando.
The keynote speaker is Michael Farris, president of Alliance Defending Freedom* (a position he took early this year). The other guest is flower shop owner Barronelle Stutzman, one of ADF鈥檚 clients. Stutzman refused to provide flowers for a same-sex wedding in defiance of Washington State non-discrimination laws. ADF took her case, claiming her religious liberty is infringed upon because of non-discrimination laws.
The Washington Supreme Court of this year, but ADF the case to the U.S. Supreme Court in July.
In addition to ADF, Farris is also the founder of Patrick Henry College and the former director and founder of the Home School Legal Defense Association (he is still on the board), which that would better regulate home schooling and help protect such children from abuse and neglect.
ADF works nationally and internationally to curtail the rights of LGBT people through lawsuits and policy under the guise of so-called 鈥�religious liberty.鈥� ADF has also supported the criminalization of homosexual sex and sided with European states that required the sterilization of transgender people to change their government-issued documentation.
The organization also in Mississippi (H.B. 1523 went into effect Oct. 10 following a legal battle) that allows businesses to refuse service to LGBT people and others on the basis of religious beliefs or 鈥渕oral convictions.鈥� The law as cause for protection: marriage is between a man and a woman; people should not have sex outside such marriages; and a person鈥檚 gender should be set at birth.
Family Research Council*
The Family Research Council* is with Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) called 鈥淜eeping Our Military Ready: Why Radical Social Experimentation In Our Armed Forces Must End.鈥� FRC has expressed approval of President Trump鈥檚 ban on transgender people from serving in the military, saying in the description for this event, 鈥淭hankfully, the Trump administration intervened to stop this radical social experimentation and political correctness from negatively affecting the military鈥檚 true purpose: to fight and win wars.鈥�
Hartzler, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, has been a staunch opponent of trans people serving in the military and submitted an anti-trans amendment in July of this year to a spending bill. The amendment, which anything that had to do with 鈥渢he transgender agenda鈥� . Soon after, Trump on trans troops.
FRC that transgender people have an 鈥渦nderlying pathology鈥� and that the 鈥渟tate of being transgendered [sic] is extremely unstable.鈥� There is no reason, FRC claims, 鈥渢o affirm a distorted psychological self-concept that one鈥檚 鈥榞ender identity鈥� is different from one鈥檚 biological sex.鈥�
FRC鈥檚 annual Values Voter Summit kicked off Oct. 13 in Washington D.C. The Summit, a nexus of conservative political networking, will as former Trump advisor Steve Bannon; Frank Gaffney (of the anti-Muslim Center for Security Policy*); former Trump advisor Sebastian Gorka; Brigitte Gabriel (of the anti-Muslim ACT for America*); Alabama Republican senate candidate and anti-Muslim activists and .
This year President Trump becomes the first sitting president to address the Summit since its inception in 2006.
In more FRC news, the organization has for people to call if they are employees 鈥渨ho believe that they have suffered discrimination in the workplace based on their religious beliefs or practices.鈥� The 鈥渉otline鈥� is actually a website on which people can enter information and then 鈥渢wo highly regarded non-profit legal groups鈥� will 鈥渞eview the cases submitted.鈥� FRC did not specify which two organizations those are.
FRC has long been a proponent and purveyor of the 鈥�,鈥� in which the anti-LGBT right often peddles stories about alleged persecution of Christians in the U.S., and they serve to bolster the false narrative that a majority religious group in this country is being driven underground as a persecuted minority, and to reframe political losses as religious oppression.
FRC Radio Roundup:
FRC president Tony Perkins does a daily radio show, 鈥淲ashington Watch.鈥� Guests from Sept. 21 through October 13 have included Jerry Johnson (president, National Religious Broadcasters); Frank Gaffney (of the anti-Muslim Center for Security Policy*); Casey Mattox (attorney with the anti-LGBT Alliance Defending Freedom*); Sam Sorbo (actress); Phil Kerpen (president of American Commitment); Michael Brown (FIRE School of Ministry); Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC); State Rep. Kenny Havard (R-LA); Rev. Franklin Graham; author and conspiracy theorist Dinesh D鈥橲ouza; Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA); Nikita Vladamirov (Campus Reform); George Barna (Barna Research Group); Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH); Ramesh Ponnuru (Bloomberg View and visiting fellow, American Enterprise Institute); Alveda King (Civil Rights for the Unborn); David Bradshaw (Awaken the Dawn); Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX); David Smith (executive director, Illinois Family Institute*); Hannah Scherlacher (Campus Reform); John Torres (former DHS official); Carrie Severino (Judicial Crisis Network); Gov. Mike Huckabee; Randall Wenger (chief counsel, Pennsylvania Family Institute); Tim Graham (exec. editor, NewsBusters); Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ); Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ); Mississippi governor Phil Bryant; Jack Monday (Billy Graham Evangelistic Association international director of the Rapid Response Team); Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA and House Majority Whip); Rep. Dave Brat (R-VA); Ken Klukowski (First Liberty Institute); former congresswoman Michele Bachmann; Rep., Mike Johnson (R-LA); Jonathan Keller (California Family Council); Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC); Ken Cucinelli (president, Senate Conservatives Fund); Laura Ingraham (talk radio host and author); Brian Blase (special assistant to Trump); Lt. Col. Oliver North; James O鈥橩eefe (Project Veritas)
Liberty Counsel*
The Liberty Counsel* is involving itself in Romanian affairs. Harry Mihet, LC鈥檚 vice president of legal affairs and chief litigation counsel, is , who became the LC鈥檚 poster child for so-called 鈥渞eligious liberty鈥� when she refused to issue marriage licenses to gay couples following the Supreme Court ruling that legalized marriage equality nationwide.
According to a Liberty Counsel , over 鈥渢hree million Romanian citizens鈥� signed a petition 鈥渁sking for a nationwide referendum to define marriage as a one-man and one-woman union in the nation鈥檚 constitution,鈥� which, LC claims, 鈥渋s believed to be a world record.鈥� The press release states that Davis and Mihet are 鈥渉olding conferences in Romania鈥檚 largest cities鈥� and that their message is simple and based on lessons from the U.S., that same-sex marriage and freedom of conscience are mutally exclusive, 鈥渂ecause those who promote the former have zero tolerance for the latter.鈥� Davis and Mihet have allegedly met two archbishops of the powerful Orthodox Church and are scheduled to meet other leaders of Romania鈥檚 largest denomination.
Liberty Counsel, long a purveyor of anti-LGBT rhetoric including the demonization of LGBT people, linking homosexuality to pedophilia, and propagating known falsehoods about LGBT people, has been active in Romania for at least a year. In July 2016, the group (PDF) to the Constitutional Court of Romania to encourage the adoption of a constitution in that country that defines marriage as one man and one woman (presumably heterosexual and cisgender).
The brief, in which Liberty Counsel referred to itself as a 鈥渃ivil liberties organization,鈥� is a litany of anti-LGBT pseudoscience as well as right-wing conspiracy theories around sex researcher Alfred Kinsey (who died in 1956), with one section of the brief titled 鈥淜insey Used Child Molesters to Convince the World that All Sexual Activity Is Normal and Acceptable.鈥�
On the first page of the brief, Liberty Counsel links homosexuality to pedophilia, stating 鈥淪ame-sex 鈥榤arriage鈥� is grounded in fraudulent 鈥榬esearch鈥� based on skewed demographics and the sexual abuse of hundreds of infants and children鈥� (emphasis in original).
The brief also cites the discredited Regnerus Study as evidence that gay parents are dangerous to children鈥檚 well-being and then devotes pages to claiming that homosexuality is dangerous to public health, stating on one page that 鈥渢he nature of the sexual acts in which same-sex couples engage carry health risks that are not as prevalent, or in some cases, not present at all, in heterosexual individuals.鈥�
Engaging in homosexual conduct is dangerous, and endorsing and subsidizing听 same-sex union and treating them as marriages is an endorsement of conduct that does not benefit society, but rather harms it by creating irresponsible and unhealthy people.
MassResistance*
The Texas chapter of the anti-LGBT hate group , which launched earlier this year, is holding a conference called Nov. 17-18 at the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Longtime anti-LGBT activist Robert Oscar L贸pez, the president of the Texas chapter, teaches at the Seminary. L贸pez resigned a teaching position in June 2016 from Cal State Northridge amidst against students who accused him of creating a hostile learning environment.
Slated speakers at the Teens4Truth Conference include Texas state senator (who is also an emergency room physician); Texas state representative ; Pastor of the U.S. Pastor Council; , president of the anti-LGBT group Texas Values and David Pickup.
Welch has as 鈥渟exual deviancy鈥� and Annise Parker as a 鈥渟odomite.鈥� He opposed Muslims holding leadership positions in government and labeled a federal judge a 鈥渄omestic enemy鈥� for ruling against the military鈥檚 anti-LGBT 鈥淒on鈥檛 Ask, Don鈥檛 Tell鈥� policy.
Saenz that an LGBT graduation ceremony promotes 鈥渄angerous and risky sexual activity that can fiercely jeopardize a person鈥檚 well-being,鈥� the harmful and discredited practice of ex-gay therapy and marriage equality will lead to people marrying their stepchildren.
David Pickup claims to be 鈥渆x-gay鈥� and currently works as a therapist who also advertises harmful ex-gay therapy on his website. , Texas and was a plaintiff in a lawsuit that challenged California鈥檚 2012 ban on ex-gay therapy for minors.
Campbell in Texas in 2013 and 2014 earlier in 2017 (the bill was eventually a special legislative session). Simmons in April (HB 2899; the Texas Protection Act) of this year that would ban local municipalities from adopting nondiscrimination ordinances, which will effectively ensure the legalization of discrimination against LGBT people as well as other groups. The bill would also nullify such ordinances already in place. HB 2899 in June.
NARTH Institute (Alliance for Therapeutic Choice and Scientific Integrity)
The ex-gay therapy organization NARTH Institute (formerly just NARTH; National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality) will be holding its in Salt Lake City Oct. 20-21. The Institute operates under the umbrella of the Alliance for Therapeutic Choice and Scientific Integrity.
The keynote speaker is pediatrician Michelle Cretella, president of the American College of Pediatricians*, named a hate group because of its propagation of damaging falsehoods about LGBT people, including homosexuality to pedophilia and claiming they鈥檙e a . ACPeds broke away from the 60,000-member American Academy of Pediatrics when it issued a statement in 2002 in support of same-sex couples as adoptive and foster parents.
Cretella, a of harmful ex-gay therapy, has also 鈥渢ransgender ideology鈥� has infiltrated her field 鈥渁nd produced large-scale child abuse.鈥� She serves on the NARTH board.
Also speaking at the event is , head of . Mostly active in international circles via the United Nations, Slater is also a proponent of ex-gay therapy, and has disseminated numerous materials about it, including a 鈥�.鈥� Slater has also of homosexual sex.
Sessions at the institute include 鈥淗ow to Treat Homosexuality Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder with Mindfulness Meditation and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy in the Context of Reparative Therapy鈥�; 鈥淐lient history and underlying emotional 鈥榬oadblocks鈥� that prevent changes in a client鈥檚 sexuality鈥�; and another bashing the 人兽性交, Human Rights Campaign, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights.
Judicial and Legislative updates
Mississippi
Mississippi鈥檚 so-called 鈥渞eligious liberty鈥� law Oct. 10. The bill gives individuals, private associations, and religiously affiliated organizations a license to legally discriminate against LGBT people and others under the guise of three now-codified 鈥渟incerely held religious beliefs.鈥� These include the belief that marriage is reserved for one man and one woman, that sexual relations are reserved for that type of marriage, and sex and gender are immutable from birth.
The law the 鈥渂roadest religious-objections state law enacted since the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in 2015.鈥� The states that the government cannot act against individuals who refuse to treat, counsel, perform gender affirmation surgery, provide psychological services, or provide fertility services to people based on the now-codified religious beliefs.
The law lists other situations in which the state cannot take action, including against an employer for terminating someone鈥檚 employment on the basis of the codified beliefs or for refusing housing on that basis and the law explicitly allows employers and schools to establish sex-specific standards and policies concerning employee or student dress or grooming.
Alliance Defending Freedom* was in drafting, promoting, and .
Texas
President Trump has put forth Jeff Mateer as a nominee for a federal judgeship in Texas. Mateer is with the right-wing First Liberty Institute (formerly Liberty Institute), a Christian legal organization based in Plano, Texas that under the guise of 鈥渞eligious liberty.鈥�
Mateer, currently serving as first assistant attorney general who听has , came under greater scrutiny when it that he made anti-LGBT听comments in two 2015 speeches, claiming that transgender children are proof that 鈥淪atan鈥檚 plan is working鈥� and that same-sex marriage is a harbinger for polygamy and bestiality. Mateer also attended a 2015 conference sponsored by Colorado pastor and radio host Kevin Swanson, who has preached听 the biblical punishment for homosexuality is death. At that conference, Mateer lamented that states were banning ex-gay therapy.
Mateer a local Texas ordinance extending local protections to LGBT people that the separation of church and state does not exist in the Constitution.
Trump also nominated Matthew Kacsmaryk, also of FLI, for a federal judgeship in Texas.
FLI is led by attorney Kelly Shackelford, who has a in Texas battling LGBT rights and abortion and in order to push religious liberty exemptions that allow discrimination against LGBT people.
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