澳彩开奖

The International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit that ended earlier this month in Washington, D.C., has been for bringing together a diverse, seemingly incompatible group of politicians, activists and dignitaries in furtherance of a common goal: the promotion of international religious freedom, a concept deeply embedded in our nation鈥檚 ideals and a sign of a healthy and open democracy.

But make no mistake: The presence and deep influence of virulently anti-LGBTQ+ hate groups and other far-right extremists 鈥� some of whom have used religious rhetoric to advocate for the criminalization of and even the death penalty for LGBTQ+ people 鈥� cannot be ignored.

To many of these extremists, religious freedom means, simply, the right to discriminate 鈥� particularly against the LGBTQ+ community.

The IRF Summit is a production of the Tom Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice. According to its website, the summit is used to 鈥渞aise the profile of international religious freedom on a wide variety of issues using an array of mechanisms best suited for each circumstance.鈥� Summit co-chairs Sam Brownback and Katrina Lantos Swett have this third iteration of the event was meant 鈥渢o bring together experts, lawmakers, activists, survivors, advocates and leaders to educate, elevate and advance the cause of religious freedom in every corner of the world.鈥�

Summit leaders, including Brownback, have claimed that religious freedom 鈥渢he profound right of all people to live their lives in accordance with the dictates of their own conscience鈥� and that IRF 鈥渁dvocates are as robust in their defense of the rights of humanists and atheists in Iran or Saudi Arabia as they are in advocating for persecuted Christians, Ahmadis, Baha鈥檌s, Muslim Uyghurs and all others who face discrimination for their beliefs.鈥�

Brownback鈥檚 history suggests otherwise 鈥� as does that of many of the summit sponsors. For example, last year, Brownback published an op-ed with anti-LGBTQ+ hate group leader Tony Perkins that included white and Christian supremacist dog whistles about threats to 鈥淲estern culture鈥� and took aim at the growing acceptance of LGBTQ+ people by claiming, 鈥淲estern culture is growing increasingly hostile to foundational Christian beliefs about marriage, sexuality, and ethical behavior.鈥�

Brownback, the former governor of Kansas, whom former President Donald Trump as the U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, previously state assistance to Syrian refugees in an order so broad that legal activists worried it could be used to deny assistance because of a refugee鈥檚 religion. And, in a nod to prominent anti-Muslim extremists like Robert Spencer and Pamela Geller who lauded the move, Brownback also a bill that banned the state from using 鈥淪haria law.鈥� Brownback鈥檚 appointment as a U.S. ambassador was by people like Frank Gaffney who are part of a network of far-right extremists who spread anti-Muslim propaganda.

Brownback also issued an executive order in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court鈥檚 landmark ruling legalizing same-sex marriage that purportedly religious groups, cities, counties and school districts in Kansas to continue to legally discriminate against LGBTQ+ people. He also a bill allowing religious groups at state universities to exclude LGBTQ+ people while retaining state funding.鈥�

Mainstreaming extremism

In addition to a co-chair who has perpetuated the false assumption that LGBTQ+ rights and 鈥渞eligious freedom鈥� cannot coexist, the IRF Summit provided a platform for multiple anti-LGBTQ+ hate groups and personalities who cloak their hate in religious rhetoric. Hate groups like the Family Research Council (FRC) and Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) have both sought and within mainstream conservative politics and become鈥� in global right-wing political movements. Their embrace by IRF summit organizers represents a validation of their strategy to mainstream and normalize their extremism.鈥�

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, who spoke at the summit, previously addressed a gathering of the Council of Concerned Citizens 鈥� a white nationalist hate group. He frequently attacks LGBTQ+ people with false and dangerous rhetoric 鈥� equating them with pedophiles; advocating Biblical 鈥減unishment鈥�; promoting the pseudoscientific and dangerous practice of conversion therapy; and espousing the idea that LGBTQ+ rights come at the expense of 鈥渞eligious freedom.鈥�

The FRC also promotes the notion that 鈥渞eligious freedom鈥� includes a right to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people.

Lest its intentions be misunderstood, the day the summit opened, the FRC distributed an email to its members in which Perkins once again accused LGBTQ+ people of 鈥渢argeting鈥� children and 鈥渕utilating鈥� their bodies, concluding that 鈥済ender identity ideology鈥� is 鈥渁n assault on the image of God in every child.鈥� Notably, Perkins is also a of the national advisory board for Brownback鈥檚 own political organization, the National Committee for Religious Freedom.

The ADF, an organization with international reach, was listed on the summit website as a partner organization. The 澳彩开奖 has previously documented how the ADF advocates for the criminalization of homosexuality in Central America. In Europe, it has argued for countries to transgender people.

鈥榃icked and evil鈥�

Additional speakers and sponsors at the summit that have ties to extremism and promote extremist ideologies include the Religious Freedom Institute, an organization that 鈥渓icense to discriminate鈥� legislation in the U.S. that would allow doctors to refuse to treat transgender people or provide abortion care. One of its representatives at the summit has also claimed that religious people face 鈥渞eal discrimination鈥� as opposed to LGBTQ+ people, who should be criminalized.

Other summit sponsors include Samaritan鈥檚 Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, both led by Franklin Graham. Notably, Graham has called Islam 鈥渨icked鈥� and 鈥渆vil鈥� and regularly demonizes LGBTQ+ people.

Liberty University School of Law contributed enough money to be a 鈥渃onvening partner鈥� of the summit. Liberty University was founded in 1971 by Jerry Falwell, the conservative televangelist who once AIDS 鈥淕od鈥檚 punishment for homosexuals.鈥� The law school鈥檚 former dean, Mat Staver of the anti-LGBTQ+ hate group Liberty Counsel, used to teach the case of Lisa Miller 鈥� whom the Liberty Counsel defended after she kidnapped her child to Nicaragua rather than share custody with her same-sex former partner 鈥� in his law classes. Staver encouraged 鈥渃ivil disobedience鈥� to laws that promote LGBTQ+ equality and noted Miller鈥檚 case as an example of counseling a client 鈥渢hat they have an obligation to ignore the law and engage in 鈥榗ivil disobedience鈥� in order to uphold God鈥檚 law.鈥�

A relatively new group, Advancing American Freedom, led by former Vice President Mike Pence, is another summit sponsor. The group claims as members of its advisory board people like Pastor Robert Jeffress, who has said Islam promotes pedophilia, has likened LGBTQ+ people to murderers, said they are prone to disease and dangerous to children, and in a about homosexuality said although God takes 鈥渘o pleasure in the death of the wicked 鈥� there is a point when God鈥檚 patience will end, and His judgment will come.鈥�

Although summit co-chairs have said that religious freedom 鈥渢he profound right of all people to live their lives in accordance with the dictates of their own conscience,鈥� the extremists sponsoring and participating in the summit define religious freedom as the legal privilege of white, straight, cisgender, conservative Christians to discriminate against those who do not share their beliefs. We reject that definition.

Religious freedom should be a shield against targeted discrimination 鈥� not a sword to thwart the rights and liberties of LGBTQ+ persons and religious minorities.

R.G. Cravens is a senior research analyst for the 澳彩开奖鈥檚 Intelligence Project.

Picture at top: Speakers at the International Religious Freedom Summit in Washington included Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council (FRC), seen in a photo from the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland. In an email to FRC members the day the summit opened, Perkins accused LGBTQ+ people of 鈥渢argeting鈥� children and 鈥渕utilating鈥� their bodies. (Credit: AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)