Tony Perkins

Perkins’ 2018 Appointment To USCIRF And His Election As Its Chair In 2019 Drew Harsh Criticism From Human Rights Advocates

In June 2019, USCIRF Elected Perkins Chair Following His 2018 Appointment To the Commission By Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. “The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today elected Tony Perkins as Chair for the 2019-2020 term… Chair Perkins was first appointed to the Commission on May 14, 2018, by the Honorable Mitch McConnell (R), Senate Majority Leader, for a term expiring in May 2020.” [USCIRF.gov, 6/17/19]

LGBTQ Advocates Expressed Staunch Opposition To Perkins’ Role On USCIRF

Human Rights Campaign: Perkins’ Appointment To USCIRF Is “Another Weapon” In Trump’s “Anti-LGBTQ Crusade.” “News of Perkins’ new role drew a fiery response from LGBTQ rights advocates. Among those to condemn the appointment was David Stacy of the Human Rights Campaign, who called it ‘another weapon’ in the Trump administration’s ‘anti-LGBTQ crusade.’  ‘Tony Perkins has devoted his career to limiting the legal rights of LGBTQ people,’ Stacy, who is HRC’s director of government affairs, said in an email sent to HuffPost on Tuesday. ‘In his America, LGBTQ people would be forced to hide who they are or face criminal sanction, and their relationships would be outlawed and undermined.’ ‘He should never have been appointed to serve on this commission, nor should he have been entrusted to lead it.’” [HuffPost, 6/19/20]

In Opposing His Appointment To USCIRF, GLAAD President Stated That Perkins Is “The Most Recognizable Anti-LGBTQ Activist In America.” “Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD, called Perkins ‘the most recognizable anti-LGBTQ activist in America’ after his appointment, noting that he has ‘espoused the most extreme views of LGBTQ people and other vulnerable communities including vocally supporting foreign laws that punish LGBTQ identity with death.’” [Metro Weekly, 6/18/19]

Perkins’ Organization, FRC, Is A Recognized Southern Poverty Law Center Hate Group For Its Strong Anti-LGBTQ Views — Which Are In Line With Perkins’ History Of Hateful Homophobia 

FRC Is A Southern Poverty Law Center-Recognized Hate Group

FRC Is A Southern Poverty Law Center-Recognized Hate Group For Its Extreme Anti-LGBTQ Ideology. “The FRC often makes false claims about the LGBT community based on discredited research and junk science. The intention is to denigrate LGBT people as the organization battles against same-sex marriage, hate crime laws, anti-bullying programs and the repeal of the military’s ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy.” [SPLCenter.org, Accessed 11/19/19]

Perkins Has Claimed That Pedophilia Is A “Homosexual Problem”

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 Claimed That The Best Way To Reduce The LGBTQ Teen Suicide Rate Is To Encourage LGBTQ Youth To Not Identify As LGBTQ

FRC Claimed That Anti-Bullying Policies Encourage LGBTQ Youth To Commit Suicide And The Best Way To Drop The Teen Suicide Rate Amongst LGBTQ Youth Is To “Discourage Teens From Self Identifying” As LGBTQ. “Enact anti-discrimination policies that include sexual orientation as a protected category, adopt anti-bullying policies that give special protections to homosexuals instead of protecting everyone equally, and form pro-homosexual gay-straight alliances in the schools, and you will save lives, he appears to be saying. (Oh, and it also helps to have more homosexual couples and registered Democrats living in your county.)…Therefore, the logical take-away from the study would be this: the most effective way of reducing teen suicide attempts is not to create a positive social environment for the affirmation of homosexuality. Instead, it would be to discourage teens from self-identifying as gay, lesbian, or bisexual.” [FRC Blog, 4/28/11]

FRC Has Published Blogs Endorsing LGBTQ Discrimination

FRC Published A Blog Which Stated That “It Is Not Bigotry” to Pursue Anti-LGBTQ Values and That LGBTQ Rights Are a “Moral Issue at Play in the Public Square.” “But it is not bigotry to affirm what the Bible says about human sexuality and sexual intimacy. The weight of Keller's article is all about affirming this, to which end I think his foregoing paragraph is just poorly expressed…In other words, the reason Christians who are faithful to biblical teaching are occupied with homosexuality at present is that it's the salient moral issue at play in the public square, not because of some bizarre preoccupation or fascination they have with it.” [FRC.org, 6/10/15]

Perkins Has Made Fear-Mongering Comments Comparing LGBTQ Rights To The Holocaust, The End Of The World

Perkins Once Compared “Rolling Out The Boxcars To Start Hauling Off Christians” To Granting LGBTQ Individuals Protections From Being Discriminated Against By Private Businesses. “In 2014, the Family Research Council president alluded to the Holocaust while discussing Colorado’s Masterpiece Cakeshop case on his ‘Washington Watch’ radio show, telling listeners, ‘When are they going to start rolling out the boxcars to start hauling off Christians?’” [Huffpost, 6/20/19]

Perkins Implied That Christians Who Support LGBTQ Rights Don’t Have The Same Rights As Anti-LGBTQ Christians Because “True Religious Freedom” Only Applies To “Orthodox Religious Viewpoints.” “Family Research Council President Tony Perkins implied today that Christians who support gay rights don’t have the same religious rights as conservative Christians because ’true religious freedom’ only applies to ‘orthodox religious viewpoints.’” [Right Wing Watch, 5/08/14]

FRC Argues That Laws Which Protect Trans Individuals From Discrimination Are Illegitimate And Dangerous

FRC Claims That Laws Which Protect Individuals From Discrimination Based On Their Gender Identity Are Illegitimate Since Gender Identities Are Based On “Feelings.” “Sexual orientation and gender identity are unlike other characteristics protected in nondiscrimination laws…‘Sexual orientation’ and ‘gender identity’ are considerably more complex than these other characteristics and involve a combination of feelings, sense of identity, and outward behaviors…SOGI laws are unnecessary. One irony is that advocates of such laws place great emphasis on the large number and percentage of corporations that already have internal policies prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity.” [“Why ‘Sexual Orientation’ and ‘Gender Identity’ Should Never Be Specially Protected Categories Under the Law,” Accessed 11/19/19]

FRC Claimed That Non-Discrimination Facilities Polices Are Dangerous… “‘Gender identity’ non-discrimination laws—particularly those that apply to schools and ‘public accommodations’—authorize people to use sex-separated facilities (such as restrooms, locker rooms, and showers) that correspond to their subjective, psychological ‘gender identity,’ rather than their objective, biological sex…Transgender activists have scoffed at these suggestions, essentially denying that such incidents even occur, but below is a list of publicly reported incidents in which men violated the privacy of women in bathrooms, locker rooms, and other private spaces, demonstrating that the concern about safety and privacy is legitimate[.]” [FRC.org, Accessed 11/19/19]

…But UCLA Study Found That There Is No Evidence That Inclusive Policies Lead to Increased Safety Risks. “There is no evidence that letting transgender people use public facilities that align with their gender identity increases safety risks, according to a new study from the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law. The study is the first of its kind to rigorously test the relationship between nondiscrimination laws in public accommodations and reports of crime in public restrooms and other gender-segregated facilities.” [NBC News, 8/19/18]

FRC Claimed That Gender Confirmation Surgeries Are A “Socio-Political Agenda” And Argued That Trans People Should Be Counseled To No Longer Identify As Trans

FRC Claimed That Gender Reassignment Surgeries Are A “Socio-Political Agenda” And Argued That Transgender People Should Be Counseled To No Longer Identify As Trans. “However, the medical profession is moving more and more in the direction of offering expensive, body-altering surgery as the primary solution—instead of counseling to get at the roots of this discomfort and help to heal it…‘Human rights?’ ‘Stigma?’ ‘Legal status?’ It is hard to see what any of these have to do with accurate diagnosis of a health condition. Instead, they reveal that the changes in the ICD are motivated by a socio-political agenda—not a scientific or medical one. Money and politics, not compassion, are driving this transgender bus.” [FRC.org, 6/14/19]

Perkins Has Infused Views Into Right Wing Policy, Including By Drafting Trump’s Ban on Transgender People Serving In The Military

Perkins Helped Write The Trump Administration’s Plan To Ban Transgender People From The Military

FRC President Tony Perkins Helped Draft The Trump Administration’s Plan To Exclude Trans Individuals From Serving In The Military. “On Friday night, the Trump administration released its plan to exclude transgender troops from the armed forces…According to multiple sources, Vice President Mike Pence played a leading role in the creation of this report, along with Ryan Anderson, an anti-trans activist, and Tony Perkins, head of the Family Research Council, an anti-LGBTQ lobbying group.” [Slate, 3/24/18]

Perkins Attempted To Get The Republican 2016 Platform To Endorse Debunk Abusive “Gay Conversion Therapy”

FRC President Tony Perkins Attempted To Get The 2016 RNC Platform To Include An Amendment Endorsing “Conversion Therapy.” “Earlier today, the platform committee of the Republican National Convention considered a number of anti-LGBT resolutions. Tony Perkins of the far-right Family Research Council, who is serving as an RNC delegate from Louisiana, reportedly proposed an amendment calling for the endorsement of ex-gay ‘conversion therapy.’” [Right Wing Watch, 6/11/16]

• FRC Released A Paper Which Defended Conversation Therapy For LGBTQ Persons. “This paper consists of ten key points which weaken the case for therapy bans. Each of these ten points is backed up by evidence cited from sources which support the acceptance of homosexual relationships and identities (and most of them from the APA's Task Force Report itself). Rejection of therapy bans would allow the public and social debate about the merits and limitations of SOCE to continue, while at the same time winning a victory for personal freedom for all—including that small population of people who experience same-sex attractions as unwanted, and the therapists willing to help them achieve their own goals.” [FRC.org, Accessed 11/19/19]

Conversion Therapy, Or Attempting To Force Someone To Change Their Sexual Orientation, Has Been Debunked And Labeled Abusive By Major Medical Associations And Experts. “These so-called conversion therapies, also known as reparative treatments, rely on the assumption that sexual orientation can be changed or "cured" -- an idea debunked and discredited by major medical associations in the UK, the United States and elsewhere… "It's not a fringe issue -- it's an issue that isn't being talked about enough," [Matt Ogston, founder of the LGBTQ rights organization the Naz & Matt Foundation] concludes. It's a legal form of abuse -- and it has to be stopped." [CNN, 1/21/19]

Despite Serving On A Commission To Protect Religious Freedom, Perkins Has A History Of Making Inflammatory Anti-Semitic And Islamophobic Statements

Perkins Has Made A Slew Of Offensive Anti-Semitic Comments

FRC President Tony Perkins Lamented Support For Marriage Equality And Abortion Rights Among “Liberal Jewish Folk.” “In a June address to the Messianic Jewish Alliance of America, Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council lamented the support for same-sex marriage and abortion rights among ‘liberal Jewish folk.’ Perkins cited the rise of gay rights as a sign that American society is abandoning the Bible, warning that the U.S. may next disregard biblical directives to support Israel.” [Right Wing Watch, 7/09/14]

FRC President Tony Perkins Claimed That Democratic Senators Are “Mostly Aligned With A Lot Of The Jewish Lobby” And “Enjoy Money Coming From The Jewish Community.” “Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, made an interesting observation on his radio show yesterday. Speaking about the confirmation of Chuck Hagel, Perkins mused about the ‘irony’ that Hagel, whom he considers to be anti-Israel, was backed by Democratic senators who are ‘mostly aligned with a lot of the Jewish lobby’ and ‘enjoy the money coming from the Jewish community.’” [Right Wing Watch, 2/28/13]

Perkins Has Claimed That Islam Should Not Be Considered A Religion

FRC President Tony Perkins Said That Islam Is Incompatible With The Constitution And Should Not Be Considered A Religion Under The First Amendment. “‘Religious freedom and our liberty is ordered liberty under the Constitution,’ Perkins said. ‘And as [then-GOP presidential candidate] Dr. [Ben] Carson pointed out, and I know this is driving the left crazy, that Islam is not just a religion, Islam is an economic system, it is a judicial system, it is a compressive system which is incompatible with the Constitution. That’s what Dr. Carson said and he happens to be correct.’” [Right Wing Watch, 9/22/15]

Perkins Has Hosted Islamophobic Conspiracy Theorist Frank Gaffney On His Radio Show Multiple Times; Gaffney Once Called President Obama “A Sharia Law Proponent” On Air. “Perkins frequently hosts Islamophobic conspiracy nut Frank Gaffney on his radio show. On the show, Gaffney called President Obama ‘a Sharia law proponent’ and made fun of his name.” [Daily Beast, 5/16/18]

Perkins Claimed That Trump’s Immigration Policy — Which Included Separating Children From Their Families And Caging Them At The Border — Is “Biblical”

Perkins Claimed That Trump’s Immigration Policy Is “Biblical” Because The Bible “Speaks To The Rule Of Law” After The Revelation Of The Child Separation Policy. “Tony Perkins, president of the conservative nonprofit Family Research Council and a longtime Trump ally, said Monday on CNN that although the Bible calls Christians to care for the poor and immigrant, this divine directive has limits...‘Scripture does speak to the poor, it does speak to the immigrant, but it also speaks to the rule of law,’ Perkins told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour. ‘In fact, in almost every instance you read in the Old Testament about taking in the poor, immigrant and stranger, it is then that they have an obligation to operate by your customs and laws. It’s the assimilation, it’s the rule of law.’” [HuffPost, 11/06/18]

After Being Appointed To USCIRF, Perkins Spoke At A Nativist, “Pro-Family” Event Which Endorsed A White Supremacist Conspiracy Theory That In Turn, Inspired Mass Shootings

Perkins Spoke At A 2019 “Making Familes Great Again” Event At The Hungarian Embassy To Celebrate Nativist Hungarian Family Planning Policies

The Hungarian Embassy Hosted A “Making Families Great Again” Event Which Promoted Policies That Incentivize Marriage And Childbirth Of Native Hungarians. “White House officials, Republican members of Congress and evangelical leaders gathered Thursday for ‘Making Families Great Again,’ a conference on family policy hosted by the Hungarian Embassy at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. on Thursday. Led by President Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz Party, Hungary has become a poster child for passing nationalist pro-family policies over the last several years. With nearly a decade-worth of data, Hungarian officials claimed Thursday that policies instituted over the last several decades that have incentivized marriage and childbirth have helped boost marriage and birth rates in Hungary at a time many countries struggle with those issues…Participants in the conference included White House director of strategic communications Mercedes Schlapp, President Trump’s special assistant on domestic policy Kathryn Talento and Health and Human Services senior policy advisor Valerie Huber.” [Christian Post, 3/17/19]

Perkins Spoke At The Event, And Praised Hungary For Its “Pro-Family” Policies And Its “Commitment To Religious Liberty And The Defense Of Persecuted Christians Around The World.” “On Thursday, it was my honor to speak at an event here in Washington called, ‘Making Families Great Again: The Role of Family and Marriage in Modern Society.’ This was not unusual for a pro-family group. What was unusual was the sponsor -- the Embassy of Hungary. The relatively small nation of Hungary (population 10 million) has emerged in recent years, under the leadership of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, as an international leader in promoting pro-family policies…I also praised Hungary for its commitment to religious liberty and the defense of persecuted Christians around the world.” [Family Research Council, 3/15/19]

[Twitter 3/14/19]

Hungary’s New Family Planning Policies Rooted In White Nationalist Thinking, As Exemplified By Comments Made By Hungary’s Prime Minister, Viktor Orban

Hungary’s Policies Have The Goal Of “Repopulating” Without “Mass Immigration,” Promoting A “Christian Nation.” “Hungary’s birth rate fell below replacement level decades ago and the nation has struggled to repopulate. Unlike some of its European counterparts that have relied on immigration to boost population totals, the Orbán government has made clear that it does not view mass immigration as the answer. Rather, the administration believes the answer is to ensure that Hungarian citizens have all the incentives they need to build large and happy families. Today, the Hungarian government spends nearly 5 percent of its GDP towards incentives for those in the predominantly-Christian nation to get married and have children — lots of them.” [Christian Post 3/17/19]

When Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban Announced The Policies, He Said, “We Want Hungarian Children. Migration For Us Is Surrender,” And Condemned “Mixed Population Countries.” “Hungary, he insisted, has a better answer: ‘We Hungarians have a different way of thinking. Instead of just numbers, we want Hungarian children. Migration for us is surrender…’In his speech Sunday, Orban railed against ‘mixed population countries’ and warned that Christians were becoming a minority in Europe. ‘There is no return ticket,’ he said.” [Washington Post 2/11/19]

• Orban Said The Following In The Same Speech In His Speech Announcing The Policies: “The Target Countries For Migrants Are Witnessing The Emergence Of A Christian Muslim World With A Shrinking Rate Of Christians. But We, Central Europeans, Still Have A Future Of Our Own.” “Orban called Brussels ‘the citadel of new internationalism’ and immigration as ‘the instrument of this internationalism.’ He said there are once again forces that want to see open societies and a world without nations, ‘fabricate’ a supranational global government and are still controlled from abroad. ‘The target countries for migrants are witnessing the emergence of a Christian-Muslim world with a shrinking rate of Christians. But we, central Europeans, still have a future of our own.’ Orban said.” [Hungary Journal, 2/10/2019]

Orban Has “Aggressively Vilified Hungarian American Financier George Soros,” Proclaiming That He Is Using Agents To “Flood Europe With Migrants.” “As in previous campaigns, Orban has aggressively vilified Hungarian American financier George Soros, proclaiming without evidence that the billionaire philanthropist is using his ‘agents’ — including mainstream European politicians, the free press and nonprofit groups — to flood Europe with migrants.” [Washington Post, 2/11/19]

• Associated Press: “White Nationalists And Others On The Political Fringes Have Long Cast Soros As The Supposed Leader Of A Globalist Jewish Plot To Undermine White Christian Civilization.” “White nationalists and others on the political fringes have long cast Soros as the supposed leader of a globalist Jewish plot to undermine white Christian civilization. Now, President Donald Trump, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and other political leaders have brought the vilification of Soros into the mainstream.” [Associated Press, 10/27/18] 

Orban’s Policy Aligns With The White Nationalist “Great Replacement Theory” Which Inspired Multiple Mass Shootings

Orban’s Birth Policies Correspond With The White Nationalist “Great Replacement Theory,” Which Believes “That White Populations Face ‘Genocide’ As A Result Of Declining Birthrates And Mass Immigration.” “My colleagues pointed to the particular emphasis Tarrant seemed to place on the ‘great replacement’ theory, a belief popular among the West’s far right that white populations face ‘genocide’ as a result of declining birthrates and mass immigration. In his manifesto, Tarrant pointed to the formative impact of a trip to France in 2017, where he was disturbed by the number of Muslims he saw in a midsize French town.” [Washington Post, 3/18/19]

New York Times: “Before The Massacre Of 50 People In New Zealand Mosques Last Week, The Suspect Released A Document Called ‘The Great Replacement.” “Before the massacre of 50 people in New Zealand mosques last week, the suspect released a document called ‘The Great Replacement.’ The first sentence was: ‘It’s the birthrates.’ He repeated it three times.  If the phrase about replacement sounded familiar, perhaps that was because it echoed what white supremacists bearing tiki torches shouted in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017: ‘You will not replace us.’ It is also the slogan of the neo-Nazi group Identity Evropa.” [New York Times, 3/18/19]

• New York Times: The Goals Of The New Zealand Shooter Mirror Those Of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. “’Remove the invaders,’ the manifesto read. ‘Retake Europe.’ These goals find echoes in the angry rhetoric of several mainstream politicians in Europe, including the Italian interior minister, Matteo Salvini, and Viktor Orban, the prime minister of Hungary.” [New York Times, 3/15/19]

• Just Hours After The New Zealand Shooting, Orban Gave A Speech Which Made No Mention Of The Massacre — But Did Defend The Need To Protect “Christian Culture.” On Friday, just hours after the Christchurch shooting, Mr. Orban returned to these themes in a major speech in which he made no mention of the massacre in New Zealand. ‘Without Christian culture, there will be no freedom in Europe,’ he said. ‘If we don’t protect our Christian culture, we lose Europe.’” [New York Times, 3/15/19]

The “Great Replacement Theory” Also Inspired The Mass Shooting In El Paso Which Targeted Non-White Immigrants In 2019. “The threat of the great replacement,’ or the idea that white people will be replaced by people of color, was cited directly in the four-page screed written by the man arrested in the killing of 22 people in El Paso over the weekend.” [New York Times, 8/07/19]

The 2018 Tree Of Life Synagogue Shooting In Pittsburgh Was Directly Inspired By The Idea That Jewish People Are Engineering The “Great Replacement” Of White People By Means Of Immigration. “The mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh comes amid a wave of rightwing violence across the US fuelled by conspiracy theories. It is also part of a long history of white supremacist terror aimed at American Jewish communities…This belief is in keeping with white supremacist ‘white genocide’ narratives, which hold in part that Jews are orchestrating the ‘demographic replacement’ of white people by means of immigration.” [The Guardian, 10/27/18]

Hungary’s Family Planning Policies Also Works To “Keep” Women “Home And Pregnant”

Hungary’s Newly Announced Family Planning Policy Waives Income Tax For Life For Families With Four Or More Children. “Hungary’s birth policies made headlines recently after the government announced its seven-point plan to entice Hungarian women to have more children, with offers that include waiving income taxes for life for those who have four or more babies and subsidies to buy larger cars for their larger families.” [Washington Post, 3/21/19]

A Spokesperson For Human Rights First Said Hungary’s Policy “Does Not Encourage Women To Rejoin The Labor Force, But Keeps Them Home And Pregnant.” “Berschinski, who works at Human Rights First, a nonpartisan advocacy group based in New York and Washington, said Hungary’s birth plan is at odds with accepted best practices in other countries. ‘The critique is — in effect and by design — it does not encourage women to rejoin the labor force, but keeps them home and pregnant in more of a traditionalist sense through financial incentives,’ he said.” [Washington Post, 3/21/19]

Perkins Is Vocally Anti-Woman And Anti-Abortion; He Served On Trump’s Anti-Choice Advisory Council In 2016

The Trump Campaign Announced Their New “Pro-Life Advisory Council”, Led By SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser, In 2016. “The Trump campaign will announce their newly formed pro-life advisory council today. There will be more than 30 national co-chairs including many current members of Congress and sitting governors… Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony List, will lead the pro-life advisory council.” [CBN News, 9/29/16]

Trump’s Anti-Choice Advisory Council Was Comprised Of A Number Of Anti-Abortion Extremists, Including Perkins. “This anti-choice advisory council included Perkins and FRC Senior Fellow Ken Blackwell, along with other anti-choice heavies tasked with recruiting leaders to convince their followers that Trump’s back-and-forth on abortion rights had landed squarely in the “against” zone.” [Rewire.News, 5/10/19]

FRC Staunchly Opposes Everything From Birth Control To Abortion; Preaches That Motherhood Promotes Positive Health Outcomes For Women 

FRC Believes Life Begins At Conception, Opposes All Forms Of Reproductive Health Care, And Spreads Lies Related To Women’s Health And Lifesaving Research Using Fetal Tissue 

Perkins’ Animus Toward Reproductive Rights Is Reflected In FRC’s Stances. “FRC’s animus toward reproductive rights is clear. 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. FRC also opposes over-the-counter contraception (including hormonal birth control and the morning-after pill); advocates allowing health-care providers to claim religious objections to providing essential care to patients; opposes fetal tissue research; claims (with no evidence) that ‘motherhood in the context of marriage promotes positive health outcomes for women’; and supports crisis pregnancy centers that lie to patients. FRC President Tony Perkins also has a longstanding personal history of attacking reproductive rights and autonomy.” [Rewire.News, 5/10/19]

FRC On Roe V. Wade: “We Look Forward To The Day When This Grave Error Will Be Corrected.” [Rewire.News, 5/10/19]

Perkins Has Used His USCIRF Seat To Harm Reproductive Rights Domestically And Internationally

April 2019: Perkins And Rep. Virginia Foxx Authored An Op-Ed Published In The Washington Times Touting The Administration’s Gains In Anti-Abortion Policy At Home And Abroad

Perkins And Foxx Wrote That The U.S. Is Taking The Lead On “True Family Planning” Through Policies Such As The Global And Domestic Gag Rules. “The United States is once again taking the lead on true ‘family planning,’ and that doesn't include aborting unwanted children especially with taxpayer money. From the start, the Trump administration has worked to build a wall between taxpayers and abortion-on-demand. From restoring and expanding Ronald Reagan's "Mexico City Policy" (officially known as the Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance policy (PLGHA)) that ensures U.S. taxpayer monies will not fund non-government organizations (NGOs) that perform or actively promote abortion, to restoring the integrity of America's Title X family planning program by preventing the "co-location" of taxpayer funds with abortion clinics, this president has shown an unrivaled commitment to protecting unborn human life. We believe it is important to ensure that no backwards steps are taken to reverse these pro-life policies.” [Washington Times, 4/3/19]

Perkins And Foxx Wrote, “We Will Continue To Work With President Trump And Secretary Of State Mike Pompeo To Bring About A Culture Of Life In Which Every Child Is Welcomed Into This World And Protected Under Our Laws, Both Here And Abroad.” [Washington Times, 4/3/19] 

Perkins Praised A Trump’s Health Department Rule Enabling Medical Providers To Deny Care To People On The Basis Of Religious/Moral Beliefs 

Perkins Called The Discriminatory Anti-Abortion Rule “An Answer To Prayer.” Advancing his anti-abortion agenda, President Donald Trump moved Thursday to protect health care workers who object to procedures like abortion on moral or religious grounds…. Among religious conservatives, Family Research Council leader Tony Perkins called the regulation an answer to prayer. ‘Protecting the right of all health care providers to make professional judgments based on moral convictions and ethical standards ... is necessary to ensure that access to health care is not diminished, which would occur if they were forced out of their jobs because of their ethical stances,’ his statement added. [AP News, 5/3/19]

HHS Secretary Alex Azar Appeared On A 2019 Panel With Perkins At The FRC-Hosted ProLifeCon In Which Azar Jubilantly Declared, “We Are The Department Of Life”

Perkins Interviewed Azar At FRC Surrounding 2019 March For Life About The Administration’s Commitment To Rolling Back Reproductive Rights And Women’s Bodily Autonomy. “FRC’s influence on U.S. policy has continued despite the constant churn of Trump administration personnel. During the 46th Annual March for Life in January, HHS Secretary Alex Azar appeared on a panel with Perkins at ProLifeCon. In his tweet about the appearance, Azar promoted March for Life and the ‘important pro-life work this administration is doing.’ A Guardian article a few weeks later published excerpts from Azar’s comments at ProLifeCon that further alluded to the extremist influence at HHS: ‘‘We are the department of life,’ Azar told Perkins, ‘from conception until natural death, through all of our programs.’ He then rattled off victories – new policies that make it difficult to obtain an abortion, including allowing healthcare workers to refuse to treat patients based on moral objections. ‘The right of conscience is as foundational as the right to life.’’” [Rewire.News, 5/10/19]

Perkins Has Supported The White Supremacist Group Council Of Conservative Citizens (CCC)

Perkins Has Spoken At The Racist, White Supremacist CCC On At Least One Occasion

Perkins Spoke At The CCC, Which The Southern Poverty Law Center Calls “The Reincarnation Of The Racist White Citizens Councils Of The 1960s and 1960s” In 2001. “The Boston Herald reported in an October 16, 2006, article, “In 2001, [Perkins] gave a speech at a meeting of the Council of Conservative Citizens, which the Southern Poverty Law Center [SPLC] considers a hate group.” Indeed, a Fall 2004 article in the SPLC’s Intelligence Report asserted that Perkins “spoke to the Louisiana Council of Conservative Citizens on May 19, 2001,” during his tenure as a Louisiana state legislator. The SPLC characterizes the CCC as a ‘white nationalist’ organization, and has reported that the group is ‘the reincarnation of the racist White Citizens Councils of the 1950s and 1960s.’” [Right Wing Watch, 10/9/09]

• The CCC Is A Blatantly Racist, White Supremacist Organization. “The CCC declares in its statement of principles: ‘We also oppose all efforts to mix the races of mankind, to promote non-white races over the European-American people through so-called ‘affirmative action’ and similar measures, to destroy or denigrate the European-American heritage, including the heritage of the Southern people, and to force the integration of the races.’” [Right Wing Watch, 10/9/09]

As A Louisiana State Representative, Perkins Sponsored A Bill Narrowing The Circumstances Under Which People Can Legally Get Divorced

In A Win For Conservative “Pro-Family” Activists, Perkins Led A 1997 Effort To Pass The Nation’s First Law Allowing A More Binding Marriage Contract 

As A State Representative, Perkins Sponsored A Bill That Permits Divorce Only In Cases Such As Imprisonment On A Felony. “Louisiana's Legislature today became the first in the nation to approve a law allowing a new and more binding form of marriage contract, one that would permit divorce only in narrow circumstances such as adultery, abuse, abandonment, a lengthy marital separation or imprisonment on a felony… By requiring couples to choose between a no-fault marriage and a covenant marriage, the new legislation would force them to more seriously consider their compatibility before getting married and starting families, said State Representative Tony Perkins, the Baton Rouge Republican who sponsored the bill.” [New York Times, 6/24/97]

• The 1997 Bill Is An Early Example Of The Far Right Wing Evangelical Movement — Which Perkins Is A Part Of — To Preserve The “Traditional” Family. “The bill is the first legislative success in a nationwide movement led by conservative Christians and pro-family activists to rewrite or repeal no-fault divorce laws, which they say have helped lead to escalating divorce rates and the disintegration of families.” [New York Times, 6/24/97]