Conservative Group Alliance Defending Freedom Takes Lead In Championing Anti-Abortion & LGBTQ Rights Bills In States

Alliance Defending Freedom, a registered non-profit organization, has become a leading force behind efforts to pass legislation to roll back abortion and LGBTQ  rights.

Alliance Defending Freedom was formed in 1994 by a group of Christian leaders, including James Dobson. Dobson founded the anti-LGBTQ organization, Focus on the Family, and has publicly stated that the 2012 school shooting at Sandy Hook was a “judgment” from God because of low church attendance.

Since its founding, the organization has been at the center of a fight to limit the rights of women and LGBTQ people in the name of Christianity. It aims to overturn same-sex marriage, enact a federal ban on abortion, and strip transgender people of their rights in America.

Under Donald Trump’s administration, Alliance Defending Freedom rose in power and now has some of the most influential people in the country at its fingertips. The organization lists U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett as one of its associates, as she has reportedly spoken five times at the group’s training program.

Alliance Defending Freedom has been the driving force behind many pieces of legislation and lawsuits over the years.

It is currently backing the case of 303 Creative Inc. v. Elenis, which the Supreme Court should rule on this month. The plaintiff, 303 Creative, is a website design company that has never made wedding websites. However, owner Lorie Smith claims that, if she were to make wedding websites, her first amendment rights would be violated because she would only design them for heterosexual couples, which goes against Colorado’s anti-discrimination laws.

Alliance Defending Freedom has more than doubled in size from 2011 to 2021, aligning itself with Republican ideals and legislature that are now at the forefront of the party’s agenda.

The organization also takes a strong conservative and religious stance against trans and abortion rights.