Campaign hopes to have 50 anti-LGBT organisations labelled as hate groups
A coalition has started a campaign to have conservative organisations opposing trans rights labelled as hate groups.
The Eliminate Hate Campaign seeks to have 50 organisations across the US labelled as hate groups.
It particularly takes aim at organisations which have extreme views, and which preach hate against LGBT+ people.
The campaign accuses these groups of hiding behind Christian or family values, in order to attack the LGBT+ community.
It was sparked by surges in hate crimes across all 50 states since the 2016 presidential campaign, and in the first 100 days of Trump’s Presidency.
As well as having the organisations named as hate groups, the campaign also hopes that the public will also oppose extremism, and to help to discredit the groups.
The Alliance Defending Freedom is one of the organisations named by the group.
It legally defends those opposed to transgender rights, including school boards, parents or individuals. It is described as a religious freedom organisation.
“ADF doesn’t have time to respond to organisations who do nothing more than call names, create division and incite violence across the country in order to raise money,” spokesman Greg Scott said in a statement.
It also attacks the Family Research Council, which opposes gender identity being protected under the law for discrimination.
FRC spokespeople have often attacked LGBT rights publicly.
Peter Sprigg, a spokesman for the FRC, has said: “We believe that it’s really not possible for a person to change their sex, that biological sex at birth is essentially immutable.”
Media Matters launched the Eliminate Hate Campaign, and is also coordinated by the National Center for Transgender Equality, the National LGBTQ Task Force, Soulforce, The Equality Federation and the Matthew Shepard Foundation.
“I have seen first hand what can happen as a result of hate and how it feels to have the hate and discrimination that people face dismissed or denied,” said Judy Shepard, president of the Matthew Shepard Foundation.
