Well-Funded Christian Organization Spearheading Efforts to Curtail LGBTQ+ Rights in the US

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With the United States currently grappling with a culture war campaign seeking to erode the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals and others, the blame is often attributed to Republican politicians and conservative media figures. However, experts point to a well-funded right-wing legal organization lurking in the shadows, fueling the rollback of abortion rights, demonizing transgender people, and undermining protections for gay and queer Americans.

Formed in 1994, the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) has played a central role in a nationwide endeavor to restrict the rights of women and LGBTQ+ individuals, all under the guise of Christianity. The Southern Poverty Law Center has designated it an “anti-LGBTQ hate group” that has permeated nearly every facet of the culture wars.

Along its journey, the ADF has garnered the attention of influential figures in the US and has been labeled “a danger to every American who values their freedoms” by Glaad, an LGBTQ+ advocacy organization.

Utilizing “model legislation” and filing lawsuits across the country, the ADF aims to overturn same-sex marriage, impose a complete ban on abortion, and strip away the limited rights currently granted to transgender people in the US.

During the Trump administration, the ADF reached the highest echelons of power, advising the then attorney general, Jeff Sessions, who issued sweeping guidance to protect “religious liberty.” These measures, however, chipped away at LGBTQ+ protections.

One notable association of the ADF is with Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who reportedly spoke at an ADF training program promoting a “distinctly Christian worldview in every area of law.”

According to Rabia Muqaddam, a senior staff attorney at the Center for Reproductive Rights, the ADF is engaged in a “strong campaign to place a particular religious view at the heart of American life.” Muqaddam emphasizes that this campaign encompasses abortion, LGBTQ+ rights, immigration, the definition of American religion, and the recognition of diverse Americans. The fight to preserve democracy and ensure a society that tolerates, encourages, and empowers everyone is at stake.

The Alliance Defending Freedom’s influential and well-funded presence underscores the urgent need to defend and protect the hard-fought rights of marginalized communities in the United States.