Family Policy Council

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A Family Policy Council (FPC) is one of several US state-level organizations affiliated with Focus on the Family (FotF), a nationwide conservative Christian organization. Family Policy Councils work for policies that FotF describes as "pro-family". [1] These include opposition to same-sex marriage, LGBT adoption, and LGBT workplace protections, and support for abstinence-only sex education, increased legal restrictions on abortion and traditional Christian gender roles. FPCs also work to shape public opinion, organize political demonstrations, and cultivate future politicians.

Contents

Focus on the Family administration building, Colorado Springs Focus on the Family Administration Building (Colorado Springs).jpg
Focus on the Family administration building, Colorado Springs

FPCs form a network or "alliance" through which FotF exerts influence on local and state-level policy. They are joined via the organization Family Policy Alliance, which writes conservative policy that the family policy councils lobby for at the state and local level. This network of 41 member organizations, as of 2024, employs more than 350 people and brings in more than $50 million in annual revenue.

This alliance began to be assembled in secret in the late 1980s, and became openly known in the 1990s. Some of the alliance member organizations are older than the alliance itself; the oldest dates to 1897. The existence of Focus on the Family's affiliated FPCs has spurred the development of other, sometimes opposing policy organizations. An example is OutNebraska, a "statewide LGBTQ advocacy organization" that works against policy goals of Nebraska Family Alliance, an FPC. [2] Before the alliance operated by Focus on the Family was publicly known, a few other organizations also used the name "Family Policy Council" in a generic sense. They were not affiliated with FotF and are now defunct.

The Southern Poverty Law Center has described FotF as a fringe and anti-LGBT organization that relies on misrepresenting scientific studies. [3]

Origins

Family Policy Councils are loosely based on the FotF-affiliated lobbying group Family Research Council, [4] which states: "Family Policy Councils (FPCs) accomplish at the state level what Family Research Council does at the national level - shape public debate and formulate public policy." [5]

Secret origins

Focus on the Family (FotF) states that the first Family Policy Council opened in 1988. [6] However, some FPCs are older than this because they were pre-existing organizations that later joined the alliance.

The early history of FPCs was kept "behind the scenes" by FotF. [1] Michael Jameson, a FotF representative, spoke about FotF's nascent effort to create "pro-family" organizations in US states to "affect legislation and to affect our culture" at 1989 Denver meeting of conservative policy groups. The United Methodist Reporter wrote that while FotF "is helping pro-family groups create coalitions, at the same time it is urging them to keep secret their participation in the coalition and even that a coalition exists." Jameson explained that "the coalitions can be more effective with a low profile and by leaving their public identity to the groups comprising the coalitions." [7]

Among the first of these organizations to openly name itself "Family Policy Council" is North Carolina Family Policy Council, founded in 1992. [8]

Reshaped organizations

Religion journalist Frederick Clarkson has stated that FotF "often has selected and reshaped an existing state-level organization rather than create a Family Policy Council from scratch." [4] Below are examples of organizations that were taken under the FotF umbrella:

Unaffiliated organizations sharing the term

The term "Family Policy Council" has also historically referred to government entities on a couple of occasions; these are not related to FotF. A Washington state coalition of state agencies [10] named Family Policy Council operated from 1992 to 2012. [11] A proposed Delaware government entity was also named Family Policy Council in 1993. [12]

An organization named "Family Policy Council" was active in Richmond, Virginia 1989. It was formed to oppose sex education. [13] Its affiliation with FotF is unclear.

Operations

Family Policy Councils sometimes divide their operations into legal entities with differing tax status. For example, Colorado Family Action is a 501(c)(4) organization, which can legally do more government lobbying than its sibling Colorado Family Action Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to shaping culture. [14]

As of 2024 there are 41 family policy councils. In total, this network of state organizations employs more than 350 people and receives more than $50 million in annual revenue as of 2024. [15]

FPCs' work is socially conservative. [16] FPCs sometimes coordinate their work with, and exchange staff with, a network of fiscal conservative organizations called State Policy Network (SPN). A few organizations are both FPC and SPN members, for example, Alabama Policy Institute. [4]

Impact

Family Policy Councils advocated for state bans on same-sex marriage in the 1990s and 2000s, many of which passed into law. A University of Arizona statistical study of the bans concluded that the "measure of Family Policy Council strength in a state increases the probability of adopting a same-sex marriage ban." [17]

An example is Ohio's gay marriage ban, spearheaded by the Ohio FPC in 2004. [18] A lawsuit against the Ohio ban lead to Obergefell v. Hodges, the US Supreme Court decision that legalized gay marriage nationwide in 2015. [19]

Listing of organizations

Focus on the Family affiliates

The following organizations have an official connection to Focus on the Family and its state government lobbying arm, Family Policy Alliance. This is not a complete list. [20]

Similar organizations

The following organizations also lobby for policy and encourage cultural change in connection with families. They are not affiliated with Focus on the Family, and may have differing and in some cases opposed policy goals.

See also

Related Research Articles

Focus on the Family is a fundamentalist Protestant organization founded in 1977 in Southern California by James Dobson, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The group is one of a number of evangelical parachurch organizations that rose to prominence in the 1980s. As of the 2017 tax filing year, Focus on the Family declared itself to be a church, "primarily to protect the confidentiality of our donors." Traditionally, entities considered churches have been ones that have regular worship services and congregants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Dobson</span> Evangelical Christian psychologist, author, and radio broadcaster

James Clayton Dobson Jr. (born April 21, 1936) is an American evangelical Christian author, psychologist, and founder of Focus on the Family (FotF), which he led from 1977 until 2010. In the 1980s, he was ranked as one of the most influential spokesmen for conservative social positions in American public life. Although never an ordained minister, he was called "the nation's most influential evangelical leader" by The New York Times while Slate portrayed him as a successor to evangelical leaders Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Family Research Council</span> American evangelical activist group

The Family Research Council (FRC) is an American evangelical 501(c)(3) non-profit activist group and think-tank with an affiliated lobbying organization. FRC promotes what it considers to be family values. It opposes and lobbies against access to pornography, embryonic stem-cell research, abortion, divorce, and LGBT rights—such as anti-discrimination laws, same-sex marriage, same-sex civil unions, and LGBT adoption. The FRC has been criticized by media sources and professional organizations such as the American Sociological Association for using "anti-gay pseudoscience" to falsely conflate homosexuality and pedophilia, and to falsely claim that the children of same-sex parents suffer from more mental health problems.

The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), formerly the Alliance Defense Fund, is an American conservative Christian legal advocacy group that works to expand Christian religious liberties and practices within public schools and in government, outlaw abortion, and oppose LGBTQ rights. ADF is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, with branch offices in several locations including Washington, D.C., and New York. Its international subsidiary, Alliance Defending Freedom International, with headquarters in Vienna, Austria, operates in over 100 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights opposition</span> Opposition to legal rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people

Opposition to legal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) people exists throughout the world. LGBT rights opponents may be opposed to the decriminalization of homosexuality; laws permitting civil unions or partnerships or supporting LGBT parenting and adoption, LGBT military members, access to assisted reproductive technology, and access to sex reassignment surgery and hormone replacement therapy for transgender individuals.

The Arlington Group was a coalition uniting the leaders of prominent Christian conservative organizations in the United States. Founded in 2002 principally through the efforts of American Family Association President Donald Wildmon and Free Congress Foundation Chairman Paul Weyrich, the group sought to establish consensus goals and strategy among its members and translate its combined constituency into an overwhelming force within the Republican Party, particularly at its highest levels. Its membership and purpose overlapped to a high degree with the Council for National Policy; but the group is much more narrowly focused, choosing to emphasize such issues as same-sex marriage, abortion, and confirmation of like-minded federal judges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian Christian Lobby</span> Conservative Christian advocacy organisation

The Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) is a conservative right-wing Christian advocacy organisation based in Canberra.

Social conservatism in the United States is a political ideology focused on the preservation of traditional values and beliefs. It focuses on a concern with moral and social values which proponents of the ideology see as degraded in modern society by liberalism. In the United States, one of the largest forces of social conservatism is the Christian right.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minnesota Family Council</span>

Minnesota Family Council (MFC) is an American Christian organization in Minneapolis, Minnesota, founded in 1983. MFC is a family policy council affiliated with Focus on the Family and Alliance Defending Freedom. The organization advocates for the passage of socially conservative policies in the state. It also produces voter guides to encourage its supporters to elect conservative lawmakers. After registering as a political action committee in 2011, MFC has lobbied against abortion and same-sex marriage, and in favor of single-sex school bathroom and athletics policies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Equality Illinois</span>

Equality Illinois (EI) was founded in 1991 to work towards building a better Illinois by advancing equal treatment and social justice through education, advocacy, and protection of the rights of the LGBTQ community.

Family Policy Alliance (FPA), formerly CitizenLink and Focus on the Family Action, is an American conservative Christian organization that acts as the lobbying arm of Focus on the Family at the level of state government politics. It is an umbrella organization for an "alliance" of state organizations known as Family Policy Councils which are state-level Focus on the Family affiliates.

Nebraska Family Alliance (NFA) is a fundamentalist Christian 501(c)(3) organization based in Lincoln, Nebraska. It most prominently lobbies against LGBT rights, such as same-sex marriage and LGBT adoption. The NFA also seeks legal restrictions on abortion, and to change public policy on gambling and human trafficking. It advocates for traditional family structures and gender roles.

Colorado Family Action (CFA) was a Christian fundamentalist lobbying organization founded in 2007. It opposed gay marriage or domestic partnership, gay adoption, and adoption by unmarried people. The organization advocated for conversion therapy, the pseudoscientific practice of trying to change sexual orientation. It fought against birth control access and legal marijuana.

Center for Christian Virtue (CCV) is a lobbying organization focused upon implementing conservative Christian sexual morality in public policy. It was originally known as Citizens for Community Values until Feb 2021. It operates primarily in the US state of Ohio and is the Family Policy Council for that state, with branches in Indiana, Wisconsin, and Kentucky.

Family Foundation of Virginia is a socially conservative and Christian fundamentalist lobbying organization headquartered in the US city of Richmond, Virginia. It was focused originally on opposition to sex education. It has expanded to opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment, nondiscrimination policies, and same-sex marriage. The organization supports legal conversion therapy for minors and increased legal restriction on abortion.

Missouri Family Policy Council (MFPC) is a Christian fundamentalist lobbying organization headquartered in suburban St. Louis. It is the Focus on the Family affiliate for Missouri. The affiliate has also gone by the names Family Policy Center and Family Policy Alliance of Missouri.

Family Policy Alliance of Kansas is a conservative Christian lobbying group and the state affiliate of Family Policy Alliance in Kansas. The affiliate was previously known as Kansas Family Research Institute.

References

  1. 1 2 Chandler, Russell (March 4, 1989). "Evangelical Broadcaster Seeks 'Pro-Family' Lobby". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  2. ↑ Aviles, Gwen (September 13, 2019). "Trans cafe worker fired after kicking out conservative activist". NBC News. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  3. ↑ "FOCUS ON THE FAMILY GOES AFTER LGBT STUDENTS". www.splcenter.org. September 3, 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Clarkson, Frederick (1999). "Takin' It to the States" (PDF). The Public Eye. Vol. XIII, no. 2/3. pp. 8–12. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  5. ↑ "State Family Policy Councils". Family Research Council. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  6. ↑ "Historical Timeline". Focus on the Family. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  7. ↑ Boczkiewicz, Robert E. (March 10, 1989). "Conservative Christians organizing 'pro-family' coalitions within states". The United Methodist Reporter. Religious News Service. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  8. ↑ "About NC Family". North Carolina Family Policy Council. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Our Story". Citizens for Community Values. Archived from the original on May 19, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  10. ↑ Johnson, Carla K. (November 1, 1992). "Style divides superintendent candidates". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  11. ↑ "The Washington State Family Policy Council Legacy". ACE Response. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Report covers old ground, but one idea deserves attention". The News Journal. Wilmington, Delaware. August 22, 1993. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  13. ↑ "Legislators start in slow motion". Daily News Leader. Staunton, Virginia. January 13, 1989. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  14. ↑ "Colorado Family Action". Colorado Family Action. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  15. ↑ Rabey, Steve (April 8, 2024). "Family Policy Alliance battles 'Satan' with plan to end abortion and IVF, outlaw porn, stop transgender identity and take over public schools". Baptist News Global.
  16. ↑ Rozell, Mark J.; Wilcox, Clyde (1996). "Second Coming: The Strategies of the New Christian Right". Political Science Quarterly. 111 (2): 273, 275–278. doi:10.2307/2152322. JSTOR   2152322.
  17. ↑ Soule, Sarah A. (November 2004). "Going to the Chapel? Same-Sex Marriage Bans in the United States, 1973–2000". Social Problems. 51 (4). Oxford University Press: 469. doi:10.1525/sp.2004.51.4.453.
  18. ↑ Korte, Gregory (28 October 2004). "Gay issue foes' names not listed". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  19. ↑ Thompson, Ann (July 19, 2013). "Cincinnati Lawsuit Challenges Ohio's Same-Sex Marriage Ban". WVXU Cincinnati. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  20. ↑ "Allies". Family Policy Alliance. 12 June 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
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