In late 2010 the Southern Poverty Law Center dubbed Pete LaBarbera’s Americans For Truth About Homosexuality as an official “hate group.” Why? Because AFTAH considers homosexuality a “dangerous”, “lethal behavior addiction” that is “neither normal nor benign.” They say that homosexiness leads to “a disproportionate incidence of pedophilia” and “promotes cross-?dressing, sex-?change operations, bisexuality and homosexuality” to kindergartners. Have they been hanging out with the guy who makes Chick Comics?
Anyway, the idiots lost their tax-emeption status because they failed to file a Form 990, 990-?EZ, 990-?N, or 990-?PF for 3 consecutive years. According to Ex-gay Watch, “These forms are required of legitimate non-profit organizations for review by the IRS and the public.”
There is no appeal process to help reinstate said hate group’s tax exempt status. You are now encouraged to laugh derisively at AFTAH and their newly taxed horribleness. Begin.
christopher di spirito
Now Porno Pete won’t be able to write-off the cost of leather chaps.
Cam
But the problem is, they lost that status not because of the illigitimacy of their basic tennents, but because of poor office management.
Codswallop
@Cam: Cam is right. They forfeited their tax exemption by not filing the paperwork, it wasn’t “revoked” because they are a political group claiming religious tax exemption.
The IRS needs to step up to the plate regarding “religious” organizations with substantial political activities, including the Mormon and Catholic churches. Some congregations deliberately goad the IRS by openly advocating for political candidates and measures from the pulpit, daring them to take action, and the IRS should take them up on the challenge. That’s one way the government could get the increased revenue they need.
One of the biggest reasons the Mormon church had a suddenly religious “awakening” in 1978 regarding black people in their religion was because there was a serious threat to their tax exempt status due to their racist ideology. When it comes down to protecting LDS wealth or achieving other things they want (like dumping polygamy in order for Utah to become a state), the “Angel Moroni” is remarkably and conveniently open to change.
Ken S
@Cam: Seriously, thinking about the actual article vis-a-vis the headline, which ‘working’ system are we supposed to applaud here? It seems a victory for soulless beurocracy, with righteousness having nothing to do with it. We’re maybe the incidental beneficiaries of their misfortune, but we didn’t strike some blow to be proud of (unless it turns out a closeted gay office-worker shredded the paperwork in order to sabotage them from within… which would be kinda sweet).
The crustybastard
@Cam:
True. But enjoy it anyway. The recent SCOTUS Westboro Baptist case rendered religiously motivated antigay harassment and public nuisance Constitutionally protected speech.
To me, a protest implies calling a public policy decision maker’s (or their agent’s) attention to a civic issue, commonly with a proposal for redress or remedy. Marching outside city hall or an abortion clinic or military recruiter’s office demanding public policy change IS a protest.
Standing outside a funeral or an Elton John concert condemning people to hell isn’t protesting anything. It’s just harassing people with religion. And the First Amendment should no more allow the government to inflict religion upon the public by action than it should inflict religion on the public by its failure to act.
If people want to be bothered by religious people, there are no shortages of religious places they may visit.
xander
I do hope LaBarbera’s group will be required to cough up back-taxes and penalties for the three years they didn’t file.
None of this affair will stop Pete from his mission, but he may have to sell off some of his massive collection of paraphenalia and photos! I’m so keeping my eyes open on C___gslist! (jk)
Mike in London UK
To quote Mr Nelson Muntz
HA ! HA !
Taliaferro
Huzzah! This is excellent news indeed. Sometimes things do work out for us.
Troy
I guess he’s not going to go undercover to film ‘parties’ for ‘research’ anymore…what a shame Porno Pete
Shannon1981
I don’t understand how groups like this become tax exempt anyway. Isn’t it, by very definition, a status to keep said organizations- churches,etc- separate from state? All these people do is meddle in law making. Makes no sense that they were ever tax exempt in the first place.
TanyaHyde
Another example of the blatant homophobia prevalent in the Black Community!
ewe
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Thomas
@TanyaHyde: The IRS is black?
B
No. 2 · Cam wrote, “But the problem is, they lost that status not because of the illigitimacy of their basic tennents, but because of poor office management.”
One might point out that the First Amendment prevents the IRS from deciding which tenets qualify for a tax-exempt status on the basis of legitimacy and which do not. They can use broad classifications (religion, politics) but not much beyond that – just cracking down on fakes.
There’s a “church” called the “Universal Life Church” – the URL is http://www.themonastery.org/ – that lets you become an instant minister. Quite some years ago, a lot of people signed up to get a tax-exempt status. The IRS took some time to clamp down on it, mainly due to nervousness about an adverse court ruling regarding freedom of religion – if the church won, they figured a significant number of people would then sign up as ministers to get the tax breaks. Finally, there was a ruling in the IRS’s favor. Possibly the web saved the church from complete obscurity – now they let you become a minister for free and will sell you supplies via an on-line store. It’s the “give away the razors and make a profit on the razor blades” business model. They’ll let you be whatever sort of minister you want to be, and you can make up your own theology.
If you want a church where people kneel in pews while watching go-go boys gyrating on a stage, all you have to do is buy/rent the building and/or pews, hire the go-go boys, and put out some ads to bring in new members. A location directly across the street from an all-night gay dance club would be a plus, as some people coming out of the club might have something to repent for!