What the Family Research Council doesn't want you to know about its hate summit.

In spite of what the Family Research Council and its president Tony Perkins may claim, we all know that the demonization of the LGBTQ community will take the spotlight at its upcoming 'Values Voter Summit.'

Just like other members of the conservative right-wing propaganda machine, the Family Research Council and its president, Tony Perkins, is take offense at a Politico article questioning the appearance of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at its upcoming 'Values Voter Summit:'

Yesterday afternoon, Politico ran the headline "Pompeo raises eyebrows with appearance at politically charged event." Yes, you guessed it -- that event is this weekend's Values Voter Summit, which Politico reports is sponsored by the "deeply conservative Family Research Council." The 1,257 word article goes on to cite various past State Department officials who express concern about Secretary Mike Pompeo addressing a "partisan affair." Politico said it couldn't find evidence of past secretaries of state speaking at similar events. However, a quick Google search reveals that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke at a Planned Parenthood gala in 2009 and the Center for American Progress in 2011. 

As I noted on my radio show last night, Secretary Clinton's speech praised Planned Parenthood and promised to make international family planning (including abortion) a top global policy goal. "I want to assure you that reproductive rights...will be a key to the foreign policy of this administration." She described a new age of integrating "family planning" and diplomacy. "At the end of the next four years, I hope we'll be able to look around the world and see that... organizations like Planned Parenthood will be our partners." Over the last three election cycles, Planned Parenthood entities have spent $ 38 million on elections -- making the group even more political than Family Research Council. 

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert responded in a statement to the Daily Signal, "If speaking about protecting human rights and liberty, including highlighting the persecution of Christians, Jews, Uighurs Muslims and other religious minorities around the world is considered wrong or offensive, then we as a nation have truly lost our way. Secretary Pompeo will continue to advance US foreign policy interests as he continues to advocate on behalf of the oppressed."

Aw, that's sweet. And a load of bull.

The headline of FRC's post, Religious Freedom is beyond Partisan, is simply ironic because partisanship is exactly what FRC has polluted the idea of "religious freedom" with.

The Family Research Council's definition of "religious freedom," is genuinely warped because it inaccurately conflates  keeping people safe to worship as they please with  exploiting one's religion to justify anti-LGBTQ discrimination and religious groups being allowed to yank gay tax dollars while practicing anti-LGBTQ discrimination.

That's not "religious freedom.' It's "religious supremacy." And according to Right Wing Watch, it's a version of religion without any shred of integrity. Just demonizing the LGBTQ community, scapegoating the LGBTQ community and justifying conservative evangelicals' hypocritical behavior:

As made abundantly clear last year, Perkins and his ilk have retooled their “family values” message from years past to include unwavering support of the Trump administration and its allies. Since last year’s conference, FRC has provided cover for failed Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore after he was accused of sexual misconduct with teenage girls while he was in his 30s, announced that evangelicals were giving Trump a “mulligan” for his alleged affair with Stephanie “Stormy Daniels” Clifford as long as he continues to fulfill their agenda, and called for prayers to protect Trump from “left-wing news media.”  

Coincidentally, Perkins has also received an appointment to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. All the while, he’s likened baking cakes for same-sex couples to “indentured servitude,” blamed trans-inclusionary policies at a gym for a random guy who tried to do naked yoga in its facilities, proposed that Christians reconsider any plans to attend same-sex weddings, and compared accepting transgender people to allowing someone to commit suicide by jumping off a building. FRC senior fellow Cathy Ruse compared single-stall gender neutral bathrooms to child abuse. Despite this rhetoric, the group reportedly advised the Pentagon on policies surrounding transgender military service members.

In addition, let's not forget about some of the other speakers:

Gary Bauer, a longtime Religious Right activist, who has called for Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to be fired and for “the deep state resistance” to be dismantled. He’s compared the liberal movement to the Taliban, said that conservatives should have backed Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas during his nomination even if they believed Anita Hill, and has a well-documented history of anti-LGBTQ bigotry; 

David and Jason Benham, anti-LGBTQ activists who lost their TV show on HGTV and have subsequently turned themselves into martyrs against political correctness. They said last year that hurricanes were a warning for America to repent for “breaching the boundaries” of God on gender, sexuality and marriage and have claimed that “discrimination against gay people simply does not exist.”; 

Activist Mommy” Elizabeth Johnston has warned of a “war on our children” waged by LGBTQ activists and threatened to sue schools that teach sex education courses.

Lastly, it won't be just Pompeo who will be speaking for the Trump Administration.. Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Mitch McConnell will also be in appearance.

So while FRC claims that its upcoming summit is all about the 'values voter'  and religious freedom, one has to wonder what values does its supporters represent and what is their idea of "freedom." when it comes to religion.