Anti-LGBT roundup of events and activities 5/3/18
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.
American Family Association*
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The听American Family Association听(AFA)is protesting a move by the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) to allow girls into its ranks, though the BSA鈥檚 announcement听.
According to BSA, girls can now start participating in Cub Scouts and BSA will begin implementing a program that allows older girls to advance and earn Eagle Scout rank.
Ed Vitagliano, AFA鈥檚 executive vice president, acknowledged听听of AFA鈥檚 鈥淩eason and Company鈥� program posted April 24 that the decision is months-old, but that the BSA is just now starting to get girls into its programs. According to Vitagliano, it鈥檚 鈥減art of the ongoing war against the Judeo-Christian worldview, the way God has established mankind, male and female.鈥� The BSA, he argued, is an example of how 鈥渢his thing鈥� (the ongoing war) unfolds:
They first began to allow homosexuals, and homosexual troop leaders, and then transgenders [sic], and now girls in with boys because the secular progressive, the materialistic worldview based in evolution says there鈥檚 really no difference between boys and girls, and so we don鈥檛 need to 鈥� we see the same thing with Target, allowing men into women鈥檚 restrooms and changing areas 鈥� this is part of a larger war against God and His divine order.
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AFA has been protesting Target鈥檚 trans-inclusive policy for about a year. This includes boycotting the retailer, a tactic AFA has historically used against LGBT-inclusive companies. AFA often insinuates that trans woman are men, and that trans-inclusive store policies will allow male sexual predators into women鈥檚 restrooms and other women鈥檚 public facilities, a听听promulgated by the anti-LGBT right.
Family Research Council*
The听Family Research Council听(FRC) is a听听听(see below), and听听titled 鈥淩eligious Liberty and National Security: Opportunities for Secretary Pompeo.鈥�
The panelists were Thomas Farr, president of the Religious Freedom Institute and Robert Destro, a professor of law at Catholic University of America鈥檚 Columbus School of Law. He is also co-director of the Iraqi Kurdistan Religious Freedom Project.
FRC鈥檚 description of the event states that 鈥渁 developing body of evidence suggest that the presence of religious freedom is significantly connected to security, stability, and prosperity鈥� and claims that security at home 鈥渟eems increasingly related to religious freedom elsewhere.鈥�
FRC president Tony Perkins hosts a daily radio show, 鈥淲ashington Watch.鈥� Guests from April 14 through May 2 included attorney James Trusty (formerly with DOJ); columnist Terry Jerry; Rep. Mark Walker (R-NC); Sam Brownback (Ambassador-at-Large for Religious Liberty); Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD); columnist and author Matt Walsh; Chris Mitchell (Christian Broadcasting Network); Hiram Sasser (general counsel, First Liberty); Sen. James Lankford (R-OK); former congresswoman Michele Bachmann; Rep. David Brat (R-VA); Emery McClendon (Project 21); Pastor Dean Haun (First Baptist Church, Morristown, TN); Avi Melamed (former Israeli intelligence); Matthew Heiman (National Security Institute visiting fellow); Jonathan Keller (California Family Council); Nick Salyers (Champion Tribes); Caroline Glick (Jerusalem Press); author Joel Rosenberg; Pastor Naim Khoury (First Baptist Church of Bethlehem); Pastor Jack Hibbs (Calvary Chapel Chino Hills, CA); Frank Gaffney (Center for Security Policy*); former actress Tina Marie Griffin; Rep. Ron Estes (R-KS); Pastor Ronnie Floyd (president, National Day of Prayer); Ken Cuccinelli (Senate Conservatives Fund); Tim Graham (NewsBusters); George Barna (Barna Research Group); Rep. Steve King (R-IA); author Gordon Chang; columnist Terry Jeffrey
Family Policy Institute of Washington
The Family Policy Institute of Washington (FPIW; located in Bellevue, Washington) is听听May 4 with guest speaker Robert George, Princeton professor of law and longtime anti-LGBT activist.听
George is听chairman emeritus听of anti-LGBT group the National Organization for Marriage and is also one of the three drafters of the anti-choice and anti-LGBT 鈥淢anhattan Declaration,鈥� a theocratic manifesto that calls for Christians to disobey laws they disagree with, seeks to ban same-sex marriage and disallows recognition of any kind of civil union between same-sex couples.
George, who听served听as chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom,听is a senior fellow at the Witherspoon Institute, which听provided nearly $700,000听to anti-LGBT sociology professor Mark Regnerus for his听debunked 2012 study. In addition, George launched the American Principles Project in 2009, a group that worked to derail the Common Core educational standards, including using conspiratorial turns such as听warning about 鈥渄ark forces鈥�听behind the standards. He听听to transgender identity as 鈥渁bsurd鈥� and 鈥渟uperstitious.鈥�
FPIW is extremely active in anti-choice and anti-LGBT state and local politics. It has battled domestic partnerships, access to birth control for poor women and a telemedicine bill, claiming that it would allow 鈥渨ebcam abortions.鈥� FPIW president听Joseph Backholm听has compared same-sex marriage to two siblings re-defining their bond and said that 鈥渢olerance is not something to be pursued.鈥�
FPIW听is also behind the anti-trans听鈥淛ust Want Privacy鈥� campaign, which gathered signatures in 2016 for Initiative 1515. The initiative would have repealed a state human rights commission law and made it legal for businesses to discriminate against trans people by allow denying them access to restrooms and locker rooms in accordance with their gender identity. The measure didn鈥檛 make the ballot.
Focus on the Family
Focus on the Family (FOTF) recently defended its 2016 shift in status to be classified by the IRS as a 鈥渃hurch鈥� after Right Wing Watch (RWW)听听April 17 after initially posting听. RWW delved into greater detail in the April 17 post, revealing documents that indicated the organization was seeking to avoid the Affordable Care Act鈥檚 insurance mandate on coverage for contraception and other regulations.
The documents indicated that the IRS was initially skeptical of FOTF鈥檚 claims with regard to being听, but relented after FOTF鈥檚 attorneys insisted the organization met the criteria for church status and that a denial would violate the First Amendment. In a letter attorneys wrote to the IRS, they claim that the daily work of FOTF 鈥渋s worship鈥� and FOTF believes that all its members 鈥渁re ministers.鈥�
FOTF is now exempt from some retirement plan regulations that apply to most nonprofits, and no longer has to pay unemployment taxes or provide unemployment benefits to employees it fires. Churches are also exempt from filing publicly available tax documents with the IRS and are protected from audits.
In response to RWW鈥檚 April 17 article, FOTF spokesman and vice president of communications Paul Batura听听that the change in status was to protect the privacy of donors in a 鈥渉ostile environment鈥� for groups like theirs,听听its reasons were for seeking church status. 鈥淸I]f some of our critics object,鈥� Batura said, 鈥渢hey should take it up with Congress.鈥�
Meanwhile, in other FOTF news, ThinkProgress revealed that FOTF Africa听听in September 2017 to combat HIV/AIDS in South Africa through a religious program that pressures kids to pledge they will abstain from sex until marriage. The organization received nearly $50,000 under the President鈥檚 Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) from the State Department鈥檚 Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator to implement its global abstinence-only purity pledge program, ThinkProgress reported, called 鈥淣o Apologies,鈥� to 7,000 鈥渓earners鈥� in 90 schools in South Africa. Studies demonstrate that abstinence programs do not work in the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases or pregnancy (see听,听, and听).
Liberty Counsel*
On April 18, Mary McAlister, senior litigation counsel for听Liberty Counsel, appeared on right-wing activist Cliff Kincaid鈥檚 鈥淯SA Survival鈥� program claiming that sex ed programs in public schools are 鈥渟atanic,鈥澨�. McAlister鈥檚听听states that she is working to 鈥渟top the satanic sexualization of our children and the destruction of the family.鈥�
McAlister and Kincaid were discussing the right-wing 鈥淪ex Ed Sit Out鈥� effort organized by religious right activist Elizabeth Johnston (鈥淎ctivist Mommy鈥�), among others, which encouraged parents to take their kids out of school April 23 to protest what Johnston perceives as 鈥済raphic, gender-bending sex education.鈥�
Johnston听听in March titled 鈥淭hey Are Coming for Our Children.鈥� In the accompanying text, she claimed that 鈥淟GBT activists are brainwashing children through graphic sex ed, medicating our children against our will, stealing our children through the courts, and sabotaging our children鈥檚 sporting events. When will we protect our children?鈥�
Liberty Counsel, like other Christian Right anti-LGBT groups,听听in schools听听and is a vehicle to a host of perceived ills, including 鈥渞ecruiting鈥� children into homosexuality and being transgender, part of the so-called听听that right-wing groups have manufactured in an attempt to further marginalize LGBT people and curtail reproductive health efforts.
Voice of the Voiceless
鈥淓x-gay鈥� group Voice of the Voiceless has partnered with organizers of听Freedom March: A Celebration of Freedom from Homosexuality and Transgenderism,听.
This听听is slated for Saturday, May 5 in Washington, D.C., and the featured speaker is anti-LGBT 鈥淎ctivist Mommy鈥� Elizabeth Johnston, who听听that听the Freedom March will be attended by all kinds of people around the globe who have known the destruction of sexual sin and gender confusion.听"They know what it's like to want help and freedom from the emptiness and addictions of the gender-confused lifestyle, but not know where to turn,鈥� then added that she hopes meaningful, loving relationships are formed.
Voice of the Voiceless听听homosexuality to pedophilia while founder Christopher Doyle听听that anti-LGBT laws in African countries are the fault of LGBT people themselves and denies that violence takes place against them and instead, they鈥檙e just 鈥減laying the victim card.鈥� Doyle听has also referred听to homosexuality as a 鈥渕aladaptive condition鈥� and in one interview听, 鈥淚 have no issues with gay people per se. I do have issues with homosexuality and the homosexual activists鈥� agenda.鈥�
World Congress of Families*/International Organization for the Family*
Larry Jacobs, the managing director for听WCF/IOF, died April 30 after suffering a stroke. He was 50, according to family on social media.
Jacobs鈥櫶齨otes that he managed the operations, public relations, fundraising and publications for IOF/WCF and that he organized international 鈥減ro-family鈥� conferences (i.e. WCF gatherings) in the U.S., Mexico, the Netherlands, Spain, Poland, Russia and Australia. He is also listed as the CEO and founder of Jabez Consulting, which according to听, is a not-for-profit organization that assists businesses, Christian organizations and so-called 鈥減regnancy centers鈥� (anti-abortion) with medical services, strategy, and fundraising.
Jacobs has been a large part of WCF and its work in a variety of international arenas, including the United Nations (where it holds consultative status with the Economic and Social Council) and with local groups and governments to implement exclusionary policies and views with regard to LGBT people and reproductive healthcare in countries around the world.
WCF is particularly busy in Russia and Eastern Europe and was launched in 1997 after a meeting in Russia between the group鈥檚 founder and two Russian intellectuals. In 2012,听, a network of hard right organizations in Russia.听
Mother Jones听听the influence that WCF has had on countries like Russia and others in Eastern Europe where anti-LGBT legislation is on the rise, and that anti-LGBT laws in Russia seemed to mirror the rise of WCF鈥檚 work in the country. When asked whether WCF鈥檚 work had contributed to this pattern, Jacobs responded, 鈥淵es, I think that is accurate.鈥� Jacobs听听in 2013, shortly before the Russian Duma passed the ban on so-called 鈥済ay propaganda,鈥� that the ban was a 鈥済reat idea鈥� as it would prevent LGBT people from 鈥渃orrupting children.
The 2018 WCF gathering is slated for September in Moldova, further indication that WCF is aligning itself more and more with authoritarian leaders to further its goals of implementing policies more to its liking. One of those leaders is Hungary鈥檚 prime minister, Viktor Orb谩n, and WCF/IOF celebrated his re-election April 8,听听鈥渢rue liberty鈥� and 鈥渁 victory for friends of the Natural Family around the globe.鈥澨�
Judicial, legislative, federal
Former CIA director Mike Pompeo confirmed as Secretary of State
Mike Pompeo, former CIA director and former Republican House member from Kansas, was confirmed by the Senate last week as Secretary of State, despite his record of听and听听statements and activities.
Pompeo has implied that homosexuality is a perversion and听听that legalized same-sex marriage a 鈥渟hocking abuse of power.鈥� When听听in his confirmation hearing last month, Pompeo refused to answer whether he still believed that homosexuality is a 鈥減erversion.鈥�
Pompeo also has ties to anti-Muslim hate groups, including the听Center for Security Policy* (CSP), which spreads anti-Muslim conspiracy theories. Pompeo spoke at CSP鈥檚 鈥淒efeat Jihad Summit,鈥� where he was joined by other anti-Muslim luminaries, including Dutch politician听Geert Wilders听and FRC executive vice president Lt. Gen. (ret.)听Jerry Boykin. He also听听for anti-Muslim group听ACT for America* and received that group鈥檚 2016 鈥淣ational Security Eagle Award.鈥�
Pompeo replaces former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
Anti-LGBT attorney confirmed to federal bench
Attorney Kyle Duncan, a partner at a Washington, D.C., law firm, was confirmed April 24 by a party-line, 50 to 47 vote in the Senate to a lifelong seat on the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, which has jurisdiction over Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.
Duncan, a Trump nominee, has a long听. He organized an amicus brief on behalf of 15 states in opposition to nationwide marriage equality when same-sex marriage went before the U.S. Supreme Court in 2015. He also led efforts to keep marriage bans in place in Louisiana and Virginia. After the SCOTUS ruling on听Obergefellthat made marriage equality legal, Duncan called the decision an 鈥渁bject failure鈥� and said that it 鈥渋mperils civic peace.鈥� He later suggested the ruling was invalid and said that it 鈥渞aises a question about the legitimacy of the court.鈥� Duncan, who previously served as general counsel for the right-wing Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, was instrumental in the so-called听Hobby Lobbycase in which the Supreme Court ruled that corporations could deny covering birth control for women because of religious objections.听
Duncan also helped litigate a lawsuit that sought to bar trans student Gavin Grimm from using the school restroom consistent with his gender identity. In another case, Duncan represented North Carolina Republican lawmakers in their attempt to defend the statewide anti-trans H.B. 2.
Duncan has also attempted to keep laws in place that听听He petitioned the Supreme Court to uphold a law that attacked the voting rights of communities of color in North Carolina and defended a controversial voter photo ID law in an amicus brief that supported the state of Texas.
Missouri state senator pushes resolution to declare same-sex marriage 鈥減arody marriage鈥�
Missouri state senator Ed Emery (R-Lamar)听听last week to halt the state鈥檚 recognition of same-sex marriage. The resolution, which St. Louis鈥檚听听a听鈥渂rain-bending carnival of logical deductions,鈥� seems to been lifted from听听in South Carolina and Wyoming. The resolution states that 鈥減arody marriage is any form of marriage that does not involve one man and one woman鈥� and also claims that 鈥渟exual orientation is a self-asserted sex-based identity narrative that is based on a series of naked assertions and unproven faith-based assumptions that are implicitly religious.鈥�
The South Carolina legislation was co-written by anti-pornography and anti-LGBT activist and attorney Mark 鈥淐hris鈥� Sevier, who has garnered attention in the past for听unsuccessfully suing states听for the right to marry his laptop computer and for claiming that being gay 鈥�,鈥� which explains some of the wording in Emery鈥檚 resolution. Sevier was also responsible for the Wyoming bill, which was nearly identical to the South Carolina bill. Wyoming鈥檚 bill听听a few days after it was proposed.
Emery was also behind a 2017听, which ultimately听听after one hearing.
Oklahoma anti-LGBT adoption bill moves closer to law
On April 30,听MetroWeekly听reported听that the Oklahoma House of Representatives approved a measure allowing adoption and foster care agencies to refuse placing children with same-sex couples by claiming personal beliefs that oppose homosexuality.
The bill, SB 1140, states that no private child-placing agency will be required to perform, assist in, consent to, recommend, refer or participate in any placement of a child for foster care of adoption if the proposed placement violates the agency鈥檚 鈥渨ritten religious or moral convictions or policies.鈥�
The bill could thus allow an agency to reject a prospective parent or couple based on characteristics the agency deems a violation of their religious beliefs, including status as a single parent, a same-sex couple or an opposite-sex couple in an interfaith marriage. The bill also听听from sanctions for discrimination.
The House version of the bill included an amendment that would have prevented agencies that discriminate from receiving taxpayer dollars, but the Oklahoma Senate听April 30 and the bill now has to go to a House conference committee.
Colorado advances anti-LGBT adoption bill, kills conversion therapy ban bill
The upper chambers of the Colorado General Assembly听听(HB 1245) that would have prohibited harmful conversion (or 鈥渆x-gay鈥�) therapy in the state and advanced legislation () that allows religiously affiliated adoption and foster care agencies to discriminate against same-sex couples and ensures that there are no repercussions for doing so.
The听Daily Beast听听that anti-LGBT adoption bills like this one and so-called 鈥渂athroom bills鈥� that target transgender people started cropping up in the aftermath of the 2015 Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage. Anti-LGBT groups began to shift their focus from marriage to secondary targets like bathrooms and wedding cakes.
The language in these anti-LGBT bills is broad, the听Daily Beastreported, and full of sweeping appeals to 鈥渕oral conviction鈥� and 鈥渟incerely-held religious beliefs,鈥� which could allow religiously-affiliated child placement agencies not to work with anyone with whom they have a religious objection.
鈥淭hese bills are part of a broader effort by opponents of LGBT equality, both in state legislatures and the courts, to use religious freedom arguments to establish a right to discriminate against LGBT people,鈥� American Civil Liberties Union attorney Leslie Cooper told the听Daily Beast.
New Hampshire senate passes major anti-discrimination bill that protects transgender people
The New Hampshire state senate voted 14 to 10 to听, which adds gender identity to the state鈥檚 current anti-discrimination legislation. The addition provides protections for transgender people in employment, housing and public accommodations.
A spokesperson for Republican governor John Sununu has said that the governor intends to 鈥渕ove forward鈥� with the legislation.
A similar bill, H.B. 478, failed to pass in 2017 after the anti-LGBT group Cornerstone asked its supporters to send letters to state representatives that included the听听that gender identity protections endanger women and children.
LGBT advocates听听after that loss, and in March of this year, H.B. 1319 cleared the Republican-controlled house of representatives, 195 to 129.
Should Sununu sign the bill into law, New England will join the West Coast in becoming an entire region of the country with trans-inclusive non-discrimination measures in place in every state.
