Recognizing that America is turning away from anti-gay hate, evangelical, religious, and conservative groups have been focusing more and more on nations that are developing or “in play.” From Uganda to Russia to Serbia, and all around the world,  including devastated nations in Central America, American extremists like Scott Lively and U.S.-based anti-gay hate groups like the American Family Association are spending more time and money investing in hatred abroad.
While the Scott Livelys and American Family Associations of the world have been gaining a larger audience and more name recognition over time, one group, the World Congress of Families, has operated under the radar for years.
Based in Rockford, Illinois, the World Congress of Families was founded almost two decades ago, in 1997.
The controversial, so-called “pro-family” group holds anti-gay, “traditional values” conferences at irregular intervals, around the world. They’ve gathered in Prague, Geneva, Mexico City, Warsaw, Amsterdam, Madrid, and Sydney.
But now, they’re working harder at making a name for themselves.
And they’ve just published a press release claiming credit for the Serbian government’s fourth (almost) annual cancellation of gay pride last month. Touting, “Victory in Belgrade — International Pro-Family Leaders Help Dveri Persuade Government Not to Allow ‘Gay Pride’ Parade,” the WCF claims it was the pressure they put on the government that led to the cancellation. (Notice that gay pride is in quotes, because it’s not “real.”)
“Due to the heroic efforts of the Serb pro-family group Dveri, it was decided not to issue a permit for a “gay pride” parade in Belgrade last week,” they note:
World Congress of Families’ Communications Director Don Feder spoke at an anti-gay rally the day gay pride was supposed to be held.
“Your fight is our fight. The fight for the family is a fight for civilization. World Congress of Families and its more than 40 Partners in 16 countries is proud to stand with the Serbian people for the natural family — the fundamental unit of society which is guaranteed protection under the 1948 United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”
WCF’s Alexey Komov also spoke.
Komov mentioned Russia’s adoption of a law banning the distribution of LGBT propaganda to minors and invited participants to Moscow next year for World Congress of Families VIII (www.worldcongress.ru).
“The Serbian people are not alone. There are millions of people on all continents supporting the natural family and traditional values. World Congress of Families is happy to be in Belgrade at this historic moment and to be helping to build an international pro-family movement,” Komov declared (see his full speech at www.familypolicy.ru).
Sorlin reminded the rally: “In France, more than two million people marched for the natural family and against ‘gay marriage.’ The assault on the family is a global phenomenon and must be answered by a global movement. Long live free Serbia! Long live free France.”
Of course, in the real world, here”s what actually happened, via the Huffington Post:
Serbian authorities banned a gay pride march in Belgrade for a third consecutive year because of threats made by right-wing groups, officials said Friday.
Prime Minister Ivica Dacic said top security and state officials decided to ban Saturday’s event because they feared a repeat of violence in 2010, when extremists attacked a gay pride march in the Serbian capital. That triggered daylong clashes with the police which injured more than 100 people.
The image above is a march against gay pride, in Belgrade, the day Pride was supposed to be held.
Box Turtle Bulletin’s Jim Burroway first reported on the WCF press release, and the cancellation.
Don Feder, of course, has his hands in a lot of anti-gay, anti-women causes.
Earlier this year, Feder signed onto a group that — once Texas succeeded in banning abortion at 20 weeks –Â tried to ban it at six weeks.
And in May, Feder, who is a member of the Tea Party Unity steering committee, took part in a conference call the group held, which featured a notorious New York City Rabbi. Ultra-right-wing Rabbi Noson Leiter of the orthodox Jewish organization Torah Jews for Decency, who has blamed Hurricane Sandy on New York’s adoption of same-sex marriage, told listeners that “evil … mainstream homosexual activists†support NAMBLA, are after “our kids,†and “the bibles and guns that Americans cling to.â€
But perhaps one of Feder’s crowning achievements is his 2011 manifesto, “Top 10 Ways Democrats Are Like Nazis.”
Welcome to the “pro-family” world American extremists are trying to export.