Blog #3: Interest Groups

Hey guys! Welcome back to my blog. It is currently 3:00 AM, but I'm sure you all can't wait to hear about what I have to say today.

In this post, we will be exploring two interest groups: the Human Rights Campaign, or HRC, and the American Family Association, or AFA. Both have polar opposite views on the issue of gay marriage, as the HRC wholeheartedly supports the LGBT community, while many in the AFA are opposed to homosexuality due to their religious and moral beliefs. On June 26, 2015, the US Supreme Court established that it was unconstitutional for a state government to ban same-sex marriage. According to an article by Vox, at the 2016 Republican Convention, Donald Trump held up a pride flag and promised to "finally move his political party on LGBTQ issues". He even went so far as to tweet, "Thank you to the LGBT community! I will fight for you while Hillary brings in more people that will threaten your freedoms and beliefs." However, he has since called for a ban on transgender people in the military, nominated anti-LGBT politicians into positions of power, and refused to acknowledge pride month.

Trump holding up a pride flag with the words "LGBT for TRUMP" written in marker.

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is an LGBT civil rights organization. Their mission is to create a world in which LGBT people are guaranteed their basic rights and are able to live their lives openly, honestly, and safely. They include the following in their mission statement: “By inspiring and engaging individuals and communities, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBTQ people and realize a world that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.” As the largest national LGBT civil rights organization, it is a given that the Human Rights Campaign supports gay marriage.

In fact, according to a press release on their website, Vice President for Communications at HRC, Fred Sainz, stated,

“We expect that our next President will support marriage equality.  Nine out of 10 Americans now know someone who is LGBT. They see loving and committed LGBT couples contributing to their communities and in many cases, raising children.”

This shows that the HRC believes that using the authority of the federal government is the best way to ensure that gay marriage is supported. It also shows that they are committed to normalizing LGBT couples. This quote uses all three rhetorical appeals. Sainz utilizes ethos by mentioning that the next President will likely support gay marriage. This would cause readers to trust Sainz’s opinion because of the authority that comes with the title of US President. Next, Sainz uses logos when mentioning that nine of ten Americans know someone in the LGBT community. This statistic builds up Sainz’s credibility, likely swaying the reader’s views. Finally, Sainz utilizes pathos in describing LGBT couples as members of a community who are loving, committed, and want to raise children. This emotional description will likely appeal to the reader, as this makes it easier for them to see an LGBT couple as equal to a heterosexual couple.

This source is also very clearly biased in favor of support for gay marriage. This is evident in their use of the phrase “marriage equality”, which highlights their opinion that gay marriage is “equal” to a heterosexual marriage. As an organization working to protect the rights of LGBT people, the HRC will of course be strongly opinionated in their support of gay marriage. The organization’s website does attempt to consider the perspectives of others. Their website includes resources for how LGBT people can converse with those who are opposed to gay marriage for religious or cultural reasons. However, these resources are focused mainly on how to spread awareness or how to come out to anti-gay family and friends. The beliefs of the HRC align clearly with those of a liberal ideology.

Cartoon suggesting that gay and straight couples are equal, similar to the HRC's use of the phrase "marriage equality".

In contrast, the mission of the American Family Association (AFA) is to “inform, equip, and activate individuals to strengthen the moral foundations of American culture”. The AFA also believes “that a culture based on biblical truth best serves the well-being of our nation and our families….”

Author Bryan Fischer, whose article is included on the AFA’s website, writes,

“Sex is a gift from God, a powerful gift whose energy must be channeled exclusively into the union of one man and one woman in lifelong marriage. Gay ‘marriage’ is not a marriage at all, but a satanic counterfeit.”

From this, one can imply that the AFA supports Fischer’s opinion that marriage is a religious matter, and that gay marriage does not align with the values of Christianity. Further along in the article, the author refers to homosexuality as a "sexually aberrant lifestyle", then goes on to equate this sexual aberrance to pedophilia. By incorrectly jumping to this conclusion, Fischer can more easily persuade readers that homosexuality is immoral. The entirety of his article is extremely biased against homosexuality and in favor of heavily religious-based ideals. This is evident when he calls gay marriage a “satanic counterfeit” of heterosexual marriage. Here, he appeals to his readers’ religious beliefs in order to convince them that gay marriage is not truly a marriage but a sin. 

The rest of the AFA’s website is also biased in this way. They base a majority of their arguments on religious beliefs and what they consider to be family values. Overall, this source fails to consider the humanity of LGBT people and denies that one can be both LGBT and Christian. The beliefs of the AFA align with those of a conservative ideology.

Political cartoon that suggests legalizing gay marriage is the gateway to the legalization of polygamous and incestuous marriages. This is similar to the AFA's comparison of homosexuality to pedophilia. 

The HRC and the AFA clearly differ in their views of gay marriage and homosexuality in general. While the HRC seeks to normalize the presence of LGBT people in our communities, the AFA seems to support the opinion that homosexuality is immoral and sinful. While the HRC focuses solely on LGBT rights and activism, the AFA website's purpose seems to be to inform readers about their views on a multitude of issues (Target's bathroom policies, abortion, corruption in churches, etc.) and to convince them to lead their lives according to what they believe to be moral standards. Both sources seem to be very biased, but this is a bit more obvious in the AFA's website.

Personally, the HRC resonates with me the most. As I mentioned in my first post, I am both a solid liberal and strongly opinionated about LGBT rights. I don't think that homosexuality should be invalidated because of religion, and I believe that the two can co-exist. You can be gay and Christian. I also think that religion itself is not a "bad thing", but many have twisted it in order to convince others of whatever they want them to believe. Reading through the HRC's "coming out" resources and articles about marriage equality was truly heartwarming. Reading through the AFA's articles, though...I had a good laugh.