WASHINGTON —— There is a network of American extremists who work tirelessly to undercut LGBT people around the world at every turn. They spew venomous rhetoric, outrageous theories, and discredited science. Some claim that LGBT people are responsible for the Holocaust, the Rwandan genocide, and the spread of HIV/AIDS. Others argue that LGBT people are luring away children, and that acceptance of LGBT people will lead to the destruction of families around the world. Some even suggest that the death penalty could be an appropriate punishment for simply being LGBT.
In a groundbreaking new report titled The Export of Hate, HRC Foundation exposes some of the most vitriolic American activists promoting anti-LGBT bigotry abroad.
"Hate is not an American value, and we must expose and fight these individuals and their extremist allies," said Ty Cobb, HRC Foundation's Director of Global Engagement. "This is a destructive group of activists spreading anti-LGBT rhetoric, promoting laws that criminalize LGBT people, and seeking to restrict their speech and those who support them. Although their views may find little traction in the United States, public opinion in many other nations makes their words and global advocacy fundamentally dangerous."
Active in multiple nations across five continents, the individuals profiled in the report are only some of the Americans dedicated to this shared global mission. The report details their connections and associations, nations in which they're active, publicly available information about their resources, and examples of their hateful rhetoric.
This includes Scott Lively, who is known the world over for his notorious work successfully advocating for anti-LGBT laws in Uganda that could send LGBT people to prison for life. The report also profiles the National Organization for Marriage's Brian Brown, who is now reportedly launching an "International Organization for Marriage." He joined three other leaders profiled in the report at an event hosted at the Kremlin in Moscow last week. The event concluded with a resolution calling for the passage of more Russian-style anti-LGBT "propaganda" laws around the world. Representatives of the World Congress of Families, which gathers thousands of activists from the U.S. and around the world at annual summits, participated in and served on the event's organizing committee. Their next major summit is planned for Salt Lake City in October 2015, which will be the first Congress ever hosted on American soil.
Many of these organizations secure audiences with heads of government and their spouses, testify before parliaments and gatherings of lawmakers, and build relationships with community leaders and other prominent citizens. Their groups lobby United Nations delegates, get involved in the drafting of national constitutions, and intervene in international court cases that affect the lives and rights of LGBT people.
"It's said that sunlight is the best disinfectant, and more must be done to expose this work and the people doing it," said Cobb. "Their harmful impact is being felt in nearly every corner of the globe, and we urge all fair-minded people to stand up and reject the American exportation of hate."
The Export of Hate follows two additional comprehensive reports on the topic released by HRC Foundation earlier this year, Exposed: The World Congress of Families and Scott Lively.
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is the educational arm of America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.
