人兽性交

Far-right, anti-人兽性交+ hate group Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) is pushing to entrench racist and exclusionary corporate policies under the guise of a socially conscious-sounding phrase: 鈥渧iewpoint diversity.鈥�

In 2023 and 2024, ADF used its definition of 鈥渧iewpoint diversity鈥� in a lobbying and litigation campaign to push anti-pluralist policies in corporate boardrooms and statehouses across the country.

Like most efforts from the anti-人兽性交+ legal group, its public messaging and legal strategy links Christianity with opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts and 人兽性交+ rights.

Rather than promoting religious pluralism, ADF鈥檚 public relations and legal crusades are intertwined with Christian supremacist and white supremacist ideologies. Characterizing diversity as a threat to white Christian men, ADF is working to dismantle DEI protections and weaponizing government regulations to enforce sectarian Christian doctrines in publicly traded companies.

鈥楶awn in God鈥檚 plan鈥�

Since 2022, ADF has publicly tracked and reported on what it describes as corporate censorship of religious conservatives with a scorecard called the viewpoint diversity index. 鈥淰iewpoint diversity,鈥� according to ADF, amounts to 鈥減rotection against religious or ideological discrimination.鈥� However, federal nondiscrimination law already prohibits religious discrimination in the workplace. ADF has instead historically advocated for policies that erode the separation of church and state and subvert the rights of other Christians who disagree with them.

Rather than defending a robust pluralism 鈥� the idea that the free exchange of ideas should be open to all groups 鈥� the 鈥渧iewpoint diversity鈥� index and ADF鈥檚 related lobbying suggest the group鈥檚 goal is to limit that free exchange to align with its own sectarian beliefs. By leveraging the power of government, it can restrict publicly traded corporations鈥� ability to make their own policy choices to support anti-racist and 人兽性交+-inclusive initiatives, which are with the general public.

Comments from both within and outside ADF confirm this strategy. According to by Steve Rabey from Baptist News Global, reversing corporate progress toward inclusivity and environmental sustainability appears to be ADF鈥檚 goal. And a June 6 ADF fundraising email states that ADF鈥檚 years-long strategy is a 鈥減awn in God鈥檚 plan鈥� to bring down 鈥渃orporate cancel culture.鈥� Instead of protecting diverse religious expression, ADF is being 鈥渕ove[d] around鈥� like 鈥減ieces on [God鈥檚] chessboard鈥� representing 鈥渃onservative shareholders,鈥� the fundraising email claims.

Spearheaded by ADF鈥檚 senior vice president for corporate engagement, Jeremy Tedesco, ADF鈥檚 Viewpoint Diversity Score advisory council includes such far-right figures as Robert P. George, the activist lawyer who drafted the Manhattan Declaration calling on ultra-conservative Christians to resist and disobey laws for abortion access and 人兽性交+ equality; the Heritage Foundation鈥檚 vice president for outreach, Andy Olivastro; a former Morgan Stanley managing director named David Bahnsen; and leaders of other Christian investment firms Crossmark Global Investments, Inspire Investing, OneAscent Capital and Sovereign鈥檚 Capital, according to the Viewpoint Diversity Score and Manhattan Declaration websites.

These advisers and the interests of their multibillion-dollar investment firms are also, at times, represented by ADF in litigation.

Before leading the Viewpoint Diversity Score program, Tedesco was a key ADF litigator challenging inclusive civil rights laws in American public schools under the legal theory that 人兽性交+ nondiscrimination protections violate the religious freedom of conservative Christian students and parents.

ADF鈥檚 Viewpoint Diversity Score operates on a similar foundation. On the project鈥檚 website, ADF reports survey results and model corporate governance policies that it claims measure compliance with its far-right principles. These include committing to 鈥渁void supporting controversial social or political issues鈥� that 鈥減ose risks to free speech and religious freedom鈥�; model language to prevent bans on 鈥渢he promotion of hate鈥� and 鈥渋ntolerance鈥� from terms of service agreements; prohibiting the use of such 鈥渄ivisive concepts鈥� as 鈥渦nconscious or implicit bias and privilege鈥�; and prohibiting policies that 鈥渄enigrate鈥� concepts like the 鈥渘uclear family,鈥� a term anti-人兽性交+ groups often use to delegitimize 人兽性交+ families.

Laws barring 鈥渄ivisive concepts鈥� have become a far-right policy priority in recent years and have been cited to terminate teachers who use 人兽性交+-inclusive or anti-racist lessons in public schools. ADF views inclusive education policies, such as inclusive nondiscrimination laws, as violations of conservative Christians鈥� 鈥渞eligious freedom.鈥�

In the 2024 Viewpoint Diversity Score report, ADF ties these themes together in reporting on such companies as Apple Inc. In 2024, Apple鈥檚 score dropped three points from the previous year 鈥� in part because the company is 鈥渒nown to teach or advocate one or more divisive concepts in its workplace,鈥� according to ADF.

The 2024 report also criticizes Apple鈥檚 App Store for its bans on 鈥渙ffensive鈥� content with no exceptions for 鈥渧iewpoint diversity.鈥� In an example of how ADF鈥檚 鈥渧iewpoint diversity鈥� program is designed to suppress pluralism rather than protect it, the report deducts points from Apple鈥檚 viewpoint diversity score because the company is 鈥渒nown to require vendors, suppliers, contractors, or other equivalent third parties to adopt specific DE&I [sic] programming, policies, statements, or affirmations.鈥� Apple did not respond to an emailed request for comment.

As part of the 鈥渧iewpoint diversity鈥� project, ADF on the project鈥檚 website in March 2023 showed results of its own public opinion polling conducted by Ipsos, which surveyed employees of at least some of the companies ADF scores. Wide margins of respondents seemingly disagreed with ADF and opposed employers鈥� hypothetical efforts to distance themselves from 鈥渄ivisive social and political issues.鈥� ADF drew the opposite conclusion, however, claiming the findings show corporations 鈥渞isk alienating employees and customers鈥� when they adopt corporate anti-racism policies and incorporate 人兽性交+ inclusion into their business plans.

鈥楾he law is an essential tool鈥�

In the June fundraising email, Tedesco says he has 鈥渟een the hand of God鈥� in ADF鈥檚 lobbying and on behalf of the National Rifle Association and against such companies as Apple, Wells Fargo and Charles Schwab, whose boards are reluctant to vote on anti-diversity policies.

At a June 2023 National Religious Broadcasters , Tedesco said: 鈥淲e thought businesses would never cede to the demands of political activists on the left. We were wrong. So now it鈥檚 very entrenched, but there is a path forward.鈥�

The following year, in a June 7 interview with far-right commentator Tim Pool, Tedesco characterized the path forward as 鈥渞edemptive work,鈥� suggesting the group would use government regulations shaded by its religious convictions to redeem wayward private institutions.

That redemption, according to Pool and Tedesco, involves using laws and administrative institutions including the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to compel private sector businesses to follow strict Christian legal principles when crafting policies and marketing strategies.

鈥淭he law is an essential tool in the toolkit,鈥� Tedesco said, 鈥渙ne that we use all the time to change the behavior of governments and even companies that get crosswise with the law.鈥� Legal advocacy, Tedesco suggests, is most effective when it happens in concert with pressure campaigns that play up moral panics. He referenced a 2023 filed by Stephen Miller鈥檚 America First Legal against Target for selling 人兽性交+-inclusive products. The legal action came after a summer campaign of against Target stores across the country driven by online anti-人兽性交+ rhetoric. Tedesco said, 鈥淚 think, you know, in the end, a lot of these things come together to kind of push things back.鈥�

Tedesco鈥檚 June email claims the group鈥檚 successful corporate litigation record stands at 5-0 鈥渙n defending proposals from religious or conservative shareholders,鈥� most of whom want to force companies to reevaluate their DEI policies. ADF also works to pass laws based on its legal theories, and its latest campaign is gaining traction.

In 2023, Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., the 鈥淔air Access to Banking Act鈥� 鈥� an ADF-inspired law that would force financial institutions including banks and insurance companies to end DEI policies and even require them to do business with groups that violate their corporate policies or beliefs. Banks, Barr claimed, should not make decisions based on 鈥渢he standards of woke corporate cancel culture.鈥�

鈥淢any [companies] have prohibitions on 鈥榟ate鈥� speech and 鈥榠ntolerance,鈥欌�� Tedesco testified at a March 2024 congressional hearing advocating passage of the bill. These prohibitions 鈥� which ADF also attempts to shape through its Viewpoint Diversity Score project鈥檚 model corporate policies 鈥� set internal corporate standards for diversity, respect and even environmental responsibility that gun manufacturers, fossil fuel industry groups and anti-人兽性交+ hate groups like ADF oppose.

ADF has also invented a conspiratorial narrative it calls 鈥渄e-banking鈥� that suggests corporate responsibility policies that respect 人兽性交+ employees, for example, are the result of collusion between former President Obama鈥檚 administration and private businesses to silence white Christian men. ADF鈥檚 public statements often characterize these claims as conservative 鈥渧iewpoint discrimination,鈥� as Tedesco testified to the committee.

Tedesco also the committee about ADF鈥檚 financial stake in opposing corporate DEI policies, especially among banks and other financial institutions. 鈥淎DF has become a prime target,鈥� Tedesco said, claiming that donations to the group from donor-advised funds with DEI policies have faltered since 2019.

In March, ADF registered its first federal lobbyist, according to . And in spring 2024, ADF successfully lobbied for a first-of-its-kind law in Tennessee based on the federal Fair Access to Banking Act. The state鈥檚 banking trade group has called it a 鈥渇orced access to banking鈥� bill. The bill could potentially override some banks鈥� DEI policies, forcing them to do business with such hate groups as the Ku Klux Klan under newly expanded 鈥渞eligious freedom鈥� protections.

鈥榃e have to win the culture war鈥�

ADF鈥檚 claims about threats from DEI and teaching 鈥渄ivisive concepts鈥� also appear to resonate with white supremacist rhetoric that characterizes DEI policies as a form of 鈥渁nti-white racism鈥� and a threat to white people brought about by 鈥渨oke鈥� ideology. 鈥淎 huge component of this [鈥榳okeness鈥橾 has been an attack on white people,鈥� far-right podcaster Tim Pool said in the June 7 episode of his podcast titled 鈥淎nti-White Racism on the Rise in the West,鈥� featuring Tedesco.

鈥淚 do also feel that it鈥檚 not just about white people, but also, it鈥檚 like if you鈥檙e a white Christian, it鈥檚 fair game. If you鈥檙e a white Christian man, good luck,鈥� Pool said after introducing Tedesco to the program.

In an exchange that highlights the contradictions of ADF鈥檚 campaign claiming to protect 鈥渧iewpoint diversity,鈥� Pool, Claremont Institute鈥檚 Jeremy Carl, and Tedesco showcased how such claims are a smokescreen for far-right attempts to compel businesses to comply with Christian supremacist ideology.

After discussing ADF鈥檚 legal campaign defending a Colorado baker who refused to serve a gay client, Pool said, 鈥淚 would like to see 10,000 people request of their bakeries, 鈥業t鈥檚 OK to be white鈥� cakes, and some Leviticus cakes,鈥� referring to the biblical passage that is interpreted by some conservative Christians to advocate the death penalty for homosexuality. If the hypothetical bakeries refuse, Pool suggests, 鈥渢hen there鈥檚 10,000 lawsuits for religious discrimination.鈥� 鈥淎dd an atheist cake baker,鈥� Tedesco said, and 鈥渢ell him to put [sic] a cake that says, 鈥楪od is real.鈥欌��

According to Tedesco, this aspect of ADF鈥檚 legal strategy is a long game the group has previously described as creating 鈥済enerational wins鈥� 鈥� legal precedents with lasting impact that encode far-right principles into law and, by nature of limiting diversity and pluralism, also limit the vision of American society to see the value in those founding ideas.

鈥淥ur nation鈥檚 Founders understood that the primary function of government is to protect God-given, pre-political rights,鈥� Jay Hobbs, ADF鈥檚 director of strategic campaigns and initiatives, wrote in a March post. 鈥淭hat means threats to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness don鈥檛 need to come from the government to cause real harm.鈥�

For businesses who support anti-racist and 人兽性交+-inclusive principles, Tedesco suggests, 鈥淚n the end, legally, there are going to be consequences.鈥� However, he says, ADF鈥檚 work is not just about achieving legal consequences. 鈥淚 think the real thing we have to win is the battle of ideas. We have to win people鈥檚 hearts and minds. We have to reconvince them,鈥� Tedesco says.

鈥淲e have to win the culture war,鈥� Pool interjected.

鈥淵eah,鈥� Tedesco replied.

Image at top: Under the guise of 鈥渧iewpoint diversity,鈥� Alliance Defending Freedom, whose logo is on the megaphone pictured above, is working to reverse corporate progress toward inclusivity and environmental sustainability.