There is a reason that the Family research Council was designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). It is not because they simply oppose gay 
rights (that is merely obnoxious and intolerant). They are a hate group because they get up in the morning with the sole purpose of denigrating and dehumanizing LGBT people, as well as chronically lying about homosexuality. It is not an exaggeration to say that nary an honest word emanates from their swank headquarters in DC. What really really amuses me the most about this group is how remarkably stupid they assume their followers are. They have no respect for their donors or members and constantly deliver disinformation which amounts to ten pounds of shit in a five pound bag.
The latest bastardization of reality comes from a fundraising letter sent to donors today opposing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) which would ban job discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. FRC’s President, Tony Perkins, begins his screed by scaring his gullible flock, deviously claiming that “ENDA Will Destroy Your Religious Freedom.” He then adds:
ENDA would give special rights to men and women who engage in homosexual behavior. It will force Christian schools and colleges, Christian-owned businesses, day care centers, and other organizations to employ people who make their sexual behavior an issue as they parade their proclivities into the workplace. Under ENDA, biblical morality becomes illegal….if ENDA becomes a federal law, I have no doubt activists will use it to provoke a confrontation–and try to silence us through legal action. If they silence us, they silence you!
For people who incessantly whine about being silenced, the fundies never seem to shut up!
What Perkins conveniently fails to point out is that 21 states and the District of Columbia already have similar laws that prohibit job discrimination based on sexual orientation (16 states and the District include such laws based on gender identity). In these states, can Perkins show us proof that chaos has erupted, churches have closed down, and biblical morality has been outlawed? If not, it seems he is blowing smoke out his dairy aire.
Because he can’t provide legitimate examples in America where such laws have long been in place at the state level, Perkins dishonestly invokes Canada, assuming his ignorant sheep-like followers won’t know much about our neighbor to the north.
We have the tragic experiences of Christians in Canada where a version of ENDA is already the law.
Aside from chronic exaggerations about Canada’s laws, they are irrelevant because this is the United States and we have a First Amendment. So, Perkins is comparing apples to oranges and engaging in Pinocchio politics, devoid of reason or reality.
Here are a few more of Perkins’ bizarre and thoroughly ridiculous claims, where he dishonestly and brazenly says that ENDA must be opposed and defeated:
To Keep Christians from being fired for their faith: This is patently absurd because there are already laws on the books that prohibit employers from firing employees based on their religion. What Perkins is truly upset about is that fundamentalists won’t be able to discriminate, harass, and lower morale in the workplace without facing potential consequences. In other words, they won’t have special rights on the job and will have to learn how to cooperate with co-workers and play well with others. Oh, the horrors of having to treat co-workers with dignity and respect!
To keep Christian businesses from being forced to hire cross-dressers: Churches and genuine religious institutions are exempted from from ENDA and can hire and fire according to religious beliefs. However, what Perkins wants is for a businessman who runs, say a hardware store, to be exempted from the law by falsely claiming that he runs a “Christian business,” as though Jesus discussed power tools during his Sermon on the Mount. The fact remains that transgender people have bills to pay and need jobs to survive. The gender identity of an employee is of no legitimate interest to an employer, as long as he or she is performing well at the job. What Perkins and his ilk want, is free rein to discriminate against and can hard working transgender Americans, even when the job is not of a religious nature. Not only is this unfair, it is cruel and mean-spirited to wreck lives by denying a livelihood to good, hard working Americans simply because of their gender identity.
To keep a Christian from being terminated for “anti-gay harassment” simply because he kept a Bible on his desk: This is complete and utter nonsense designed to terrify his dim-witted flock. What Perkins is truly concerned about, is that fundamentalist employees and employers won’t be able to poison the workplace environment by insulting co-workers by clubbing them over the head with misinterpreted Bible passages. No one wants to go to work and be insulted as a “sinner” who is “going to hell” by some self-righteous, hypocritical prig. For far too long, some fundamentalists have been able to get away with such anti-social behavior — but now workplaces are beginning to see that using religious texts to bash co-workers sullies the work environment and is bad for business.
To keep Christian schools from being forced to employ homosexual teachers: Again, there is a religious exemption covering ENDA. This is just a bald faced lie used to incite fools and persuade them to donate to FRC.
To keep our children free to proclaim the values we’ve taught them: Fundies can teach their children whatever they want at home or in church and ENDA will not affect this. However, once a fundie steps into the public square, they have no choice but to interact with the rest of the world. Perkins does not have the right to “cleanse” the public square through intimidation or persecution, to ensure fundamentalist children aren’t exposed to ideas that counter their religious indoctrination. Passing ENDA will do nothing to stop such children from being introduced to the ideas of climate change, evolution, liberated women, and actual LGBT people who don’t fit into the ugly and demeaning caricature peddled by FRC.
I’ll stop here because countering Perkins’ fusillade of lies is as daunting as swatting flies in a manure field. Just when you thought you got the last fly, you find a whole new batch.
