Southern Poverty Law Center and transgender people

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American civil rights organization. They have been involved in fighting anti-transgender activism for decades through litigation, legislation, and education.

Background

Lawyers Morris Dees and Joe Levin incorporated SPLC in 1971, and activist Julian Bond was named the first president. They brought many lawsuits that confronted discrimination and hate in the South. Their work made them targets of threats and violence; their headquarters was firebombed in 1983 and destroyed.

In the 1990s, SPLC launched Teaching Tolerance (now Learning for Justice). It provides classroom materials on civil rights history and issues. In 2010 I participated in SPLC’s classroom film Bullied, about gay student Jamie Nabozny’s federal case against his school district for failing to protect him from homophobic harassment and assault.

Their Intelligence Project monitors hate groups and anti-government groups, including anti-LGBTQ hate groups.

In SPLC’s work for LGBTQ rights, they

Challenge gay-to-straight “conversion therapy” as fraudulent;
Obtain equal government benefits for veterans;
Protect LGBTQ children from violence and harassment in school;
Ensure the parental rights of LGBTQ people;
Protect the right to proper medical treatment and safe housing for transgender prisoners;
Force states to recognize the rights of same-sex couples; and
Protect the First Amendment rights of LGBTQ students.

The Man Who Would Be Queen

In 2003, SPLC helped in the response to anti-trans book The Man Who Would Be Queen by J. Michael Bailey.

After Lynn Conway found the connection between Bailey and the Human Biodiversity Institute project by conservative activist Steve Sailer, SPLC wrote several pieces alerting their readers about HBI.

Hate Map

One of SPLC’s long-term projects is a Hate Map that includes anti-LGBTQ organizations. Their 2024 list includes:

Abiding Word Baptist Church, Revival Baptist Church
Advocates Protecting Children (Arlington, Virginia)
All Scripture Baptist Church (Knoxville, Tennessee)
Alliance Defending Freedom (Scottsdale, Arizona)
American College of Pediatricians (Gainesville, Florida)
American Family Association (Franklin, Pennsylvania, Indianapolis, Indiana, Tupelo, Mississippi)
American Vision (Powder Springs, Georgia)
Americans for Truth About Homosexuality (Columbus, Ohio)
ATLAH Media Network (New York, New York)

California Family Council (Fresno, California)
The Campus Ministry USA (Terre Haute, Indiana)
Center for Christian Virtue (Columbus, Ohio)
Center for Family and Human Rights (C-FAM) (New York, New York)
Chalcedon Foundation (Vallecito, California)
Child and Parent Rights Campaign (Duluth, Georgia)
Church Militant/St. Michael’s Media (Ferndale, Michigan)
Concerned Christian Citizens (Temple, Texas)

D. James Kennedy Ministries (Fort Lauderdale, Florida)
Do No Harm (Glen Allen, Virginia)

Faith2Action (North Royalton, Ohio)
Faithful Word Baptist Church (Tempe & Tucson, Arizona)
Family Action Council of Tennessee (Franklin, Tennessee)
The Family Foundation of Virginia (Richmond, Virginia)
Family Research Council (Washington, District of Columbia)
Family Research Institute (Colorado Springs, Colorado)
Family Watch International (Gilbert, Arizona)
First Works Baptist Church (Anaheim, California)
Frontline Policy Council (Atlanta, Georgia)

Gays Against Groomers (Missouri / Monroe, North Carolina / Washington / Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
Generations (Elizabeth, Colorado)
Genspect (Palm Springs, California)

Heterosexuals Organized for a Moral Environment (H.O.M.E.) (Downers Grove, Illinois)

Illinois Family Institute (Tinley Park, Illinois)

Liberty Baptist Church (Rock Falls, Illinois)
Liberty Counsel (Orlando, Florida)

Louisiana Family Forum (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)

Mass Resistance (Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Texas, West Virginia, California, Massachusetts, Ohio)
Massachusetts Family Institute (Wakefield, Massachusetts)
Mission: America (Columbus, Ohio)
Montana Family Foundation (Laurel, Montana)

Pacific Justice Institute (Nevada, California, Florida, Oregon, Washington)
Partners for Ethical Care (Chicago, Illinois)
Pass the Salt Ministries (Hebron, Ohio)
Pennsylvania Family Institute (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania)
Pilgrims Covenant Church (Monroe, Wisconsin)
The Pray in Jesus Name Project (Colorado Springs, Colorado)
Probe Ministries (Plano, Texas)
Public Advocate of the United States (Merrifield, Virginia)

Revival Baptist Church (Clermont & Jacksonville, Florida)
Ruth Institute (Lake Charles, Louisiana)

Save California (Sacramento, California)
Scott Lively Ministries (Springfield, Massachusetts)
Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine (Twin Falls, Idaho)
Stedfast Baptist Church (Fort Worth, Texas & Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
Strong Hold Baptist Church (Norcross, Georgia)
Sure Foundation Baptist Church (Seattle, Vancouver, & Spokane Valley, Washington)

Tom Brown Ministries (El Paso, Texas)
True Light Pentecost Church (Spartanburg, South Carolina)

United Families International (Gilbert, Arizona)
Verity Baptist Church (Sacramento, California)

Warriors for Christ (Mount Juliet, Tennessee)
Westboro Baptist Church (Topeka, Kansas)
World Congress of Families/International Organization for the Family (Rockford, Illinois)

2023 CAPTAIN report

In 2023, SPLC released a report titled Combating Anti-LGBTQ+ Pseudoscience Through Accessible Informative Narratives (CAPTAIN). It traces the origins of 21st-century anti-transgender extremism.

Contributors

R.G. Cravens (editor)
Quinnehtukqut McLamore
Lee Leveille
Emerson Hodges
Sophie Wunderlich
Lydia Bates

References

Beirich, Heidi; Moser, Bob (December 31, 2003). Northwestern University Psychology Professor J. Michael Bailey Looks Into Queer Science. SPLC https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2003/northwestern-university-psychology-professor-j-michael-bailey-looks-queer-science

Moser, Bob (December 31, 2003) Violence Engulfs Transgender Population In D.C. SPLC https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2003/violence-engulfs-transgender-population-dc

Cravens, R.G. (June 05, 2023). Documents Reveal ADF Requested Anti-Trans Research from American College of Pediatricians. SPLC https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2023/06/05/documents-reveal-adf-requested-anti-trans-research-american-college-pediatricians

SPLC (2024). Anti-LGBTQ Hate Map. https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/ideology/anti-lgbtq