10 Anti-Gay Myths Debunked | Southern Poverty Law Center

Contents:

• 18 ANTI-GAY GROUPS AND THEIR PROPAGANDA
• GROUPS OPPOSED TO GAY RIGHTS RAKE LNS AS STAT BATE ANTI-LGBTQ BILLS
• LIST OF ACTIVE ANTI-LGBTQ HATE GROUPSELIMATE HATE·FOLLOW6 M READ·APR 13, 2017--LISTENSHAREIN 2016, THE SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER (SPLC) LISTED 52 ACTIVE ANTI-LGBTQ HATE GROUPS THE U.S. AS SPLC STAT ON S WEBSE, “THE GROUPS ARE NOT LISTED ON THE BASIS OF OPPOSN TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE OR THE BELIEF THAT THE BIBLE SCRIB HOMOSEXUAL ACTIVY AS SFUL. ANTI-LGBT GROUPS ENGAGE C NAME-LLG AND DISSEMATE DISPARAGG PROPAGANDA AND FALSEHOODS ABOUT THIS POPULATN, SUCH AS THE CLAIM THAT GAY MEN MOLT CHILDREN AT VASTLY HIGHER RAT THAN STRAIGHT MEN.”OUT OF THE 52 ACTIVE ANTI-LGBTQ HATE GROUPS NATNALLY (FULL LIST AVAILABLE BELOW), SPLC HAS EXTENSIVELY PROFILED SIX OF THE MOST PROMENT ANIZATNS PEDDLG EXTREME, MALIC LI ABOUT LGBTQ PEOPLE. THE SIX GROUPS CLU:1. ALLIANCE DEFENDG FREEDOM (ADF)LOTN: STTSDALE, AZFOUND: 1994PRINT AND CEO: MICHAEL FARRISEXCERPT OM SPLC’S EXTREMIST PROFILE:FOUND BY SOME 30 LEARS OF THE CHRISTIAN RIGHT, THE ALLIANCE DEFENDG FREEDOM IS A LEGAL ADVOCY AND TRAG GROUP THAT SPECIALIZ SUPPORTG THE RECRIMALIZATN OF HOMOSEXUALY ABROAD, ENDG SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, AND GENERALLY MAKG LIFE AS DIFFICULT AS POSSIBLE FOR LGBT MUNI THE U.S. AND TERNATNALLY. DPE S REGULAR FAMATN OF LGBT PEOPLE, THE GROUP HAS MANAGED TO W SPECIAL ADVISORY STAT AT THE UNED NATNS, THE EUROPEAN UNN, AND WH THE ORGANIZATN OF AMERIN STAT.2. FAY REARCH COUNCIL (FRC)LOTN: WASHGTON, DCFOUND: 1983PRINT: TONY PERKSEXCERPT OM SPLC’S EXTREMIST PROFILE:THE FRC OFTEN MAK FALSE CLAIMS ABOUT THE LGBT MUNY BASED ON DISCREDED REARCH AND JUNK SCIENCE. THE TENTN IS TO NIGRATE LGBT PEOPLE AS THE ANIZATN BATTL AGAST SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, HATE CRIME LAWS, ANTI-BULLYG PROGRAMS AND THE REPEAL OF THE ARY’S “DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL” POLICY.TO MAKE THE SE THAT THE LGBT MUNY IS A THREAT TO AMERIN SOCIETY, THE FRC EMPLOYS A NUMBER OF “POLICY EXPERTS” WHOSE “REARCH” HAS ALLOWED THE FRC TO BE EXTREMELY ACTIVE POLILLY SHAPG PUBLIC BATE. ITS REARCH FELLOWS AND LEARS OFTEN TTIFY BEFORE CONGRS AND APPEAR THE MASTREAM MEDIA. IT ALSO WORKS AT THE GRASSROOTS LEVEL, NDUCTG OUTREACH TO PASTORS AN EFFORT TO “TRANSFORM THE CULTURE.”3. AMERIN FAY ASSOCIATN (AFA)LOTN: TUPELO, MSFOUND: 1977PRINT: TIM WILDMONEXCERPT OM SPLC’S EXTREMIST PROFILE:INIALLY FOUND AS THE NATNAL FERATN FOR DECENCY, THE AMERIN FAY ASSOCIATN (AFA) ORIGALLY FOCED ON WHAT NSIRED CENT TELEVISN PROGRAMMG AND PORNOGRAPHY. THE AFA SAYS PROMOT “TRADNAL MORAL VALU” MEDIA. A LARGE PART OF THAT WORK VOLV “BATG THE HOMOSEXUAL AGENDA” THROUGH VAR MEANS, CLUDG PUBLICIZG PANI THAT HAVE PRO-GAY POLICI AND ANIZG BOYTTS AGAST THEM. THE AFA HAS A VARIETY OF OUTLETS TO DISSEMATE S MSAGE, CLUDG THE AMERIN FAY RAD NETWORK, S ONLE ONE NEWS NOW AND THE MONTHLY AFA JOURNAL.4. LIBERTY COUNSELLOTN: ORLANDO, FLFOUND: 1989PRINT: MATHEW (MAT) STAVEREXCERPT OM SPLC’S EXTREMIST PROFILE:THE LIBERTY COUNSEL WAS FOUND BY NSERVATIVE ACTIVISTS MATHEW (“MAT”) STAVER — AN ATTORNEY AND FORMER AN AT LIBERTY UNIVERSY SCHOOL OF LAW — AND HIS WIFE ANA. THE COUNSEL BILLS SELF AS A NON-PROF LIGATN, TN AND POLICY ANIZATN THAT PROVIS LEGAL UNSEL AND PRO BONO ASSISTANCE S ALG WH RELIG LIBERTY, “THE SANCTY OF HUMAN LIFE” AND THE FAY. MAT STAVER CHAIRS THE COUNSEL; HIS WIFE ANA IS THE PRINT. THE LIBERTY COUNSEL SHAR A CLOSE AFFILIATN WH LIBERTY UNIVERSY (FOUND BY THE LATE JERRY FALWELL LYNCHBURG, VA.) , PECIALLY THE UNIVERSY’S SCHOOL OF LAW. THE PARTNERSHIP CLUS THE WASHGTON, D.C.-BASED LIBERTY CENTER FOR LAW AND POLICY, WHICH NDUCTS LEGAL REARCH AND WR ABOUT CURRENT LEGISLATN AND POLICI.5. TRADNAL VALU COALNLOTN: ANAHEIM, CA AND WASHGTON, DCFOUND: 1980PRINT: ANDREA LAFFERTYEXCERPT OM SPLC’S EXTREMIST PROFILE:PRBYTERIAN MISTER LOU SHELDON FOUND THE TRADNAL VALU COALN (TVC) 1980 TO SPREAD A “MORAL AND BEHAVR BASED UPON THE OLD AND NEW TTAMENTS” AND TO WARN AMERINS OF THE RISG “GAY THREAT.” THE TRADNAL VALU THE TVC FIGHTS FOR CLU: THE RIGHT TO LIFE (OPPOSN TO ABORTN AND THANASIA), CHASTY AND PATRTISM, ALONG WH OPPOSN TO HOMOSEXUALY, PORNOGRAPHY, THE TEACHG OF EVOLUTN PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND ILLEGAL IMMIGRATN. SHELDON ALSO OPPOS GAMBLG, EXCEPT WHEN HE DON’T — 2000, HE HELPED KILL THE INTER GAMBLG PROHIBN ACT AFTER THE TVC RECEIVED A $25,000 CHECK OM ELOTTERY, A CLIENT OF NOW-DISGRACED FORMER LOBBYIST JACK ABRAMOFF. THE TVC, WHOSE PRINT IS SHELDON’S DGHTER, ANDREA LAFFERTY, CLAIMS TO REPRENT OVER 43,000 CHRISTIAN CHURCH ACROSS THE UNED STAT.6. WTBORO BAPTIST CHURCH (WBC)
• GAY RIGHTS
• THE PEOPLE WHO OPPOSE THE GAY MARRIAGE LAW
• 10 ANTI-GAY MYTHS DEBUNKED

18 ANTI-GAY GROUPS AND THEIR PROPAGANDA

Takg a page om the anti-gay fabulist Stt Lively (see Abidg Tth Mistri, above), Fischer claimed a blog post last May 27 that “[h]omosexualy gave Adolph Hler, and homosexuals the ary gave the Brown Shirts, the Nazi war mache and 6 ln ad Jews. A one-time reporter for the nservative Washgton Tim, LaBarbera has been an energetic mpaigner agast “the radil homosexual agenda” sce at least 1993, when he lnched The Lambda Report, which claimed to do first-hand reportg to expose s gay enemi.

GROUPS OPPOSED TO GAY RIGHTS RAKE LNS AS STAT BATE ANTI-LGBTQ BILLS

DeMar has modified that dictum slightly the past, sayg that homosexuals wouldn’t all be executed unr a “renstcted” ernment, but that he did believe that the ocsnal executn of “sodom” would serve society well bee “the law that requir the ath penalty for homosexual acts effectively driv the perversn of homosexualy unrground, back to the closet. It has lled the ia of allowg gays to serve openly the ary “evil”; opposed hate crim legislatn (which many relig-right groups falsely assert would make easy to send pastors to prison for nmng homosexualy); and raged agast a judge’s overturng of California’s Proposn 8, which had validated same-sex marriag.

Although is somewhat benign by parison, the CADC has an advisory board that clus some of the untry’s most hard-le anti-gay activists: Lou Sheldon, head of the Tradnal Valu Coaln (see below); Donald Wildmon, the founr of the Amerin Fay Associatn (above); and O’Neal Dozier, a pastor who wrote his 2008 book that “[h]omosexualy not only spreads disease and ntraliz God’s mand, ” but also “stroys fai.

LIST OF ACTIVE ANTI-LGBTQ HATE GROUPSELIMATE HATE·FOLLOW6 M READ·APR 13, 2017--LISTENSHAREIN 2016, THE SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER (SPLC) LISTED 52 ACTIVE ANTI-LGBTQ HATE GROUPS THE U.S. AS SPLC STAT ON S WEBSE, “THE GROUPS ARE NOT LISTED ON THE BASIS OF OPPOSN TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE OR THE BELIEF THAT THE BIBLE SCRIB HOMOSEXUAL ACTIVY AS SFUL. ANTI-LGBT GROUPS ENGAGE C NAME-LLG AND DISSEMATE DISPARAGG PROPAGANDA AND FALSEHOODS ABOUT THIS POPULATN, SUCH AS THE CLAIM THAT GAY MEN MOLT CHILDREN AT VASTLY HIGHER RAT THAN STRAIGHT MEN.”OUT OF THE 52 ACTIVE ANTI-LGBTQ HATE GROUPS NATNALLY (FULL LIST AVAILABLE BELOW), SPLC HAS EXTENSIVELY PROFILED SIX OF THE MOST PROMENT ANIZATNS PEDDLG EXTREME, MALIC LI ABOUT LGBTQ PEOPLE. THE SIX GROUPS CLU:1. ALLIANCE DEFENDG FREEDOM (ADF)LOTN: STTSDALE, AZFOUND: 1994PRINT AND CEO: MICHAEL FARRISEXCERPT OM SPLC’S EXTREMIST PROFILE:FOUND BY SOME 30 LEARS OF THE CHRISTIAN RIGHT, THE ALLIANCE DEFENDG FREEDOM IS A LEGAL ADVOCY AND TRAG GROUP THAT SPECIALIZ SUPPORTG THE RECRIMALIZATN OF HOMOSEXUALY ABROAD, ENDG SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, AND GENERALLY MAKG LIFE AS DIFFICULT AS POSSIBLE FOR LGBT MUNI THE U.S. AND TERNATNALLY. DPE S REGULAR FAMATN OF LGBT PEOPLE, THE GROUP HAS MANAGED TO W SPECIAL ADVISORY STAT AT THE UNED NATNS, THE EUROPEAN UNN, AND WH THE ORGANIZATN OF AMERIN STAT.2. FAY REARCH COUNCIL (FRC)LOTN: WASHGTON, DCFOUND: 1983PRINT: TONY PERKSEXCERPT OM SPLC’S EXTREMIST PROFILE:THE FRC OFTEN MAK FALSE CLAIMS ABOUT THE LGBT MUNY BASED ON DISCREDED REARCH AND JUNK SCIENCE. THE TENTN IS TO NIGRATE LGBT PEOPLE AS THE ANIZATN BATTL AGAST SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, HATE CRIME LAWS, ANTI-BULLYG PROGRAMS AND THE REPEAL OF THE ARY’S “DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL” POLICY.TO MAKE THE SE THAT THE LGBT MUNY IS A THREAT TO AMERIN SOCIETY, THE FRC EMPLOYS A NUMBER OF “POLICY EXPERTS” WHOSE “REARCH” HAS ALLOWED THE FRC TO BE EXTREMELY ACTIVE POLILLY SHAPG PUBLIC BATE. ITS REARCH FELLOWS AND LEARS OFTEN TTIFY BEFORE CONGRS AND APPEAR THE MASTREAM MEDIA. IT ALSO WORKS AT THE GRASSROOTS LEVEL, NDUCTG OUTREACH TO PASTORS AN EFFORT TO “TRANSFORM THE CULTURE.”3. AMERIN FAY ASSOCIATN (AFA)LOTN: TUPELO, MSFOUND: 1977PRINT: TIM WILDMONEXCERPT OM SPLC’S EXTREMIST PROFILE:INIALLY FOUND AS THE NATNAL FERATN FOR DECENCY, THE AMERIN FAY ASSOCIATN (AFA) ORIGALLY FOCED ON WHAT NSIRED CENT TELEVISN PROGRAMMG AND PORNOGRAPHY. THE AFA SAYS PROMOT “TRADNAL MORAL VALU” MEDIA. A LARGE PART OF THAT WORK VOLV “BATG THE HOMOSEXUAL AGENDA” THROUGH VAR MEANS, CLUDG PUBLICIZG PANI THAT HAVE PRO-GAY POLICI AND ANIZG BOYTTS AGAST THEM. THE AFA HAS A VARIETY OF OUTLETS TO DISSEMATE S MSAGE, CLUDG THE AMERIN FAY RAD NETWORK, S ONLE ONE NEWS NOW AND THE MONTHLY AFA JOURNAL.4. LIBERTY COUNSELLOTN: ORLANDO, FLFOUND: 1989PRINT: MATHEW (MAT) STAVEREXCERPT OM SPLC’S EXTREMIST PROFILE:THE LIBERTY COUNSEL WAS FOUND BY NSERVATIVE ACTIVISTS MATHEW (“MAT”) STAVER — AN ATTORNEY AND FORMER AN AT LIBERTY UNIVERSY SCHOOL OF LAW — AND HIS WIFE ANA. THE COUNSEL BILLS SELF AS A NON-PROF LIGATN, TN AND POLICY ANIZATN THAT PROVIS LEGAL UNSEL AND PRO BONO ASSISTANCE S ALG WH RELIG LIBERTY, “THE SANCTY OF HUMAN LIFE” AND THE FAY. MAT STAVER CHAIRS THE COUNSEL; HIS WIFE ANA IS THE PRINT. THE LIBERTY COUNSEL SHAR A CLOSE AFFILIATN WH LIBERTY UNIVERSY (FOUND BY THE LATE JERRY FALWELL LYNCHBURG, VA.) , PECIALLY THE UNIVERSY’S SCHOOL OF LAW. THE PARTNERSHIP CLUS THE WASHGTON, D.C.-BASED LIBERTY CENTER FOR LAW AND POLICY, WHICH NDUCTS LEGAL REARCH AND WR ABOUT CURRENT LEGISLATN AND POLICI.5. TRADNAL VALU COALNLOTN: ANAHEIM, CA AND WASHGTON, DCFOUND: 1980PRINT: ANDREA LAFFERTYEXCERPT OM SPLC’S EXTREMIST PROFILE:PRBYTERIAN MISTER LOU SHELDON FOUND THE TRADNAL VALU COALN (TVC) 1980 TO SPREAD A “MORAL AND BEHAVR BASED UPON THE OLD AND NEW TTAMENTS” AND TO WARN AMERINS OF THE RISG “GAY THREAT.” THE TRADNAL VALU THE TVC FIGHTS FOR CLU: THE RIGHT TO LIFE (OPPOSN TO ABORTN AND THANASIA), CHASTY AND PATRTISM, ALONG WH OPPOSN TO HOMOSEXUALY, PORNOGRAPHY, THE TEACHG OF EVOLUTN PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND ILLEGAL IMMIGRATN. SHELDON ALSO OPPOS GAMBLG, EXCEPT WHEN HE DON’T — 2000, HE HELPED KILL THE INTER GAMBLG PROHIBN ACT AFTER THE TVC RECEIVED A $25,000 CHECK OM ELOTTERY, A CLIENT OF NOW-DISGRACED FORMER LOBBYIST JACK ABRAMOFF. THE TVC, WHOSE PRINT IS SHELDON’S DGHTER, ANDREA LAFFERTY, CLAIMS TO REPRENT OVER 43,000 CHRISTIAN CHURCH ACROSS THE UNED STAT.6. WTBORO BAPTIST CHURCH (WBC)

” Last year, CWA acced the Gay, Lbian, and Straight Edutn Network (GLSEN), a group that works to stop anti-gay bullyg schools, of g that missn as a ver to promote homosexualy schools, addg that “teachg stunts om a young age that the homosexual liftyle is perfectly natural … will [e them to] velop to adults who are sensized to the harmful, immoral realy of sexual viance. Both Dailey and Sprigg have phed false accatns lkg gay men to pedophilia: Sprigg has wrten that most men who engage same-sex child moltatn “intify themselv as homosexual or bisexual, ” and Dailey and Sprigg voted an entire chapter of their 2004 book Gettg It Straight to siar material.

In a 1999 publitn (Homosexual Behavr and Pedophilia) that has sce disappeared om s webse, the FRC claimed that “one of the primary goals of the homosexual rights movement is to abolish all age of nsent laws and to eventually regnize pedophil as the ‘prophets’ of a new sexual orr, ” acrdg to unrefuted rearch by AMERICAblog.

GAY RIGHTS

30, 2010, bate on MSNBC’s “Hardball wh Chris Matthews” between Perks and the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Mark Potok, Perks fend FRC’s associatn of gay men wh pedophilia, sayg: “If you look at the Amerin College of Pediatricians, they say the rearch is overwhelmg that homosexualy pos a danger to children.

” AMERICAblog also reported that then-FRC official Yvette Cantu, an terview published on Amerins for Tth About Homosexualy’s webse, said, “If they [gays and lbians] had children, what would happen when they were too by havg their sex parti? Started 1987 by psychologist Pl Cameron, the Fay Rearch Instute (FRI) has bee the anti-gay movement’s ma source for what Cameron claims is “cuttg-edge rearch” — but is, fact, pletely discreded junk science phed out by a man who has been nmned by three profsnal anizatns.

THE PEOPLE WHO OPPOSE THE GAY MARRIAGE LAW

In 1985, the Amerin Soclogil Associatn adopted a rolutn sayg Cameron “has nsistently misterpreted and misreprented soclogil rearch on sexualy” and “repeatedly mpaigned for the abrogatn of the civil rights of lbians and gay men”; the followg year, the same group formally nmned Cameron for that misreprentatn of rearch. Matt Barber, formerly wh Concerned Women for Ameri and Amerins for Tth About Homosexualy (see above for both), joed Liberty Counsel as director of cultural affairs (also beg Liberty Universy’s associate an for reer and profsnal velopment).

10 ANTI-GAY MYTHS DEBUNKED

Camenker, who has long foced on the purported “homosexual agenda” the schools and equently claimed gays are dangero to kids, has repeatedly ced discreded claims om anizatns like the Natnal Associatn for Rearch and Therapy of Homosexualy that lk homosexualy and pedophilia. ” Wh regard to LGBT teen suicis, TVC, unr the headle “Homosexual Urban Legends, ” claims that “[t]he ld, hard fact is that teens who are stgglg wh homosexual feelgs are more likely to be sexually molted by a homosexual school unselor or teacher than to m suici over their feelgs of spair.

The TVC also mak assertns on s webse about disproportnate homosexual pedophilia and attacks the ia that people are born gay and the claim that gays want the right to marry for the same reasons that heterosexuals do — the TVC suggts the real purpose of marriage equaly is to stroy the ncept of marriage and ultimately replace altogether wh group sex and polygamy. “Many of those, while not specifilly tied to a church, are rooted the nservative Christian, biblil sense of human sexualy, ” said Stt McCoy, the terim puty legal director for LGBTQ rights and special ligatn for the SPLC and the SPLC Actn Fund, the group’s polil actn simply holdg a relig belief that views homosexualy or transgenr inty as sful do not tomatilly land a church or an anizatn on the SPLC’s list of hate groups. Alliance Defendg Freedom (ADF)Lotn: Sttsdale, AZFound: 1994Print and CEO: Michael FarrisExcerpt om SPLC’s Extremist Profile:Found by some 30 lears of the Christian Right, the Alliance Defendg Freedom is a legal advocy and trag group that specializ supportg the recrimalizatn of homosexualy abroad, endg same-sex marriage, and generally makg life as difficult as possible for LGBT muni the U.

Tradnal Valu CoalnLotn: Anaheim, CA and Washgton, DCFound: 1980Print: Andrea LaffertyExcerpt om SPLC’s Extremist Profile:Prbyterian mister Lou Sheldon found the Tradnal Valu Coaln (TVC) 1980 to spread a “moral and behavr based upon the Old and New Ttaments” and to warn Amerins of the risg “gay threat. Typified by s slogan, “God Hat Fags, ” WBC is known for s harsh anti-gay beliefs and the c signs s members rry at their equent addn to the above six, there are 46 other anti-LGBTQ hate groups active natnally (via SPLC):Abidg Tth MistriSprgfield, MAAmerin Collegeof PediatriciansGaville, FLAmerins for TthAbout HomosexualyNaperville, ILAmerin VisnPowr Sprgs, GAATLAH World Missnary Church (All The Land Anoted Holy)New York, NYCamp Mistry USA, TheTerre Hte, INCenter for Fay and Human Rights (C-FAM)Washgton, DCNew York, NYChalcedon FoundatnValleco, CACizens for Communy ValuCcnati, OHConservative Republins of TexasHoton, TXD.