Bankrupt mortgage giants donated thousands to homosexuals

News Advisory: December 8, 2008
Contact: Regina Griggs, Director, Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays (PFOX)
804-453-4737 PFOX@pfox.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae Give Tens of Thousands of Dollars to Gay Agenda

Bankrupt mortgage companies donated thousands to homosexual groups

by Jennifer Mesko, freelance writer, special to PFOX

As mortgage giants Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae hurtled toward financial ruin, their charitable foundations continued to pour money into the gay agenda.

According to its records, the Freddie Mac Foundation has given more than $125,000 to gay-activist groups since 2005. The Fannie Mae Foundation has donated about $80,000 to such groups over the last decade.

Their largest one-time gifts came in the last year — just months before both companies collapsed and were taken over by the government.

Freddie Mac gave more than $20,000 toward the 2008 fundraising gala of the Washington, D.C., chapter of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). Fannie Mae gave between $10,000 and $19,999 to the same event.

Both foundations have given money to the D.C. PFLAG chapter for years.

Regina Griggs, executive director of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays (PFOX), said her non-profit group could use some of the tens of millions of dollars the foundations give away every year.

"We support individuals' rights to self-determination," she said. "We support families who have homosexual loved ones. We support those who have come out of homosexuality. We provide outreach and educate teens on same-sex attractions."

Griggs has a message for Freddie and Fannie: "We would like equal money. We want the same financial opportunity that gay groups enjoy."

Shawn Flaherty, a spokeswoman for Freddie Mac, said she was not sure PFOX would meet the grant guidelines. The foundation focuses on three priorities — stable homes, foster care/adoption and youth development, said Flaherty.

The grants have "not been with an eye toward the gay community," she said. "It's a piece of it."

Yet the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), one of the nation's largest gay-activist groups, also has benefited from the government largesse. During the last two years, Freddie gave $65,000 to HRC to help homosexual couples adopt.

Meanwhile, Fannie Mae has funded the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). Since 1998, Fannie sponsored at least five GLAAD events, giving a total of nearly $40,000.

Griggs said the process is evidently "agenda-driven."

PFLAG, GLAAD and HRC are gay activist groups that oppose the ex-gay community.

For now, all grants are under review.

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PFOX promotes an inclusive environment for the ex-gay community, and works to eliminate negative perceptions and discrimination against former homosexuals.

Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays
PFOX
804-453-4737
pfox@pfox.org
www.pfox.org