Skip to content

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 the local school district, which failed to protect himNabozny from homophobic harassment and assault.

Their Intelligence Project (later renamed Extremist Files) 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.

Extremist Files

One of SPLC’s long-term projects is the Extremist Files, which has included a list anti-LGBTQ organizations since 2010.

Among the hate groups listed are many of the most prominent anti-trans hate groups, including Advocates Protecting Children, Alliance Defending Freedom, American College of Pediatricians, American Family Association, Child and Parental Rights Campaign, Do No Harm, Family Policy Alliance, Family Research Council, Focus on the Family, Gays Against Groomers, Genspect, MassResistance, Moms for Liberty, Partners for Ethical Care, PragerU, Ruth Institute, Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine, Westboro Baptist Church, and WorldNetDaily.

Individuals on SPLC’s list who have been significantly involved in anti-trans activism include Tucker Carlson, Mike Cernovich, Joseph Francis Farah, Nick Fuentes, Alex Jones, James Lindsay, Stephen Miller, Stefan Molyneux, Tony Perkins, Fred Phelps, Jack Posobiec, Chaya Raichik, Matt Walsh, and Tim Wildmon.

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

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

Cravens, R.G.; McLamore, Quinnehtukqut; Leveille, Lee; Hodges, Emerson; Wunderlich, Sophie; Bates, Lydia (December 12, 2023). Combating Anti-LGBTQ+ Pseudoscience. SPLC https://www.splcenter.org/resources/reports/captain/

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

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

Resources

Southern Poverty Law Center (splcenter.org)

Sounds Like Hate podcast (soundslikehate.org)

Britannica (britannica.com)

Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)

Facebook (facebook.com)

X/Twitter (x.com)

Instagram (instagram.com)

YouTube (youtube.com)

LinkedIn (linkedin.com)