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| This group is DEADLY to the lgbt community |
I've said it before and I will say it again. Homophobia is more insidious than a bunch of idiots saying ridiculously anti-gay things. There is a movement afoot to enshrine anti-gay policies on a global scale. I've talked about the World Congress of Families and the groups which are a part of it on several occasions recently. I refer to WCF as the "Legion of Homophobia" and based on the Media Matters report on a conference it will be having beginning tomorrow, WCF more than earns my moniker:
On October 27, mainstream political figures, members of right-wing media, and domestic and foreign anti-LGBT extremists will gather in Salt Lake City, Utah, for the World Congress of Families' (WCF) ninth international gathering. While the World Congress of Families bills itself as a global coalition of "pro-family" organizations, it has deep ties to extremist anti-LGBT movements abroad, and its gathering will serve as a meeting point for well-known US anti-gay extremists to interact with mainstream US politicians and conservative media figures, along with international anti-LGBT activists who support efforts to criminalize homosexuality.
WCF Describes Itself As A "Pro-Family" International Alliance. From the group's website:
Organized by the Howard Center for Family, Religion & Society, the World Congress of Families was founded by Dr. Allan Carlson in 1995 as a pro-family advocacy group and a way to forge an international alliance of organizations of goodwill which celebrate and affirm the natural family as the fundamental unit of society. We now have 42 organizations in 14 countries, on five continents, affiliated with us as Partners and work with pro-family leaders in more than 80 countries. [World Congress of Families, accessed 10/6/15]WCF Is Based In The US, And Its Entire Board Is American. [Human Rights Campaign, July 2015]
WCF Has Been Identified As An Anti-Gay "Hate-Group." In February 2014, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) added WCF to its list of anti-gay hate groups. SPLC designates certain anti-gay organizations as hate groups based on their "propagation of known falsehoods" and "groundless name-calling" about LGBT people. [Southern Poverty Law Center, accessed 10/21/15; Southern Poverty Law Center, accessed 9/10/15]
WCF's Anti-LGBT Activism Has Been Linked To Russia's Wave Of Extreme Anti-Gay Legislation. WCF's work in Russia has been attributed to the country's rise in anti-LGBT legislation, most notably the controversial anti-gay "propaganda" law passed in 2013.
WCF Has Also Been Linked To A Rise In Anti-LGBT Sentiments And Legislation In Africa. WCF's Nigerian coordinator, Theresa Okafor, has been influential in advancing anti-LGBT legislation in Nigeria and Uganda.