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Johnson spoke at Perkins’ “prayer gathering” last week, days before Johnson marked 100 days as Speaker

WASHINGTON, DC – Government watchdog Accountable.US today published a report detailing Speaker Mike Johnson’s decades-long relationship with longtime anti-LGBTQ activist Tony Perkins. The report, first covered by The Advocate, comes after Speaker Johnson’s participation in last week’s “Gathering for Prayer and Repentance” event organized by Perkins. Johnson also recently marked 100 days as Speaker — with far-right figures like Perkins continuing to have his ear.

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From his decades-long relationship with extreme anti-LGBTQ activist Tony Perkins to his legal career dedicated to rolling back LGBTQ rights, it’s clear where his allegiances lie. Speaker Johnson is a champion for the dangerous extremist faction of the House MAGA majority — and his leadership has only meant more desperate political stunts to force a far-right agenda instead of actually solving the issues facing our nation.”

Accountable.US president Caroline Ciccone

The new Accountable.US report lays out a comprehensive timeline of Perkins’ and Johnson’s close relationship. The longstanding president of the Southern Poverty Law Center-designated hate group Family Research Council, Perkins is one of the most prominent voices in the movement against LGBTQ equality. Perkins and Johnson have joined forces in their anti-LGBTQ advocacy, from their founding of the Louisiana Family Forum and its lawsuits targeting same-sex marriage, to their time together on the Louisiana Commission on Marriage and Family, to their work drafting model bylaws for Christian churches and groups including a statement of faith that described homosexuality as a “sexual immorality” akin to bestiality and incest.

As The Advocate notes, “[Speaker Johnson] is a three-time recipient of the [Family Research Council]’s True Blue award, which goes to members of Congress who vote according to the group’s positions 100 percent of the time. That contrasts with Johnson’s zeroes from the Human Rights Campaign. And Johnson has described Perkins as one of his biggest heroes.”

Last week, Accountable.US joined House Accountability War Room and partners to release “100 Days of Johnson’s MAGA House,” a report detailing how Speaker Johnson has prioritized political stunts and a fringe agenda in his first 100 days over finding solutions to issues that everyday Americans face. Accountable.US has worked to expose Johnson’s extremism, from his leadership of the far-right Living Waters Publications to his extensive anti-LGBTQ, anti-abortion legal career.

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