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Traditional Values Coalition

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Traditional Values Coalition
AbbreviationTVC
Founded1980(44 years ago)(1980)
FounderLouis P. Sheldon
Founded at
Typenonprofit
33-0055498
Legal status501(c)(4)
Purposepublic education and lobbying
Headquarters
Area served
United States
President
Andrea Sheldon Lafferty[b]
Revenue(2019)
$1,731,405[a]
Expenses(2019)$1,492,868[a]
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TheTraditional Values Coalition(TVC) was anAmerican conservative Christianorganization. It was founded in 1980 atAnaheim Californiaby Rev.Louis P. Sheldonto opposeLGBT rights.[1]Sheldon's daughter, Andrea Sheldon Lafferty, was initially the executive director and presently (since 2011) serves as president.[2][3][4] TVC was influential in the 1980s and 1990s inlobbyingfor government policy based inChristian fundamentalism.[5][6][7][8][9]

TVC was designated ananti-gay hate groupby theSouthern Poverty Law Center(SPLC), citing TVC's use of "known falsehoods—claims about LGBT people that have been thoroughly discredited by scientific authorities—and repeated, groundless name-calling."[10]

The SPLC reported that the Traditional Values Coalition may have effectively ceased to function as of 2018.[1]It was still filing IRS forms as of 2019.[3][a]

History and organization[edit]

EvangelicalpreacherLou Sheldonwas the California executive director ofAnita Bryant's 1977 anti-gaySave Our Childrencampaign.[11]Sheldon started his own organization in the 1980s to carry on his anti-LGBT advocacy, initially named the American Liberties Institute, later the California Coalition for Traditional Values, and finally the Traditional Values Coalition.[12]

In 1984 TVC organized parents to oppose Project 10, aLos Angeles School Districtstay-in-school program for LGBT youth.[13]TVC continued to battle the LA School District into the 1990s, but gradually expanded into a national organization with a Washington, D.C. headquarters.[14]

TVC created a video calledGay Rights/Special Rightsin 1993. The widely-distributed video was a powerful tool in theanti-gay rightsmovement of the 1990s.[14][15]

In the 1990s TVC claimed to represent over 43,000 Christian churches in the United States. Sheldon and his daughter Lafferty met with president USGeorge W. Bushon eight occasions. TVC exerted considerable influence in theUnited States Congressin the 1990s.[1]

Andrea Lafferty worked closely with her father at TVC from the late 1980s to the mid 2010s,[16][17]becoming executive director by the year 2000[18][19][20]and gaining influence during the George W. Bush White House years from 2001 to 2008.[21]Andrea Lafferty became president of the organization in 2011.[4]

The organization was struggling to maintain relevance by the mid 2010s. In March 2018, the SPLC noted that the organization is "a ghost of its former self, if it exists at all. Its website disappeared from the internet last year, and its phone line is disconnected".[1]

Lou Sheldon died in 2020. At the time of his death, Sheldon wassuingthe organization he founded, claiming that "TVC no longer functions as a legitimate lobby organization" but instead conducts fraudulent fundraising to benefit Andrea Lafferty and her husband.[4][22]

Locations[edit]

TVC maintained an office inAnaheim Californiawhere it was founded. A Washington, D.C. office, run by Andrea Lafferty, provided lobbying access to the federal government.[4]

Colorado[edit]

Barbara Sheldon was the chairwoman of TVC's Colorado branch. Sheldon complained that LGBT acceptance was "raising doubts in children's minds about religious prohibitions of homosexuality" and organized opposition to protecting Colorado school students from homophobic bullying.[23]

Nebraska[edit]

Cyndi Lamm was the director of the Nebraska branch. Lamm moved away from California, to Nebraska, in 1988 because TVC was unsuccessful in opposing LGBT rights inLos Angeles Schools.She believed that giving children information about homosexuality could cause them to become gay, and so chose to raise her family elsewhere.[24]

Video[edit]

The videoGay Rights/Special Rights: Inside the Homosexual Agendamade by TVC in 1993 attempted to depict the 1993March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay and Bi Equal Rights and Liberationas "perverted". It contrasted the march unfavorably with the Civil Rights eraMarch on Washington for Jobs and Freedomas an attempt drive a wedge between the LGBT and Black communities.[4]The video was distributed widely to churches in America, in particular to African-American churches.[25]

The video features SenatorTrent LottandWilliam J. Bennettmaking anti-gay statements.[14][25]Media scholars Linda Kintz and Julia Lesage describe the video as a "titillating peepshow that conceals a battering ram" against gay rights, and consider it a follow-up to the 1992 videoThe Gay Agenda.[26]

Policy positions[edit]

In some ways, the aims of the group were those of aChristian right.It did not provide formal position statements but outlined the traditional values it was fighting for as follows:[27][better source needed]

  1. Right to life(against abortion andeuthanasiabut in favor of capital punishment)
  2. Sexual fidelity in marriage andabstinencebefore marriage
  3. Opposition to homosexuality and "other deviant sexual behaviors" (see below)
  4. Opposition to pornography
  5. Patriotism (supporting national boundaries, the armed forces, political participation, free enterprise, limited government, low taxes, and personal responsibility)
  6. Opposition to "liberal"immigration reformwithout first securing the U.S.-Mexico border
  7. Freedom for Christians' to attempt to convert non-Christians
  8. Cleanness from addictive behaviors (with opposition to gambling, the legalization of addictive drugs, alcohol, and smoking)

The group then explained in paragraphs titled "Discrimination and Tolerance" and "Love and Hate" how it aimed to deal with accusations that its activities were based on hatred of those not following similar beliefs. Without stating what action should be taken, the organization maintained that "individuals may be free to pursue such behaviors as sodomy, but [that they] will not and cannot tolerate these behaviors." However, the TVC's stances against homosexuality and theLGBT rightsmovement were, comparatively, more confrontational than those of many groups with similar views. There were a number of smaller groups that take a harder line, most notablyWestboro Baptist Church,which the TVC criticized for many years,[28]likening it to afalse flagoperation.[29]The gap between the TVC and other conservative groups was described by Winnie Stachelberg of the pro-LGBTHuman Rights Campaignas follows: "They're out there every day supporting discrimination against gay people on nearly every issue, and you don't see that so much from other groups."[30]The Coalition took this as a compliment.[31]By comparison,Jerry Falwellstated in his later years, "Civil rights for all Americans...gay, straight, et cetera, is not a liberal or a conservative value. It's an American value that I would think that we pretty much all agree on."[32]

The TVC suggested that homosexuals posed a threat of child molestation; claiming they "have long sought unrestricted access to children for recruitment purposes"[33]and are more willing than others on the right to use the wordsodomyin reference to gay men.[34][35][36]Historically, the group at one time called for "cities of refuge" to keep AIDS patients from infecting the general population.[37][self-published source?]

Lafferty's response to a Gallup poll suggesting a tilt in public opinion towards gay rights was this: "Jesus didn't ask for a 'show of hands' at the Sermon on the Mount. We, His followers, should not ask America to vote on which of his teachings they choose to obey."[38]

Hate group[edit]

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) enumerated false statements made by TVC, including the claim that gay people travel door-to-door to steal American children and transform them into homosexuals. The SPLC also notes that TVC has a history ofIslamophobicstatements. Because of this, SPLC classified TVC as a hate group[39]beginning in 2008. The SPLC removed the designation in 2018 because the group appeared to be inactive or defunct.[4]

Christian Seniors Association[edit]

The TVC operated a subsidiary under the name of "Christian Seniors Association" under the leadership of James Lafferty, the husband of Andrea Sheldon Lafferty.[40]It aims to be a conservative alternative to theAARP.It attracted some attention for distributing financial appeals that are designed to be confused with census material.[41][42][43]

Jack Abramoff[edit]

Louis Sheldon was an associate ofJack Abramoff,the Republican lobbyist jailed forinfluence peddling.Despite the group's stated opposition to gambling, Sheldonlobbiedmembers of theUS Congressto kill theInternet Gambling Prohibition Act.Abramoff directed his client, eLottery, to pay $25,000 to the Traditional Values Coalition.[44]

The group has also been linked to theMariana Islands worker abuse scandal,as it was used by Abramoff to pay for the trip of RepresentativeBob Schafferto visit the island. TheDenver Postreported that the TVC paid the $13,000 travel bill for the trip organized by Abramoff's lobbying firm.[45]

Abramoff's lobbying team would prepare questions and "factual backup" for friendly lawmakers. Trips to the island for congressmen and staff would be a key tool to "build permanent friends", the memo said.

The congressional junkets to the Mariana Islands were designed to build support in Congress among Republican lawmakers to block labor and immigration legislation for the islands, which had been found to harbor squalid working conditions and abusive labor practices.[45]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^abcdIRS Form-990 yr2019
  2. ^Andrea Lafferty became president in 2011

References[edit]

  1. ^abcdKelley, Brendan Joel (30 March 2018)."The rise and fall of the Traditional Values Coalition".Southern Poverty Law Center.Retrieved23 April2023.
  2. ^People For the American Way – Traditional Values CoalitionArchived17 June 2008 at theWayback Machine
  3. ^ab"Nonprofit Explorer - Traditional Values Coalition".ProPublica.December 2019.Retrieved23 April2023.
  4. ^abcdef"Louis Sheldon, Founder of Anti-LGBTQ Traditional Values Coalition, Dead at 85".Southern Poverty Law Center.5 June 2020.Retrieved5 August2020.
  5. ^Weiner, Rebecca (12 October 1995)."Coming Out Day Draws Proponents, Foes: Gays: Activist Candace Gingrich addresses one rally, which was countered by Rev. Louis P. Sheldon, of Traditional Values Coalition in Anaheim".Los Angeles Times.Retrieved26 April2020.
  6. ^Eng, Lily; Zonana, Victor (9 November 1989)."O.C. Preacher Pledges New Anti-Gay Drives: Gay Rights: The Rev. Louis P. Sheldon says he will turn his energies to the public schools".Los Angeles Times.Retrieved26 April2020.
  7. ^Meyer, Josh (3 August 1990)."Ministers Square Off Over Provocative Art Exhibit, Role of NEA: Censorship: They concur that a" struggle for the soul of America "is under way but disagree about where the" evil "lies".Los Angeles Times.Retrieved26 April2020.
  8. ^Lichtblau, Eric (26 November 1989)."COLUMN ONE: A Savvy 'Free Agent for God': The Rev. Louis Sheldon is part fiery preacher, part cool-headed lobbyist. Opponents question his religious support but don't deny his political clout".Los Angeles Times.Retrieved26 April2020.
  9. ^Needham, John (14 October 1985)."Foe of Gay Rights, Abortion Takes Fight Beyond Pulpit".Los Angeles Times.Retrieved26 April2020.
  10. ^Waddington, Lynda (23 November 2010)."Groups that Helped Oust Iowa Judges Earn 'Hate Group' Designation; SPLC Adds American Family Association, Family Research Council to List".Iowa Independent.Archivedfrom the original on 2 December 2010.Retrieved25 November2010.
  11. ^Marelius, John (4 August 1977). "Initiative would ok firing gay teachers".Valley News.Fallbrook, California.
  12. ^Boston, Robert (2000).Close Encounters with the Religious Right: Journeys into the Twilight Zone of Religion and Politics.Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books. p. 239.ISBN157392797X.
  13. ^"At Brief History".Friends of Project 10.Retrieved31 March2020.Almost immediately after its inception, the Traditional Values Coalition headed by Rev. Louis Sheldon, attacked Project 10 and Dr. Uribe through the media, through the State Assembly Education Committee which threatened to stop all funds coming to the Los Angeles Unified School District, and through phone calls registering displeasure from Sen. Jesse Helm's office in Washington, D.C.
  14. ^abcDunlap, David W. (19 December 1994)."Minister Brings Anti-Gay Message to the Spotlight".The New York Times.Retrieved31 March2020.
  15. ^"How the right stirs Black homophobia: a new video from Christian groups (Traditional Values Coalition)".Newsweek.Vol. 122, no. 16. 18 October 1993. p. 73.
  16. ^Rosin, Hanna (20 May 2004)."A Family Business".Washington Post.Retrieved25 May2020.
  17. ^Zoroya, Gregg (1 October 1995)."Under Her Father's Watch, Andrea Sheldon Is a Relentless Crusader for Traditional Values: Flying Right".Los Angeles Times.Retrieved25 May2020.
  18. ^"In Fact...: CHRISTIAN WOMEN FIGHT BACK".The Nation.24 April 2000.
  19. ^"Move to moderation has backers' backs up".The Tampa Tribune.8 September 2000.
  20. ^Marshall, Eliot (14 January 2000)."Antiabortion Groups Target Neuroscience Study at Nebraska".Science.287(5451): 202–203.doi:10.1126/science.287.5451.202.PMID10660414.S2CID153455781.Retrieved25 May2020.
  21. ^"Religious Right Had Run Of Bush White House".Church & State Magazine.Americans United for Separation of Church and State. October 2009.Retrieved25 May2020.
  22. ^Moxley, R. Scott (23 September 2019)."Rev. Lou Sheldon Finally Admits Traditional Values Coalition is a Mess".OC Weekly.Costa Mesa, CA.Retrieved12 January2022.
  23. ^"PTA draft on protecting homosexuals draws fire".The Daily Sentinel.Colorado Springs. 12 April 1994.Retrieved5 August2020.
  24. ^"Concern for kids led mom to political action".Lincoln Journal.Lincoln, Nebraska. 6 September 1994.Retrieved5 August2020.
  25. ^abWallsten, Peter; Hamburger, Tom (2 February 2005)."Black Clergy Wooed for Values Fight".Los Angeles Times.
  26. ^Kintz, Linda; Lesage, Julia (1998).Media, Culture, and the Religious Right.Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. p. 347.ISBN0816630852.
  27. ^Traditional Values DefinedArchived16 April 2013 atarchive.today
  28. ^"The trial that wasn't".11 October 1999.Archivedfrom the original on 16 May 2011.Retrieved16 August2018.
  29. ^'Pastor' Fred Phelps Aids The Homosexual AgendaArchived3 September 2005 at theLibrary of CongressWeb Archives
  30. ^"A Family Business".The Washington Post.20 May 2004.Archivedfrom the original on 4 November 2012.Retrieved25 May2010.
  31. ^An Overview Of Major TVC Achievements In 2004Archived4 September 2005 at theLibrary of CongressWeb Archives
  32. ^"Falwell speaks in favor of gay civil rights – Conservative leader calls housing, employment for gays 'basic rights'".Archivedfrom the original on 7 March 2016.Retrieved16 August2018.
  33. ^The Activist Supreme Court Does It Again!Archived14 February 2006 at theLibrary of CongressWeb Archives
  34. ^Canadian Homosexuals Have 'Open' MarriageArchived3 September 2005 at theLibrary of CongressWeb Archives
  35. ^"Homosexual 'Day of Silence' Is Day Of Oppression For Critics of Sodomy".Archived fromthe originalon 5 February 2009.Retrieved2 May2008.
  36. ^"A TVC statement referring to the" Sodomy Lobby "".Archived fromthe originalon 4 September 2005.Retrieved2 May2008.
  37. ^"Website Disabled".rainbowallianceopenfaith.homestead.com.Archivedfrom the original on 3 March 2016.Retrieved16 August2018.
  38. ^"Public Evenly Divided Over Morality Of Homosexual Behaviors".Archived fromthe originalon 5 February 2009.Retrieved4 May2023.
  39. ^McEwen, Alvin (22 June 2010)."Andrea Lafferty: I'm Proud to be a Member of a Hate Group".HuffPost.Retrieved25 May2020.
  40. ^AARP on the CSAArchived11 October 2007 at theWayback Machine
  41. ^"Confusing Seniors For Profit".Archived fromthe originalon 21 April 2008.Retrieved2 May2008.
  42. ^Lazarus, David (14 September 2018)."Beware of this pitch for Trump, Social Security and 'traditional values'".Los Angeles Times.Retrieved25 May2020.
  43. ^Lazarus, David (22 December 2006)."How the 'taxpayer census' fights the 'homosexual agenda'".SFGate.San Francisco.Retrieved25 May2020.
  44. ^Schmidt, Susan & Grimaldi, James V. (16 October 2005)."How a Lobbyist Stacked the Deck".Washington Post.p. 3.Archivedfrom the original on 28 February 2017.Retrieved17 September2017.
  45. ^abRiley, Michael (13 April 2008)."Schaffer, lobbyist strategies meshed".Denver Post.Archivedfrom the original on 14 April 2008.Retrieved13 April2008.

External links[edit]

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