Religious Right Figures Among U.S. Delegation to U.N. Commission on the Status of Women

The 61st session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women will take place at United Nations headquarters in New York City on March 13-24. The Commission on the Status of Women brings together representatives of U.N. member states and non-governmental organizations to promote women's empowerment and equality around the world. To the horror of LGBTQ and women's rights groups, Religious Right figures will be representing the U.S. at the meeting.

According to a March 13th press release, the U.S. State Department will include representatives from two right-wing organizations in its delegation to the 61st session of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women. Lisa Correnti, executive vice-president of the Center for Family and Human Rights (C-FAM) and Grace Melton, Association for Social Issues at the U.N for the Heritage Foundation, will be part of the delegation. (Hat tip to Reuters.)

C-FAM and its president, Austin Ruse, have a long history of opposing LGBTQ equality and women's reproductive rights at home and at the United Nations. As recently as March 9th, C-FAM issued a statement criticizing U.N. staff for their resistance to the newly reinstated "global gag rule".

The Heritage Foundation's resume is more varied, but its right-wing credentials are solid. For decades, the Heritage Foundation has been a major mover-and-shaker of the American right, and is currently active in the push for "religious freedom" (which, as interpreted by the Religious Right, would allow anti-LGBTQ discrimination on the basis of religious beliefs). Right Wing Watch has documented the anti-LGBTQ activism of Heritage Foundation senior fellow Ryan Anderson. The organization has also engaged in troubling activism to undermine reproductive rights and oppose Planned Parenthood.

I doubt that representatives of C-FAM and the Heritage Foundation will have the best interests of all women -- women seeking reproductive health services, lesbian women, bisexual women, transgender women -- at heart during the 61st session meeting. By appointing representatives of these two organizations to its delegation, the U.S. State Department has signaled its indifference to women's reproductive rights and LGBTQ rights to the world.

Activists have condemned the decision. In a March 15th open letter to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Human Rights Campaign urged the State Department to rescind the appointments of Correnti and Melton.

"If the United States is truly committed to improving the lives of women, including LBTQ women, in the U.S. and beyond, then Lisa Correnti and Grace Melton and the organizations they represent should not be the public face of our delegation. We urge you to immediately rescind the appointment of these delegates who do not represent our shared American values."

In a March 15th press release, Out Right International observed that it is "a bad sign that two organizations that have tried to delegitimize the United Nations and human rights internationally now sit on the official US delegation."

"In their Senate confirmation hearings, Secretary of State Tillerson and US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley repeatedly pledged to uphold the right to be free from discrimination as an American value. The appointment of these organizations to the official US delegation undermines their positions. I urge Secretary Tillerson and Ambassador Haley to ensure that the US delegation maintains non-discrimination at the CSW in the face of obvious pressure from these newly appointed members of the delegation.

Fundamentalist notions about how women and girls should behave should never be the basis of advising or negotiating US foreign policy."

These delegation choices are another example of how the Trump administration is choosing foxes to guard the hen houses. Rest assured, women's rights activists and LGBTQ equality activists will continue to teach the world about the needs of their communities -- and remind the world that the Religious Right doesn't speak for them.


To read additional commentary, visit the following links.

Right Wing Watch: Trump Names C-Fam, Heritage To U.S. Delegation To UN Commission On Status Of Women

Dallas Voice: Trump administration embarrasses U.S. again by appointing hate group members to U.N. women’s rights meeting

Human Rights Watch: U.S. Sends Group Rejecting Rights to UN Women’s Commission

Commentary Tidbits

Washington Post: Looking for God in the colorful world of America’s Christian entertainment destinations

Corner of Church and State: Pro-Trump pastor whitewashes history of pastors during Jim Crow—including the history of his church

Christian Today: Mark Driscoll is hosting a conference on building healthy churches. Seriously.

Salon: Anti-choice activists attempt to hijack Black Lives Matter to shame women for abortion

The Advocate: God vs. the Constitution

Religion News Service: The Mormon fallout of legalized same-sex marriage

Daily Beast: Why C-FAM, the Catholic Fundamentalists You’ve Never Heard Of, Just Cozied Up to Iran

Huffington Post: New GOP Platform Aims To Make The Christian Right Even More Powerful

Vice: We Talked to a Quiverfull Escapee About Helping Women Leave the Movement

Commentary Tidbits

Internet Monk: The little brothers of Saint Archie Bunker 

Religion Dispatches: How a Fringe Theocratic Movement Helped Shape the Religious Right As We Know It

Right Wing Watch: Religious Right Teams Up With Anti-Gay Governments at United Nations

Think Progress: GOP Candidates Reveal Their Terrifying Fantasies About Abortion At First Debate

The Guardian: There’s a silver lining in the religious right’s onslaught of discrimination

The Advocate: Think NOM Is Dead? Think Again

Politico: Jeb Bush’s ad-lib offers Dems another gift

Raw Story: Here are 5 frightening ways radical right-wingers are trying to control the way we teach U.S. history

Rick Santorum to Speak at Summit on Family and "Sustainable Development"

Between the September 21st People's Climate March in New York City and today's United Nations Climate Summit, climate and sustainability are receiving much-needed attention. An upcoming conference in New York will also talk about sustainable development, but in a very different way.

The Political Network for Values will host the 2014 Transatlantic Summit on December 5th in New York City. The theme of the summit is "Strengthening the Family for Sustainable Development: How Far Could We Get?". According to the summit program, policy-makers from three continents will gather at UN headquarters "to recognize and strengthen the role of the family as a driver for sustainable development." The Political Network for Values website lists several right-wing organizations among its sponsors, including C-FAM, the National Organization for Marriage, Alliance Defending Freedom, and the World Congress of Families.

Former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum, whose reputation precedes him, is scheduled to speak at the gathering. Much to my amusement, the program describes him as a "candidate for the Republican nomination for President of the United States", which might be a tad hasty. Conservative Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia will be a special guest at the summit's reception dinner.

Also scheduled to speak is Robert P. George, a professor of jurisprudence at Princeton University, author of Conscience and Its Enemies: Confronting the Dogmas of Liberal Secularism, and co-author of What Is Marriage? Man and Woman: A Defense. George is the chairman emeritus for the National Organization for Marriage.

Scheduled speakers also include Oscar Iván Zuluaga, the opposition candidate in Colombia's 2014 presidential election whose campaign was plagued by hacking accusations, according to Al Jazeera. Also on the program is Zoltán Balog, the Hungarian Minister for Human Resources whose recent comments about Roma deportations during Holocaust ignited controversy, according to the Budapest Beacon. Jaime Mayor Oreja, a Spanish politician who has vocally championed "Christian values" and who called abortion rights an "aberration", will receive the Family and Truth award from the World Congress of Families.

The theme of the December summit -- family and sustainable development -- could make for surreal listening. Given the vision of family promoted by many of the conference sponsors -- married, heterosexual, and childbearing -- I expect the Transatlantic Summit to define family very narrowly. Furthermore, given how some of the sponsors view overpopulation and contraception, I doubt that the conference will promote family planning and other fertility reduction measures as a means of addressing population growth. This troubles me, given that rapid population growth is associated with adverse economic and environmental consequences, making family planning and reproductive rights vital for sustainable development. When December arrives, we'll have the opportunity to learn more about the summit's goals.

(Hat tip to Human Rights Campaign.)

When People You Respect Break Bread with the Far Right

For the most part, it's easy to condemn the Religious Right when it engages in disturbing activism, such as attacks on LGBTQ equality and reproductive rights. What do you do, however, when the Religious Right collaborates with people you respect on important issues?

The Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation is one such collaboration that leaves me with mixed feelings. According to its website, the coalition was created to address pornography, help victims of sexual exploitation, and allow activists to network and share resources.

I believe that we as a society need to have public conversations about unethical practices in adult entertainment, the harms of depicting violence against women in porn, and the consequences of commodifying sexuality. We need to have public conversations about what healthy, egalitarian sexuality looks like, and how we can promote an enlightened sexual ethic for all people. In that sense, I respect efforts to foster that public conversation and aid those who have been ill-treated by the adult entertainment industry. However, when organizations with dubious reputations join that effort, I find myself wondering what their motives are.

The website for the Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation has a list of member organizations, which includes both feminist groups and right-wing groups. The feminist organization Stop Porn Culture was among its members. Unfortunately, so were countless Religious Right Organizations, including  C-FAM, American Family Association, Family Research Council, Family Watch International, Illinois Family Institute, and Concerned Women for America. I was alarmed to see a feminist organization listed among so many right-wing groups. What's an organization like you doing with a crowd like this? I thought.

In May 2014, the Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation took part in an anti-pornography conference in Tysons Corner, VA. Hosted by Morality in Media and PornHarms, the conference featured well-known anti-violence and anti-pornography activists. Gail Dines, president of Stop Porn Culture and author of Pornland: How Porn Has Hijacked Our Sexuality, delivered workshops entitled "Sex, Identity, and Intimacy in a Porn Culture" and "Winning the Argument: Messaging to Young Adults". Cordelia Anderson and Sharon Cooper, board members of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, participated in a panel discussion on "Pornography and the Colonization of Childhood".

I was pleased that Dines, Anderson, and Cooper were among the speakers, since they have worked hard to confront violence against women and children. Unfortunately, alongside these advocates were activists with less savory backgrounds. Among them was Sharon Slater, president of Family Watch International and one of several anti-gay activists profiled in the Human Rights Campaign report Export of Hate. Slater was scheduled to deliver a workshop entitled "Exposing and Halting the International Sexual Rights Agenda: There is Something Everyone Can Do". Laila Mickelwait, manager of policy and public affairs at Exodus Cry (an anti-trafficking ministry), took part in a panel discussion entitled "Inside Porn: What Is the Real Truth?" Exodus Cry is a department of the International House of Prayer, a New Apostolic Reformation ministry with a history of anti-LGBTQ, anti-choice, and patriarchal rhetoric.

Moreover, the conference was co-sponsored by right-wing groups such as Alliance Defending Freedom, American Family Association, and Family Watch International. The Family Research Council was one of several organizations that provided scholarships for attendees.

When I saw advocates I respect on the conference program alongside Religious Right voices, my heart sank. I oppose trafficking, exploitation and adult entertainment that dehumanizes its participants, but I do not trust the Religious Right to tackle those problems without ulterior motives. Can organizations with long histories of anti-LGBTQ and patriarchal messaging be trusted to promote an inclusive vision of healthy, egalitarian sexuality? I don't think they can.

I struggle to understand why otherwise enlightened activists are breaking bread with Religious Right groups. Is it because these issues are so important that they can't afford to be picky about allies? Is it because they seek to promote anti-trafficking, anti-violence discourses wherever they can, even in right-wing quarters? Is it because left-leaning organizations are reluctant to engage in anti-pornography efforts, compelling anti-porn activists to seek allies elsewhere? I don't know.

I worry that alliances with right-wing organizations could come back to haunt these well-meaning activists. The world is becoming increasingly aware of the Religious Right's activities at home and abroad, and well-meaning organizations that collaborate with the Religious Right may be criticized for those collaborations later. Furthermore, if the Religious Right dominates the public conversation on adult entertainment and sexuality, they could shape the conversation in unpleasant ways. I could imagine that conversation veering away from how to create a healthy, egalitarian vision of sexuality, and veering toward a heteronormative, patriarchal vision. In our efforts to tackle social problems, we must be discerning about who we embrace as allies.

"Large Families: The Future of Humanity" Under Way in Moscow

На итоговом пленарном заседании Международного форума «Многодетная семья и будущее человечества». pic.twitter.com/vx9SMbDdvl
— Елена Мизулина (@emizulina) September 11, 2014

As discussed in a prior post, the "Large Families: The Future of Humanity" conference is taking place in Russia. The Moscow event has attracted Religious Right figures from around the globe and courted no small amount of controversy. Right Wing Watch has diligently monitored Russian media outlets for news on the conference, and I have cited several of the Russian articles they unearthed (with the help of Google Translate, of course).

Scheduled speakers and moderators at the conference include Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, Errol Naidoo, Theresa Okafor, Family Watch International's Sharon Slater, Real Women of Canada's Gwendolyn Landolt, C-FAM's Austin Ruse, NOM's Brian Brown, World Congress of Family's Don Feder, and Miriam Grossman, author of a controversial book attacking comprehensive sex education.

The conference program features workshops on safeguarding the "traditional family" against feminists and LGBT activists.

• Civilization of Comfort and Death of the Traditional Family


• Life-Negative and Anti-Family Agenda at the UN


• Dignity of African Women in the Era of Radical "Gender and Reproductive Rights"


• International Promotion of Feminism and Gender Agenda Against Marriage and Childbearing


• How LGBT Activists Destroy Traditional Values in the West


• Endangered Russia 2140: Challenges for Strengthening Economic Support for Families with Children and Stimulating the Birth Rate

Much of the rhetoric at the conference focused on praising the "traditional family", preserving civilization from perceived enemies, and encouraging marriage and childrearing. Natalia Yakunin, the chair of the event's organizing committee, hoped that the event could contribute to an international movement for the "traditional family", reports Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

Раньше невозможно было представить ситуацию, когда естественную, традиционную семью приходилось бы защищать ... Надеемся, что в итоге мы придем к созданию международного движения в поддержку традиционной семьи, в котором примут участие государство, общество и церковь.

"Previously, it was impossible to imagine a situation where a natural, traditional family would have to defend [itself] ... We hope that in the end, we arrive at the establishment of an international movement in support of the traditional family, which will be attended by the state, society and the Church." 

Rossiyskaya Gazeta also quoted Don Feder of the World Congress of Families, who was delighted that "the Cold War is over; now we are together in favor of the family and family values." Larry Jacobs of the World Congress of Families called the family "a source of peace and stability" and a bulwark against civilization-destroying forces.

Русские философы говорили, что потребительство и эгоизм ведут к разрушению цивилизации - традиционная семья восстает против этих явлений. Мы хотим напомнить миру, что Бог и традиционная семья - это основа благополучия общества.

"Russian philosophers said that consumerism and selfishness lead to the destruction of civilization. The traditional family rebels against these phenomena. We want to remind the world that God and the traditional family is the basis of the well-being of society."

According to the the Press Service of the Charity Foundation of St. Basil the Great, Yelena Mizulina praised Russia for remaining faithful to family values. Mizulina, chair of the Russian State Duma Committee on Family, Women, and Children and one of the architects of Russia's anti-gay law, argued that Russia must make a choice regarding the path it will take.

Мир и христианская цивилизация находятся сегодня на изломе, перед выбором: будем ли мы жить согласно христианским ценностям — ценностям естественной семьи, либо мы выберем совершенно иной путь ... Я очень рада, что живу в той стране, которая несмотря на социальные эксперименты прошлого века, несмотря на войны, несмотря на достаточно длительный период воинствующего атеизма, осталась верной ценностям традиционной семьи.

"Peace and Christian civilization are on a fissure today, faced with a choice: whether we live according to Christian values, the values ​​of the natural family, or [whether] we will choose a completely different way ... I am very glad that I live in the country which, despite the social experiments of the last century, despite the war, despite the rather long period of militant atheism, remained true to the values ​​of the traditional family."

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill spoke at the conference, telling his audience that love and devotion are strongly manifested in large families. He urged listeners to combat the "distrust and fear" that people have for large families.

Мы должны переломить недоверие и страх, которые существуют в отношении многодетности, вернуть многодетным родителям то уважение, которое они заслуживали, потому что из всех добрых и прекрасных человеческих дел рождение и воспитание детей — одно из самых великих

"We must reverse the distrust and fear that exist for large families, families with many children, to return the respect that they deserve, because [out of] of all the good and beautiful human affairs, birth and upbringing of children [is] one of the greatest."

At the website for the Foundation of St. Andrew and the Centre of National Glory, Patriarch Kirill was quoted as dismissing modern notions of marriage.

В последние годы мы сталкиваемся с попытками пересмотреть само представление о семье, изменить культуру и законодательство, чтобы понятие семьи было искажено и разрушено. Человека пытаются представить как изолированного индивидуума, вступающего с другими в некие договорные отношения, которые он может в любой момент разорвать. Брак воспринимается как контракт! Но не может быть счастья без самоограничения.

"In recent years, we are faced with attempts to reconsider the very idea of ​​the family, to change the culture and the law, [and thus] the concept of family has been distorted and destroyed. People are trying to present [themselves] as an isolated individual, to join with others in some contractual relationship that he may at any time break. Marriage is seen as a contract! But there can be no happiness without self-restraint."

Russian president Vladimir Putin also shared a message about large families with conference attendees. According to the Foundation of St. Andrew and the Centre of National Glory, Putin claimed that "large-scale demographic challenges" and "eroded moral values" have brought about a crisis for the institution of the family. "I am convinced that everything must be done to [make] a large family with many children the norm, enjoying high public recognition," he said.

The vision being celebrated at "Large Families: The Future of Humanity" is one of large families and retrograde values, which they see as under attack from outside forces. This vision allows no room for feminism, LGBTQ equality, or diverse definitions of marriage and family.

Equally troubling are some of the people involved in the conference. Russia passed a law banning gay "propaganda" in 2013, and Yelena Mizulina, one of the law's architects, helped organize the conference, according to Mother Jones. Mizulina has also been placed under U.S. sanctions due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, reports Pink News. Vladimir Putin, who defended the anti-gay law and has drawn criticism for his human rights record, shared a message at the conference. Neither Putin nor Mizulina's reputations stopped attendees from participating in the conference, which says volumes about their priorities. How can Religious Right figures wax poetic about values when they rub shoulders with people like this?

Форум «Многодетная семья и будущее человечества» продолжил работу в Храме Христа Спасителя http://t.co/cwZDQyxkzf pic.twitter.com/T10gTPgHvR
— Проект Крепкая семья (@ks_er_ru) September 11, 2014

Представитель епархии участвует в форуме «Многодетная семья и будущее человечества» #Саратов http://t.co/mikwZPoboO pic.twitter.com/FJP6omasG9
— Новости Саратова (@saratovnews777) September 11, 2014

To read additional commentary, visit the following links.

Box Turtle Bulletin: Brian Brown, Sharon Slater Are Also At Moscow’s Totally-Not-The-World-Congress-Of-Families

Queerty: Are American Homophobes Playing Close To The Line With U.S. Sanctions Against Russia?

Sen. Kirk Cancels Space for Anti-Gay Meeting; Religious Right Incensed

Earlier this year, the Russian government passed a controversial anti-gay law banning dissemination of "propaganda on nontraditional sexual relationships" to minors. The law, which came into effect amidst an increasingly homophobic cultural climate in Russia, has been widely slammed as an affront to free speech and LGBTQ rights. Voices from the American Religious Right have not only applauded the legislation, but sought to learn from it.

In a November 11th press release, the Howard Center for Family, Religion and Society announced its November 15th symposium in Washington D.C. entitled "Family Policy Lessons from Other Lands: What Should America Learn?” Scheduled speakers at the symposium heralded from right-wing organizations such as the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute (C-FAM), the Beverly LaHaye Institute, and the Population Research Institute.

According to the press release, the symposium would be a setting where American legislators and activists could learn from international initiatives, including Russia's anti-gay law, mean to affirm the "natural family".

"While the current U.S. administration persists in its efforts to redefine marriage and family, other nations are seeking a reaffirmation of the natural family. Australia has just elected a conservative government and given the largest budget area to Kevin Andrews, long-time defender of the family and World Congress of Families supporter; Russia recently banned the propaganda of “nontraditional sexual relations” to minors; and across Europe and Africa, nations are concerned with life issues, shrinking populations, and the disintegration of the natural family. Here in America, what can our pro-family legislators learn—positively and negatively—by studying our colleagues’ actions abroad?"

The implications of the meeting spurred LGBTQ rights activists into action. On November 14th, Human Rights Campaign (HRC) condemned the meeting on its website, appalled that "top American supporters of Russia’s anti-LGBT laws will come to Capitol Hill to argue that these hateful policies should serve as a model for the United States." HRC president Chad Griffin called the planned meeting an "outrage".

“These shameful individuals represent the worst of America, and it’s an outrage that they will now bring their vitriol to the United States Capitol. After spending years exporting their hate to other regions of the world and contributing to a culture of anti-LGBT violence in Russia, these zealots should be condemned by all Americans and especially by our elected leaders.”

Soon thereafter, the symposium was denied its original meeting space. Right Wing Watch reports that the Howard Center for Family, Religion and Society was forced to relocate its symposium after Sen. Mark Kirk canceled their meeting room reservation at the U.S. Senate office building.
Buzzfeed reported that House Speaker John Boehner secured space for the meeting after their original space reservation was canceled.

Cue Religious Right outrage!

Incensed, several participating groups accused Sen. Kirk of discrimination and lambasted HRC for its actions. For instance, in a press release posted at Christian News Wire, the World Congress of Families expressed its disgust with HRC's actions. Larry Jacobs, managing director of the World Congress of Families, had this to say.

"It is shocking that a United States Senator would bow to pressure from these militants and refuse to facilitate the discussion of vital issues affecting children, family, life, and the economy.  Groups like HRC have set themselves up as arbiters of what may or may not be discussed at public forums. Instead of meeting us in the marketplace of ideas, they take the low road of smears and intimidation, seeking to foreclose the healthy debate that’s vital to a democracy."

Jacobs insisted that the meeting was about more than Russia's "widely misunderstood" law, explaining that it was intended to cover policy initiatives on "promotion of marriage and large families, parent's rights, the promotion of home-schooling, the encouragement of family-owned businesses, the benefits of religious faith, the protection of women and children from human trafficking, and the legal protection of life from conception to natural death..."

Allan Carlson, president of World Congress of Families, expressed frustration with attempts to thwart the meeting. "A great fear seems to be descending over what has been called the world’s greatest deliberative body … ideas are being suppressed, debate is being shut off, and minds are being closed," he said, according to Buzzfeed.

Additionally, Family Research Council was also offended that Sen. Kirk canceled their space reservation after "homosexual activists" criticized the event. In a November 19th press release, FRC president Tony Perkins demanded an apology from Sen. Kirk.

"Sen. Kirk's decision is true discrimination, silencing anyone who doesn't adhere to a politically correct view of sexuality.

"We welcome open debate about policy differences on social issues. However, Sen. Kirk's decision to cancel the event signals that he wants to silence those who disagree with him.  We are encouraged by the many Illinois residents who have stood up in support of the Howard Center and its right to free speech and freedom of assembly.

"Holding a different view of marriage and sexuality is not discriminatory - especially when all the social science research demonstrates the benefits of the natural family."

Illinois Family Institute cultural analyst Laurie Higgins blasted Sen. Kirk in a hyperbolic commentary. Higgins fumed at Sen. Kirk's alleged "obamaniacal act of hubris" in allying himself with "homosexual activists". She defended the homophobia of the groups scheduled to meet in Senate space, accusing Sen. Kirk of abusing his position "to normalize sexual deviance".

"If Kirk considers these scholars hate-promoters, then logically he must call all orthodox Christian theologians hate-promoters for every contemporary orthodox theologian and every theologian in the history of Christendom has held the same views on the nature of marriage and the nature and morality of homosexuality as these panel participants ... Sen. Kirk thinks that it’s hateful to believe that marriage is inherently sexually complementary, but not hateful to kill the unborn. To Kirk, cross-dressing and perverse sexual acts are moral goods and fighting for the rights of children to survive the womb and be raised by a mother and father are moral evils. What kind of man thinks like this? C.S. Lewis calls men like this “men without chests,” and Isaiah warns, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness.”

The controversy surrounding this meeting (and its space cancellation) serves as a reminder that American Religious Right voices still hold fast to homophobia. LGBTQ rights supporters should also take note of the Religious Right's desire to learn from anti-gay legislation in other countries. If the Religious Right is paying close attention to anti-gay initiatives around the globe, so should we.