Here’s The History Of Hate From Church Group Suing Iowa On Transgender Issue

The Des Moines Register reported today that two churches will sue the Iowa Civil Rights Commission over the transgender bathroom issue and their ability to speak from the pulpit about the church’s teaching on sexuality. Fort Des Moines Church of Christ filed a lawsuit yesterday contending that the government is forcing them to allow transgender people to use their bathrooms and restricting their free speech. Sioux City’s Cornerstone World Outreach Church will also sue over similar issues.

The Fort Des Moines Church is being represented in the case by Alliance Defending Freedom, which has a colorful history in anti-LGBT crusades. The ADF itself reportedly has an annual budget of over $45 million and a team of over 40 attorneys and 3,000 “allied” attorneys. Based in Scottsdale, Arizona, they’ve repeatedly gone after gay rights all across the country and has emerged as the main Christian conservative legal operation to fight LGBT rights.

Here’s just some of their anti-LGBT efforts and most extreme rhetoric:

Their lead counsel claimed at the Southern Baptist Convention that Matthew Shepard’s murder wasn’t a hate crime.

Provided support for efforts in Belize to maintain a statute that criminalized homosexual acts, with a punishment of 10 years in prison. Local groups worried they were inciting potential violence against LGBT people with the extremist rhetoric used by an American-born pastor working with ADF there.

An ADF attorney argued in Jamaica for keeping their anti-sodomy laws.

In one of their training programs, they described their mission as seeking “to recover the robust Christendomic theology of the 3rd, 4th, and 5th centuries.”

Defending gay “conversion” therapy practices, including fighting against a New Jersey law that tried to ban it outright.

Represented county clerks who challenged the Governors and Attorney Generals in Pennsylvania and Virginia who refused to defend the state’s gay marriage ban.

Represented three Republican legislators who sued the Arizona Governor in 2003 when she issued an executive order prohibiting employment discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Was lead counsel in a case against Wisconsin’s domestic partner benefits and assisted in many other state efforts to deny domestic partner benefits.

Represented people who refused services to gay weddings, including a couple in New York who hosted ceremonies, a photographer in New Mexico and a baker in Colorado.

Supported multiple efforts in many states to prevent bullying curriculum to be used in public schools that involved protecting LGBT students.

They joined with Focus On The Family to push an anti-transgender policy for schools, which set guidelines for how students could use restrooms and locker rooms. Their campaigns have often included fear-inducing rhetoric that casts transgender students as threats to fellow classmates, and suggests the policy could allow sexual predators into bathrooms. They were particularly influential in the repeal of the Houston ordinance.

Despite their moral teachings focus, one of their associated lawyers was arrested for child pornography.

An Australian newspaper, reporting on the ADF’s growing international influence, cited those who called it a “gay-hate” group.

by Pat Rynard
Posted 7/5/16