Tony Abbott heads to the USA to speak as guest of anti-gay group

25 Jan 2016 | Filed under National,News | Posted by

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The Sydney Morning Herald has revealed that former Prime Minister Tony Abbott is heading to the USA to speak at an event sponsored by a far right wing Christian group that opposes same sex marriage and abortion.

Mr Abbott will reportedly deliver a speech on the topic ‘The Importance of Family’ at a high profile dinner for elite decision makers organised by the Alliance Defending Freedom.

The organisers have told The Australian that Mr Abbott is speaking at a family event and described it as; “our overall objective is to inspire and motivate member state representatives at the highest political levels to remain staunch defenders of the traditional family in the face of immense pressure from the UN-system and other member states’’.

Who Are the Alliance Defending Freedom?

The current president of the The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) is Alan Sears. Shears is a regular commentator on  Fox News and is the co-author of the book, ‘The Homosexual Agenda: Exposing the Principal Threat to Religious Liberty Today’.

In the book Sears and his co-author Craig Osten argue that America is accepting homosexuality because it is shown on television shows that promote alternative family structures and through the indoctrination of children.

Sears and Osten argue that instead of having anti-bullying programs in schools that protect LGBTIQ students, which they describe as tolerance training, instead there should be ‘truth days’ where homosexuality is openly discussed as a sin.

The organisation previously administered an event called ‘Day of Truth’ in opposition to US organisation Gay and Lesbian and Straight Education Network’s ‘Day of Silence’. The original event, which is held annually on US college campuses encourages people to speak about LGBTI bullying. Launched in 2005 the ADF event encouraged students to have discussions about the sinfulness of homosexuality.

The ADF passed the management of the event on to Exodus International in 2009. Exodus International was the world’s leading gay conversion therapy group, and has since disbanded. In 2010 the management of the event was passed on the evangelical group, Focus on the Family, who renamed it the ‘Day of Dialogue’.

Sears and Osten also argue in their book that homosexuality and pedophilia are “extrinsically linked”.

The Southern Poverty Law Centre lists The Alliance Defending Freedom is a key supporter of the World Congress of Families.

In 2014 then Abbott government Minister Kevin Andrews was forced to cancel his keynote address at the World Congress of Families conference after it was revealed that it was being hosted by the far right wing church The Hellfire Ministries. The church’s political arm is the nationalistic Rise Up Australia party.

The Alliance Defending Freedom is a large organisation that reportedly employs thousands of lawyers that assist people who are opposed to abortion, same sex marriage and other right wing causes.

The organisation has also reportedly been involved in helping create legislation for governments that want to outlaw homosexuality.

The news of Mr Abbott’s high profile speech to one of the leading right wing groups in America comes as he confirmed his intention to stay in politics and contest the next federal election.

 

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