Human Rights Watch Names 2013 "Hall Of Shame" Anti-Gay Villains

To mark today's International Day Against Homophobia, Human Rights Watch has posted its top four global villains in the battle for LGBT rights. Among those named is Pat Robertson's ACLJ, which has been exporting anti-gay hate across the globe.

The American Center for Law and Justice; President Yahya Jammeh of Gambia; Vadym Kolesnichenko, a member of Ukraine’s parliament; and the Ukrainian political party Svoboda are undermining human rights by actively promoting homophobic policies, Human Rights Watch said. The 2013 Human Rights Watch “Hall of Shame” inductees were selected for endangering the lives and dignity of LGBT people in 2013. They strongly contributed to a homophobic and transphobic environment during the past year, Human Rights Watch said.

Here's what they say about Pat Robertson's group.

The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), for attempting to export homophobia to Africa. Founded in 1990 by the Baptist Minister and televangelist Pat Robertson, and headed by Jay Sekulow, its chief counsel, the ACLJ strongly opposes LGBT equality and reproductive rights in the United States and across the globe. It works through offshoot organizations such as the East African Centre for Law and Justice (EACLJ) in Kenya, the African Centre for Law and Justice (ACLJ) in Zimbabwe, and the Brazilian Center for Law and Justice (BCLJ) in Brazil. The EACLJ unsuccessfully lobbied against Kenya’s progressive new constitution in 2010 solely on the basis that the constitution’s anti-discrimination clause could eventually be used to advance LGBT equality and that it allows for abortion when the mother’s health is at stake.

My most recent posts about the ACLJ are here.

Pat Robertson Expands His Anti-Gay Rights Campaign To Brazil

Pat Robertson's "legal" group, the American Center for Law & Justice, has long extended its scaly tentacles into other nations such as Russia and Kenya, where they work to inflame anti-gay sentiments.  Now the ACLJ has set up an office in Brazil.  Buzzfeed reports:

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. Same-sex marriage is also legal in some Brazilian jurisdictions. This includes São Paulo state, which has a population of more than 40 million people, roughly the same size as Argentina. But Brazil also has an evangelical movement that most closely parallels the United States. It accounts for about 20 percent of the population and it has serious muscle in election campaigns and the country's legislature.

The ACLJ is headed by Jay Sekulow, who first came to fame for convincing the Supreme Court that Jews For Jesus had the right to harass people at airports.  And his ACLJ gig has earned him tens of millions.

Since 1998, the two charities have paid out more than $33 million to members of Sekulow's family and businesses they own or co-own, according to the charities' federal tax returns. One of the charities is controlled by the Sekulow family — tax documents show that all four of CASE's board members are Sekulows and another is an officer — an arrangement criticized by a nonprofit watchdog group.

Tax-exempt hate, now in Brazil. Praise Jesus.

Zillionaire Anti-Gay Jews For Jesus

Jay Sekulow, who convinced the Supreme Court that Jews For Jesus had the right to harass people at airports, is the head of Pat Robertson's anti-gay American Center for Law & Justice. And surprise surprise, that gig is earning him tens of millions from tax-exempt "charities."

Since 1998, the two charities have paid out more than $33 million to members of Sekulow's family and businesses they own or co-own, according to the charities' federal tax returns. One of the charities is controlled by the Sekulow family — tax documents show that all four of CASE's board members are Sekulows and another is an officer — an arrangement criticized by a nonprofit watchdog group. The founder of a different Christian legal organization takes aim at the idea of Sekulow profiting in the name of religion, saying it isn't what Jesus would do. The American Center for Law and Justice's tax attorney says the payments to the Sekulows and businesses they own or co-own are all made for the charities' benefit and have passed an IRS audit. Sekulow's supporters say he is a humble man dedicated to the Christian cause. Members of the Sekulow family declined requests for interviews.

A spokesman for Sekulow calls him "one of the most successful lawyers in the country whose income is very small and owns a very small home." Sekulow actually owns three luxury homes with a combined worth of nearly $2 million. Just a tiny lie for Jeebus! Oh and he gives Antonin Scalia rides on his private jet. Glory! Praise Him!

American Anti-Gay Groups Continue Expansion In Africa

The anti-gay American Center For Law & Justice has opened a branch in Kenya, another ominous indication of the Christian right's continuing push to demonize gays in Africa. From their site:

The Christian response to all that is happening [in Kenya] has been ad hoc and reactionary. This has seen several laws passed that eroded the value system that we have known and held dear. The East Africa Centre for Law & Justice (EACLJ) is the response to this trend. The EACLJ aims to develop a Centre that will be credible and trustworthy in its information. This information will be used to inform the general public on issues of national importance being churned out of our parliament. It shall also be useful in lobbying legislators when debating and enacting laws. The Centre also aims to be a haven for those who find themselves in conflict with the law, especially over the exercise of their faith.

A 2007 survey in Kenya showed that 96% of those responding "rejected" homosexuality, the highest percentage in Africa. Homosexuality is illegal there and although few are prosecuted, the police routinely harass anybody they suspect is gay. So I'm not sure how the ACLJ can make things any worse, unless they're looking for another "kill gays" bill there.

Box Turtle Bulletin's Jim Burroway responds to the ACLJ's press release about Kenya:

Unmentioned is Uganda, which just happens to sit between Kenya and Rwanda, with Burundi further south. The ACLJ has filed friend of the court briefs in the U.S. against just about every LGBT-related case brought to the courts. Specifically, they vigorously opposed (PDF: 212KB/28 pages) overturning American anti-sodomy laws in Lawrence v. Texas. In 1995, they also opposed overturning Colorado’s Amendment 2, which the U.S. Supreme Court struck down for illegally barring LGBT people from full participation in the legislative process. Since ACLJ now wants to meddle in the legal affairs of East Africa, now would be a good time for them to go on record with their position on Uganda’s proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill.