Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) is one of the largest and most powerful anti-LGBTQ groups in the nation. The legal powerhouse raked in more than $50 million in revenue in 2016 and has what it refers to as a “powerful global network” of over 3,200 “allied attorneys.” ADF’s influence is widespread. It has played a role in dozens of Supreme Court cases, including ones regarding abortion, religion, tuition tax credits, and LGBTQ issues; it has special consultative status at the United Nations; and at least 55 of its affiliated lawyers, fellows, and former staff served in influential government positions at the state and federal levels in 2017. ADF is leading the fight against transgender student equality by attempting to sway, often successfully, local school policy across the country that affects basic protections for trans students, including their access to restroom facilities that align with their gender identity. The group actively works against nationwide efforts across the country to protect LGBTQ youth from the harmful and discredited practice of conversion therapy. It is also working to prevent LGBTQ people from adopting children by advocating for measures that would allow child welfare agencies to discriminate against prospective LGBTQ parents, among others. It has even targeted protections for transgender prisoners, who are at the highest risk for incidents of sexual violence in prisons and jails. ADF works closely with other influential and extreme anti-LGBTQ groups such as Family Research Council and Liberty Counsel.

In 2017, ADF represented plaintiff Jack Phillips, a Christian baker who refused to bake a cake for a gay couple, in the Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission Supreme Court case. In 2018, the Supreme Court narrowly ruled in favor of Phillips based on the particulars of the case, citing “hostility” the Civil Rights Commission showed against him and, thus, not indicating how similar court cases should play out. ADF is litigating several other cases that may determine whether businesses serving the public have the right to discriminate against LGBTQ people under the guise of “religious” or “artistic" freedom.

Here is a list of areas that ADF has impacted with its work and actions, including positions it has taken and extreme rhetoric it has used:

LGBTQ expression and life