An active anti-LGBT hate group is part of a coalition that’s raising money on GoFundMe to limit transgender people’s public use of restrooms in California.
Privacy For All is the coalition behind the proposed Limits On Use Of Facilities In Government Buildings And Businesses Initiative Statute (which they’re referring to as the “Personal Privacy Protection Act”), and they are currently leading a signature drive to put the proposed initiative on California’s fall 2016 ballot. One of the coalition’s organizations is the Pacific Justice Institute: a group identified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as an active anti-LGBT hate group.
The Pacific Justice Institute is the organization in the coalition that has taken credit for writing the text of the proposed initiative which states “a person shall use facilities in accordance with their biological sex in all government buildings,” and sets a minimum civil penalty of $4,000 for violating the statute.
Other groups in the coalition include the California Resource Institute, Faith and Public Policy, Calvary Chapel Chino Hills and ActRight (a national clearing house for conservative activists headed by the National Organization for Marriage’s Brian S. Brown), and Advocates For Faith And Freedom.
On their terms and conditions webpage, GoFundMe lists “Content associated with hate groups or terrorist organizations” under the header “What’s Not Allowed.”
This was after a late April blog post on their Web site where GoFundMe stated they would no longer host “discriminatory” campaigns. The change was in response to Sweet Cakes bakery in Gresham, Ore. raising funds to pay off a court imposed fine for violating an Oregon antidiscrimination law. Specifically, the bakery did not wish to make a cake for a same-sex wedding, and this violated the antidiscrimination protections of the state’s public accommodation law.
“To report a campaign that you believe violates the guidelines below,” the Terms and Conditions webpage states regarding violations, “please contact us at: http://www.gofundme.com/contact”. However, if a site user goes to that link to make a report on a campaign, the only selection available for reporting a campaign is for fraud. Other terms and conditions violations aren’t listed, and there’s no “other” available for selection.
GoFundMe didn’t to respond to multiple press inquiries regarding the Privacy For All fundraising campaign. The two questions I asked that GoFundMe chose not to answer were 1.) I note that the terms of service states that hate groups can’t raise funds on GoFundMe, but the reporting system only allows reporting for fraud. I can find no ready means for a site user who notes that a hate group is using your site to raise money to notify you of that. Is there a ready means to report terms of service violations such as this that I’m missing? Is that an oversight that GoFundMe is going to correct? And 2.) Does GoFundMe have a statement regarding the Privacy For All coalition raising money on your Web site, given that a member of the coalition is an identified anti-LGBT hate group?
If a hate group participates in limiting transgender people’s use of bathrooms in government buildings that would seem to be a clear violation of GoFundMe’s terms and conditions. That GoFundMe hasn’t answered the question whether they believe it is or isn’t appears to indicate they’re dodging the question.
So because they are against transgender laws they are anti lgbt. That’s a lie. They are against laws that are vague and hurt others due to non scientific definitions. You are trying to silence people’s opinions and that’s not right. Don’t bash a company for allowing others to do what you don’t agree with just because your opinion is different.