The Southern Poverty Law Center today updated its list of designated hate groups, and this year is significant in that some of the larger anti-gay outfits have made the cut. After a litany of ever more extreme statements from people such as Peter Sprigg and Tony Perkins of the FRC, Bryan Fischer of the AFA and Laurie Higgins of the IFI, the SPLC has determined, correctly in our view, that these groups all deserve to be designated as having gone beyond mere advocacy, and into full-blown hatred against the LGBT community. Especially after the recent spate of gay teen suicides elicited no remorse from any of these institutions, they have indeed earned their place in the halls of hate.
It is notable that Focus on the Family is not on the list. Though we at Truth Wins Out still stand in solid opposition to Focus’s mission, they have indeed made baby steps in the past year to moderate their message, which is in stark contrast with the growing extremism at FRC and AFA. Higgins and the IFI have always been awful, of course. These groups especially deserve recognition for their abject ignorance of facts and reality, choosing as they do to spread anti-gay propaganda at all costs, which indeed suggests that their “work” is inspired by little more than juvenile animus.
The list of anti-gay hate groups now includes the following:
1. Abiding Truth Ministries [Scott Lively]
2. American Family Association
3. Americans for Truth About Homosexuality [Peter LaBarbera]
4. American Vision
5. Chalcedon Foundation
6. Dove World Outreach Center [Terry Jones]
7. Faithful Word Baptist Church [Steven Anderson]
8. Family Research Council
9. Family Research Institute [Paul Cameron]
10. Heterosexuals Organized for a Moral Environment
11. Illinois Family Institute
12. MassResistance
13. Traditional Values Coalition
Read more from the SPLC here.
Tags: Abiding Truth Ministries, AFA, AFTAH, American Family Association, American Vision, Americans for Truth, Bryan Fischer, Chalcedon Foundation, Dove World Outreach Center, Faithful Word Baptist Church, Family Research Council, Family Research Institute, Focus on the Family, FRC, hate groups, Heterosexuals Organized for a Moral Environment, IFI, Illinois Family Institute, Laurie Higgins, MassResistance, Paul Cameron, Peter LaBarbera, Peter Sprigg, Scott Lively, Southern Poverty Law Center, SPLC, Steven Anderson, Terry Jones, Tony Perkins, Traditional Values Coalition67 Comments »
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Focus on the Family may have made ‘baby steps’ but aren’t they still a sister organization of FRC, or has that changed since Dobson left Focus?
Comment by Devin — November 22, 2010 @ 12:11 pm
They’re still very close and I would argue that their fundamental missions are similar, but the new leadership at Focus is, like I said, making tiny baby steps in something resembling the right direction. We don’t oppose them any less, but there is a line being drawn in the sand between those who are truly digging their heels in and becoming more extremist, like the AFA & FRC, who are basically Fred Phelps without the showmanship at this point, and Focus, who is pretty awful, but hasn’t shown the inclination to become MORE hateful in the past year.
Comment by Evan Hurst — November 22, 2010 @ 12:14 pm
I find this particularly sad. Reading through the list of the names these groups have taken for themselves you might be confused into thinking they were loving groups. I mean, who doesn’t support morals, values, truth, vision, outreach, and family etc? Clearly there is a massive gap in the definitions of these words.
Glad they are being called out for their hatred.
Comment by Timothy Dann-Barrick — November 22, 2010 @ 12:14 pm
[...] Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) released a landmark report today adding new official Hate Groups to its well-respected list. The report concludes that the overall [...]
Pingback by Truth Wins Out - PFOX Board Member Cited As Key A Reason The Family Research Council Is a SPLC Certified Hate Group — November 22, 2010 @ 12:36 pm
[...] Southern Poverty Law Center Adds Family Research Council & American Family Association To Anti-Gay Hate Groups List. The Southern Poverty Law Center, the nation’s leading watchdog of hate organizations, has added the Family Research Council and American Family Association to its list of anti-gay hate groups. Also making the list for the first time is the Illinois Family Association, the former home of Porno Pete LaBarbera, whose group also makes the list. Here’s the SPLC’s updated list, via Truth Wins Out. [...]
Pingback by SPLC recognizes the Family Research Council and the American Family Association as hate groups | PochoBlog — November 22, 2010 @ 2:14 pm
[...] a look at what our friends at Truth Wins Out have to say about this new [...]
Pingback by Report: Gays ‘By Far, The Most Victimized By Violent Hate Crimes’ | The New Civil Rights Movement — November 22, 2010 @ 2:21 pm
well it seems that the SPLC is well on its way to
achieving Wayne and Evan’s cherished dream of having
every conservative group that doesn’t toe the line on
acceptance of homosexuality declared a hate group.
obviously, it’s just a matter of time until that
happens.
Comment by bwanderson — November 22, 2010 @ 2:41 pm
No, our goal is for people who are full of hatred to be called what they are. But thanks for playing.
Comment by Evan Hurst — November 22, 2010 @ 2:42 pm
bwanderson:
The evidence is overwhelming and compelling. I am sorry that facts are getting in the way of your ideology.
Comment by Wayne Besen — November 22, 2010 @ 2:47 pm
Hey, bwa, you obviously haven’t been reading very closely. Many conservatives are OK with gays – these aren’t ‘conservative groups’, they are radical rightwing haters! At a time when gay teens are being tormented to suicide because of their ranting and their (your?) hate, they show no signs of easing off or calling off their abject hatred for all things gay, even the kids. Now that’s HATE!
Comment by Devin — November 22, 2010 @ 2:52 pm
Next on the list should be the Heritage Foundation.
Comment by kalifani6 — November 22, 2010 @ 3:15 pm
[...] about an alleged proliferation of anti-Latino, anti-Muslim and anti-black hate groups — today expanded its list of anti-gay hate groups to include both the American Family Association and the Family Research Council.Something [...]
Pingback by FBI Report: Remember That Predicted Wave of Tea Party Hate Crimes? Didn’t Happen : The Other McCain — November 22, 2010 @ 7:13 pm
Who cares what the ANTI-WHITE $PLC and Jewish Supremacist ADL say? USA is a sick, subverted nation.
Comment by John Griffin — November 22, 2010 @ 9:04 pm
The problem with America, John, are fools like you who make such idiotic statements and help elect people that bring down America.
Here is what subverts the nation:
Inequality in the United States has soared to levels comparable to those in Argentina six decades ago — with 1 percent controlling 24 percent of American income in 2007.
John, you can thank Republicans for this. And, I bet you are one of them.
Comment by Wayne Besen — November 22, 2010 @ 9:13 pm
I think there is mounting evidence that PFOX and Exodus International might be future hate groups. These organizations are certainly doing their best to provide a record to help make the decision easy.
Comment by Wayne Besen — November 22, 2010 @ 9:15 pm
I think that the argument can be made quite cogently that SPLC and TWO should be classified as groups that promote hatred against orthodox Christians — and should be, if you apply the same standards that SPLC and TWO apply to the organizations referenced above.
Comment by Rhymes With Right — November 22, 2010 @ 9:33 pm
Rhymes with Right, where is your evidence? Where is your documentation to back your case?
For example, when has TWO ever argued for laws that would imprison orthodox Christians? When have we ever claimed they should be “exported”?
We haven’t, while the groups on the SPLC hate list have made such arguments against LGBT people.
So, you really ought to get your facts straight if you want to have a real debate.
Comment by Wayne Besen — November 22, 2010 @ 10:25 pm
RWR,
You made no cogent argument at all — you merely declared yourself to be cogent. Coward.
What standards are you referring to, and exactly how do SPLC or TWO violate them?
Unless you can answer those questions in detail, you qualify as an idle flamethrower — and such trolling is forbidden here.
Comment by Michael Airhart — November 22, 2010 @ 10:27 pm
I’m not very familiar with the groups listed, but I am quite familiar with the SPLC and how they mislead. In fact, lots of people are familiar with that and with their constant quest for money. Others who are wise to them include HarpersMag and the Montgomery paper.
More about them at my name’s link. Maybe it’s time for this site to wise up.
Comment by About the SPLC — November 22, 2010 @ 11:06 pm
Well, buddy, I am very familiar with the groups listed. The SPLC knocked it out of the park. Based on this report, they really know what they are talking about and handled the topic with genuine expertise.
I’ll take a look at your link. But I’m already turned off by the way you have a problem with the fact they need money to pay their staff.
Don’t you need money to pay the bills? Or, did you inherit money and don’t need to work like the rest of us to make ends meet?
Comment by Wayne Besen — November 22, 2010 @ 11:15 pm
[...] week, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) released a landmark report on anti-gay defamation. The SPLC certified several new hate groups, including well-known [...]
Pingback by Truth Wins Out - Hate Groups Waiting in the Wings — November 23, 2010 @ 12:02 am
Rhymes with Right is equating the fact that I often say people like she/he are fucking morons with “hate.” At no point have I called for the imprisonment of said morons, though. Much to the contrary! I wish that they be provided helmets so that they may live their lives in comparative glee without having to deal with Hard Things like shoelaces, twisty ties, and signs at the amusement park specifying height requirements.
Comment by Evan Hurst — November 23, 2010 @ 2:24 am
[...] crap: Via Truth Wins Out, we see that the Southern Poverty Law Center has released a piece profiling Of 18 anti-gay [...]
Pingback by SPLC hate groups: 5 more anti-LGBT orgs to enter annals | American Brands — November 23, 2010 @ 2:54 am
The more liberally the SPLC applies the “hate group” label, the less impact it will have. While I think that AFA and FRC are truly horrible organizations that harm gay people, it is ridiculous to lump them in with groups such as the KKK or the Aryan Nation.
If AFA and FRC constitute hate groups b/c they support sodomy laws and have stereotypical ideas about gays, it is hard to see how SPLC can avoid “designating” a whole bunch of other groups, along with about a quarter to a third of the US population.
It is already unclear why SPLC thinks it has any authority to make these designations. When they start applying them to non-violent public policy organizations that regularly host GOP Presidential candidates, it is a certainty that a lot of people will cease to care what SPLC has to say about anything.
A “hate group” should be one that uses or advocates violence or unlawful means. Since the designation is intended to place the group beyond the pale, it should be used rarely. Non-violent advocacy of public policies – however repugnant and discriminatory – should not be enough.
Comment by Steven — November 23, 2010 @ 3:29 am
Steven, the KKK no longer advocates violence or uses unlawful means. They proclaim that they don’t hate black people they just think the races should be seperate. By your standards the KKK isn’t a hate group either.
Comment by Priya Lynn — November 23, 2010 @ 10:40 am
Since the Bible states that alcohol excess is unwise and displeasing to God, I accept that to be the truth – drunkeness is sinful. But I do not hate alcoholics, and rather than help them define drunkeness to be a normal lifestyle, it seems better to help them stop drinking, realizing that the desire to drink may be with them all their lives.
Since the Bible states that homo-sex is unwise and displeasing to God (the same can be said for many forms of hetero-sex), I accept that to be the truth – homosexual acts are sinful. But I do not hate “gays,” and rather than help them to define homosexuality to be a normal lifestyle, it seems better to encourage them to stop acting on homosexual desires, realizing that such desires may be with them all their lives.
It is not always better to gratify every desire we may have, whether acquired or inherent.
Comment by MKS — November 23, 2010 @ 11:01 am
MKS, you are wrong in SO many ways! The old compare homosexuality to alcoholism has long passed its shelf life. Time to get a better argument to explain why you hate gays. Yes, you DO hate gays. Only a hater would require gays to live lives of isolation devoid of love. Homosexuality does NOT mean a sex act that can somehow be curbed or avoided. Being gay involves every aspect of a person’s life & the fact that you are too much of a moron to realize that tells me that it is pointless to talk to you.
Comment by Devin — November 23, 2010 @ 11:17 am
MKS said “It is not always better to gratify every desire we may have, whether acquired or inherent.”.
That does not mean that it is better to supress one’s gayness. What determines whether or not desires are best supressed is whether or not acting on those desires hurts others. Acting one one’s desires for a monogamous same sex relationship hurts no one and therefore is not something anyone should avoid. Your desire to destroy loving gay relationships would harm people if you acted on it therefore you best not gratify your desire to do so.
Only someone who hates gays (such as yourself) would seek to harm gays by ignoring the fact that every major mental and physical health association says that gayness is a normal healthy variant of human sexuality
Comment by Priya Lynn — November 23, 2010 @ 11:37 am
MKS, can you make your argument cogent to an atheist, one who does not define their sexual morality by your scriptures?
btw, dragging out the ol’ “gay men get AIDS and STDs a LOT” won’t work for lesbians. They have the lowest transition rate for all STDs.
Comment by Emily K — November 23, 2010 @ 12:38 pm
[...] Saying It. The Family Research Council and other groups who appear on CNN and other networks are hate groups. And Dan’s exactly right: there are NO “two sides” [...]
Pingback by Truth Wins Out - Dan Savage Slams CNN, On CNN, For Giving Airtime to Hate Groups — November 23, 2010 @ 3:24 pm
[...] that we at Truth Wins Out are, again, heartily applauding the Southern Poverty Law Center for their wise decision to include the Family Research Council and the American Family Association among their newly updated list of [...]
Pingback by Truth Wins Out - Late Friday Random Ten [Midday Wednesday Patty Griffin/Sutton Foster edition…) — November 24, 2010 @ 2:18 pm
I’m curious: why is Maggie Gallagher’s notorious NOM on the SPLC’s list?
Comment by Scott Amundsen — November 24, 2010 @ 2:37 pm
OOPS: Correction: Why is the NOM NOT on the list?
Comment by Scott Amundsen — November 24, 2010 @ 2:37 pm
Not sure why NOM is not on the list. But think of it as a Christmas List where you get most of what you want, but not everything.
I’m thrilled with the gifts in this year’s SPLC stocking.
Comment by Wayne Besen — November 24, 2010 @ 2:40 pm
It appears to me that the SPLC has discredited themselves. At one time, the SPLC performed a great service to our society. These days, it is a great honor to be listed by the SPLC as a so called “hate group”. The SPLC is just nothing more than a bunch of left wing nut jobs listing everyone who does not see things their way. Why did they not list the NAACP? I have not once seen Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton, two of the most racist men in America, listed in an SPLC list. Why is that? They look for hatred where there is no hatred, but can not clearly see the hatred that is staring them in the face. Why didn’t the SPLC list the radical gays who opposed Prop. 8 in California, even to the point of becoming violent and issuing death threats against pro-proposition 8 people? Where is La Raza on their list? Oh, thats right, La Raza did not make the list because they are a LEFT WING HATE GROUP. You have to be a Right Wing “hate group” in order to make the list.
I am wondering now why the SPLC did not list themselves as being a “hate organization”. Slinging accusations of hate all over the place is very foolish. Now if they decide to list a real hate group, who is going to believe them?
Comment by G. S. — November 25, 2010 @ 3:41 pm
We are standing together to lobby Congress to defund this worthless organization. The SPLC has proven themselves totally useless. Therefore, it is not in our interest to allow our tax dollars to continue to fund them. Call your congressman and senator and ask them to help stamp out hate by defunding the SPLC!
We are also going to start a campaign asking bloggers to help expose the SPLC. Any help will be appreciated. If you are a blogger, or know any bloggers, give them a call, and tell them about the antics of the SPLC!
As said on one left wing website, these designations are made based on the SPLC’s “propagation of known falsehoods and repeated, groundless name-calling”. When people on the left start noticing stuff like this, the SPLC has pretty much outlived its usefulness.
The owners of this website should be disappointed and offended that “Truth Wins Out” did not make the SPLC list. LOL
Comment by G. S. — November 25, 2010 @ 4:07 pm
The SPLC does not receive federal funding. G.S., you’re a colossal idiot.
http://www.splcenter.org/who-we-are/financial-information
It’s curious how none of the SPLC’s critics have detailed the criteria for hate-group status, nor explained why the FRC and AFA do not qualify under those criteria.
Comment by Michael Airhart — November 25, 2010 @ 4:34 pm
G.S. said “Why didn’t the SPLC list the radical gays who opposed Prop. 8 in California, even to the point of becoming violent and issuing death threats against pro-proposition 8 people?”.
Because there is no such group, those stories were all made up by right wing bigots.
Comment by Priya Lynn — November 25, 2010 @ 4:36 pm
@Michael Airhart: if the SPLC does not recieve federal funding, there is a major legal organization that is about to make a fool out of themselves. They plan to lobby Congress, as well as file lawsuits against the SPLC accusing the SPLC of defaming mainstream pro-family organizations.
Michael said “It’s curious how none of the SPLC’s critics have detailed the criteria for hate-group status”. What exactly is the criteria for being classified as a hate group under SPLC guidelines. That you be anti-illegal immigration, anti-gay marriage (notice I did not say anti-gay), or anti-muslim? It don’t matter how anti-Christian, anti-heterosexual, or anti-white you are, you don’t make the SPLC list(Honor Roll).
@ Priya Lynn: You said there is no such group. There may not be an organized group, but there was fear of the gays going on a rampage against anti-proposition 8 voters in California, as well as the Mormon church. If your memory is so short that you can not remember, go to California, and talk to somebody who is not a left wing bigot. All you have to do is go to you tube to see a video of an elderly lady being assaulted by a rampaging mob of homosexuals at an anti-proposition 8 rally in California.
The SPLC used to do good at one time, but now resorts to looking for boogymen under every rock and when it can’t find any, they create them. To be noticed by SPLC is a badge of honor. In other words, if you wish to involve yourself in an organization, check the SPLC list. If they did not make the SPLC list, they are no good.
Comment by G. S. — November 25, 2010 @ 7:28 pm
GS, that’s a load of BS. There was no such fear, just a bunch of victimizers pretending to be victims. A*holes like you assault and murder gays and when they protest you outrageously claim to be a victim.
GS said “What exactly is the criteria for being classified as a hate group under SPLC guidelines. That you be anti-illegal immigration, anti-gay marriage (notice I did not say anti-gay), or anti-muslim?”.
You disingenous idiot, being anti-gay marriage is being anti-gay. You can’t be for denying gays equal rights without being anti-gay.
Generally the SPLC’s criteria for listings them as hate groups is based on their propagation of known falsehoods — claims about LGBT people that have been thoroughly discredited by scientific authorities — and repeated, groundless name-calling. As to what these falsehoods are, they include claims that:
Gays molest children at a higher rate than heterosexuals,
Same sex parents harm children,
Gays have a lifespan shorter than heterosexuals, and
Gays controlled the Nazi party in Germany and helped orchestrate the Holocaust.
Comment by Priya Lynn — November 25, 2010 @ 9:23 pm
GS said “All you have to do is go to you tube to see a video of an elderly lady being assaulted by a rampaging mob of homosexuals at an anti-proposition 8 rally in California.”.
Typical of the lies of a*holes like you. That lady had a styrofoam cross knocked out of her hand after she knocked over a disabled gay man, she most certainly wasn’t assaulted. And this one pathetic incident that you’ve exagerated beyond all recognition is what you rely on to perpetuate your lie that people “feared” gays going on a “rampage”. You’re so full of shit I can smell it from here.
Comment by Priya Lynn — November 25, 2010 @ 9:26 pm
Priya Lynn said:”being anti-gay marriage is being anti-gay. You can’t be for denying gays equal rights without being anti-gay.” that is one of the biggest lies to ever be perpetrated by the homosexual movement. It ranks right up there with “I was born that way”. Denying gays the right to marry each other is not denying them equal rights. They have the right to marry if they turn their back on their chosen lifestyle and find a companion of the opposite sex. What gays are demanding now is special priveleges. What is coming next? Are pedophiles going to start marching in the streets demanding that we allow them to marry their victims? If they do, the SPLC will be right in there supporting the pedophiles.
“… your lie that people “feared” gays going on a “rampage”. ” If you have not had your head in the sand since before the Prop 8 ordeal started, you know full well that there were threats leveled at the anti prop 8 crowd, and also some property damage was sustained by the anti prop 8 people. For example, there were cars damaged because they had pro prop 8 bumper stickers, as well as pro prop 8 yard signs taken down and destroyed. You need to get your facts straight before you come on here spouting off about something you obviously know nothing about. My memory is not that short.
This is coming from Wikipedia: Before the vote, Alan Autry (the mayor of Fresno) received an email containing death threats against both himself and Cornerstone Church Pastor Jim Franklin. This caused police to assign the pastor officers for his protection and motivated the mayor to obtain a bodyguard. According to Fresno’s Police Chief Jerry Dyer the email “did state as to why that threat was made and it was stemming from prop 8.” Both Autry and Franklin were prominent Proposition 8 supporters.
In the ten days following the November 4 election, seven houses of worship in Utah and ten buildings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) in the Sacremento area were targets of vandalism, such as graffiti and meeting house glass doors shattered. According to the LDS spokesperson for the Sacremento area, the vandalism that they experienced in the ten days after the election was more than they usually get in an entire year. A copy of the Book of Mormon, an LDS religious text, was found burning at the front of a meetinghouse.
An affiliate group of the radical trans/queer organization Bash Back! (Whoa, I thought you said there was no such group), claims credit for pouring glue into the locks of an LDS church and spray painting on its walls. A Web posting signed by Bash Back!’s Olympia chapter said: “The Mormon church (just like most churches) is a cesspool of filth. It is a breeding ground for oppression of all sorts and needs to be confronted, attacked, subverted and destroyed.”
According to the Chicago Tribune, the acts of vandalism against the LDS church appear to be in retaliation for support of Proposition 8.
The Anti-Defamation League released a statement condemning the “defacement and destruction of property.” (I have not heard of any such condemnation coming from the SPLC)
By Thomas Messner: Supporters of Proposition 8 in California have been subjected to harassment, intimidation, vandalism, racial scapegoating, blacklisting, loss of employment, economic hardships, angry protests, violence, at least one death threat, and gross expressions of anti-religious bigotry. Arguments for same-sex marriage are based fundamentally on the idea that limiting marriage to the union of husband and wife is a form of bigotry, irrational prejudice, and even hatred against homosexual persons. As this ideology seeps into the culture more generally, individuals and institutions that support marriage as the union of husband and wife risk paying a price for that belief in many legal, social, economic, and cultural contexts.
Don’t try to tell me these things did not happen, I have family living in California. The hatred and anti Christian bigotry coming from the pro gay movement in California has been widely ignored by the national media. Thankfully,not all the media covers for the gays. Now do some research, THEN you can come back and apologize for wrongfully accusing me of lying.
Comment by G. S. — November 25, 2010 @ 10:30 pm
GS, you’re full of shit. The right to marry doesn’t mean anything if it doesn’t include the right to marry the person of your choice. You have the right to marry the person you love most and you seek to deny gays that same right. When gays get the right to a same sex marriage you will also have the right to a same sex marriage so don’t give me this “special rights” bullshit, that’s just a lie, its not special rights to have the same rights you have. If you have the right to marry Alice, I as a woman deserve the exact same right to marry Alice. Anything less is denying me my humanity and equality. Only a despicable evil bigot would attempt to do such a thing. The shoe fits GS, wear it!
Just like the hate groups identified by the SPLC you try to equate being gay with being a pedophile, that is an attack intended to foster violence against gays.
Spare me your pathetic wining about a handful of isolated minor incidents with people writing grafitti on LDS churchs (Ohh, the horror! Gay people on a rampage! Run for your lives! Run for your lives!).
There’s no evidence that gay people carried out those acts in any event, but like the hate-monger you are you blame them with no proof whatsoever.
Bash Back, unlike your hate groups hasn’t spread lies about anti-gay bigots like you being behind the holocast or being pedophiles or being diseased perverts who should be put in jail. They are NOTHING like the hate groups you support.
Your attempts to deny gays the same right to marry the one they love that you have is most certainly bigotry, irrational prejudice, and hatred against gays. You live it, accept the reality of the hateful bigot you are. How dare you accuse gays of hatred and anti-christian bigotry?! Gays aren’t trying to deny you the right to marry, gays aren’t trying to have your relationships criminalized, gays aren’t trying to fire you from your job or evict you from your home merely for being who you are. That’s YOU whose doing that you hateful, prejudiced, evil bigot. Gays support your equal rights, gays are your moral superiors in every way, shape and form.
You’re so profoundly deluded you think you deserve an apology for me rightfully pointing out your bigotry and outrageous lies about gay people. You seek to oppress and attack gay people, you owe the entire gay community an apology, you should hang your head in shame for the evil you perpetrate. Go fuck yourself you devil.
Comment by Priya Lynn — November 25, 2010 @ 11:32 pm
Right on Priya Lynn!
Comment by Paul Douglas — November 26, 2010 @ 4:28 am
@ G.S. – I have heard a lot from these organizations pleading victimhood after the SPLC designation. I have read SPLC’s profile reports and list of anti-gay myths.
What I haven’t heard OR read is a simple statement by these organizations by way of “we never said these thing” or “we were misconstrued because . . .”
At no time has the Family Research Council, the National Association for Marriage, nor any of the other groups ever denied saying or doing the things SPLC has accused them of.
Seems to me that they are trying to avoid the issue by pretending to be victims.
Comment by a.mcewen — November 26, 2010 @ 10:35 am
GS, you might be able to count the amount of prankery and disruption (and maybe, possibly, hateful feelings) expressed and caused by the gay community on, at most, 2 hands.
Pouring glue into locks? spraypainting graffiti? Breaking styrofoam crosses?
Please tell me how these are as horrible as youth suicides, gang rapes and beatings, and fencepost-stringing.
Or as bad as the “tamer” acts like denying partners hospital visitation (even among deadly cases), legal acknowledgment of existence as a unique class, and anti-bullying education measures.
No serious gay organization I can think of is actively working to deny Christians the right to pray publicly, marry one another, and express their Christianity without having fear of violent reprisal. Nobody is asking Christians be jailed. In fact, the SPLC says that opining that homosexuality is “unbiblical” is not enough to be counted as a hate group. It has to be something much more insidious. And indeed, it is.
Comment by Emily K — November 26, 2010 @ 10:35 am
[...] so let’s just jump in and look at the wingnut reactions to the Southern Poverty Law Center adding the Family Research Council and the American Family Association to their list of anti-gay hate [...]
Pingback by Truth Wins Out - A Treasury of Wingnut Reactions to AFA & FRC Being Listed as Hate Groups — November 29, 2010 @ 5:46 pm
If the FRC is a hate group, then these words no longer have meaning. More correct is that the SPLC has earned the ‘stupid’ group category. Forrest Gump was right, “stupid is as stupid does” – the SPLC has stepped down from dumb to dumber. Its effort is merely to stifle opposition and destroy the 1st Amendment. One cannot laugh at this, though it’s laughable – just shake your head.
Comment by r — November 30, 2010 @ 1:42 am
Whiny.
Comment by Evan Hurst — November 30, 2010 @ 1:56 am
@Priya Lynn
I’m not anti-gay at all, but if you call for a religion to be destroyed, then you probably should be considered a hate group.
Comment by J.T. — November 30, 2010 @ 11:31 am
JT, it depends on how you attempt to destroy a religion. If you attempt to do it by oppressing its members then you’re a hate group. If you attempt to do it by persuading its members their beliefs are false then you’re not a hate group.
Comment by Priya Lynn — November 30, 2010 @ 12:11 pm
And JT, if you don’t support the right to equal marriage for same sex couples then you are very anti-gay.
Comment by Priya Lynn — November 30, 2010 @ 12:13 pm
JT, just because you say you’re not anti-gay doens’t mean it’s so. When did TWO ever call for a religion to be destroyed. If you mean Priya then she’s hardly a group.
Good job Priya–you have more patience than I.
This story really brought out the kooks–I’m sure directly from the AFA or FRC websites. It’s very typical–just throw out lots of false claims and ridiculous statements so we spend a lot of time refuting their bizarre claims. Unfortunately those claims, no matter how idiotic, do need to be refuted or they take on a life of their own.
Comment by Daniel — November 30, 2010 @ 4:17 pm
Thanks Daniel. And I didn’t call for a religion to be destroyed either.
Comment by Priya Lynn — November 30, 2010 @ 4:28 pm
I didn’t think so but I can’t claim to have read every single thing you’ve ever written. It was a very strange post JT posted.
I would love to see an end to religion–but it should be brought about by reason, not suppression.
Comment by Daniel — November 30, 2010 @ 4:37 pm
I’m not anti-gay, I DO think gays should be able to get married, and even if I were a total homophobe, if you’re not violating someone else’s rights then it’s really not up to me. I was referring to Bash Back, not to Priya, I directed it to her because she said they were nothing like the hate groups that G.S. supported. They called for the LDS to be destroyed. While wanting people to stop having religious beliefs doesn’t make a group a hate group by itself, nor does prankster-type vandalism, when you combine the two I think you have an argument.
Comment by J.T. — December 1, 2010 @ 12:04 pm
JT, whatever Bash Back has said (and why we would get that from your post when you didn’t even use their name is a mystery), I’ll have to take your word for it because I don’t pay a lot of attention to them. I read the Wikipedia entry on them and that statement seems to have an elipses in the middle and I couldn’t find the original. It does seem that the comment was made in response to the church’s strong support of Prop 8 which took away the rights of gay and lesbian Californians–so I can’t get too upset at the statement. I should point out that I was raised Mormon so I know about the dishonest way it goes about things–I remember their campaign against the Equal Rights Amendment. They get their members support by spreading lies and fear–so, again, not an overwhelming amount of sympathy. Even though I think the vandalism was stupid it doesn’t compare to a church working to take away civil rights.
And finally, Bash Back is a small group that hasn’t made much inroad into the GLBT world. If you’re using them as some kind of example of why AFA and FRC shouldn’t be called hate groups you’re really off base.
Comment by Daniel — December 1, 2010 @ 12:19 pm
JT–you’re comparing Bash Back–a group with probably under a hundred members with AFA and FRC? Total false comparison. Whatever the rhertoric (and, like Daniel, I haven’t really paid any attention to them) they have NO influence, whereas AFA and FRC spokespeople get time on regular news channels and actually have elected representatives ears. Talk about a false equivalency.
Comment by Becky — December 1, 2010 @ 12:31 pm
JT said “I DO think gays should be able to get married…”
Well, that’s an excellent first step. Do you tell people gayness is wrong?
JT said “I was referring to Bash Back, not to Priya, I directed it to her because she said they were nothing like the hate groups that G.S. supported. They called for the LDS to be destroyed. While wanting people to stop having religious beliefs doesn’t make a group a hate group by itself, nor does prankster-type vandalism, when you combine the two I think you have an argument.”.
They are nothing like the hate groups G.S. supports. G.S.’s hate groups seek to deny gays the right to marry, the right to adopt or raise children, the right not to be fired from their jobs or evicted from their homes for something other than their ability to be good employees and tenants. Bash Back try to advance any of that sort of oppression towards any religious group. Trying to persuade people their religious anti-gay attitudes they are wrong and performing pranks is in no way comparable to trying to destroy loving relationships, marriages, and families.
Also, Bash Back believes marriage is an oppressive institution which leads to undesirable assimilation rather than liberation. Extremely few LGBTs would agree with Bash Back’s philosophy so to say they are representative of LGBTs in general, or LGBTs fighting for marriage is an outrageous lie.
Comment by Priya Lynn — December 1, 2010 @ 12:55 pm
In my comment #59 I said “Bash Back try to advance any of that sort of oppression towards any religious group.”. That should have said “Bash Back doesn’ttry to advance any of that sort of oppression towards any religious group.
Comment by Priya Lynn — December 1, 2010 @ 12:57 pm
I am so glad Truth Wins Out exists! The writers are brilliant, and adorable, to boot! What I wouldn’t give to have an ounce of Evan and Wayne’s intelligence, looks and general joie de vivre! Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s time for my lunch!
Comment by Zero Kool — February 28, 2011 @ 9:26 am
Ah Zero (appropriate name) no one is touching your racial rights so unknot your panties.
Comment by Priya Lynn — February 28, 2011 @ 10:24 am
Oh Zero–you’re so stupid.
Comment by Becky — February 28, 2011 @ 11:48 am
Becky & Priya: Look at #61 now. That’s what happens to troll comments now, as per the policy I just started. ;)
Comment by Evan Hurst — February 28, 2011 @ 1:00 pm
Priya Lynn, marry me.
Comment by emma — February 28, 2011 @ 3:16 pm
I’d love to Emma, but I’m already married.
Comment by Priya Lynn — February 28, 2011 @ 4:05 pm
@ BWA “The evidence is overwhelming and compelling. I am sorry that facts are getting in the way of your ideology.”
Which “facts” are you referring to?
Comment by wendy — February 28, 2011 @ 4:24 pm