While gay activists lined the street at Saturday night's AFTAH fundraiser in Arlington Heights, their shouts weren't the concern of the evening's keynote speaker, author and activist Matt Barber (pictured right).
"It's about to get just a little harder to be a Christian in America," Barber said. "The federal hate crimes legislation is now headed to the President's desk, and he will sign it. We can expect now a move towards legislating speech and thought."
Barber, in town to raise funds for activist Pete LaBarbera's Americans for Truth against Homosexuality (AFTAH), also was frustrated with national pro-family groups like Focus on the Family and Family Research Council who, he said, have abandoned the fight against the homosexual agenda.
"Just at the time when the homosexual movement needs opposition most, these national groups take the Neville Chamberlain approach, and they will find like he did that it doesn't work," said Barber, who was fired from Allstate Insurance for a published column criticizing homosexual activism. Barber noted that AFTAH's efforts to expose the dangers of the homosexual lifestyle were crucial to hold the line until the larger groups re-entered the fray against radical homosexuality.
Two years ago, LaBarbera, who previously headed the Illinois Family Institute, organized AFTAH with several missions in mind, including getting out information on the homosexual movement's agenda and activities, distributing alerts about public policy changes, and chronicling the history of the homosexual agenda. (Pictured right are AFTAH's Pete LaBarbera with Illinois Family Institute's David Smith)
"Unlike the prolife battle, there aren't a lot of warm and fuzzies in fighting the homosexual agenda," LaBarbera said. "But we're committed to the truth, even if that means going to jail. And these days, Christian activists are serious when they talk of possibly going to jail for standing for Biblical principles."
Then LaBarbera addressed the protestors outside the building who were shouting, "Hey, hey, ho, ho, Homophobia's got to go," and "Transophobia's got to go," as well as "Shame, Shame, Shame!" as dinner attendees entered the building.
LaBarbera said AFTAH condemns extremist anti-gay tactics of Rev. Fred Phelps whose church members picket military funerals holding signs that often say "God hates fags."
"But God is right," LaBarbera said, "The people across the street are wrong. In Scripture, God places homosexuality between child sacrifice and bestiality."
The Gay Liberation Movement's Andy Thayer told Illinois Review that LaBarbera's anti-homosexual agenda was pure bigotry. "His agenda includes resisting hate crimes, anti-discrimination hiring policies and he associates with extremist groups such as those opposed to immigrants and the so-called 'Concerned Women for America.' Thayer said homosexuals have suffered job loss and are prevented from serving in the military because of their sexual orientations. LaBarbera resists changing those policies, he said.
LaBarbera and Barber confirmed that they have no intention of backing away from the battle to slow down Thayer and his group's political agenda. "Thousands of years have shown that homosexuality is a destructive lifestyle," Barber said. "We need to speak the truth unapologetically."
LaBarbera's AFTAH and Illinois Family Institute are organizing a protest at the State Capitol Thursday morning to demand House Speaker Mike Madigan call for a House vote on State Rep. David Reis' constitutional amendment to protect traditional marriage. Without passage of the amendment through the Illinois legislature, it will not be allowed on the 2010 statewide ballot.
