SPLC-designated hate group · Anti-LGBTQ lobbying organization based in Washington, D.C.
The Family Research Council (FRC) bills itself as “the leading voice for the family in our nation’s halls of power,” but the organization’s primary focus is defaming LGBTQ people and opposing LGBTQ rights through lobbying, research, and grassroots activism.
FRC was designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) in 2010 due to its propagation of false claims about LGBTQ people based on discredited research and junk science.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1981 |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. |
| President | Tony Perkins |
| SPLC Designation | Anti-LGBTQ Hate Group (since 2010) |
| Website | frc.org |
FRC regularly makes false claims about the LGBTQ community based on discredited research, including:
Immediately after the US Supreme Court’s 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision legalizing same-sex marriage, FRC issued a set of policy briefs specifically targeting trans Title IX protections — an early move in the broader Christian-right pivot from gay marriage to trans people.
FRC president Tony Perkins was a signatory to the Nashville Statement, the 2017 Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood manifesto that denies a “transgender self-conception” can be “consistent with God’s holy purposes.”
FRC employs policy experts who testify before Congress, appear in mainstream media, shape public debate on LGBTQ issues, and conduct outreach to pastors.
FRC hosts the annual Values Voter Summit, a major gathering of conservative politicians and activists.
Billionaire fossil fuel magnate Phil Anschutz, through the Anschutz Family Foundation, donated $30,000 to the Family Research Council between 2010 and 2013.[1] Anschutz made his fortune in oil and gas and his foundation has funded a network of at least ten anti-LGBTQ+ organizations.
FRC is also a pass-through beneficiary of Anschutz’s $50,000 donation to the National Christian Foundation, which has contributed tens of millions of dollars to FRC and similar groups.
Last updated: August 31, 2026