American Family Association

{{significantly problematic}}{{homophobia}}
The <b>American 
Anti-
Family Association</b> (<b>AFA</b>) is a [[reactionary]] [[Christianity|Christian]] organization founded by '''Donald Wildmon''' {{lived|1938|2023}} in 1977 and located in Tupelo, [[Mississippi]]. They disseminate their hate via their own radio network (American Family Radio), which syndicates their fear-driven content via more than 180 stations in 40 states. Much like most [[reactionary]] media, they send frequent "Action Alerts" to their subscribers. AFA is virulently [[homophobia|homophobic]] and [[transphobia|transphobic]] and is classified as a hate group by the [[Southern Poverty Law Center]].<ref>[https://archive.ph/x7XGt Groups that helped oust Iowa judges earn ‘hate group’ designation.], Archived from the original at ''The Iowa Independent'', November 23, 2010.</ref><ref>[https://www.splcenter.org/20111006/anti-gay-lobby-family-research-council-american-family-association-demonization-lgbt-people The Anti-Gay Lobby: The Family Research Council, the American Family Association & the Demonization of LGBT People.] [[Southern Poverty Law Center]], 6 October 2011. {{blockquote|Together, the Family Research Council (FRC) and the American Family Association (AFA) may comprise the most important anti-gay lobby in this country...They are also among the chief purveyors of lies about LGBT people.}}</ref> As is the case with virtually all [[right wing]] [[evangelical]] organizations in the [[United States]], they consider [[Donald Trump]] to be a [[god]] and ceaselessly bash any person or idea they perceive as a threat to their savior.

Since Donald Wildmon's retirement in 2010, the AFA has been led by his son, the reactionary [[extremist]] Tim Wildmon.<ref>[https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/tim-wildmon Tim Wildmon profile] at the [[Southern Poverty Law Center]].</ref><ref>[https://afa.net/who-we-are/spokespersons/tim-wildmon/ Tim Wildmon profile] at the American Family Association.</ref>

==Their mission==
Their mission is to make [[homosexuality]] illegal, along with [[abortion]], and maybe even women's voting rights. It's pretty obvious through their website and Action Alerts. On 3 February 2010, [[Bryan Fischer]], the group's director of Issue Analysis for Government and Public Policy, commented on the AFA web site:

{{quotebox|It is obvious, then, from the information gained from the [[FDA]] and the [[CDC]] that homosexual behavior represents and {{sic}} enormous threat to public health. Quite simply, if intravenous [[Drug abuse|drug use]] is against the law, homosexual behavior should be too.{{efn|Other than being an obviously poor comparison, this quite squarely overlooks the fact that drug prohibition laws make the possession of substances illegal, not their method of consumption; intravenous drug use is not illegal when, for example, administered and overseen by medical professionals in a hospital.}} It's a simple matter of [[common sense]], sound public policy, and a concern for public health.

[[False analogy|Now once we have agreed that we have a serious health problem on our hands here, the best public policy will contain the same kind of sanctions toward homosexual behavior that we have established toward intravenous drug abuse]]. Whatever we think we should do to curtail injection drug use are the same sorts of things we should pursue to curtail homosexual conduct. And that's the place for the discussion to begin.<ref>Bryan Fischer, [https://web.archive.org/web/20100203223938/http://www.afa.net/Blogs/BlogPost.aspx?id=2147491647 "Why Homosexual Behavior Should Be Against the Law"], AFA blogs, February 3, 2010</ref>}}

This is primarily done through boycotts and protests against those who do not agree with their social views. One of their major successes was getting 7-Elven to stop selling ''Playboy'' and ''Penthouse'' in 1986 after boycotting them for two years straight.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20051215133555/http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3092/is_n9_v29/ai_9076835</ref> In 1993, they launched a campaign against ABC's police drama ''NYPD Blues'' due to its violence, encouraging local networks to not show it and citizens to boycott it, which caused roughly a quarter of their member stations to pre-empt its first episode.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20080612180212/http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/N/htmlN/nypdblue/nypdblue.htm</ref>

==Action Alerts==
The AFA is obsessed with every act of gay sex in [[America]] and every single opinion everyone has about it. Just in case America isn't obsessed enough with gayness, the AFA sends out a barrage of Action Alerts so that gay obsession can be updated in real time. Most of their Action Alerts are about seemingly frivolous things such as the McDonald's gay rights situation, the [[same-sex marriage]] argument in [[California]], or "gays showering with straights" in the military when that [[Don't Ask Don't Tell]] policy was abolished.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100210223524/http://www.afa.net/Detail.aspx?id=2147491764 "Obama's new military: Gays showering with straights"], AFA, February 8, 2010.</ref> Their emails use clearly [[bias]]ed and occasionally [[homophobic]] language that still maintains the ability to seem all nice and everything.

The AFA targets companies that have made statements or policies in favour of [[gay rights]], advertised in gay publications,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090625002432/http://action.afa.net/Detail.aspx?id=2147483667 "Campbell Soup Company embraces homosexual agenda"], AFA, December 19, 2008.</ref> or even just advertised during a commercial break in a TV show which they find objectionable.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100224210749/http://www.afa.net/Detail.aspx?id=2147492041 "'Family Guy' crossed the line"], AFA, February 18, 2010.</ref> They call for members to bombard these companies with complaints or [[boycott]] their products.

Sadly, these tactics are often successful, and the AFA smugly drops its boycotts when these companies withdraw their participation in or support of LGBTQ organisations.<ref>See for example, [https://web.archive.org/web/20090625002031/http://action.afa.net/Detail.aspx?id=2147483663 "AFA ends boycott: McDonald's agrees to changes"], AFA, October 9, 2008, and [https://web.archive.org/web/20100217234245/http://action.afa.net/Detail.aspx?id=2147491835 "PepsiCo practices reflect change; AFA suspends boycott"], February 12, 2010.</ref> It can be useful to sign up for their list and then use it to launch a support effort for targeted companies. It should also be kept in mind that their perception of boycotts by <i>liberal</i> pressure groups is singularly laughable for its [[hypocrisy]],<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121003054310/http://freethoughtblogs.com/dispatches/2012/10/01/afa-rails-against-evil-liberal-boycotts/ AFA Rails Against Evil Liberal Boycotts,] Dispatches from the Culture Wars</ref> so don't expect them to show much in the way of insight anytime soon.

==Stupid fundraising stunts==
Like a lot of other advocacy organizations, the AFA occasionally sells seasonal gifts in order to help finance their campaigns. Back in 2008 (shortly after [[Barack Obama]] was elected), they offered an electrically-powered devotional item that seems just a ''bit'' suspect, although they've probably got some incredibly 
pathetic
 convenient excuse for the item in question.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121029072234/http://freethoughtblogs.com/dispatches/2012/10/27/afa-peddles-christmas-crap/ AFA Peddles Christmas Crap,] Dispatches from the Culture Wars</ref>

==Defending Roy Moore==
Sandy Rios, who has a show on American Family Radio ("Sandy Rios in the Morning"), defended accused sexual predator [[Roy Moore]] during his campaign for US Senate, using the [[not as bad as]] or ''[[Argumentum ad populum]]'' fallacies, saying:
{{quotebox|Honestly, do you think there's a person alive on the planet—certainly, I'll limit it a little bit, I will say any man listening to my voice—that doesn't have something in his past, in his box of secrets, that he's ashamed of sexually?<ref>[http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/sandy-rios-downplays-roy-moore-allegations-what-man-doesnt-have-something-hes-ashamed-of-sexually/ Sandy Rios Downplays Roy Moore Allegations: What Man Doesn't Have Something He's 'Ashamed Of Sexually'?] by Jared Holt (November 13, 2017 12:23 pm) ''Right Wing Watch''.</ref>}}

==Other shenanigans==
The organization's homophobia extends to its internet presence. In at least two cases, the filtering software on the OneNewsNow [[webshite]] changed the word "gay" to "homosexual," resulting in a news service article about Olympics sprinter Tyson Gay being bowdlerized so that the article's headline read "Homosexual eases into 100 final at Olympic trials," and the article referred to Gay as "Tyson Homosexual."<ref>[https://boingboing.net/2008/06/30/homophobic-news-site.html Homophobic news site changes athlete Tyson Gay to Tyson Homosexual]. boingboing.net, 30 June 2008.</ref><ref>Kyle Mantyla, [https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/the-dangers-of-auto-replace/ The Dangers of Auto-Replace]. Right Wing Watch, 30 June 2008.</ref>

They also make falsified articles that denounce other religions and endorse their version of Christianity, writing an article called “The Hidden Traps of Wicca” to paint [[Wicca]] as a dangerous and evil religion whose issues are cured by the power of Jesus.<ref>[https://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/the-hidden-traps-of-wicca/ The Hidden Traps of Wicca] by Catherine Sanders (2024). ''American Family Association''.</ref> This is, of course, [[bullshit]].

==See also==
*[[American Decency Association]]
*[[Homosexual agenda]]
*[[Bryan Fischer]]
*[[The Last Temptation of Christ]]

==External links==
*[https://www.afa.net/ American Family Association]
*[https://afr.net American Family Radio]
*[https://afn.net/ American Family News], formerly "One News Now," their [[fake news]] site

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:Anti-abortion activists]]
[[Category:Anti-LGBT bigots]]
[[Category:Antisemitism]]
[[Category:Atheophobia]]
[[Category:Conservative deceit]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theorists]]
[[Category:Fundamentalist Christian organizations]]
[[Category:Hate groups]]
[[Category:Homophobia]]
[[Category:Islamophobia]]
[[Category:Misnomers]]
[[Category:Paleoconservatism]]
[[Category:Political action groups]]
[[Category:Propaganda]]
[[Category:Racism]]
[[Category:Radio]]
[[Category:Sexism]]
[[Category:Transphobia]]

Categories: Anti-abortion activists, Anti-LGBT bigots, Antisemitism, Atheophobia, Conservative deceit, Conspiracy theorists, Fundamentalist Christian organizations, Hate groups, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Misnomers, Paleoconservatism, Political action groups, Propaganda, Racism, Radio, Sexism, Transphobia