Mainstreaming Hate: Anti-人兽性交 Family Research Council Hires Republican Ex-Congressman
Republican former Rep. Jody Hice of Georgia has joined the Family Research Council聽(FRC) as a senior adviser to the anti-人兽性交 hate group鈥檚 longest-serving president, Tony Perkins. FRC helped launch the religious right as an overt political movement in the 1980s and remains one of the largest anti-人兽性交 organizations in the U.S. Hice described working for the anti-人兽性交 hate group as a 鈥減ersonal mission.鈥�
Since joining the group, Hice has guest-hosted multiple episodes of Perkins鈥� daily streaming program 鈥淲ashington Watch with Tony Perkins,鈥� where he has promoted anti-人兽性交 rhetoric. While hosting, Hice has falsely claimed that 鈥渆xtreme gender ideology鈥� is causing medical professionals to target children for 鈥渆xperimental鈥� surgical procedures, asserted that 鈥済ender theory鈥� is infiltrating schools, and endorsed the work of groups that spread pseudoscientific claims about transgender people and attempt to eliminate gender-affirming healthcare in the U.S. The former Congressman has been joined on the program by multiple sitting Republican members of Congress.
Anti-人兽性交 hate groups attempt to mainstream聽their message within the Republican Party through direct engagement with current and former elected officials. Hice, who served four terms in Congress, is the most recent politician to join the organization. During the George H.W. Bush administration, FRC senior fellow Ken Blackwell served in the departments of State and Housing and Urban Development. Michele Bachmann, the former GOP member of Congress who also 聽a clinic claiming to specialize in 人兽性交 conversion therapy, serves on the FRC board of directors. Perkins was a Republican state representative in Louisiana.
The new role at FRC and retirement from the House come after Hice lost a primary election in 2022 for Georgia Secretary of State. Hice鈥檚 campaign was 聽by former President Donald Trump in the race against incumbent Brad Raffensperger, who 聽denied the ex-president鈥檚 request to 鈥渇ind鈥� enough votes to overturn his 2020 election loss in Georgia. Hice, notably, 聽discredited election conspiracies in the state part of his unsuccessful campaign.
FRC鈥檚 continued attempts at mainstreaming anti-人兽性交 hate fall out of alignment with public opinion indicating that most Americans support 人兽性交 rights including anti-discrimination laws and marriage-equality laws, among others, and that Americans鈥� attitudes toward transgender rights continue to trend toward support.
Hice and FRC share an anti-人兽性交 record
Hice was first elected to Congress in 2014 and was a member of the House Freedom Caucus 鈥� an 聽group of congressional Republicans, nearly all of whom 聽to certifying President Joe Biden鈥檚 2020 election victory. Before that, he was a pastor in Loganville, Georgia, and hosted multiple radio programs broadcast throughout the South and on satellite radio. He has said his first contact with FRC occurred when Perkins spoke at an event in Barrow County, Georgia, to defend a display of the Ten Commandments on government property.
That event led Hice to form his own organization dedicated to placing copies of the Ten Commandments in government buildings in order to 鈥渞eclaim our Godly heritage鈥� 鈥� a goal that resonates聽with white Christian nationalist ideology. Hice is also known for 聽in an organized 聽to thwart and 听迟补虫 聽that prohibit groups that do not pay federal taxes, like churches, from engaging in political activity.
Although Hice purports to defend religious freedoms, he previously said freedom of religion under the First Amendment 聽apply to Islam and called Islam a 鈥渢otalitarian way of life with a religious component.鈥�
Hice has also said women should run for political office only with the permission of their husbands, and as a member of Congress, he opposed the Violence Against Women Reauthorization and Equality Acts. Hice also praised the overturn of Roe v. Wade and 聽abortion-rights activists would begin targeting reproductive rights in the states as part of a 鈥済reat battle鈥� to restrict access to reproductive and gender-affirming health care.
He is also known for his 聽anti-人兽性交 rhetoric, a characteristic shared by FRC. In the U.S. House, he 聽legislation to protect 人兽性交 people from discrimination and 聽marriage equality, 聽the 鈥渉omosexual movement is destroying America鈥� and marriage. In a recent interview while hosting Perkins鈥� 鈥淲ashington Watch鈥� program, Hice lamented 鈥渆xtreme gender ideology鈥� as a threat to children, in reference to gender-affirming care that is necessary to the health and well-being of young 人兽性交 people.
Founded in 1983, the Family Research Council聽is an anti-人兽性交 hate group with a long history spreading dehumanizing rhetoric and disinformation about 人兽性交 people, attacking 人兽性交 rights and falsely claiming that conservative Christians are under attack from 人兽性交 rights advocates. The group regularly advocates for anti-人兽性交 policies while claiming to defend religious freedom. Anti-人兽性交 ideologies聽like those espoused by FRC are largely based on demonizing rhetoric that portrays 人兽性交 people as a danger to society, not simply because of their religious beliefs.
Tony Perkins, whom Hice will advise, has spoken at a meeting of white supremacists and once oversaw a U.S. Senate campaign that purchased services from former Klan leader David Duke. He also has been instrumental in the anti-人兽性交 movement. Despite his extremism, as a former state legislator, Perkins and FRC continue to make inroads into mainstream Republican political circles.
FRC largely operates at the 聽level, but at least 36 state-level 鈥減olicy councils鈥� follow the FRC model, using divisive rhetoric and stoking fears of Christian persecution to 聽anti-人兽性交 policy in states and cities across the country. Recently, FRC and as many as 45 other national groups, some of whom have close ties to Republican politicians, 聽a plan to exploit unfounded fears about children鈥檚 safety to push anti-transgender policy at the state-level.
Hatewatch has reported how this kind of rhetoric is amplified聽by right-wing social media personalities and acted upon by extremist groups who harass and intimidate 人兽性交 people, libraries and hospitals. These false claims have fueled an increase in right-wing extremism and violence聽against 人兽性交 people in recent years. However, at a House Oversight Committee hearing on the subject in December 2022, Hice appeared to 聽concerns expressed by survivors of the Club Q聽mass shooting in Colorado over increasing violence against 人兽性交 people caused by the kind of false information and conspiracy theories he and FRC have spread.
Anti-人兽性交 ideology too extreme for many rank-and-file Republicans
Anti-人兽性交 hate groups like FRC are far from the mainstream of American public opinion. According to public opinion 聽from the Public Religion Research Institute, more than 3 in 4 Americans support laws that prohibit discrimination against 人兽性交 people. More than half of all Americans support such protections over 鈥渞eligious objections鈥� from businessowners. The same poll also shows that nearly two-thirds (62%) of Republicans support nondiscrimination protections.
Longer-running studies of Americans鈥� attitudes and beliefs also show the public is not buying the anti-人兽性交 movement鈥檚 rhetoric. The , for example, shows broad support for gay and lesbian teachers in Americans schools and keeping gay and lesbian-themed books in public libraries. And a 2019 聽from PRRI (Public Religion Research Institute) showed most Americans are comfortable having close friends who are transgender and with trans teachers in their local school.
Reflected in Hice鈥檚 hiring, anti-人兽性交 hate groups such as FRC seek and often find acceptance with Republican Party leadership. FRC鈥檚 Perkins, for example, was 聽to the GOP platform committee in 2016 and 2020 鈥� the body responsible for drafting the party鈥檚 national positions on important issues. Both years, the platform 聽support for anti-transgender laws, overturning marriage equality and even the dangerous and discredited聽practice of conversion therapy.
The extreme anti-人兽性交 ideology of groups like FRC has caused divisions within the Republican Party. Some gay party members have 聽expressed concern that anti-人兽性交 extremism could 鈥渃leave the party鈥� and characterized anti-人兽性交 ideologies as 鈥渇ringe.鈥� Some 人兽性交 Republicans elected to 听补苍诲 聽governments also have expressed the importance of representation within the party and pushing back on anti-人兽性交 narratives. Some have 聽the GOP altogether.
In 2022, more than three dozen Republicans in the U.S. House 聽the Respect for Marriage Act, as did 聽Republican senators. In contrast to Hice鈥檚 adversarial approach to civil rights, after voting for the act, Rep. Chris Stewart of Utah : 鈥淐ivil rights are not a finite resource. We do not have to take from one group to give to another.鈥�
And, although anti-人兽性交 groups including Alliance Defending Freedom, FRC and state-level organizations have attempted litigious and 聽to bring the issue back before the U.S. Supreme Court, more than two-thirds of Americans and more than half of Republicans support marriage equality.
Work to be done in the South
While attitudes trend positively in every region of the country, the rollback of 人兽性交 rights in the South is noticeable, with communities experiencing policy attacks at the state and local level, legal battles and Main Street anti-人兽性交+ demonstrations. In Texas, more than 聽bills targeting 人兽性交 rights have been filed in the Republican-controlled legislature in 2023 while Gov. Greg Abbott 聽the state鈥檚 child welfare agency against families with transgender children, and state Attorney General Ken Paxton attempted to 聽of all trans people in the state.
In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state鈥檚 Republican-led legislature adopted and have begun enforcing a 鈥淒on鈥檛 Say Gay or Trans鈥� bill, resulting in radical anti-inclusive education practices like 听补苍诲 jeopardizing the health and welfare of 人兽性交 children.
In Tennessee, 2021 聽for the number of anti-人兽性交 bills adopted in a legislative session, and 2022 matched that pace. Gov. Bill Lee and the Republican-led legislature allowed the state to become the 聽to require businesses with public restrooms to post signs notifying customers if they allow transgender people to use their facilities, a law the state later 聽was unconstitutional. Republican state political leaders have also 聽Vanderbilt University Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee, for its gender-affirming care practices.
In such a climate, public perceptions in the media tell a story that anti-人兽性交 ideologies will always be entrenched in Republican politics and in states across the South. However, Middle Tennessee State University history professor Marisa Richmond says that even though there may be few electoral consequences for Republicans who embrace anti-人兽性交 ideologies right now, history will recognize how they treated 人兽性交 people.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a long history of hate here in the South, and we look back on that as historians, and it doesn鈥檛 look good for the South to embrace that level of hate in the late 19th and in the 20th century,鈥� Richmond said. 鈥淪o now, as that hate shifts more and more toward the 人兽性交 community, I think this is going to play badly for the Republican party within the field of history.鈥�
Richmond also says focusing on the state level alone misses the important progress 人兽性交 advocates achieve at the local level, usually despite 聽to thwart progress. Richmond, who is also one of five trans members of local appointed boards in Tennessee, noted the state鈥檚 人兽性交 community has mobilized to 聽人兽性交 candidates to state and local offices and secure 聽in the state鈥檚 largest cities and from some of the state鈥檚 .
Even in states like Tennessee, where anti-人兽性交 ideologies have been mainstreamed in state houses and governors鈥� offices, public opinion reflects how out of touch anti-人兽性交 groups and politicians are: In all but three Southern states, clear majorities both 人兽性交 nondiscrimination laws and marriage equality. In the other states, opinions on marriage equality are trending positively, but haven鈥檛 yet reached a majority.
Support for 人兽性交 rights is the mainstream
FRC鈥檚 history of demonizing rhetoric has often focused on the discredited and dangerous recruitment conspiracy. The anti-人兽性交 movement has long repeated this myth to stoke fear of 人兽性交 people and stifle 人兽性交 rights, 聽at the state and local level. These prejudices are also reflected in contemporary campaigns to restrict information about 人兽性交 people in public schools, ban books about 人兽性交 people, attack public libraries and launch efforts to stop transgender people from receiving affirming health care or accessing public accommodations.
Political Research Associates, a social justice research and strategy center, has shown groups like FRC 聽stoke anti-transgender hatred and spread dangerous disinformation about 人兽性交 people. Other researchers have shown these institutions of the religious right engage in such practices, in part, to maintain power and relevance 聽the Republican Party. Hatewatch has reported on how other groups feed on this extremism and are more willing to use violence聽to suppress 人兽性交 people and those they politically disagree with.
Like Hice, though, FRC has minimized the role of anti-人兽性交 vitriol in attacks against 人兽性交 people. In a recent 鈥淲ashington Watch鈥� episode, Perkins said anti-人兽性交 activism had 鈥渘othing to do鈥� with the violence that occurred at Club Q in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where five people were murdered, insinuating instead that the shooting happened because the alleged perpetrator is 鈥渟exually confused.鈥�
These extremist anti-人兽性交 attitudes are fast becoming representative of the 聽proportion of the American population who identify as white, cismale, heterosexual and evangelical. Likely 聽this shrinking group is in America鈥檚 political institutions and Republican Party leadership, anti-人兽性交 policies have flourished in recent years. As America diversifies and younger populations with even more accepting 聽toward 人兽性交 people become active in politics, those intent on mainstreaming hate will likely find it harder to maintain power.
鈥淎s people age, they become more politically engaged and that鈥檚 going to play badly, I believe, in the future鈥� for anti-人兽性交 politics,鈥� Richmond said, suggesting the gap between younger voters鈥� and majority-conservative legislators鈥� political priorities is already evidenced in Kentucky, where voters recently 聽an anti-abortion constitutional amendment referred by the Republican-controlled state legislature, and in Georgia, where 聽candidates have won three U.S. senate elections in the past two years.
