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Friend,
The International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit that ended earlier this month in Washington, D.C., has been praised for bringing together a diverse, seemingly incompatible group of politicians, activists and dignitaries in furtherance of a common goal: the promotion of international religious freedom, a concept deeply embedded in our nation’s ideals and a sign of a healthy and open democracy.
But make no mistake: The presence and deep influence of virulently anti-LGBTQ+ hate groups and other far-right extremists – some of whom have used religious rhetoric to advocate for the criminalization of and even the death penalty for LGBTQ+ people – cannot be ignored.
To many of these extremists, religious freedom means, simply, the right to discriminate – particularly against the LGBTQ+ community.
The IRF Summit is a production of the Tom Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice. According to its website, the summit is used to “raise the profile of international religious freedom on a wide variety of issues using an array of mechanisms best suited for each circumstance.” Summit co-chairs Sam Brownback and Katrina Lantos Swett have said this third iteration of the event was meant “to bring together experts, lawmakers, activists, survivors, advocates and leaders to educate, elevate and advance the cause of religious freedom in every corner of the world.”
Summit leaders, including Brownback, have claimed that religious freedom means “the profound right of all people to live their lives in accordance with the dictates of their own conscience” and that IRF “advocates are as robust in their defense of the rights of humanists and atheists in Iran or Saudi Arabia as they are in advocating for persecuted Christians, Ahmadis, Baha’is, Muslim Uyghurs and all others who face discrimination for their beliefs.”
Brownback’s history suggests otherwise – as does that of many of the summit sponsors. For example, last year, Brownback published an op-ed with anti-LGBTQ+ hate group leader Tony Perkins that included white and Christian supremacist dog whistles about threats to “Western culture” and took aim at the growing acceptance of LGBTQ+ people by claiming, “Western culture is growing increasingly hostile to foundational Christian beliefs about marriage, sexuality, and ethical behavior.”
Brownback, the former governor of Kansas, whom former President Donald Trump appointed as the U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, previously banned state assistance to Syrian refugees in an order so broad that legal activists worried it could be used to deny assistance because of a refugee’s religion. And, in a nod to prominent anti-Muslim extremists like Robert Spencer and Pamela Geller who lauded the move, Brownback also signed a bill that banned the state from using “Sharia law.” Brownback’s appointment as a U.S. ambassador was supported by people like Frank Gaffney who are part of a network of far-right extremists who spread anti-Muslim propaganda.
Brownback also issued an executive order in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark ruling legalizing same-sex marriage that purportedly allowed religious groups, cities, counties and school districts in Kansas to continue to legally discriminate against LGBTQ+ people. He also signed a bill allowing religious groups at state universities to exclude LGBTQ+ people while retaining state funding.
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In solidarity,
Your friends at the Southern Poverty Law Center
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