In a fascinating article on Media Matters, Carlos Maza describes what he saw and heard when he went undercover at the 2015 Future Conference, an anti-LGBT gathering at San Diego's Skyline megachurch. According to Maza, the conference speakers referenced the holy trinity of the Religious Right's discriminatory rhetoric:
- Apocalyptic speech? Check.
- Calls for "civil disobedience" in the face of the Supreme Court's marriage equality ruling? Check.
- Claiming persecution of Christians by the government? Check.
From Media Matters:
"[The Religious Right's] political agenda, which once prioritized a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, has become largely defensive, focused on staving off the rising tide of LGBT equality.
That agenda is no less dangerous -- threatening even the most basic non-discrimination protections for LGBT people. But it also represents the new reality facing the anti-LGBT right after Obergefell. Having lost the national debate over same-sex marriage, anti-LGBT conservatives are adapting to a political environment that increasingly pits their animus against the force of the state and public opinion. How the religious right chooses to deal with that new reality -- whether with disobedience, resignation, or legal maneuvering -- will set the stage for the next phase of the fight over LGBT equality."
Maza's article is a chilling reminder that even though America has achieve marriage equality, there are those who are actively planning to limit the rights of our LGBT neighbors.