I’m going to bet that most of you, if not all of you, have seen the new viral video sensation called “Kony 2012.” The video was created by a San Diego-based charity called Invisible Children and has received nearly 74 million views, capturing the attention of celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Stephen Colbert, and Rihanna. It calls for the apprehension and prosecution of former Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony and his Lord’s Resistance Army.
But you probably haven’t heard about this: according to researcher Bruce Wilson and IRS 990 forms, Invisible Children receives major funding from far-right, anti-gay fundamentalist donors and organizations, chief among them the U.S.-based National Christian Foundation (NCF). The NCF has also provided significant funds to fanatical groups deeply tied to the persecution of LGBT people in Uganda, including that nation’s infamous “Kill the Gays” bill.
According to Wilson’s report, the NCF (which counts among its biggest donors Rick Santorum’s billionaire buddy Foster Friess, by the way) has emerged as the biggest funder of the anti-gay, dominionist Christian right over the last ten years. Groups receiving NCF grants include James Dobson’s Focus on the Family; the Family Research Council, a Southern Poverty Law Center-certified anti-gay hate group; the Fellowship Foundation, a nonprofit arm of the subversive D.C.-based fundamentalist shadow organization known as “The Family;” and Harvest Evangelism, a California-based ministry whose founder, Ed Silvoso, has worked with Julius Oyet, a leading promoter of Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill.
NCF also funds The Call, led by Lou Engle, a notorious anti-LGBT extremist who frequently uses violent imagery in his tirades against homosexuality. In 2010, Engle brought The Call to Uganda, where the legislature was already considering the infamous “Kill the Gays Bill” – authored and sponsored by MP David Bahati, a member of The Family. Engle’s rally, which Bahati attended, stoked the fires of homophobic hatred and helped to create an even more frenzied climate of intolerance in that country.
American anti-gay groups like The Family, The Call, and Harvest Evangelism are waging a global war on LGBT people, exporting their hateful bile abroad even as the tide turns against their dangerous views at home. While stopping a brutal warlord is an admirable and important goal, it should not be done at the expense of LGBT Ugandans. Invisible Children needs to account for the very disconcerting ties between their organization and the religious right. More fundamentally, though, they need to decide: are they going to be idealists or ideologues? If Invisible Children is a group that simply seeks to do good, it is incredibly irresponsible for them to be affiliated with the funders of anti-gay fanaticism.
The National Christian Foundation isn’t the only connection between Invisible Children and homophobic bigotry. Invisible Children also received contributions from Californians Terry and Barbara Caster and their foundation. The Caster family contributed heavily to the successful push for the passage of Proposition 8, California’s constitutional marriage discrimination amendment, in 2008.
woah…… ouch
This is always a terrible position to be in. Let’s say the organization has excellent goals in mind, but they can’t get the funding they need. So, they sell their soul to get the money. Dirty their hands and keep going. But it catches up to them.
Decisions like this are tough. St. John’s in Collegeville, MN, recently gave back money donated by a wealthy and famous Minnesotan who turned out to be an indicted criminal. The school sent letters to let people know they would not be associated with this man, and I think they had to short-circuit some project because of it.
But that’s integrity, and if Invisible Children really wants to do good, they will take no more funding from anti-gay groups, and then let the world know this. I bet they will get even more money for doing the right thing.
Raise your hand if you personally reviewed the 990 filing. I thought so.
THERE IS NOTHING in the tax return that could lead anyone to these conclusions. Then there is some selective observation. While, for example, Focus on the “Family” may have contributed to IC in 2008, they did not do so in the most recent year for which a return is available, 2010.
I am disappointed that TWO would repeat this without thoroughly vetting the assertions.
Wake up David. We were talking about the National Christian Foundation. I’m disappointed you did not read the release. And, yes, we do read the 990s.
Oh yeah? And Nova, the famous science program on PBS, is heavily financed by the David H. Koch Foundation. So what? There are few rich people of any political stripe, that donate ALL of their charity money to their political cause, to the exclusion of all other worthies. This money trail is no smoking gun.
-A Proud Gay SF Liberal
No, but it raises questions. If there is a smoking gun we will find it.
I’m sorry, but ultimately I think this argument is more destructive than helpful. You’re essentially saying that just because some crazy fundamentalist donate to this organization, that automatically insinuates some nefarious tie. Lots of people with extreme right political opinions donate to the Red Cross. That doesn’t mean I’m going to stop donating to the red cross.
This article amounts to a nice bit of either rhetorical ignorance or rhetorical trickery. I would hope that you would be thoughtful enough not to purposefully try destroy an organization with very noble goals in an attempt to try and siphon more money for your own organization. I hope that’s not what you’re doing, but it sure looks like it.
Who knows who to trust or what to believe. There is a real issue about the ongoing violence and wars in that part of Africa which includes the abduction and abuse of children. But it’s also true that christian fundamentalists are exploiting their position to gain influence in countries like Uganda to affect policy and enact harsh penalties against gay and lesbian people. The problem is western governments are ignoring the problems in Africa and also won’t take a clear stand against the christian organisations’ role in anti-gay activities. Taking a stand against child abductions in Africa and against anti-gay actions in Africa should not be mutually exclusive, but the way this TWO article reads it means you have to reject the one in order to support the other. It should have unequivocally offered support for actions that address the violence and abductions against children while simultaneously decrying the role of christian organizations in attacking gay and lesbian people.
“You’re essentially saying that just because some crazy fundamentalist donate to this organization, that automatically insinuates some nefarious tie.”
Some crazy fundamentalist donating money to an organization doesn’t automatically insinuate some nefarious tie, it automatically establishes it. Because they’re crazy and they donated money. If they didn’t donate the money, there would be no tie.
As to the Red Cross, if you can link to the evidence that they’re largely funded by genocidal hate groups, I’d really like to see that for myself.
If this organization has “noble goals”, then they’ll want to make sure they don’t debase them by having evil people hold the purse strings. I’m not really seeing how you have a point here at all. And I don’t get the conspiracy angle you seem to have invented and are trying to press, either.
“Taking a stand against child abductions in Africa and against anti-gay actions in Africa should not be mutually exclusive…”
And yet for the major funders of Invisible Children, they are.
A:) Look up the word nefarious
B:) Of course the red cross receives money from Christian organizations. That’s common knowledge. The red cross and christian orgs. both brag about it in their advertising.
C:) The “conspiracy angle” as you call it is evident in the email that TWO sent out containing this article where they immediately went from discussing this issue to suggesting that people would be better off donating to TWO than Invisible Children.
D:) This entire article is one big “conspiracy angle” in that they provide no evidence that Invisible Child is being influenced by these organizations. If you have evidence that these organizations are giving Invisible Child their marching orders, then by all means present it. However, since I seriously doubt that any of the kids who could be positively affected by Invisible Child give a darn where the money comes from, I don’t think anyone of us has any right to deny them the aid.
This reminds me of the ethical dilemma a hypothermia researcher ran into years ago, where holes in his data could be filled by research conducted by the Nazis.
As a Jew, the idea on its surface is unconscionable, but if my daughter fell in a frozen river and this research saved her life, I’d feel different.
I get the LGBT concerns here, but unless the concerns about the donors are corroborated by programs on the part of Invisible Children that exclude LGBT victims of child rape, child soldiery, etc., then this is all just a very pointless exercise. Yes, we know what these groups fund, but if they fund one thing that does some good, you have to take the good with the bad instead of breathlessly reacting.
I think what Wayne is trying to say is, “We must look further, use far sight”.
It’s an honorable thing to get Kony and to shine a light on what he is up to. No doubt. To what end though?
Many believed it was an honorable thing to get Saddam. Those behind it had far sight into what they actually wanted out of it and we didn’t find out until it was too late. In the end many were tricked into believing we had to go to Iraq.
Wayne is counseling caution. When a good motivation is backed by questionable forces, there is always the possibility that the actual modivation is other than honorable.
Wayne with this piece is asking you to look beyond immediate goals.
Wayne, if I got it all wrong please, tell me.
“motivation” sorry fat fingers!
Wayne. I did read the release. I also read the source at Talk2Action. I managed to misunderstand both.
MY APOLOGIES!
Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Check out the articles below and learn how the current government also uses child soldiers and is just as, or perhaps more, dangerous.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-deibert/how-invisible-childrens-k_b_1334410.html?ref=impact
How Invisible Children’s Kony 2012 Will Hurt – And How You Can Help – Central Africa
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-deibert/joseph-kony-2012-children_b_1327417.html
The Problem With Invisible Children’s “Kony 2012″
Having corrected myself, NCF gave Invisible Children a mere $3,200 in 2010. It’s a case of selective observation. IC has little or no control over its donors.
BTW, in 2010 NCF gave $15,000 to Phoenix Children’s Hospital and a G to the Orange County Philharmonic.
BTW, Ted Olson’s largest client is possibly Koch Industries. Koch has historical ties to numerous anti-gay activities. Would anyone NOT want Olson representing us on the Prop 8 case?
Ruh Roh: NCF gave Porno Pete $2,500 in 2010. THAT does it! the also gave Cameron (FRI) $3,500.
This is most worring. I recognised on first viewing that the feeling and essence behind the video is lacking the grit of a truely genuine campaign. It doent sit well with me and falls into good guy bad guy (good and evil) simplicity that is used to indoctrinate children, in this case the dad and his son (in sections used to communicate these ideas to the audience). I dont recall the word “evil” used which i find interesting. The campaign doesnt have an anti-gay nor pro-Christian
message, again interesting, if this article is correct. This is marketing which the campaigners clearly have down to make “Kony 2012″ a big success. As far as it shows on the surface the campaign is all-inclusive with goal to have people everywhere pressure the USA to intervene in “stopping” Kony. Im not sure if Obama would stop Kony in the manner he stopped Bin Larden. If the power behind “Kony 2012″ (i dont necessarily mean the founders or front people, but where the rubber meets the road now, today) has a cultural religious agenda beyond “Kony 2012″ that needs to be fully identified and made public as part of the path to human dignity and joy for all persons equally. If the prejudice and ignorant rich are using this campaign, and it is the case that they have committed money and stratedgy now, and that the children and families of Uganda are nothing but booty for the Christian pryimid then think about how to use them to fullfil some more grounded goals: capture and try Joseph Kony AND ensure the children of Uganda are truely free of prejudice, exploitation and dogmatic control.
These comments are awful. The tie-in between fundamentalist Christian organizations and Invisible Children isn’t merely through the donations of aforesaid organization: it is also readily apparent in Invisible Children’s own press releases and its leaders’ statements. Just look up some of the stuff Jedidiah Jenkins, the self-described “Director of Ideology,” has said about his and IC’s role in the region. Invisible Children being a religiously-oriented organization isn’t in and of itself problematic, but its motivations in the region, as shown through its rhetoric, are primarily religious and not humanitarian. The charity is extremely problematic and you’d be better off donating to Oxfam or MSF, both of which have been in Uganda and bordering regions for decades before the arrival of Invisible Children.
“A:) Look up the word nefarious”
Really? You don’t understand your own word, but I’m the one who has to look it up? Here’s one for you: look up the word pathetic.
“Of course the red cross receives money from Christian organizations.”
Why are you anxious to turn the conversation away from genocidal hate groups and towards “Christian organizations”? Is this just a ham-handed attempt to misdirect or do you really not know the difference?
If Invisible Children is a “noble” organization, then they must disassociate themselves from genocidal hate groups. You obviously agree, as that is the point you’re trying very hard not to debate.
And you can keep pressing the conspiracy angle, but it doesn’t make any more sense this time then it did the first time.
“Would anyone NOT want Olson representing us on the Prop 8 case?”
Who wouldn’t want an extremist right-wing traitor whose entire career has been dedicated to destroying America and who brought us Dick Cheney and Citizens United representing our “best” interests?
I didn’t choose Olson and I wouldn’t have chosen this case and our best hope with it is that it never gets anywhere near the Supreme Court, unless we want our civil rights set back at least ten years.
Your other points are just as silly, frankly. Any reputable organization would return those donations and it speaks terribly of the ones you list that they have not done exactly that.
Here’s IC leader Jason Russell speaking at Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University. Also at the event were folks like Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry. He basically advocates evangelizing without being overt about it (and judging from the comments here, it seems to be working pretty well for him)
http://www.alternet.org/visions/154477/invisible_children_%22kony_2012%22_leader_suggests_it's_about_jesus_and_evangelizing__
Everyone is a bit to stirred up by this. It is good to know in the long term in case the Invisible Children group begins behaving irrationally after they achieve their current goal (which will likely happen given the attention it has received recently). However let us not forget “The enemy of my enemy is my friend” while many of the anti-gay groups are horrible towards us they often aren’t exclusively anti gay and will attempt to help others occasionally even if it is a smidge bit erratic or infrequent. This Kony guy is going around as though it’s war I doubt that the Invisible Children cares who or what you are as long as you assist them against this Kony fellow.
Sadly, the only thing any of this proves is that nothing is ever black and white. Not even helping those in need.
This should be forwarded to Anderson Cooper who just had a segment hosting key figures in the Invisible Children and discussing Kony2012. I think he would be totally surprised about these revelations.
I have mixed feelings about this, but I do think that unless Invisible Children is supporting or enforcing anti-gay laws or policies I would rather this not muddy the the good work the group has done in calling attention to Kony.
It’s sad to think that people believe that by blindly giving money to an organization is making some kind of a difference in itself.
Research who you give your money to!!!
Think before you speak!!
This entire dialogue seems misguided because finger pointing and rhetoric are counterproductive to our “end game”! We gotta join together and not split hairs people!!!
The Red Cross is notoriously corrupt as is, from the sound of it, IC.
When catastrophe strikes or there is some media hype about tragic events us Americans have a tendency to start throwing money at these organizations. I my opinion they are fulfilling their own need to do good (which is positive if directed towards the proper channels) but can be harmful if not given some thought!
This article is helping us to make decisions based on facts and information so we can utilize that in order to make a difference in the world, not just feel good about writing a check!!
Re: Comments 5 and 6:
Wayne Besen, thank you for the reply! I do trust that you will monitor the situation with Kony 2012′s funders regardless of what me or the other yahoos who are commenting on this have to say. And that’s awesome! By your reply, it sounds like you’re not quite ready to hang these guys by their own associations either…yet. Do you ever revise your articles? I’d love it if you punched up that little detail, that you’re just pointing out some interesting associations, not declaring jihad at this time. It might reduce your negative commentary a bit, as that’s what I see the main complaint is.
There is more to come on this topic. The research takes time. But we will have some updates that she’d more light.
Kony may be a murderer, but so are these fanatics who influence Ugandan government to make being gay a executable offense.
Innocents have died from both of these groups.