Anti-Gay Groups Plan on Increased Spending

The Gospels of Christ speak of giving one's money to the poor, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked and giving shelter to the homeless, but that message is apparently totally lost on the hate merchants and modern day Pharisees of the Christian Right. Or should I say, the American Taliban? Instead of following Christ's dictates, these folks plan on pumping more money into denigrating and demonizing LGBT citizens and doing all they can to continue to make life a living Hell or as many of us as possible. It's indicative of what an ugly thing conservative Christianity has become and why it's a version of religion that I cannot see die soon enough. Interestingly, the sources of this additional spending - the Mormon Church, Catholic Church or wealth haters? - is not revealed. The Colorado Independent has coverage and here are some details:
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Anti-gay rights groups around the country will see a cash infusion over the next two years through a plan called “Ignite an Enduring Cultural Transformation.” And the groups are remaining mum about who is responsible.
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The campaign, which largely targets states where Republicans won control of legislatures or governorships, has garnered the support of Republican political superstars such as former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (Va.), Sens. Marco Rubio (Fla.) and Jon Kyl (Ariz.), and Rep. Trent Franks (Ariz.). The groups intend to pass anti-gay marriage amendments, curtail abortion rights and, in at least one case, ban “transgender bathrooms.”
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Family policy councils — a creation of Colorado Springs-based Focus on the Family in the 1980s — have launched the Ignite plan in 15 states. Each family policy council has a three-prong plan to achieve their legislative goals over the next two years: lobbying for legislation, mobilizing pastors and social conservatives and supporting candidates that have backed their initiatives. Each group has used a stock brochure containing nearly identical wording to explain their plan and to solicit funds. In many cases, an Ignite plan was launched with an anonymous matching-grant donor.
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Requests for information from many of the policy councils were denied, and Focus on the Family told The American Independent that they have no involvement, declining to offer information on any organization that might back the plan.
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As the story reports, The Family Foundation in Virginia spends big dollars to try to turn the Commonwealth into a quasi-theocracy where Christianist rights already trump the rights of all others and where the Republican Party is increasingly an arm of the Christian Taliban:
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Family Foundation of Virginia plans to spend $1,170,277 over the next two years to push legislation on “wrongful death for the unborn,” school choice and religious liberty protections. The group’s revenues over the last four years have averaged $510,000. They did not return a request for information on the campaign and increased spending.

Like many of the family policy councils, the Family Foundation got a year-end bump from a matching grant: “In order to get us off to a strong start in implementing this plan, a small group of The Family Foundation’s donors have offered to match every contribution The Family Foundation receives before December 31 — up to $25,000!” the group said in a recent fundraising pitch.
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And the group has been busy this year. It’s former executive director, Martin Brown, was tapped by Gov. Bob McDonnell to head Virginia’s Social Services Department. Under Brown’s leadership, the state social services board has tightened adoption rules so that agencies may discriminate against gay and lesbian couples. The Family Foundation lobbied heavily for the pro-discrimination policies.
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Its plan (PDF), which was sent to donors, includes this endorsement from House Majority Leader Eric Cantor: “It is difficult to imagine how Virginia would look today without The Family Foundation’s vigilant grassroots programs and the dedicated men and women who are the heart and soul of this proud institution.”
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The boyfriend and I have a decent life here in Virginia, but we are clearly third or fourth class citizens. Thus, my advise to LGBT individuals contemplating a visit - or worse yet a move to Virginia - is do not do it. And be sure to tell EVERYONE that you are avoiding Virginia because of its blatant discriminatory laws and policies.