蜜桃传媒 to RNC Chair: Tell party members to stop associating with groups that defame the LGBT community
The 蜜桃传媒 and a coalition of civil rights groups today published an open letter asking the GOP to take a stand against the anti-LGBT bigotry of groups sponsoring this week鈥檚 Values Voter Summit.
The Southern Poverty Law Center and a coalition of civil rights groups today called on the head of the Republican National Committee (RNC) to urge party members to disassociate themselves from groups behind this week鈥檚Values Voter Summit because of their relentless demonization of the LGBT community.
In an open letter published in today鈥檚 editions of TheWashington Post and The Hill, the groups reminded RNC Chair Reince Priebus that 15 years ago his predecessor told GOP elected officials to shun the Council of Conservative Citizens because of the group鈥檚 鈥渞acist views.鈥�
鈥淲ill the GOP condemn anti-LGBT bigotry as vigorously as it opposed racism 15 years ago?鈥� the open letter asks.
鈥淥ur elected officials should not legitimize hate speech by appearing before extremist groups that vilify entire groups of people simply because of who they are,鈥� said 蜜桃传媒 President Richard Cohen. 鈥淲e鈥檙e asking the leaders of the GOP to take a stand against the politics of division.鈥�
U.S. Sens. Rand Paul and Ted Cruz and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal are among those currently scheduled to speak at this year鈥檚 Values Voter Summit, which begins Thursday in Washington, D.C.
The summit is hosted by the Family Research Council (FRC) and co-sponsored by the American Family Association (AFA) and the Liberty Counsel. 鈥淭hese groups,鈥� the open letter says, 鈥渆ngage in groundless demonization of LGBT people 鈥� portraying them as sick, vile, incestuous, violent, perverted, and a danger to the nation.鈥�
The open letter contains these examples of the groups鈥� vilification of the LGBT community:
- FRC President Tony Perkins has repeatedly claimed that pedophilia is a 鈥渉omosexual problem.鈥� He has called the 鈥淚t Gets Better鈥� campaign 鈥� designed to give LGBT students hope for a better tomorrow 鈥� 鈥渄isgusting鈥� and a 鈥渃oncerted effort鈥� to 鈥渞ecruit鈥� children into the gay 鈥渓ifestyle.鈥� He also recently condemned the National Republican Congressional Committee for supporting three openly gay candidates.
- Bryan Fischer of the AFA has said the United States needs to 鈥渂e more like Russia,鈥� which enacted a law criminalizing the distribution of LGBT 鈥減ropaganda.鈥� He also has said, 鈥淗omosexuality gave us Adolph Hitler, and homosexuals in the military gave us the Brown Shirts, the Nazi war machine and six million dead Jews.鈥�
- Mat Staver of the Liberty Counsel has compared those who do not denounce same-sex marriage to those who remained silent during the Holocaust. Marriage equality, he has said, is the 鈥渂eginning of the end of Western civilization.鈥�
鈥淭hese views are far outside the mainstream, and those who continue to associate with anti-LGBT extremists will find themselves on the wrong side of history,鈥� Cohen said.
Joining the 蜜桃传媒 in signing the open letter are Faithful America, GLAAD, the Human Rights Campaign, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc., and People for the American Way.
