Tony Perkins from the Family Research Council, a group which the Southern Poverty Law Center recently declared a hate group for their targeted lies against the gay, lesbian, and transgender communities, faced their accusers on Chris Matthew’s Hardball on Monday:

I wish Mark Potok and Matthew’s were a little more aggressive countering Perkin’s blatant lies. Among several outrageous falsehoods, Perkin’s quoted an organization called the “American College of Pediatricians.” Truth Wins Out reminded us that, the American College of Pediatricians is a “sham” organization:

This a small, anti-gay sham group that purposely tries to confuse itself with the credible American Academy of Pediatrics, which is supportive of LGBT people. The American College of Pediatricians is full of politically-motivated charlatans that do not produce legitimate peer review research on LGBT people. Meanwhile, The American Academy of Pediatrics is a group of researchers that actually does produce respected peer review science on homosexuality. Citing the American College of Pediatricians on homosexuality is like citing the cigarette lobby on the health benefits of smoking. Of course, Tony Perkins knows this, yet he was still sleazy and dishonest enough to cite the group, proving SPLC’s original point that FRC is a certifiable hate group with the sole aim of demonizing LGBT people. The American College of Pediatricians is now infamous because one of its chief researchers, George Rekers, was caught vacationing last spring with an escort he met on Rent Boy.com

The lies spewing from Tony Perkins during this “debate” exemplify why the Family Research Council deserves to be classified as a hate group. They purposefully target and slander the gay and lesbian communities with their hateful tongues under the cloak of a false religious morality. That, ladies and gentlemen, is hate.

At the very end of this clip you can hear Matthew’s smiling and saying, “You are always welcome here Tony Perkins.” While I admire a good debate, the public display of hate from Perkins and his cronies should not be promoted on news networks. As Dan Savage pointed out on CNN recently, equal rights for the LGBT community is not a two sided debate. It is just as absurd to feature Tony Perkins as it is to feature a Klan member discussing whether black people should have a right to vote.

There is not a “this side” or “that side.” The LGBT community must be treated equally under the laws of this country and throughout the world. This is not up for debate.