Family Research Council president Tony Perkins continues the game plan of lies about Tenn anti-LGBTQ adoption bill

FRC president Tony Perkins follows the evangelical game plan of lying about Tenn's anti-LGBTQ adoption bill.

Last week, Tennessee passed a bill which allowed tax dollars to go to religious and faith-based adoption agencies even if they refuse to work with members of the LGBTQ community. On the heels of this, conservative evangelical group the American Family Association proceeded to lie about the bill. AFA portrayed it as a way of keeping religious and faith-based groups from being "punished." The group also omitted the part about taxpayer funds (which includes LGBTQ tax dollars) going to groups which would discriminate against the LGBTQ community.

This week the Family Research Council followed AFA's example via a piece by its president, Tony Perkins. It reads in part:

There's never been a more dangerous time to just "skim the headlines." If you're lucky, you'll only get half the story. And in the case of the faith-based adoption debate, not even that! Just ask Tennessee, the latest state to agree that everyone has a right to participate. NBC News framed it as an "Anti-LGBT Adoption Bill." "Tennessee Lawmakers OK Bill Allowing Adoption Agencies to Deny Gay Couples" was USA Today's take. Others were even more outlandish, insisting Tennessee was actively "Targeting Gay Couples." Obviously, none of these outlets were counting on people reading past the spin to the uncontroversial point of it all -- which is giving religious groups the freedom to keep placing kids as they see fit.

 .. . . In more and more states, liberals have been giving faith-based agencies a choice: place kids with same-sex couples or shut down. Enter conservatives, who saw the damage this could do to Tennessee -- and children in particular. So, they made it clear that "no licensed adoption agency would be required to participate in a child placement if doing so would "violate the agency's written religious or moral convictions or policies." That doesn't mean that same-sex couples are excluded from the process. Not one sentence of the policy makes it harder for anyone to adopt. The same avenues that were available to them before are available now. The only difference is, faith-based groups won't be forced to be a part of it.

Just like the AFA, the Family Research Council dodged any mention of the fact that LGBTQ tax dollars will be going to groups which discriminate against the LGBTQ community.  What makes FRC's omission more egregious is that Perkins has the audacity to scold his audience about "skimming the headlines" when the three articles he attacked fully addressed the particular issue he chose to ignore.

Therein lies problem with these anti-LGBTQ adoption bills. They are not designed to get more children into suitable homes. I don't even think documentation exists which could prove that argument.  What's actually happening is the weaponization of religious beliefs to undermine the LGBTQ community's attempts to have families. At the very least, bills like the one passed in Tenn are designed to send a message to us that we don't deserve the rights or dignity of heterosexual taxpayers. No matter what he claims, my guess is that Perkins -  and FRC -  copies the AFA in another respect. They don't give a damn about the children needing good homes.

That's why we can't be silent and allow them to get away with their game of religious-based lies.