MassResistance represents the frontline battle at national pro-family Values Voter Summit in Washington DC.
Speakers included President Trump, Judge Roy Moore, Michele Bachman, Steve Bannon, Bill Bennett
We made a big impression: Virtually the only group directly confronting the LGBT agenda
“MassResistance keeps the rest of us in line,” said one state leader.
October 23 2017
Judge Roy Moore.(left) with Brian Camenker of MassResistance at the Values Voter Summit.
Pro-family conservatives are being pulled in new directions by national leaders. But are the parents fighting battles in the trenches being left behind?
The national Values Voter Summit, arguably the most prominent annual pro-family conference in the U.S., took place in Washington, DC last week. Thousands from across the country came to hear dozens of excellent speakers and connect with the exhibitors. It also attracted some big names. President Donald Trump, Judge Roy Moore, Michele Bachman, Steve Bannon, Laura Ingraham, and Bill Bennett were among the luminaries who spoke.
The Values Voter Summit, run by Family Research Council, is the largest gathering of pro-family conservatives in the US.
The President of the United States came and spoke. (A great speech, by the way!)
MassResistance was an exhibitor. On display in our booth were: our book, The Health Hazards of Homosexuality; the latest book by MassResistance-Texas leader Dr Robert Oscar Lopez; Wackos Thugs & Perverts: Clintonian Decadence in Academia; and a book by former elementary school teacher (and MassResistance activist) Ellie Klipp to help young children deal with the “transgender” agenda being forced at them, titled I Don't Have to Choose; plus write-ups of our current battles.
The MassResistance booth at one of the quiet moments, when we were able to get a photo of it. Sitting at booth are Ellie Klipp and Dr. Robert Oscar Lopez.
The book that no one wants to talk about!
Are conservative groups moving away from the core culture war battles?
The three main themes of the conference were the radical Islam threat, religious freedom, and “draining the swamp.” There were also presentations about increasing the influence of Christianity in society.
But there was no formal discussion about the radical homosexual agenda – which has taken over corporations, government, the entertainment industry, and much of society. There was nothing about the LGBT destruction of the US military. Or “gay marriage.” Or the ex-gay movement. It appears that this overwhelming issue is largely being conceded by the pro-family establishment. Furthermore, there was only one session on the recent “transgender” push.
Nobody but MassResistance was addressing the medical issues surrounding homosexuality, even though that has become a major public health issue in America.
Our book The Health Hazards of Homosexuality got the attention of conservative media there. Above, Dr. Lopez (left) is being interviewed by radio host Kenneth McClenton who is holding the book.
Of the headline speakers, Judge Roy Moore was the most notable figure known for fighting this aspect of the culture war in a fearless and uncompromising way. But it wasn’t the centerpiece of any of the major speeches at the conference. (And Judge Moore spoke at a ticketed luncheon, so many attendees missed him.)
There was one panel discussion titled, “Transgender Ideology in Public Schools: Parents Fight Back.” But the advice that was given was to parents was pretty unsettling. They were told that in order to fight the transgender agenda in their schools, parents should not talk about their Christian beliefs, or sound angry or “anti-gay.” Instead they should come off as “reasonable.” To gain credibility and support, they were advised to form a coalition with atheists, liberals, and homosexual activists who appear wary of the transgender agenda in the schools. This kind of watered-down, non-confrontational advice seems interesting in theory, but we’ve never seen it ever work in practice.
These days everyone’s talking about working for “religious freedom.” To us that seems to be too defensive and compromising on our side, and too dependent on the Left listening to reason. It doesn’t seem like a recipe for taking back our liberties. In other words: All of us already are supposed to have complete religious freedom. So why should we have to bargain for it? Our attitude should be to take it back!
This is all extremely distressing. But it’s not the fault of the conference or its organizers. It simply reflects the state of the movement.
The people across America running the mainstream pro-family movement no longer think in terms of serious culture war, or confrontation against evil people. Those things are too uncomfortable. It’s now about measured and reasonable opposition, scholarly analysis, and non-offensive talking points. Not exactly a war strategy. And, of course, lots of fundraising.
Outcome from the conference: More MassResistance chapters?
Despite all that, the Values Voters Summit was well worth attending. It attracted a lot of under-the-radar, grassroots pro-family activists and leaders. A stream of people came to the MassResistance booth.
We found that we’re more well-known that we thought. The president of one state Family Policy group approached Brian Camenker with his high school-age daughter. He told her, “These people at MassResistance are the ones who keep the rest of us all in line.”
Former presidential advisor Sebastian Gorka told us he liked what MassResistance was up to, and was happy to take a copy of our book, The Health Hazards of Homosexuality. Judge Roy Moore’s wife also got a copy.
Former presidential advisor Dr. Sebastian Gorka has his copy of The Health Hazards of Homosexuality with him as he gets interviewed by Bott Radio Network.
Judge Roy Moore's wife (right) holds her copy of The Health Hazards of Homosexuality (blue back cover) as Judge Moore talks to reporters, near the MassResistance booth.
Dr. Alveda King, neice of Dr. Martin Luther King, with Brian Camenker of MassResistance as she was taking a copy of the book.
Former US Representative Michele Bachmann (left), pages through her copy of "I Don't Have to Choose" with Ellie Klipp -- standing next to the MassResistance booth.
We talked to people from an ex-gay group, pro-family Tea Parties, parent groups, and groups fighting radical school committees. We found that when you get to the grass roots, there is a huge demand for the kind of direct counter-revolutionary activism that we provide. A number of activists asked if they could form MassResistance chapters back in their states.
We left the three-day conference energized.
COMING UP in our next alert: The big firestorm from the conference: MassResistance makes national news
Besides President Trump’s and Steve Bannon’s speeches, the biggest national news story from the Values Voters Summit – despite the dozens of other speakers – involved our MassResistance book on The Health Hazards of Homosexuality. For several days it was the pro-family story that wouldn’t stop. In our next post you’ll read all about it!