Wed. August 25, 2010
Chicago, IL -
The hate group Americans For Truth About Homosexuality (AFTAH), based in west suburban Naperville, says Elisabeth Hasselbeck has "abandoned" her conservative and Christian principles by showing support for same-sex marriage.
"I am not ultra-ultra-conservative on every issue; I actually support gay marriage," Hasselbeck said in a recent interview. "I think the gay marriage thing would definitely surprise people."
Now in an open letter to Hasselbeck, which incidentally had her first and last name misspelled, AFTAH's Peter LaBarbera challenged The View co-host to reconsider her position. "Caving on same-sex marriage only hurts your credibility," writes LaBarbera.
The ultra-conservative LaBarbera went on to explain "there are many ex-gay men and former lesbians who have overcome homosexuality in their lives."
Ironically, Americans for Truth was labeled a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) earlier this year. The SPLC's criteria for labeling a group or organization as a hate group requires that the group spread discredited and slanderous propaganda, including conversion therapy or the "ex-gay" movement.
In recent weeks, LaBarbera's group and the Mississippi-based American Family Association (AFA) have also called out Ann Coulter and Glenn Beck for their recent support of same-sex marriage.
Beck told Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly that gay marriage is not a threat to America. "Honestly, I think we have bigger fish to fry," said Beck.
Some political pundits say Hasselbeck, Coulter and Beck signify a growing shift by younger conservatives to be more libertarian toward social issues, including gay-rights.
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