_________________________________________________________________________________
1.) ACLJ has
raised nearly $75 million in the past five years to fight for anti-LGBT causes,
despite not meeting 10 out of 20 of the Better Business Bureau’s standards for
charity accountability.
ACLJ Has Had Raised Over $74 Million
In The Past Five Years. According
to IRS reports, ACLJ brought in $74,772,224 between fiscal year 2008 to fiscal
year 2012 and had expenditures of $75,021,348. [American Center for Law and
Justice IRS Form 990, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008]
2012: The ACLJ Has An Annual Budget
Of Over $15 Million. According
to IRS reports for Fiscal Year 2012, the ACLJ brought in $ 15,684.893 in
contributions and had expenditures of $15,579,134. [American Center for
Law and Justice IRS Form 990, 2012]
2011: The ACLJ Has An Annual Budget
Of More Than $17 Million. According
to IRS reports for Fiscal Year 2011, the ACLJ brought in $ 17,164,568 in
contributions and had expenditures of $17,416,278. [American Center for
Law and Justice IRS Form 990, 2011]
2010: The ACLJ Has An Annual Budget
Of More Than $16 Million. According
to IRS reports for Fiscal Year 2010, the ACLJ brought in $16,629,586 in
contributions and had expenditures of $16,746,496. [American Center for
Law and Justice IRS Form 990, 2010]
2009: The ACLJ Has An Annual Budget
Of More Than $13 Million. According
to IRS reports for Fiscal Year 2009, the ACLJ brought in $ 13,291,865 in
contributions and had expenditures of $13,420,518. [American Center for
Law and Justice IRS Form 990, 2009]
2008: The ACLJ Has An Annual Budget
Of More Than $12 Million. According
to IRS reports for Fiscal Year 2008, the ACLJ brought in $ 12,001,312 in
contributions and had expenditures of $11,858,922. [American Center for
Law and Justice IRS Form 990, 2008]
According To The Better Business
Bureau, The ACLJ Does Not Meet Ten Out Of Twenty Standards For Charity
Accountability. The Better
Business Bureau reported that the ACLJ does not meet standards for board
oversight, board size, board meetings, board compensation, effectiveness
policies and reporting, accurate expense reporting, annual reports, website
disclosures and cause marketing disclosures. [American Center for Law and
Justice Charity Review, Better Business Bureau, March 2012]
Since 1998, ACLJ And Another Charity
Have Paid More Than $33 Million To Members OF Jay Sekulow’s Family. “Sekulow is the principal officer of Christian Advocates
Serving Evangelism and the American Center for Law and Justice. Since 1998, the
two legal charities have paid more than $33 million to members of Sekulow's
family and businesses they own or co-own, according to the charities' federal
tax returns.” [Associated Press, 9/6/11]
·
The ACLJ Obfuscates How Much Jay Sekulow Earns From The Organization. “The
IRS requires nonprofits to disclose the compensation of their leaders. But a
donor to ACLJ wouldn't know how much Sekulow is earning from his work with the
organization, even though he is described as CEO, chief counsel and board member
on its tax forms. ACLJ reports that Sekulow has taken no salary since 2002
However, ACLJ's 2009 tax form shows it paid $2,382,770 to the law firm 50
percent owned by Sekulow --(AT) Constitutional Litigation and Advocacy
Group.” [USA Today, 9/5/11]
2.) ACLJ suggests
the “sin” of homosexuality might be to blame for the death of Tyler Clementi
and the rash of teen suicides connected to anti-LGBT bullying.
ACLJ’s David French Said Concerns A
Tennessee Law Would Lead To Anti-LGBT Bullying Were “Bad Faith” Because
Compared To All The Complaints Against Christians “I Can Probably Count On The
Fingers Of One Hand The Times That Involved Any Conflict With LGBT Students.” According to the Atlantic, “Bloggers at ‘The Gaily Grind’
and ‘The New Civil Rights Movement’ have claimed the [Tennessee] law
[protecting religious speech in schools] would protect anti-gay bullies. ‘I
think that criticism is in bad faith and absurd,’ said David French, a senior
counselor at the American Center for Law and Justice. ‘I have not seen any
evidence whatsoever that there is a desire to use religion as a thinly-veiled
pretext to bully anybody.’ ….With this particular bill, it seems like LGBT
bullying is a bit of a distraction. Of all the religious discrimination claims
he's represented, very few have had to do with homosexuality, French said. ‘I
have been on the receiving end of complaint after complaint: Teachers telling
students, don’t bring your Bible to recess, you can’t discuss your faith or
invite someone to church at school, you can’t form a club, you can’t pray. In
all of that time, I can probably count on the fingers of one hand the times
that involved any conflict with LGBT students.’” [The Atlantic, 4/15/2014]
ACLJ’s David French Said Universities
Advance Values By “Conducting Orientation Indoctrination Sessions And Diversity
Training” That Leaves No Space For “Traditionally Christian” Beliefs. In an article lamenting the Supreme Court’s decision in CLS
v. Martinez holding that a Christian club had to open itself to leadership from
other religions on a public university campus, French said, “As universities
have grown in size, they have also grown in ambition. Most students are now
aware of the concept of ‘university values,’ an all-encompassing worldview that
tells us men and women are exactly the same, that ‘diversity’ is a paramount
goal, and that one should tolerate everything except intolerance. Universities
advance those values energetically by conducting orientation indoctrination
sessions and diversity training, enforcing expansive rules governing student
speech, and creating an alphabet soup of programs and centers serving different
identity groups but pushing the same agenda. The message is clear: Out with the
old (your parents' influence, your traditional religion, your intellectual
independence); in with the new (sexual experimentation, group identification,
and statist dependence)…. In other words, the rule isn't ‘Christians need not
apply’ but ‘Christians are welcome so long as their beliefs are not
traditionally Christian.’” [ACLJ.org, Schools That Used To Favor Openness
Are Becoming Closed And Dogmatic When It Comes To Traditional Religious Groups,
Accessed 10/23/2014]
ACLJ’s French Said It Is “Absurd” To
Suggest That “Christian Opposition To Homosexual Behavior Creates A ‘Climate’
Conducive To Suicide.” In a post
on National Review, David French said, “First, the argument that comes largely
from external (typically Leftist) critics of Christianity is that Christian
opposition to homosexual behavior creates a ‘climate’ conducive to suicide. I
think this is frankly absurd. Of course individually targeted bullying
certainly can lead a person down that dark path (but let’s never forget that
the suicide itself is an act of independent will), there’s no allegation — to
my knowledge — in any of the recent suicides that some sort of Christian thug
was taunting anyone. Nor is there any evidence that any serious Christian
endorses bullying and other kinds of thuggish behavior. Lacking this evidence,
what is the Left’s argument? That the mere existence of people who think
homosexual behavior is wrong makes it more likely that a person who identifies
as gay will kill himself? In a vibrant democracy, debates are often intense,
and religious debates can be the most intense. Yet do we see a connection in
other communities between intense religious debate and suicide? Lots of communities
are publicly criticized for many reasons, but I’m not aware of any spike in the
suicide rate accompanying public debate — even intense debate.” [National
Review, 10/25/2010]
French Said Recent LGBT Teen
Suicides “When The Problem Is Sin, De-Stigmatizing Sin Doesn’t Actually Heal
The Human Heart” And That Anti-Bullying Laws Are “Often Grotesquely
Unconstitutional.” In a column in Patheos addressing
the suicide of Tyler Clemanti, French said, “We don't know Tyler's roommate's
motive for taping Tyler. Was he homophobic? Was it merely a malicious prank --
one that he would have played regardless of the sex of the person in the room
with Tyler? We certainly don't have any evidence that Tyler's roommate taped
Tyler because of any religious objection to Tyler's behavior (that would be a
curious thing indeed). Nor do we have any evidence that other recent gay teen
suicides have been caused by any religiously-motivated actions. But that hasn't
stopped the finger-pointing. According to some, the ‘fundamentalist’ or
‘evangelical’ (those terms are often used interchangeably) Christian community
has created a ‘cultural climate’ that stigmatizes gay people. Allegedly, this
stigma ‘contribute[s] to the atmosphere’ that makes suicide more likely.
Christian opposition to same-sex marriage, Christian disapproval of homosexual
behavior, and even Christian opposition to so-called ‘anti-bullying laws’
(which are often grotesquely unconstitutional) harm gays emotionally…..As we
de-stigmatize homosexuality, the human toll continues to mount. Why? Perhaps
because the fundamental problem wasn't ‘stigma’ in the first place. Perhaps
when the problem is sin, de-stigmatizing sin doesn't actually heal the human
heart. Celebrating sin doesn't ultimately soothe the conscience. And in
celebrating sin, we often stigmatize the one Truth that can offer light in the
darkness of the soul.” [Patheos, 10/19/2010]
Sekulow Said School Policies
Protecting LGBT Students From Harassment Went Too Far, “There Is A Line Between
Sensitivity And Indoctrination.”
The Los Angeles Times, in an article about school districts improving their
anti-gay harassment programs, reported, “Others say school districts are going
too far. "There is a line between sensitivity and indoctrination,"
said Jay Sekulow, chief counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice,
which was founded by conservative evangelist Pat Robertson. Sekulow said
schools should treat all students with dignity and respect, but they shouldn't
promote one lifestyle over another. If districts are going to offer extra
protections for gay and lesbian students, they should do the same for students
who want to express their religious beliefs, he said.” [LA Times,
9/11/00]
3.) ACLJ goes
after cities and municipalities, simply for protecting employees against
anti-LGBT discrimination.They even call workplace diversity training
“offensive.”
ACLJ Filed Suit Against The City Of
Louisville Challenging Non-Discrimination Employment Policy Including Gender
Identity And Sexual Orientation. In
1999, according to a press release from ACLJ, “The American Center for Law and
Justice, an international public interest law firm, today filed suit in U.S.
District Court in Louisville challenging the City's ordinance that extends
protected status in employment to the categories of ‘sexual orientation’ and
‘gender identity.’ The ACLJ filed suit against the City of Louisville, the
Mayor and other officials on behalf of J. Barrett Hyman, M.D., a medical
practitioner, who contends that his Biblically-based Christian beliefs prevent
him from complying with the City's ordinance. The lawsuit contends that because
of his sincerely held religious beliefs, Hyman is compelled to deny employment
and discharge from employment any person whom he learns is living a homosexual,
bisexual, transgendered, or transsexual lifestyle. ‘By forcing employers who
object to homosexuality and transgenderism to hire people who practice those
lifestyles, the City of Louisville is attempting to legislate its own view of
morality at the expense of the fundamental rights of its citizens,’ said Francis
J. Manion, Senior Regional Counsel of the ACLJ-Midwest, who is representing
Hyman in the suit.” [American Center For Law and Justice, Press Release,
11/6/1999]
ACLJ Filed Lawsuit Against City Of
Henderson, Kentucky’s Non-Discrimination Ordinance In Employment And Housing
Protecting Sexual Orientation.
According to a press release from ACLJ, “The American Center for Law and
Justice, an international public interest law firm, today filed suit in
Henderson Circuit Court for the Commonwealth of Kentucky challenging the City
of Henderson's ordinance that extends protected status in employment, housing,
and public accommodation to the categories of ‘sexual orientation.’ The ACLJ
filed suit against the City of Henderson, its Mayor, and the Henderson Human Rights
Commission on behalf of Rick and Connie Hile, who own three rental properties
in Henderson….The suit contends that the Hiles believe the ordinance ‘requires
them to abandon and act contrary to beliefs which are central to their
Christian faith.’ At the same time, the suit contends the Hiles ‘believe they
are compelled to act in accordance with their faith’ and the complaint says
‘they have concrete plans to deny rental of their property to individuals who
are homosexual or bisexual.’ On October 5, 1999, the City of Henderson amended
its ordinances to extend anti-discrimination provisions to include sexual
orientation, which the City defines as ‘a person's actual heterosexuality,
homosexuality or bisexuality, or the supposed heterosexuality, homosexuality,
or bisexuality of a person as perceived by another person.’ At the same time,
the ordinance states that it shall be unlawful for a person to discriminate
against another person ‘in any real estate transaction’ because ‘of a person's
sexual orientation.’ Those who violate the ordinance are subject to fines of up
to $250.00.” [American Center for Law and Justice, Press Release,
11/23/1999]
ACLJ Represented Mother Who Sued
High School After Being Excluded From Assembly Supportive Of LGBT Student
Rights. According to the Associated Press,
“A St. Louis mother who filed a civil lawsuit after she was asked to leave a
high school assembly about tolerance for gay students has reached a settlement
with public school officials. The American Center for Law and Justice said
Wednesday that St. Louis school officials have agreed to revise their policy,
clarifying the right of parents to observe school-sponsored events. The ACLJ
represented the mother, Debra Loveless. Loveless's daughter attends Metro High
School. The suit contended that in October 2001, Loveless decided not to allow
her daughter to attend an assembly featuring a group that supports gay student
rights. Loveless tried to attend herself but was asked to leave. In the suit,
Loveless charged that her exclusion violated her rights of free speech, equal
protection, and parental liberty. As part of the settlement, school officials
can still exclude parents if they disrupt the event.” [Associated Press,
5/22/2003]
ACLJ’s Website Says Workplace
Diversity Training “Can Be Offensive Because Of the Subtle But Often Times Open
Hostility Towards Racial, Ethnic, And Religious Majorities.” According to the ACLJ website, “A religious discrimination
claim can arise in the context of a mandatory “diversity” training program. Over
the past twenty years or so, public and private employers have glommed onto the
concept of promoting “diversity” in the workforce. As a result, most employers
have instituted mandatory programs in “Diversity Training.” Often, the content
of these mandatory training sessions can be offensive because of the subtle but
often times open hostility towards racial, ethnic and religious majorities….
Additionally, employees should have the right to opt out of objectionable
diversity training if it violates their sincerely held religious beliefs.”
[ACLJ.org, Accessed 8/6/14]
ACLJ Filed Suit In Minnesota
Defending Employees Who Read Bible At State-Mandated Training Called ‘Gays And
Lesbians In The Workplace.’ According
to a report by Focus on the Family, “The ACLJ filed suit in April 1998 against
the Minnesota Department of Corrections on behalf of Thomas Altman and Ken
Yackly to force their employer to rescind the reprimands they received in 1997 after
they silently read their Bibles at a state-mandated training session called
‘Gays and Lesbians in the Workplace.’ The employees contended that the training
session was little more than a state-sponsored indoctrination aimed at changing
their religious beliefs about homosexuality. Four years later, and several
appeals later, the employees were finally vindicated.” [Citizenlink.com, Focus
On the Family, How Sexual Orientation Nondiscrimination Laws Harm Businesses
& Employees, 9/2009, Accessed 10/23/2014]
ACLJ Defended Right Of Parents
Opposed To California Public School’s “Pro-Homosexual Indoctrination Program”
To Homeschool Children. According
the the ACLJ website, “The case came out of a juvenile court situation in which
family members told WND they objected to the public school's pro-homosexual
indoctrination program in California. In fact, just yesterday, California
lawmakers decided to mandate a day of celebration and honor for Harvey Milk,
the late San Francisco supervisor who was an activist for homosexuality. The
ACLJ, along with many other organizations, had filed an amicus brief in the
case which had been interpreted as threatening the very practice of homeschooling
in California.” Jay Sekulow said ACLJ was “pleased” with the court’s decision
affirming the rights of parents to homeschool. [ACLJ.org, 8/09/2008]
4.) ACLJ
defended the Boy Scouts of America in their fight to prevent LGBT scouts and
scout leaders, with the group’s founder warning of “predators as Boy Scouts,
pedophiles who will come in as Scoutmasters.’’
Pat Robertson Said Boy Scouts of
America Welcoming LGBT Scouts Would Open Scouts To “Predators” And
“Pedophiles.” According to Right Wing Watch, “Pat
Robertson appeared rather confused about the upcoming vote by the Boy Scouts of
America board to end the national ban on gay membership, telling 700 Club
viewers today that Congress is trying to change the organization’s ban on gay
Scouts. After misrepresenting the looming decision by the board, Robertson
warned that if the sweeping prohibition on gay members is lifted then there
will be “predators as Boy Scouts, pedophiles who will come in as
Scoutmasters.’’Our prayers are with them that they will do what they feel is
right for them, not what the political correct crowd thinks is right for them,’
Robertson said.” [Right Wing Watch, 2/5/2013]
Sekulow Warned That Allowing Gay Boy
Scout Leaders Would Lead To Targeting Of Religious Schools. The Star-Ledger reported on a challenge in New Jersey to the
Boy Scouts’ of America policy banning gay scout leaders. “The religious groups
argue the New Jersey ruling could have serious consequences for them beyond
their Boy Scouts troops. In a fund-raising letter sent out by the Center for
Law and Justice, the legal organization of Christian Coalition founder Pat
Robertson, attorney Jay Alan Sekulow warned that a decision allowing gay Boy
Scouts leaders would be just the beginning. ‘Churches will be the next target.
Homosexuals will then set their sights on religious schools,’ wrote Sekulow,
who has filed a legal brief with the court,” the Star-Ledger reported.
[Star-Ledger, 4/25/2000]
Sekulow Called 1999 New Jersey
Ruling That LGBT Scout Leaders Must Be Accepted “A Very Dangerous Precedent”
And Vowed To Continue Fight Supreme Court.
According to The Baltimore Sun, following a court ruling in New Jersey that Boy
Scouts of America must accept gay scouts, “Jay Alan Sekulow, a lawyer who took
part in the case in support of the Boy Scouts, called the ruling ‘a very
dangerous precedent.’ He predicted that the U.S. Supreme Court ‘will be very
interested in a case involving the Boy Scouts’ because of the threat to their
rights to choose their members and leaders and to project their own moral
message. ‘If they can crack the Boy Scouts, it is an important precedent’ on
gay rights, said Sekulow, chief counsel of the American Center for Law and
Justice. Scouting, he said, ‘is Americana, it's mom, it's apple pie.’”
[Baltimore Sun, 8/05/1999]
ACLJ Defended Boy Scouts Of America
From Claim That DOD Sponsorship of Jamborees Violated Establishment Clause Due
To BSA’s Religious Content. On
ACLJ’s website, Jay Sekulow writes, “Tomorrow the ACLJ will file an amicus
brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit on behalf of 88
members of the House and Senate. Since 1937, the United States military has provided
supplies and services in support of the National Scout Jamboree held every four
years by the Boy Scouts of America (the BSA). Congress formally
recognized this tradition in 1972 by passing the Jamboree statute, authorizing
the Department of Defense to provide such support for the Jamborees. The
militarys support of Jamborees came into question when Eugene Winkler and other
federal taxpayers brought the current lawsuit. Winkler sought to enjoin the
enforcement of the Jamboree statute and other programs under which the BSA is
eligible to receive some form of federal aid. The plaintiffs claimed that
the Jamboree and other statutes were laws respecting an establishment of
religion in violation of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution
because the BSA has a religious component to its activities and beliefs. The
District Court denied most of the plaintiffs claims. The court sustained
the challenge to the Jamboree statute, holding that it violated the
Establishment Clause because it had the primary effect of advancing religion. “
[ACLJ.org, Defending the Boy Scouts, Accessed 10/23/2014]
ACLJ Amicus Brief To Supreme Court
On Behalf Of Boy Scouts Of America Said “Men Who By Word Or Deed Condone
Homosexuality Cannot, Therefore, Be Good Role Models.” According to Political Research, “Sekulow has championed
the Boy Scouts of America’s ban on openly gay scoutmasters for years, telling
donors in March 2000 that the Scouts have ‘come under attack from homosexual
activists–who may well set their sights on your church next.’ In an amicus
brief to the Supreme Court, the ACLJ defended the Boy Scout’s finding that
homosexuals are not morally ‘clean,’ writing, ‘Men who by word or deed condone
homosexuality cannot, therefore, be good role models.’” [Political Research, 11/5/2012]
5.) ACLJ defends
criminal punishments for consensual, adult same-sex behavior, saying
homosexuality is destructive to society.
Sekulow Said Lawrence v. Texas
Ruling “Reflect A Political Approach To The Law That We Deplore.” According to the Albany Times Union, “In another closely
watched case involving gay rights, the Supreme Court struck down the Texas
sodomy law, ruling that the government has no right to control the private
lives of homosexuals. The 6-3 decision overturned a court ruling 17 years ago
that states could punish gays and lesbians for what such laws historically
called deviant sex. The court's decision infuriated conservatives. ‘Both the
affirmative action and the gay rights decision reflect a political approach to
the law that we deplore,’ Jay A. Sekulow, the legal director of the American
Center for Law and Justice, a conservative legal advocacy group, said following
the decisions.” [Albany Times Union, 6/19/03]
Sekulow Said Sumpreme Court Ruling
in Lawrence v. Texas “Strikes A Damaging Blow For the Traditional Family.” According to the Chicago Tribune, in response to a Texas
sodomy law being struck down by the Supreme Court, Sekulow said, “By providing
constitutional protection to same-sex sodomy, the Supreme Court strikes a
damaging blow for the traditional family that will only intensify the legal
battle to protect marriage and the traditional family.” [Chicago Tribune,
6/27/03]
Sekulow Defended Rick Santorum’s
Controversial Comments Saying Sodomy Protections Could Cover Bigamy, Polygamy,
Incest, And Adultery As “Out Of Context.”
“U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum said last week that if homosexual sodomy was protected
as a private act, then the same protection could also cover bigamy, polygamy,
incest and adultery. He made the comments to the Associated Press while
discussing a Texas anti-sodomy law being reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court….
“‘All this tumult over Santorum's comments really were out of context,’ said
Jay Sekulow, chief counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice. ‘They
were simply repeating a legal theory that if you declare that activity
(same-sex sodomy) as a fundamental right simply because it is consensual, you
would thereby eviscerate regulations on sex crimes.’” [Birmingham News, 5/2/03]
Sekulow Called Reaction To Alabama
Attorney General And Rick Santorum’s Equating Homosexual Acts To Necrophilia,
Bestiality, And Pedophilia “Overblown.”
According to the Assoicated Press, “A nominee for a federal judgeship filed a
Supreme Court brief that compares homosexual acts to ‘prostitution, adultery,
necrophilia, bestiality, possession of child pornography and even incest and
pedophilia.’ The brief by Alabama Attorney General Bill Pryor, nominated by
President Bush to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, resembles
comments about the same Texas sodomy case by Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum….
Pryor declined comment Thursday and referred questions about the case to Jay
Sekulow, chief counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice, a
Washington firm specializing in constitutional law. Sekulow said the reaction
to Santorum's comments and Pryor's brief was overblown because Supreme Court
Justice Byron White used similar language in a 1986 Supreme Court case when the
court ruled 5-4 that Georgia's criminal penalties against homosexual sodomy
were constitutional.” [Associated Press, 5/01/03]
ACLJ: “The State Has A
Compelling Interest To Ban The Act Of Homosexuality.” “Simply put, just as we have laws banning polygamy and
incest because those sexual acts undermine society, likewise the state has a
compelling interest to ban the act of homosexuality. And certainly, there
is no duty to promote the act that society deems destructive! In fact, it
could be argued that society has a responsibility to discourage such
acts.” [American Center For Law And Justice Chief Counsel's Confidential
Report On The Homosexual Agenda, 1997]
The ACLJ Argued That Banning Same
Sex Intimacy “Furthers Public Morality” And Protects Public Health In An Amicus
Brief In Lawrence v. Texas. “There
are at least three, independently adequate, rational bases for the statute.
First, a ban on same-sex sodomy permissibly furthers public morality. Second,
the extensively documented health risks of same-sex sodomy supply a strong
public health rationale for the statute.” [American Center for Law and
Justice Amicus Brief, Lawrence v. Texas]
6.) ACLJ literally
helped write the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), parts of which
were deemed unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court last year in United States v. Windsor.
ACLJ Helped Draft Language For the
Defense Of Marriage Act And Jay Sekulow Testified For Its Passage. According to Jay Sekulow on ACLJ’s website, “There were also
concerns among many that the same-sex marriage proponents would be successful
in having declared the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional.
Our office helped draft DOMA and I even testified before the United States
House of Representatives for its passage almost ten years ago. Initially,
a district court in Nebraska did hold Nebraskas constitutional DOMA as
violative of the federal Equal Protection Clause. But just a few weeks
ago, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the district court.
That court found that the states asserted interest in steering procreation into
marriage and encouraging procreation to take place within the socially
recognized unit that is best situated for raising children was a sufficient
basis, together with the states responsible procreation theory. The Court
of Appeals further held that the same-sex advocates possessed no fundamental
right to be free of the political barrier a validly enacted constitutional
amendment erects.” [ACLJ.org, A Legal Grand Slam, Accessed 10/22/2014]
ACLJ Gathered Signatures For
“Petition To Preserve Marriage” In Support Of Federal Marriage Amendment.“The American Center for Law and Justice, specializing in
constitutional law, today notified the U.S. Senate that nearly 415,000 people
have signed petitions in support of a Federal Marriage Amendment - just days
before the Senate is expected to debate the issue and vote on an amendment.
‘The response has been very strong from people nationwide who want to see
marriage remain an institution between one man and one woman,’ said Jay
Sekulow, Chief Counsel of the ACLJ. ‘We have heard from people in every state
and the message is clear: marriage must not be redefined. It is important for
members of Congress to understand that most Americans oppose same-sex marriage
and that there continues to be growing support for an amendment to protect the
institution of marriage. As the Senate prepares to take up this issue, we are
hopeful that Senators will get the message.’…For months, the American Center
for Law and Justice has been gathering signatures on its Petition to Preserve
Marriage in support of a federal marriage amendment.” [Press Release, ACLJ,
7/09/04]
Sekulow Called Massachusetts
Decision Legalizing Same-Sex Marriage “Troubling” And Called For Federal
Marriage Amendment. The ACLJ said in response to the
legalization of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts, “It is troubling that an
activist court in Massachusetts has succeeded in overturning hundreds of years
of tradition by redefining marriage to include same-sex couples," said Jay
Sekulow, Chief Counsel of the ACLJ. "With Massachusetts now the first
state to legalize same-sex marriage, it is clear that the need for a Federal
Marriage Amendment is greater than ever. We call on Congress to act without
delay and pass an amendment - and send it to the states for ratification - to
protect the institution of marriage as a union between one man and one woman.”
[Press Release, ACLJ, 5/17/04]
Sekulow Was “Delighted” With Bush
Push For Federal Marriage Amendment.
According to the Associated Press, “Bush called on Congress "to promptly
pass and to send to the states for ratification" an amendment to define
marriage as a union of a man and a woman….Bush's conservative supporters who
view prohibiting gay marriage as a priority were thrilled. ‘We are delighted
the president has stepped forward on this issue and his announcement serves as
a critical catalyst to energize and organize those who will work diligently to
ensure that marriage remains an institution between one man and one woman,’ said
Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice, a law
firm founded by the Rev. Pat Robertson.” [Associated Press, 2/25/04]
ACLJ CAMPAIGNED SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
BANS AND DEFENDED THEM IN COURT.
Sekulow Said Judges Who Uphold
Same-Sex Marriage Laws Were “Flouting The Laws Of Our Country, And
Condescending To Every Major Religious Tradition In The World.” According to Mother Jones, “Evangelical values undergird
ACLJ's legal work, and so it's no surprise the Sekulows have fought efforts to
legalize same-sex marriage. Jay Sekulow is a vocal defender of the Defense of
Marriage Act, or DOMA, a federal law that defines marriage as between a man and
a woman. (Last year, President Obama told the Department of Justice to stop
enforcing DOMA.) In court, ACLJ has fought efforts to pro-same-sex marriage in
New Jersey, Washington state, and the District of Columbia. Judges who uphold
same-sex marriage laws, Sekulow told Congress in 2004, ‘have simply ignored the
custom and experience of recorded Western history, flouting the laws of our
country, and condescending to every major religious tradition in the world.’”
[Mother Jones, 12/2/12]
Sekulow Said “Look, No One Wants Any
American To Feel Like They’re Discriminated Against, But The Fact Is In America
Not Everybody Can Get Married. We Don’t Let Cousins Marry.” In response to a caller upset that the recent passage of
several gay marriage bans made him feel like “America had just voted that I was
not a legitimate person and not entitled to what everyone else is entitled to,”
Sekulow said, “Well, I--you know, look, no one wants any American to feel like
they're discriminated against, but the fact is in America not everybody can get
married. We don't let cousins marry. You have to be a certain age to get
married. There are restrictions put in place. So I think what you've got is an
overreaction to a cultural phenomenon, and the culture clearly has not caught
up with where the lawyers for the gay and lesbian community are advocating and
that's--and I'm an advocacy lawyer, so I know that from my end of it. You've
got to argue not just in the courts of law, but in the courts of public opinion,
and they overshot this and they got a pretty big negative. I mean, the Oregon
vote, I think, is the most symptomatic of the problem. They overshot the
electorate on this and it really hurt them.” [NPR, Talk of the Nation,
11/4/04]
Sekulow Belonged To The Arlington
Group, A Group Of Evangelical Christians Organized To Increase “Conservative
Fire” With Gay Marriage Push.
According to the Washingtonian, “The meeting's purpose was to discuss the
religious right's to-do list and figure out how the evangelists could dovetail
their efforts. Wildmon and others like Gary Bauer, founder of the Christian
conservative group American Values, worried that the Republican lock on
Washington was dampening the conservative fire….When the discussion turned to
gay marriage, the group decided the courts were moving against them and the
White House was sitting on the fence. By the end of the session, the leaders
had decided to call themselves the Arlington Group and to push for a
constitutional amendment that would bar homosexuals from marrying. Since its
first gathering, the Arlington Group's membership has grown to 21 and its
influence has reverberated across Washington. It has staged press conferences
and rallies, using ‘the homosexual agenda’ to motivate supporters. Members of
the alliance include Chuck Colson, president of Prison Fellowship Ministries,
Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice, and Tony
Perkins, the new president of the Family Research Council. They have used
radio, television, e-mail, and direct mail to tell evangelicals about a
constitutional amendment.” [Washingtonian, April, 2004]
ACLJ’s David French Said Domestic
Partner Benefits Drained The Word ‘Marriage’ Of Any Real-World Effect. In response to the Ninth Circuit ruling overturning Prop 8,
French said “Yet when the time comes to evaluate the justifications for
reserving ‘marriage’ to opposite-sex couples, the word suddenly means virtually
nothing, with domestic-partner statutes draining the word of any real-world
effect. Marriage can provide a liberty interest (because it’s important!) but
not a state interest (because it’s meaningless!). We’re left with an odd
conclusion: Marriage matters a great deal, but it has no effect on
child-rearing decisions. Marriage is significant, but changing its definition
won’t impact religious liberty. The bottom line is the word “marriage” matters,
as a matter of law, tradition, and definition.” [ACLJ.org, Marriage Means So
Much And So Little, Accessed 10/22/2014]
7.) ACLJ opened an
office in Nairobi, Kenya, where the group promotes discriminatory legal and
legislative policies and engages in “civic education to warn people of the
dangers of homosexuality.”
2010:
The ACLJ Established An East African Office In Nairobi To Lobby Politicians To
“Take The Christian Views Into Consideration As They Draft Legislation And
Policy. “Lobbying the County Assemblies,
National Assembly and the Senate to take the Christian's views into
consideration as they draft legislation and policies. The aim is to promote
policies and legislation that are good for Kenya as a whole, and are as
inclusive as possible.” [“About Us,” East African Center for Law and
Justice, accessed2/20/14]
2010:
The ACLJ Spent “Tens Of Thousands Of Dollars” Trying To Defeat Kenya’s Draft
Constitution. “An American-based group opposed to
abortion has said it is donating ‘tens of thousands of dollars’ to help defeat
Kenya’s proposed constitution. The American Centre for Law and Justice’s Jordan
Sekulow, told the Sunday Nation that his Washington-based organisation is
working through its office in Nairobi to tell Kenyans that the draft
constitution would allow ‘abortion on demand’. It is the first revelation of
foreign funding given to church leaders in Kenya to campaign against the draft
constitution.” [Daily Nation, 5/10/10]
·
HEADLINE: “US Dollars Fuelling Church Campaign” [Daily
Nation, 5/10/10]
The
Kenyan Branch Of East African CLJ Works Closely With The American Home
Office. “Joy M. Mdivo, the CEO of the East
African CLJ confirmed to PRA that her organization works closely with American
Center for Law and Justice and was born out of the U.S. organization.
[…] Using American resources and mainly African staffers, the East
African CLJ worked to ensure that the new constitution, drafted in 2010 would
bar abortion and homosexuality.” [Political Research Associates, 11/5/12]
The
EACLJ Called Acceptance Of Homosexuality A “Foreign Concept” To Kenyans. “There have been homosexuals among us, as our brothers, and
sons, however, it is a practice frowned upon, and practiced in secret. There
are parts of the world where homosexuality is embraced, even celebrated, but in
Kenya, this is still a foreign concept, and does not have acceptability among the
greater majority of Kenyans. For the Constitution to be amended to expressly
allow homosexuality would be unacceptable for most Kenyans. For the
Constitution to be amended to remain silent or non-committal on the issue means
in future a simple majority of members of parliament, which could be as few as
21MPs could pass a law in support of the practice. The potential is that same
sex marriages could be enacted in the same way, thereby altering the face of
Kenyan Society forever.” [East African Center for Law and Justice, 4/12/10]
After
Failing To Defeat Kenya’s Constitution The ACLJ Promised To Go To Court And To
“Carry Out Further Civic Education To Warn People Of The Dangers Of
Homosexuality.” “Yet even
these minor concessions to protecting LGBT persons and women’s lives cannot
stand, according to the director of the East African Center for Law and
Justice. ‘The current constitution promotes gay rights and abortion,’ Joy
Mdivo, the executive director, told PRA. ‘We are working on going to court over
those two issues. We shall also carry out further civic education to warn
people of the dangers of homosexuality and abortion in Kenya.’” [Political
Research Associates, 11/5/12]
8.) ACLJ-Zimbabwe
has organized meetings with the country’s ruthless dictator, Robert Mugabe, and
advocated for keeping criminal bans on homosexuality in place as the country
reformed its constitution. This is the same Mugabe who threatened to behead gay
people in his country.
March
2009: Jordan Sekulow And The ACLJ Traveled To Zimbabwe And Met With High
Ranking Government Officials. “Over
the course of our mission to Zimbabwe, we created new bonds with Church leaders
like Dr. Goodwill Shana (Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe and Council of
Churces) and Rev. Alexander Chisango (ZNRI), Pastor Vicky Mpofu, and Petronella
Maramba. We also had an opportunity to meet with government leaders like Prime
Minister Morgan Tsvangirai at his home, whose wife was recently killed in a car
accident where he also suffered injuries – an accident reported in the news
around the world, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Gorden Moyo,
Minister of Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs Eric Matinenga, and former
High Court Justice Leslie George Smith.” [Jordan Sekulow Facebook Post, 3/30/09]
·
On The Trip To Zimbabwe, ACLJ “Committed to the new Unity Government and
people of Zimbabwe that we will be their representatives to the United
States.” “The ACLJ has committed to the new Unity Government and
people of Zimbabwe that we will be their representatives to the United States –
both our government and the church. As you’ll see and hear, if we don’t support
this government soon with assistance, infrastructure, and investment, unity
will crumble, schools will close again, AIDS/HIV will continue to spread,
cholera will continue to kill, and our Christian brothers and sisters will
continue to suffer while being forced by necessity to turn to Islamic nations
for support.” [Jordan Sekulow Facebook Post, 3/30/09]
·
ACLJ Was Able To Gain Access To Zimbabwean Leaders Because Evangelicals Were
Familiar With The Organization From Its Television Broadcasts. “The
importance of Christian Broadcasting: One of our new friends from the trip, Dr.
Goodwill Shana – head of a Church organization in Zimbabwe that consists of
over 10 million people, an attorney, and powerful leader in Zimbabwe,
immediately began helping us during our trip because he was already very
familiar with us. In our first meeting on our first day in Zimbabwe, Dr.
Goodwill Shana, who had waited for us because of flight delays, informed us
that he watched ACLJ This Week, our television broadcast, every week on the
Christian satellite network Daystar. Because of this familiarity and trust in
our organization, we were granted access to leaders in Zimbabwe and created new
relationships that we could not have even imagined before this trip.”
[Jordan Sekulow Facebook Post, 3/30/09]
December
2009: ACLJ Opened An Office In Zimbabwe To Focus On The Country’s
Constitution Drafting Process. “When
we arrived in Zimbabwe in March, we were greeted warmly by citizens and
government leaders. Now, just months after our first trip, we're opening a
full-time office in the country's capital. While our work in Zimbabwe focuses
primarily on the country's constitution drafting process, we'll also be
providing legal training and legal research facilities to attorneys throughout
the country. Of course, one can never forget the hardships faced by the good
people of Zimbabwe. We have taken proactive steps to assist orphanages and
single mother's centers. In Zimbabwe, our mission is threefold: (1) help train
attorneys while working on the draft constitution, (2) promote economic
empowerment, and (3) provide humanitarian assistance when we are able. Part of
the African Center for Law & Justice's launch in Harare is a neighborhood
cleanup project in partnership with the City of Harare.” [Jordan Sekulow
Column, Washington Examiner, 12/26/09]
·
ACLJ’s Zimbabwe Outpost Is The “Footprint” For Other Efforts In
Africa. “[Lisa] Bourland was the point person in the establishment of
the African Centre for Law and Justice in Harare, which she calls a ‘footprint’
for other ACLJ efforts on the continent. The sequence of events that led
Bourland to ask Jordan Sekulow to travel with her to Zimbabwe and ultimately
set up the African Centre for Law and Justice was, said Bourland, ‘totally
God’s timing.’ In 2006, following what she said was God’s request, she traveled
to Zimbabwe and submitted to Mpofu ‘as a mentor in prayer.’ As she recounts it
on the WWW Web site: ‘[God] revealed to me that if I would submit myself and
these women under the spiritual leadership of Pastor Vicky that He would raise
up an international army of mighty warriors, and together we would enter into a
realm of intercession that would change nations.’” [Religion Dispatches, 8/1/10]
June
2010: ACLJ Officials From The US Traveled To Zimbabwe To Meet With
Leaders OF All Three Major Political Parties, Including the Prime Minister And
Vice President. “On the
same day as the launch of the program, a team from the American Centre for Law
and Justice, led by Jordan Sekulow, arrived in Harare. In collaboration
with the ACLJ Zimbabwe Team, their objective was to conduct a series of
meetings with government officials and key business and church leaders in the country,
as well as to evaluate and consolidate its humanitarian efforts in vulnerable
sections of society. The meetings all proved to be very constructive and
provided insight into the progress in Zimbabwe and the potential for
reconciliation, restoration and reconstruction. The ACLJ Team met with
leaders from all three of Zimbabwes main political parties, including Prime
Minister Tsvangirai, Vice President John Nkomo, Deputy Prime Minister Arthur
Mutambara, Minister of Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs Eric Matinenga,
and Minister of Tourism Walter Mzembi.” [African Centre for Law and
Justice Zimbabwe Update, 6/23/10]
Vicky
Mpofu, Executive Director Of The African Center For Law & Justice:
“We’ve Had A Lot Of Support From ACLJ In America.” “Together with the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe, the
African Centre for Law and Justice is working to garner the support of
religious leaders and activists for constitutional provisions that would
‘affirm that Zimbabwe is a predominantly Christian nation founded on biblical
principles,’ and require application of ‘the Laws of God in order to prosper
and avoid chaos and destruction,’ according to a pamphlet prepared by the EFZ and
supported by the ALCJ. Backed by the ACLJ, Mpofu has been traveling Zimbabwe to
rally religious support for the EFZ’s constitutional proposals. ‘We’ve had a
lot of support from ACLJ in America because for me to be able to go around the
country to visit the ten provinces we’ve received some help financially and
also we’ve received some help from the teams from America visiting and working
with us,’ Mpofu said. ‘The support has been tremendous.’” [Religion Dispatches,
8/1/10]
·
Mpofu Traveled To Kentucky For A Conference On “Women, Weapons of
Warfare.” “At the Fathers’ House International church in Henderson,
Kentucky, Pastor Lisa Bourland is seated on the prayer room floor washing the
feet of speakers for that evening’s Women, Weapons of Warfare (WWW) conference.
[…] Bourland introduces special guest from Zimbabwe, Pastor Vicky Mpofu, her
‘spiritual mother’ whom she likens to Moses, a figure “God has anointed” to
‘deal with an affliction on her people.’ Mpofu is, says Bourland, ‘an oracle of
God to bring a warning to our country.’ She predicts that people, ‘will wake up
and listen,’ then she prays for there to be ‘more than enough to take care of
all the children of Zimbabwe.’” [Religion Dispatches, 8/1/10]
·
Mpofu: ACLJ “Partnered” With Evangelical Fellowship Of Zimbabwe.
“The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) partnered with the Evangelical
Fellowship of Zimbabwe to sensitise Pastors and key church leaders on issues
that the church needs to take a stand on.” [American Center for Law and
Justice, 5/18/10]
ACLJ
Zimbabwe Materials Called For Homosexuality To “Remain A Criminal
Offense.” “The EFZ/ACLJ pamphlet also calls
for constitutional prohibitions on both abortion, by defining life as
‘beginning at conception,’ and on attempts to reform the country’s laws
criminalizing homosexuality. It calls for defining marriage ‘as being between a
man and a woman’ and for ‘any and all definitions of a family or marriages or
relationships or legal unions that seek to include or permit same-sex unions to
be prohibited,’ as well as for ‘sexual relations between partners of the
same-sex, bestiality, and other perversions to remain a criminal activity.’”
[Religion Dispatches, 8/1/10]
ACLJ’s
Zimbabwe Chairman Led Dictator Robert Mugabe In Prayer To Kick Off A
Constitutional Reform Drive. “Zimbabwean
president Robert Mugabe is among the most ruthless dictators in the world—but
in 2010 ACLJ-Zimbabwe's chairman, pastor Alex Chisango, led Mugabe and others
in prayer to kick off Zimbabwe's constitutional reform drive. ACLJ wanted to
ensure that, whatever else changed in the country's constitution, homosexuality
remained illegal and same-sex marriage was banned.” [Mother Jones, 11/2/12]
Egged
On By Groups Like ACLJ, Zimbabwe’s Leadership Is Virulently Anti-LGBT
Newsweek
Identified Zimbabwe As One Of The “Top Twelve Most Homophobic Nations.” [Newsweek, 2/27/14]
In
2006, Zimbabwe Expanded Its Anti-Sodomy Law To Include All Physical Contact
Between Two Men. “Zimbabwe
has expanded the scope of its sodomy laws. An intimate hug or smooch between
people of the same sex may now constitute a crime. The dramatic changes to the
country's criminal law, which took effect last Saturday, are contained in the
Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act of 2004 passed by parliament two
years ago but which only took effect last Saturday. It creates 15 new crimes,
abolishes others and redefines sodomy and rape. […] Before the changes to
the law, sodomy, under Section 73, referred only to anal sexual intercourse
between males. The code has expanded the scope of this crime. It now includes
not only acts of anal sexual intercourse, but also includes any act involving
physical contact between males that would be regarded by a reasonable person as
an indecent act.” [New Zimbabwe, 7/4/06]
Zimbabwean
President Robert Mugabe On LGBT People: “Animals In The Jungle Are Better
Than These People.” “Zimbabwean
President Robert Mugabe has taken another swipe at gays and lesbians,
condemning them as worse than wild animals, the state ZIANA news agency
reported on Thursday. ‘Animals in the jungle are better than these people
because at least they know that this is a man or a woman,’ Mugabe was quoted as
saying in a speech of condolence on Wednesday at the home of Charles Chikerema,
editor of the state-owned Herald newspaper.” [Reuters, 4/23/98]
·
Mugabe Condemned LGBT People As “Filth.” “Zimbabwe President
Robert Mugabe on Thursday condemned gay ‘filth’ in Europe, as he lambasted
Western powers for maintaining their asset freeze and travel ban on him and his
inner circle. ‘We don't worry ourselves about the goings-on in Europe,’ he told
thousands at the burial of deputy intelligence chief Menard Muzariri, who died
Monday. ‘About the unnatural things happening there, where they turn man-to-man
and woman-to-woman. We say, well, it's their country. If they want to call
their country British Gaydom, it's up to them. That's not our culture. We
condemn that filth. We get alarmed when these countries have the audacity to
schedule us as an item to discuss in their parliament.’” [Independent Online, 4/4/11]
·
Mugabe Threatened To Behead LGBT People. “President Robert Mugabe
on Tuesday took a swipe at homosexuality vowing to continue criminalizing the
practice and dismissed demands that it should be treated as a human rights
issue. Mugabe also threatened to behead homosexuals in the country and promised
to uplift the status of women whom he said had a big national duty to perform
whenever they deliver babies. Mugabe, who was addressing a rally at
Aerodrome ground, told thousands of Zanu PF supporters that Zimbabwe would
never accept homosexuality under whatever condition. He described
homosexuals as ‘worse than pigs, goats and birds.’ ‘If you take men and
lock them in a house for five years and tell them to come up with two children
and they fail to do that, then we will chop off their heads,’ Mugabe said
emphasizing that he would ruthlessly deal with homosexuality.” [Newsday, 7/25/13]
Zimbabwe’s
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangerai Said There Was “A Very Strong Cultural
Feeling” Against Homosexuality, But Acknowledged That He Would Defend The
Rights Of LGBT People. “Zimbabwe's
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has reversed his position on gay rights,
saying he now wants them enshrined in a new constitution. […] Mr Tsvangirai
told BBC's Newsnight programme that there was a ‘very strong cultural feeling’
against homosexuality in Zimbabwe, but he would defend gay rights if he became
president. ‘It's a very controversial subject in my part of the world. My
attitude is that I hope the constitution will come out with freedom of sexual
orientation, for as long as it does not interfere with anybody,’ he told
Newsnight's Gavin Esler. ‘To me, it's a human right,’ he said.” [BBC, 10/24/11]
9.) ACLJ’s export
of hate isn’t limited to Africa. They’ve set up shops in Brazil, Europe, and
Russia, all to push their anti-LGBT ends and oppose marriage equality and
anti-discrimination measures across the globe.
Pat Robertson’s American Center For Law
And Justice Opened A Branch In Brazil. “With
the opening of a new office in Brazil, a leading U.S. Christian conservative
organization may be taking on one of its biggest challenges yet — but one with
some big opportunities if it succeeds. Pat Robertson founded the American
Center for Law and Justice in 1990 to provide a national presence opposing the
American Civil Liberties Union — often filing and defending cases all the way
to the Supreme Court. But in recent years it has been growing its foreign operations,
making it a player in policies to constrain LGBT rights on three continents.
The head of the new Brazil office, Filipe Coelho, is a scion of one of Brazil’s
leading evangelical families, and aims to stop hate crime legislation from
becoming law, opposes marriage rights for same-sex couples and speaks strongly
about the dangers of employment protections for LGBT people.” [Buzzfeed, 2/25/13]
The Top Priority Of The Brazilian
Center For Law And Justice Was To Fight A Non-Discrimination And Hate Crime
Bill. “The ACLJ is sending monthly
installments to bankroll the new organization. And, despite his Brazilian
pedigree, Coelho has deep roots in the United States, where he lived for half
his life and received his education at the Presbyterian-affiliated King College
in Tennessee. Coelho says that one of his top priorities will be to fight
a nondiscrimination and hate crime bill sought for more than a decade by the
country’s LGBT rights advocates. ‘[H]omosexuals are trying to treat
homosexuality as if it were a race, while it is really an attitude, a
behavior,’ he has said.” [Buzzfeed, 2/25/13]
Funding For The BCLJ Came Directly
From The United States. “When
I interviewed BCLJ’s Filipe Coelho in August 2012, the enterprise was so new
that he was waiting for the Brazilian government to issue the affiliate’s legal
registration. The funds for navigating this process, paying Coelho’s salary and
maintaining BCLJ’s operations above the real estate office of Coelho’s
father-in-law, are sent in monthly installments from the ACLJ in the United
States—at least until BCLJ begins fundraising in Brazil. Making the shift to a
domestic funding base won’t be easy, Coelho acknowledged. In the United States,
the ACLJ benefits from a tax system and tradition that promotes charitable
giving. Brazil has neither. Brazilian law also discourages volunteering, to
avoid exploitative work conditions. But church people have their own ways, and,
as Coelho says, ‘If people want to volunteer, they’ll be welcome.’”
[Political Research Associates, 1/26/13]
EUROPE
1997: The ACLJ Established The
European Center For Law And Justice.
“That has led to yet another American export: Legal offices of the Christian
right have moved into Europe to join the battle. ‘Discrimination against people
of faith is an international issue,’ says Jay Sekulow, chief counsel for the
American Center for Law and Justice, created in 1990 as a spinoff of the
ministry of televangelist Pat Robertson and his Regent University School of Law
to litigate First Amendment issues. […] Last summer the Christian litigation
boutique based in Virginia Beach, Va., opened a similarly named international
arm, the European Center for Law and Justice. By hiring a prominent British
barrister and evangelical theologian who already was working a religious
freedom case, it quickly was able to claim a big victory in February.”
[ABA Journal, June 1998]
The ACLJ Helped Defeat Marriage
Equality Legislation In The Czech Republic And Aruba. “In Aruba and the Czech Republic, Pat Robertson's legal
organization, the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), helped defeat
bills that would have legalized same-sex unions.” [Christian Science
Monitor, 4/17/07]
Jay Sekulow Claimed The Purpose Of
Establishing A Presence In Europe Was To Influence American Courts. “’The idea [in setting up in Europe] was to establish a
critical body of jurisprudence that would have an impact there and also at home
[in America],’ says Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the European Center for Law
and Justice (ECLJ), an offshoot of the American Center for Law and Justice, where
he is also chief counsel.” [American Prospect, 10/22/07]
2007: The ECLJ Gained
Consultative Status At The United Nations. “The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
today granted special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council
to 10 bodies and approved the application of another for general consultative
status. […] European Centre for Law and Justice, an NGO in France that
promotes freedom of religion and speech through international human rights
law.” [United Nations Press Release, 5/15/07]
FRANCE
2013: ECLJ Filed A Complaint
Against The French Government At The UN For Subduing Anti-Marriage Protests.
“An international lawyer has filed
complaints against France in the UN Human Rights Council for brutalizing
peaceful demonstrators. Videos show French police beating marriage
demonstrators, using tear gas and clubs against women, men, elderly and
children. Homosexual marriage and adoption became law in France on May
18. But a movement numbering millions of French citizens is determined to
change that. La Manif Pour Tous, which means ‘demonstration for all,’ is not
relenting despite the government’s attempts to intimidate and violently repress
them. […] A human rights lawyer has brought a complaint against
France at the most recent session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in
Geneva. Gregor Puppinck of the European Center for Law and justice (ECLJ)
laments that France, a country which claims to have an exemplary human rights
record, is the first European country ECLJ has filed a complaint against at the
United Nations. The ECLJ hosted a discussion of the repression of La Manif at
the Council of Europe this week.” [C-FAM Blog, 6/28/13]
MALTA
2012: The ECLJ Intervened At
The European Court Of Human Rights To Try To Deny The Right To Marry To A
Transgender Woman From Malta. “A
crucial case on marriage and family set to be heard by the European Court of
Human Rights offers the increasingly controversial institution a chance to undo
an error committed a decade ago and stop what Malta’s high court called ‘social
engineering,’ according to the European Center for Law and Justice.
[…] The case, Joanne Cassar vs. Malta, centers on a ‘transgender’ person
– a man who underwent surgery in 2005 to resemble a woman – seeking government
recognition and sanction of a ‘marriage’ to another man. Following appeals, the
deeply Catholic island nation in the Mediterranean Sea eventually refused to
grant the plaintiff permission to marry a male partner. For Cassar, however,
the decision was unacceptable. Last summer, Cassar sued the government of Malta
with the ECHR, claiming that a ‘right to marriage’ outlined in the European
Convention on Human Rights had been violated. The European rights court in
Strasbourg, which ruled in the landmark 2002 Goodwin vs. United Kingdom
judgment that marriage could not be based on biological sex, eventually agreed
to hear the case. The outcome, however, is far from certain. […]
According to the ECLJ, which recently filed a third-party brief in the case asking
the European court to reverse its controversial 2002 decision, the right to
marriage and to found a family are intrinsically linked as one right. And
national governments must have the power to protect the institution of marriage
by law.” [World Net Daily, 7/25/12]
·
Gregor Puppinck: Trans Rights Are “Purely A Sociological
Theory.” “According to the ECLJ, the Maltese high court ruling, which
directly accused the European court of ‘social engineering,’ offers the ECHR a
perfect opportunity to undo its controversial 2002 ruling and respect the text
of the rights convention. ‘We are conscious of the problems of transgender
people,’ acknowledged ECLJ chief Puppinck, whose organization is asking the
court to reverse its Goodwin ruling for several reasons. ‘But the court of
Strasbourg cannot accept the gender theory and re-interpret the convention
against its meaning.’ Puppinck explained that so-called ‘gender theory’
is ‘purely a sociological theory’ concocted by ideological sociologists.”
[World Net Daily, 7/25/12]
·
The ECLJ Warned That Allowing Same Sex Marriage In Europe Would Have An
Impact On American Courts. “’If Europe confirms this approach of
making social-sexual identity prevail over the biological one, it would also be
difficult for the United States to keep clear laws on marriage,’ Puppinck
warned. ‘Of course, the court of Strasbourg and the U.S. Supreme Court
collaborate a lot. Firstly, from a legal point of view, it’s
interconnected, because the case law from the court of Strasbourg is
acknowledged by the Supreme Court of the United States, and vice versa,’ he
said. ‘Secondly, from a cultural point of view, there’s no real difference
between them, and I think that if the court of Strasbourg continues to go in
this gender theory, you have no way to protect marriage,’ Puppinck
added.” [World Net Daily, 7/25/12]
ROMANIA
The ECLJ Provided Legal Support For
Romanian NGOs Seeking To Define Marriage As Between A Man And A Woman. “In 2013, a process of Constitutional reform was opened in
Romania. […] At present, both the Constitutional reform process and the
law proposal on civil partnership are pending debate in the Parliament. In
February 2014, the draft law on the Constitutional reform was sent back to
Parliament after the Constitutional Court of Romania found that 26 articles
were unconstitutional. The draft law on the civil partnership was inscribed on
the agenda of the plenary of Chamber of deputies of the 6-7th of May 2014 with
a rejection proposal. The ECLJ, together with the 51 Romanian NGOs,
was involved in the above mentioned decision making processes in Romania. Since
July 2013, ECLJ followed closely the debates, supporting on one hand the
adoption of the proposal of enshrining in the Romanian Constitution the
definition of marriage as being between a man and a woman and on the other hand
the rejection of the legalization of the civil partnership. To these purposes
ECLJ provided the Romanian parliamentarians with a legal Memorandum on the
right to man and a woman to marry and found a family.” [European Center for
Law and Justice Press Release, 5/19/14]
·
April 2014: ECLJ Attorney Andrea Popescu Gave A Presentation On
Defending Marriage At A “Family Values” Conference In Bucharest. “On the
second part of the Conference, dedicated to marriage and family values, Antoine
Renard (President of FAFCE, Brussels) recalled the role of family as the basis
of any society. Andreea Popescu (Lawyer at ECLJ and former lawyer at the
ECHR) drew the attention on the importance of the defense of family and
marriage at national level. Presenting two pending cases before the ECHR
against Italy, she showed how the LGBT lobby uses the ECHR in order to legalize
same-sex marriage in Italy.” [European Center for Law and Justice Press
Release, 5/19/14]
RUSSIA
1998: The ACLJ Established The
Slavic Center For Law And Justice. “Meanwhile,
the ACLJ is expanding its international influence through its France-based
European Center for Law and Justice and its Moscow-based Slavic Center for Law
and Justice, both established in 1998.” [Chicago Tribune, 9/5/07]
The Slavic Center For Law And
Justice Supported Russia’s Law Banning LGBT “Propaganda.” “Co-chair of the Slavic Center for Law and Justice Anatoly
Pchelintsev told Voice of America that he believes there is such a thing as
homosexual propaganda, and that it must be combated as much as possible. ‘You
only have to turn on a few TV channels to become convinced: promotion of
homosexuality is there in both direct and hidden forms.’ However, Pchelintsev
believes there is no need to apply the law in all cases, since it is primarily
minors who need protection against homosexual propaganda. ‘Adults are capable
of understanding what is good and what is bad,’ added Pchelintsev.”
[Voice of America (translated), 12/19/12]
·
Co-Chair Of The SCLJ Anatoly Pchelintsev Said He Was “Very Pleased” With The
Adoption Of The Law. “’I’m against homosexual propaganda, especially
among minors. I am for strong families, but in this case I admit that there may
be some kind of anomaly, it’s difficult to say in what way
exactly—psychological, biological, or something else, but the problem
exists—there are people like this. And let them live as they want to, but
without propagandizing their way of life,’ believes the scientific director of
the Institute for Religion and Law, lawyer Anatoly Pchelintsev. ‘So I’m very
pleased about the adoption of this law on the federal level. The key will be
that it works and guarantees some kind of punishment. In my view, citation for
an administrative offense is sufficient, violations like this do not fall under
the purview of criminal law.’” [Word You (translated), 3/29/12]
The Head Of The European Center For
Law And Justice Said The Enactment Of Russia’s Anti-Propaganda Law Showed That
The Trend Towards LGBT Rights Was “Strong But Not Inevitable.” “The ACLJ’s European affiliate also voiced support for the
‘propaganda’ ban. In an essay last year, ECLJ’s director, Gregor Puppinck,
wrote that the law was “intended to protect children from messages about LGBT
practices” that portray homosexuality as ‘favorable to or equivalent to marital
relationships.’ He portrayed Russia’s suppression of gay rights as a beacon of
hope to France and the rest of Western Europe, showing that the trend toward
gay rights is ‘strong, but not inevitable.’” [Right Wing Watch, 5/19/14]
In April 2014, The Director Of The
ECLJ Organized A Delegation Of French “Defenders Of The Traditional Family” To
Moscow. “Representatives of French Catholic
organizations presented as ‘defenders of the traditional family’ are in Moscow
until April 4 to meet with representatives of the Church Orthodox and
Russian politicians. […] This trip is initiated by Gregor Puppinck,
Director of the European Centre for Law and Justice, Strasbourg who wished to
‘organize a trip to Moscow for a group of people who actively in France for the
traditional concept of the family and oppose abortion, euthanasia, etc..’
according to Father Ignatius Shestakov, representative of the Moscow
Patriarchate in the Council of Europe.” [La Croix (translated), 4/3/12]
10.) ACLJ founder
Pat Robertson thinks that introducing lesbians to your child might make
“your children grow up as lesbians.” Robertson actually claimed a gay father
given custody of his child over a Christian mother made the child “a flaming
homosexual, and if I’m not mistaken, he contracted AIDS.”
Pat Robertson Told A Woman Not To
Allow A Same-Sex Couple Into Her Home Because “You Don’t Want Your Children To
Grow Up As Lesbians.” According
to Raw Story, on Pat Robertson’s 700 Club, “A viewer named Catherine told the
TV preacher that she had recently reconnected with a childhood friend, who was
a lesbian. She invited the friend to meet her children but became concerned
when she asked to bring her same sex partner. ‘I don’t want her to think that
I’m okay with her ways,’ the viewer explained. ‘And I don’t feel comfortable
having her around my children.’ Robertson advised the woman not to ‘shun’ her
friend, ‘but at the same time, you don’t want your children to grow up as
lesbians.’ ‘That’s what you’re talking about,’ he said. ‘You don’t want to show
them that that’s an acceptable lifestyle for your family. It doesn’t hurt to
tell somebody, ‘Look, I love you and we’re going to do what we can to be
friends if we can, but I have my lifestyle, it’s Christian. And you have yours,
it’s not. And so, I’m sorry, we can’t indulge in certain things together.’’”
[Raw Story, 12/12/2013, VIDEO]
Pat Robertson Said That A Gay Man,
Given Custody Of Child, “The Next Thing You Know, That [Child] Was A Flaming
Homosexual, And If I’m Not Mistaken, He Contracted AIDS.” On Pat Robertson’s “Ask Pat” section of his website,
Robertson responded to a question asking what to say to an LGBT friend
considering adopting a child by saying, “You know, USA had a movie recently
with Valerie Bertinelli about lesbian couples and adoption, and so forth. And I
know about what happened when a young man was taken away from his Christian
mother by a court and given to his homosexual father. And the next thing you
know, that guy was a flaming homosexual, and if I'm not mistaken, he contracted
AIDS. I don't think that homosexuals, especially single homosexual men, should
be adopting children. I think it's just wrong. I think for any single man to
think of adopting a child is in itself a dangerous practice because you don't
have time, you don't have the mothering instinct. If you have to go to work,
how are you going to take care of a child? It's very difficult to do for
anybody that's single. To take on somebody else's child is difficult enough,
but to do so in a homosexual environment where the contacts that the man is
going to be having -- his various male lovers coming in, and this youngster's
going to be exposed to all that? The answer is: this would be a terrible
environment. So if there's any way you can do it subtlety say, `Look, Jesus loves
you, but I think right now we ought to get you straightened out before you
start taking on some other responsibility.' A life of a child is very
significant, and that won't be a help for him.” [PatRobertson.com, Ask Pat,
Bring It On: My Husband Is Taking Viagra, Accessed 10/23/2014]
2001: ACLJ Successfully Defended
Social Worker Who Refused To Grant Foster Parent License To Lesbian Parent Due
To Religious Beliefs. According
to the Washington Times, “A federal appeals court has upheld a lower court
ruling that found the state of Missouri erred when it fired a religious social
worker who opposed the state's policy of licensing homosexuals as foster
parents. ‘This is an important decision that underscores the fact that the
government cannot discriminate against employees because of their religious
beliefs,’ said Francis J. Manion, senior counsel for the American Center for
Law and Justice (ACLJ), which represents the social worker, Larry Phillips, in
the case. The Phillips case began in 1996, soon after the Baptist family man
was dismissed from his job overseeing 80 foster homes after protesting, on
religious grounds, Missouri's efforts to recruit homosexuals and lesbians as
foster parents. Mr. Phillips, now 47, resisted when he was ordered to grant a
foster parent's license to an admitted lesbian. He was even more concerned when
his employer, the Missouri Department of Social Services, placed a young girl
struggling with her sexual identify in that lesbian's home. When Mr. Phillips
questioned the placement, he was told by his openly homosexual supervisor that
his religious beliefs were hindering his ability to do his job. Gene Kapp, a
spokesman for the ACLJ, said yesterday that Mr. Phillips was terminated on Nov.
18, 1996, both because of his religious convictions and ‘in retaliation’ for an
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint he filed against his employer
a few days earlier. A federal lawsuit that the ACLJ filed on Mr. Phillips'
behalf in 1997 accused the state of violating his constitutional right to
religious freedom.” [Washington Times, 7/22/2001]
2012: ECLJ Lobbied For
Restrictions On Reproductive Options For Same Sex Couples. “Opponents say national health systems are not obligated to
allow artificial reproduction techniques for same-sex couples. ‘The desire to
be a parent does not create the right to have children,’ said Gregor Puppinck,
director general of the European Center for Law and Justice, a Christian group
that lobbies European lawmaking bodies. ‘What's lost is the best interests of
the child,’ Puppinck said. ‘The child has a right not to have two fathers or
two mothers.’” [Associated Press, 4/13/12]
2011: The ECLJ Intervened At
The European Court Of Human Rights Opposing Adoption By Same Sex Couples.
“Natural marriage and the family are
facing yet another attack through the European Court of Human Rights, which has
agreed to hear a case next week on homosexual adoption in France. The case goes
back to June 2007, when two women complained that French law did not allow the
adoption of a child to couples in a same-sex legal union. […] Gregor
Puppinck, head of the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ), which is
intervening in the case, said that it is clear there is no such thing as a
right to adopt children between same-sex partners. The ECLJ, he said, has urged
the Human Rights Court to ‘exercise self-restraint in ideological matters,’ and
to respect the right of states to ‘legislate according to their own social
needs and values.’” [Life Site News, 4/8/11]
·
Puppinck Claimed That Allowing Adoption By Same Sex Couples Would Be “A New
Step In The Destruction Of The Occidental Family Model.” “He warned
that a finding of ‘indirect discrimination’ would be ‘nothing other than a new
step in the destruction of the occidental family model, in its legal, social
and natural dimensions.’ He pointed out that it is ‘no accident’ that the case
of Gas and Dubois is of interest to a large number of homosexualist activist
NGOs at the EU. These include the European Region of the International Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA-Europe), the British
Association for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF) and the Network of European LGBT
Families Associations (NELFA). ‘We are witnessing the latest in a long series
of attempts to attack the European common heritage, by introducing new
anthropological, moral and social views,’ Puppinck added.” [Life Site
News, 4/8/11]
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