Sam Brownback

As A Senator, Brownback Sponsored The International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) — Which Created His Current Position As Ambassador For International Religious Freedom And USCIRF

Brownback Sponsored The IRFA As A Senator In 1998… “In announcing the intended nomination, the White House noted that Mr. Brownback, a former United States senator and congressman, ‘worked actively on the issue of religious freedom in multiple countries and was a key sponsor of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.’” [New York Times, 7/26/19]

…And Twenty Years Later, He Finds Himself In The Ambassador Position The IRFA Created. “As a senator in 1998, Sam Brownback helped push through the law that created the role of the U.S. ambassador for international religious freedom. Twenty years and a controversial governorship later, the Kansas Republican now occupies that position, which oversees the annual State Department report on atrocities, discrimination and other ills visited on people of faith overseas.” [Politico, 5/28/18]

Due To Concerns Over His Anti-LGBTQ, Islamophobic History, Brownback Almost Didn’t Get The Job As Ambassador — Vice President Pence Had To Cast A Tie-Breaking Vote To Clear His Confirmation

During His Confirmation Process, Senators Were Dissatisfied With Brownback’s Answers Regarding LGBTQ Rights And His Prioritization Of The Safety Of Christians Over Other Religious Groups. “Brownback, a convert to Catholicism who also frequented an evangelical church, has been in this new job for four months. It’s a job he barely got. Senate Democrats uniformly opposed his nomination, and Vice President Mike Pence had to cast a tie-breaking vote. Democrats were unsatisfied with Brownback’s answers on LGBT issues, saying he wasn’t unequivocal enough that religious rights don’t trump the right to be free from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Some lawmakers and activists also worried that Brownback would prioritize the safety of Christians above that of other vulnerable groups abroad.” [Politico, 5/28/18]

• Brownback Actively Discriminated Against Muslims As Governor Of Kansas. “As governor, Brownback signed a law that effectively barred state courts from taking into account Islamic, or sharia, law, when making decisions. He also joined other Republican governors in trying to bar Syrian refugees from being resettled in Kansas.” [Politico, 5/28/18]

As Ambassador, Brownback Leads The State Department’s Office Of International Religious Freedom And Serves As An Ex Officio USCIRF Commissioner

Brownback Is Charged With The State Department’s International Religious Freedom Efforts As Part Of His Ambassadorship. “In the ambassadorship, Mr. Brownback would lead the Office of International Religious Freedom, which is under the umbrella of the State Department and charged with promoting religious freedom as a foreign policy objective.” [New York Times, 7/26/19]

The Ambassador Serves On The U.S. Commission International Religious Freedom. “The Ambassador-At-Large is an ex officio USCIRF Commissioner.” [uscirf.gov, May 2019]

Under Brownback’s Direction, The State Department Annual Human Rights Report No Longer Includes Analysis On Reproductive Health And Rights

The Trump Administration Cut Mentions Of Women’s Human Rights From The State Department’s Annual Human Rights Report In 2018 And 2019

The State Department Report, Which Brownback Oversees, No Longer Includes Analysis On Women’s Reproductive Health And Rights, Including Country-Level Analysis Of Maternal Mortality And Contraceptive Needs. “Once again, the Trump administration has cut most mentions of key human rights abuses that disproportionately impact women and girls around the world from the US State Department’s annual human rights reports. In the reports released today, March 13th, 2019, the State Department decided to remove analysis of women’s reproductive health and rights, including country-level analysis of maternal mortality and unmet contraceptive needs.” [Human Rights Watch, 5/13/19]

The Decision To Remove Reproductive Health Analysis From The Report Has Been Widely Condemned By Advocates And Experts

Center For Reproductive Rights: This Decision Is Part Of “A Comprehensive Effort To Erase Sexual And Reproductive Health And Rights From Global Discourse.” “The U.S. State Department’s decision to continue its destructive practice of omitting reporting on reproductive rights from its Country Reports on Human Rights Practices sends a clear message that the United States does not care about the plight of women and girls and is part of a comprehensive effort to erase sexual and reproductive health and rights from global discourse,” said Stephanie L. Schmid, U.S. Foreign Policy Counsel for the Center for Reproductive Rights.  “This erasure is a blatant and unapologetic rejection of the basic principle that reproductive rights are human rights.” [Center for Reproductive Rights, 3/13/19]

As Ambassador At Large for International Religious Freedom, Brownback Peddles His Extremist Views On The World Stage And Aligns Himself With Hate Groups Including The Family Research Council (FRC)

In His Capacity As Ambassador, Sam Brownback Deemed Religious Freedom A Universal Human Right That Should Precede Other Rights…

April 2019: Samuel Brownback Told Students At Southern Baptist Theological Seminary That “When You Get Religious Freedom Right, Other Human Rights Follow.” “My main goal today is to encourage and even recruit some of you as advocates for religious freedom — an essential, God-given human right declaring that everyone, whatever their faith might be, has the freedom to live according to their own conscience.” Religious freedom is “in our DNA” as Americans, said Brownback, but it should not be limited to the United States. Religious freedom is a “universal human right” for everyone, he said. That is why Brownback agreed to serve as Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom, a position created after the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998… Said Brownback: “When you get religious freedom right, other human rights follow.” [Southern Baptist Theological Seminary]

…The Family Research Council, A Hate Group, Tweeted Their Support For Brownback And His Speech Deeming Religious Freedom The Most Important Right

[Twitter, 4/26/19]

As A Reminder, The Family Research Council Is Southern Poverty Law Center-Designated Hate Group

The Family Research Council Takes The Position That “Homosexuals Are Harmful To Society.” “Bauer is the Washington director of Christians United for Israel and is a former head of the Family Research Council, which advocates that homosexuals are harmful to society. The Southern Poverty Law Center has labeled the Family Research Council a hate group.” [Washington Jewish Week, 6/6/18]

FRC Supports Criminalizing Abortion And Over-The-Counter Birth Control, Opposes Research That Relies On Fetal Tissue And Supports Denying Healthcare To LGBTQ People

FRC Advocates For Equal Protection Under The Law For Zygotes, Embryos, And Fetuses — Criminalizing All Forms Of Abortion And Many Types Of Birth Control. “On its website, the group advocates for ‘equal protection under the law’ for zygotes, embryos, and fetuses. In practice, this kind of ‘personhood’ policy would outlaw and criminalize abortion and certain kinds of birth control.” [Rewire.News, 5/10/19]

Rewire.News: “FRC Also Opposes Over-The-Counter Contraception (Including Hormonal Birth Control And The Morning-After Pill).” [Rewire.News, 5/10/19]

Rewire.News: “Advocates Allowing Health-Care Providers To Claim Religious Objections To Providing Essential Care To Patients.” [Rewire.News, 5/10/19]

Rewire.News: “[FRC] Opposes Fetal Tissue Research.” [Rewire.News, 5/10/19]

FRC And Its Leaders Attack Planned Parenthood With Outlandish Claims, Calling The Organization Supportive Of Gendercide, Incompatible With Christianity, And An Enabler Of Human Trafficking

FRC Published A Document Falsely Claiming That Planned Parenthood Supports Gendercide. “Planned Parenthood has also shown support for gendercide. ‘Protect Our Girls,’ Live Action’s 2012 video project highlighting gendercide in America, exposed Planned Parenthood affiliates in Texas, Arizona, New York, Hawaii, and North Carolina encouraging women to get sex-selective abortions for unborn girls they did not want.” [FRC, “The Real Planned Parenthood: Leading the Culture of Death 2019 Edition, Page 6, 2019]

FRC Published A Blog Which Claimed That Planned Parenthood Is “Aimed At…The Eradication Of An Entire Generation Of [African-American] Children.” “February is Black History Month, and we are reminded of the many African-Americans who have made remarkable contributions to our great country. Sadly, I am reminded also of the huge number of African-American babies aborted every day in the United States snuffing out enormous future potential from this community… The exposure of these actions by Planned Parenthood employees reminds us again how seriously divisive this hateful behavior is. The conduct of Planned Parenthood should fuel a revolt to end taxpayer funding of this organization. The decimation of the African-American community should ignite a movement aimed at stopping the eradication of an entire generation of children by removing African-Americans from the crosshairs of the Planned Parenthood abortionists.” [FRC Blog, 2/19/09]

FRC Leaders And Writers Claimed That LGBTQ Activists Are Pedophiles Who Want To Abolish All Age Of Consent Laws

A Former FRC Author Published A Booklet Titled “Homosexual Activists Work To Normalize Sex With Boys” Which Falsely Claimed That LGBTQ Advocates Wanted To Abolish All Age Of Consent Laws. “While at the FRC, Knight also co-wrote (with Robert York, a former editor at Focus on the Family) a 1999 booklet with the attention-getting title of Homosexual Activists Work to Normalize Sex with Boys. Among its more remarkable claims was the baseless assertion that ‘one of the primary goals of the homosexual rights movement is to abolish all age of consent laws and to eventually recognize pedophiles as the ‘prophets’ of a new sexual order.’” [Southern Poverty Law Center, 10/07/11]

FRC President Tony Perkins Said Pedophilia Is A “Homosexual Problem” And That “Homosexual Activists” Are “Part Of A Concerted Effort” To “Recruit…Kids Into The ‘Gay Lifestyle.’” “According to Perkins, pedophilia ‘is a homosexual problem’ that seeks to ‘recognize pedophiles as the ‘prophets’ of the new sexual order.’ Gay men are ‘more likely to engage in child sexual abuse than are heterosexual men”; in fact, ‘homosexuals have entered the [Boy] Scouts in the past for predatory purposes.’ What’s worse, ‘homosexual activists”—those “intolerant,” ‘hateful,’ ‘vile’ and ‘spiteful’ predators—aren’t just content to engage in pedophilia: They’re also ‘part of a concerted effort’ to ‘recruit … kids’ into the gay ‘lifestyle.’” [Slate, 9/25/13]

FRC Senior Policy Fellow Peter Sprigg Claimed That Gay Men Are Mentally Ill And That They Are More Likely To Be Pedophiles. “Other anti-gay propagandists at the FRC include Peter Sprigg, senior fellow for policy studies, who joined the organization in 2001. Sprigg authored a 2010 brochure touting ‘The Top Ten Myths about Homosexuality.’ In the brochure, Sprigg claimed that ex-gay therapy works, that sexual orientation can change, that gay people are mentally ill simply because homosexuality makes them that way, and that, ‘Sexual abuse of boys by adult men is many times more common than consensual sex between adult men, and most of those engaging in such molestation identify themselves as homosexual or bisexual.’” [SPLCenter.org, Accessed 11/19/19]

FRC Leader Peter Sprigg Said He Would Like To Deport LGBTQ People From The United States Because “Homosexuality Is Destructive To Society”

FRC Senior Policy Fellow Peter Sprigg Said He “Would Much Prefer To Export Homosexuals From The United States” Because “Homosexuality Is Destructive To Society.” Discussing his opposition to the Uniting American Families Act — ’ which would allow gay Americans the same right straight Americans have to sponsor a foreign partner for citizenship’ — Family Research Council Vice President Peter Sprigg recently offered rhetorical support for exporting gay men and women from America. ‘I would much prefer to export homosexuals from the United States than to import them into the United States because we believe homosexuality is destructive to society,’ said Sprigg.” [Think Progress, 3/20/08]

Brownback Worked With The State Department To Host The Trump Administration’s Ministerial To Advance Religious Freedom — Which Included Side Events Hosted By Anti-Abortion Hate Groups Including Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF)

Brownback Worked With The State Department To Coordinate The First-Ever Ministerial To Advance Religious Freedom. “From July 24-26, 2018, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hosted the first Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom in Washington, D.C. U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom and former Helsinki Commission Chairman Sam Brownback coordinated the event, which brought together governments, religious leaders, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector to “to discuss challenges, identify concrete ways to combat religious persecution and discrimination, and ensure greater respect for religious freedom for all.” [CSCE.Gov]

The Ministerial Included Events Hosted By Anti-Abortion Hate Groups

The Ministerial On Religious Freedom Included Side Events Hosted By Anti-Abortion Extremist Groups The Alliance Defending Freedom, Concerned Women For America, And The James Dobson Family Institute. “At the State Department’s conference next week, the United States will be making the case that religious freedom benefits countries economically and diplomatically, Mr. Pompeo said…Vice President Mike Pence will speak at the conference, as will the United States’ ambassador for international religious freedom, Sam Brownback. Some 80 representatives from foreign countries are slated to attend, including about 40 foreign ministers…Many conservative Christian political groups are slated to sponsor side events to the State Department conference, including the Alliance Defending Freedom International, Concerned Women for America, Save the Persecuted Christians Coalition, the Southern Baptist Convention, and the James Dobson Family Institute, according to an unofficial schedule seen by The New York Times.” [New York Times, 7/19/18]

As A Reminder, ADF Is A Southern Poverty Law Center Recognized Hate Group

ADF Is A Recognized Hate Group By The Southern Poverty Law Center. “Founded by some 30 leaders of the Christian Right, the Alliance Defending Freedom is a legal advocacy and training group that has supported the recriminalization of homosexuality in the U.S. and criminalization abroad; has defended state-sanctioned sterilization of trans people abroad; has linked homosexuality to pedophilia and claims that a “homosexual agenda” will destroy Christianity and society. ADF also works to develop “religious liberty” legislation and case law that will allow the denial of goods and services to LGBT people on the basis of religion. Since the election of President Donald Trump, the ADF has become one of the most influential groups informing the administration’s attack on LGBT rights working with an ally in Attorney General Jeff Sessions.” [SPLC, Accessed 10/25/19]

ADF Frequently References A Conspiratorial “Homosexual Agenda,” Which Is Designed To Undermine “Religious Liberty” In American Society

“[ADF] Claims It Is Equipping Attorneys To ‘Battle The Radical Homosexual Legal Agenda.’” [Southern Poverty Law Center, 7/24/17] 

An ADF Attorney Claimed A Hate Crime Against A Gay Man Was A Hoax Meant To Advance “The Homosexual Agenda.” “An attorney for anti-LGBT extremist group the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) peddled the myth that the story of Matthew Shepard's brutal anti-gay murder was fabricated in order to advance the ‘homosexual agenda.’” [Media Matters, 10/28/14]

Staunchly Anti-Reproductive Rights, 22 Percent of ADF’s Legal Portfolio Goes Directly To Anti-Abortion Work

According To A 2017 Release, 22 Percent Of ADF’s Legal Work Focuses Exclusively On Restricting Access To Abortion. “Religious liberty makes up most of ADF’s advocacy, but cases pertaining to marriage and life also make up a sizeable portion of its portfolio—45 percent of the group’s press releases focus on its work for religious liberty, while 22 and 21 percent of its releases highlight its advocacy against abortion and for traditional marriage, respectively.” [Religion & Politics, 8/19/17]

ADF Has Defended Health Center Protestors, Abortion Bans, And Other Restrictive Abortion Laws In State And Federal Court. “ADF has also been an active litigant in the anti-choice movement, defending protesters outside abortion clinics in New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts, including another Supreme Court victory in 2014. The organization has defended restrictions on abortion like Arizona’s ban on the procedure after 20 weeks of pregnancy; an ‘informed consent’” law in South Dakota; a late-term abortion ban in Nebraska; and Texas’s HB2, which was struck down by the Supreme Court last year.” [The Nation, 11/28/17]

ADF Equates Abortion To Genocide

ADF Posted A Blog Titled: “News You Should Know: Abortion = Genocide.” [ADFLegal.org, 6/07/19]

Brownback Has A Long History Of Furthering Extremist Anti-Abortion Legislation

As Governor Of Kansas, Sam Brownback Signed 19 Pieces Of Anti-Abortion Legislation

As Governor Of Kansas, Brownback Signed 19 Pieces Of Anti-Abortion Legislation. “”The dignity of life and inherent right to life is shared by all people, all people, both born and unborn,” Brownback said. “The complexity surrounding countless crisis pregnancies are many and varied. Too often women are led to believe that abortion is their only option when it clearly is not.” Brownback said the measure was the 19th “pro-life” bill he has signed as governor. “I don’t know anybody in the country that has that kind of privilege that I have of being able to do that,” he said.”  [KCUR, 6/7/17] 

Some Of Brownback’s Anti-Abortion Legislation Was Drafted By Extremist Groups Including The National Right To Life Committee (NRLC)

In 2015, Brownback Signed Into Law The Nation’s First Dilation & Evacuation (D&E) Abortion Ban, Which Was Drafted By The National Right To Life Committee. “Kansas became the first state Tuesday to ban a common second-trimester abortion procedure that critics describe as dismembering a fetus. Republican Gov. Sam Brownback, a strong abortion opponent, signed a bill imposing the ban, and the new law takes effect July 1. He and the National Right to Life Committee, which drafted the measure, said they hope Kansas’ example spurs other states to enact such laws. Already, the measure also has been introduced in Missouri, Oklahoma and South Carolina.”

Experts Have Decried The NRLC’s Model Legislation, Stating Banning This Procedure Could Put Women At Risk And Lead To Worsened Health Outcomes

ACOG Has Spoken Out Against NRLC’s D&E Bans. “The predominant approach to abortion after 13 weeks, commonly referred to as ‘dilation and evacuation,’ is evidence-based and medically preferred because it results in the fewest complications for women compared to alternative procedures. Efforts to ban specific types of procedures will limit the ability of physicians to provide women with the medically appropriate care they need, and will likely result in worsened outcomes and increased complications. These legislative efforts are based on nonmedical, subjective language. This language will create confusion, thus putting women at risk and, in certain cases, actually leading to abortion later in pregnancy.” [American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 10/9/15] 

Governor Brownback Also Wrote A 2017 Letter To President Trump And The Republican-Held Congress Urging Them To Implement Kansas’s Anti-Choice Policies Nationally

Before Being Asked To Join The Administration, Brownback Wrote A Letter To President Trump And GOP Leaders Urging Them To Copy Kansas’s Model For Blocking Abortion Access. “Gov. Sam Brownback wants the Republican-dominated Congress to pass a law mirroring a Kansas abortion restriction that is currently blocked under court order. Brownback sent a letter to President Donald Trump, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan, who previously worked for Brownback during his time in the U.S. Senate, urging them to defund Planned Parenthood and pass legislation restricting abortion. Brownback has attempted to cut off Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood in Kansas, an action that has been paused as a federal lawsuit remains pending. The Medicaid dollars Planned Parenthood receives pay for breast exams and other health services for women but do not pay directly for abortions. “With the new administration in Washington and both houses of Congress controlled by pro-life majorities, we must grasp the opportunity to proclaim and protect the dignity of life,” Brownback writes in the letter.” [Kansas City Star, 2/17/17] 

For Decades, Brownback Has Worked To Roll Back Rights For LGBTQ Americans

In Congress, Brownback Was A Staunch Opponent Of Marriage Equality 

As A Senator, Brownback Sponsored A Proposed Constitutional Amendment Banning Same Sex Marriage, Calling It A “Grave Threat” To Society And Democratic Rule. “In 2004, he was an original co-sponsor of a proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, calling it a ‘grave threat to our central social institution and a serious affront to the democratic rule in our nation.’” [ABC News, 1/26/18]

As Governor Of Kansas, Brownback Continued Codifying Hate Into Law With Numerous Anti-LGBTQ Measures

Governor Brownback Revoked An Executive Order Providing Nondiscrimination Protections To State Employees On The Basis Of Sexual Orientation And Gender Identity. “Once elected governor of Kansas, Brownback revoked a 2007 executive order signed by his predecessor as governor, Kathleen Sebelius, that provided nondiscrimination protections to state employees on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.” [ABC News, 1/26/18]

Governor Brownback Signed SB 175, A Law That Allowed University Groups To Exclude LGBTQ Students — And Still Be Entitled To Receive University Funds Based On Religious Beliefs. “Then in 2016, Brownback signed SB 175, a ‘religious freedom’ law that allowed university groups to exclude LGBTQ students. Under the law, student groups could claim that LGBTQ membership violated their religious convictions and still be entitled to receive university funds.” [ABC News, 1/26/18]

LGBTQ Advocates Were Outspoken In Their Opposition To Brownback’s Appointment As Ambassador At Large For Religious Freedom

ACLU Of Kansas: “In Gov. Brownback's View, ‘Religious Freedom’ Has Meant Issuing A License To Discriminate Against Others, Especially Against LGBT Kansans.” [ACLU of Kansas, 7/26/17]

Despite His Position As Ambassador To Supposedly Protect All People Of All Religions, Brownback Has Used His Past And Present Positions Of Power To Actively Discriminate Against Muslims

In A Move To Demonize Islam And Muslims, As Governor Of Kansas, Brownback Signed 2012 Bill Banning Government Agencies From Using Islamic Law In Their Decision Making

The Only Purpose Brownback’s Law Served Was To Discriminate Against Muslim Americans. “Republican Kansas Governor Sam Brownback signed a bill aimed at keeping state courts and agencies from using Islamic or other non-U.S. laws when making decisions, his office said on Friday, drawing criticism from a national Muslim group. The law has been dubbed the ‘sharia bill’ because critics say it targets the Islamic legal code. Sharia, or Islamic law, covers all aspects of Muslim life, including religious obligations and financial dealings.” [Reuters, 5/25/12] 

“Opponents Of State Bans Say They Could Nullify Wills Or Legal Contracts Between Muslims.” [Reuters, 5/25/12] 

Religious Freedom Advocates Denounced The Law As Clear Demonization Of Islam And Marginalization Of American Muslims. “Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations, said a court challenge is likely because supporters of the measure frequently expressed concern about sharia law. Hooper said supporters of such proposals have made it clear they are targeting Islamic law. ‘Underlying all of this is demonizing Islam and marginalizing American Muslims,’ he said.” [Wichita Eagle, 5/25/12]

In His Current Role As Ambassador, Brownback Has Protested The Jailing Of A Far Right-Wing Activist Who Founded Extremist Organization That Organized Violent Demonstrations Against Muslims

Brownback Protested The Jailing Of A Violent Anti-Muslim Organizer. “Sam Brownback, the U.S. Ambassador for International Religious Freedom, complained to the British ambassador in Washington D.C. about the treatment of an English right-wing activist who is in jail for disrupting a trial, according to three sources familiar with the discussion. Brownback raised the case of the activist known as Tommy Robinson in a June meeting with Sir Kim Darroch, Britain’s Ambassador to the United States, according to a British official and two sources close to the organizers of a pro-Robinson demonstration planned for London on Saturday.” [Reuters, 7/13/18]

• The Organizer, Tommy Robinson, Has Organized Violent Demonstrations Against Muslim Immigrants To The UK. “Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, though he also uses other aliases, is a founder of the English Defense League, which has organized violent demonstrations against Islamic immigrants in the UK in the past decade. More recently, Robinson has branded himself a journalist and campaigner against Islamic extremism, a move that won him contacts with American anti-Muslim activists.” [Reuters, 7/13/18]

Rights Groups Have Expressed Disbelief At Brownback’s Current Position

CAIR: “Only Under The Trump Administration Would Someone So Opposed To The Constitutional Rights Of An American Faith Community Be Appointed To Safeguarding International Religious Freedom.” "Only under the Trump administration would someone so opposed to the constitutional rights of an American faith community be appointed to safeguarding international religious freedom," said Robert McCaw, director of government affairs at CAIR, the biggest Muslim advocacy organization in the United States. [Newsweek, 7/28/17]

ACLU: Brownback’s Policies Are Not About Protecting Freedom Of Religion But About Giving People The Ability To “Pick And Choose Whether They Will Respect The Fundamental Human Rights Of Their Fellow Citizens, Based On Their Own Particular Religious Views.” “His policies on religious freedom have not been about protecting the constitutional right to worship when, where, how, and with whom you like; they have been about giving people the ability to pick and choose whether they will respect the fundamental human rights of their fellow citizens, based on their own particular religious views.” [ACLU of Kansas, 7/26/17]