Anti-LGBT organizations represented the fastest-growing sector of hate groups in the U.S. in 2019, according to an annual report released Wednesday by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).
The number of anti-LGBT hate groups in the U.S. increased 43 percent last year, from 49 to 70, according to SPLC's “The Year in Hate and Extremism 2019.” Much of the growth took place at a grassroots level, including a network of churches led by “kill all gays” pastor Steven Anderson, as well as new chapters of Brian Camenker's MassResistance.
“Anti-LGBTQ groups have become intertwined with the Trump administration, and—after years of civil rights progress and growing acceptance among the broader American public—anti-LGBTQ sentiment within the Republican Party is rising,” SPLC wrote in the report. “Though Trump promised during his campaign to be a ‘real friend' to the LGBTQ community, he has fully embraced anti-LGBTQ hate groups and their agenda of dismantling federal protections and resources for LGBTQ people, while his Department of Justice has filed amicus briefs with the Supreme Court in support of anti-LGBTQ lawsuits, some of which were brought by the anti-LGBTQ hate group Alliance Defending Freedom.”
Overall, the number of hate groups in the U.S. declined last year, from an all-time high of 1,020 in 2018, to 940 in 2019. This was due to the collapse of two main factions of neo-Nazi groups. However, the number of white nationalist hate groups in the U.S. has increased 55 percent during Trump's presidency.
“This [the 2019] decline does not reflect a significant diminishment of the radical right or a fundamental shift in the general trend of the last several years, given the increased activity among white nationalist hate groups,” SPLC wrote. “As the country continues to experience white nationalist terror, extremist ideas long believed outside of the realm of legitimate politics are penetrating deeply into the mainstream, spawning public policies that target immigrants, LGBTQ people and Muslims. The Trump administration has installed members of hate groups into government—particularly those with anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim or anti-LGBTQ animus—and put in place highly punitive policies that seemed unthinkable just a few short years ago. These political moves will far outlast this administration, as Trump and his allies in the U.S. Senate have pushed through hundreds of new federal judges, many of whom are hostile to civil rights concerns and will serve for decades.”
SPLC's report includes an interactive map that can be searched by state and ideology. Below is a full list of anti-LGBT hate groups in 2019, along with their locations.
Alliance Defending Freedom
Scottsdale, AZ
All Scripture Baptist Church
Knoxville, TN
American College of Pediatricians
Gainesville, FL
American Family Association
Tupelo, MS
Franklin, PA
American Vision
Powder Springs, GA
Americans for Truth About Homosexuality
Naperville, IL
ATLAH Media Network
New York, NY
Bible Believers Fellowship
Worthington, OH
The Campus Ministry USA
Terre Haute, IN
Center for Family and Human Rights (C-Fam)
New York, NY
Chalcedon Foundation
Vallecito, CA
Church Militant/St. Michael's Media
Ferndale, MI
Concerned Christian Citizens
Temple, TX
D. James Kennedy Ministries
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Faith Baptist Church
Violet, LA
Baton Rouge, LA
Faith2Action
North Royalton, OH
Faithful Word Baptist Church
Tempe, AZ
Tucson, AZ
Family Research Council
Washington, DC
Family Research Institute
Colorado Springs, CO
Family Watch International
Gilbert, AZ
First Works Baptist Church
El Monte, CA
Generations
Elizabeth, CO
Heterosexuals Organized for a Moral Environment (H.O.M.E.)
Downers Grove, IL
Illinois Family Institute
Tinley Park, IL
Liberty Baptist Church
Rock Falls, IL
Liberty Counsel
Orlando, FL
Mass Resistance
Waltham, MA
San Diego, CA
Torrance, CA
Denver, CO
Lexington Park, MD
Detroit, MI
Las Vegas, NV
Austin, TX
Dallas, TX
Fort Worth, TX
Houston, TX
Seattle, WA
Mission: America
Columbus, OH
Pacific Justice Institute
Sacramento, CA
San Jose, CA
Santa Ana, CA
Salem, OR
Seattle, WA
Pass the Salt Ministries
Hebron, OH
Pilgrims Covenant Church
Monroe, WI
The Pray in Jesus Name Project
Colorado Springs, CO
Probe Ministries
Plano, TX
Public Advocate of the United States
Merrifield, VA
Revival Baptist Church
Clermont, FL
Ruth Institute
Lake Charles, LA
Save California
Sacramento, CA
Scott Lively Ministries
Springfield, MA
Stedfast Baptist Church
Fort Worth, TX
Jacksonville, FL
Oklahoma City, OK
Strong Hold Baptist Church
Norcross, GA
Sure Foundation Baptist Church
Vancouver, WA
Kailua, HI
Spokane, WA
Tom Brown Ministries
El Paso, TX
True Light Pentecost Church
Spartanburg, SC
United Families International
Gilbert, AZ
Verity Baptist Church
Sacramento, CA
Warriors for Christ
Bristol, TN
Westboro Baptist Church
Topeka, KS
World Congress of Families/International Organization for the Family
Rockford, IL
