19 Kids & Klanning? Civil Rights Measure Repealed With Duggar Help

On the surface the Duggar family of TLC's "19 Kids and Counting" are a quirky yet adorable bunch of nineteenth-century throwbacks, with thrifty and folksy patriarch Jim Bob, homeschool marm Michelle, and their nearly twenty musical instrument playing offspring all named with the the letter "J."

Now picture Jim Bob, Michelle, and the brood in white hoods and robes -- not so cute anymore. And yet mother Michelle's participation in a series of political robocalls and generous financial support from hubby Jim Bob to conservative candidates that resulted in the recent repeal of civil rights legislation in Fayetteville, Ark., is making this wholesome TV family look increasingly more "Klan" than clan.

In a 52 to 48 split vote Tuesday, the citizens of Fayetteville, Ark., voted to repeal Ordinance 119, which, according to OzarksFirst.com, was meant to protect against specific types of discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and other criteria. The law also would have created a municipal civil rights administrator position to investigate discrimination complaints.

So, how did the woman with the busiest uterus in reality television play a part in this gigantic step backwards for civil rights? By lending her voice and celebrity star power to a series of fear-mongering, transphobic robocalls on behalf of the initiative seeking to overturn Ordinance 119, in which she likened trans women to criminals and child molesters.

"The Fayetteville City Council is voting on an ordinance this Tuesday night that would allow men -- yes, I said men -- to use women's and girls' restrooms, locker rooms, showers, sleeping areas and other areas that are designated for females only." Duggar said in the robocall. "I don't believe the citizens of Fayetteville would want males with past child predator convictions that claim they are female to have a legal right to enter private areas that are reserved for women and girls."

Additionally, according to an October 31 report by the Fayetteville Flyer, the Duggars donated $10,000 toward the campaigns of the three most outspoken opponents of the ordinance.

"It's not the first time the�Duggar�clan has used their celebrity to advocate against equality." Said the Human Rights Campaign in a statement published Wednesday. "In October 2013, the Duggars�went on the road with the Family Research Council for a�'Values Bus Tour'�across Virginia in support of a radically anti-LGBT gubernatorial ticket. Last month, Josh�Duggar�led a rally against marriage equality in Little Rock, Arkansas last minute."

HRC is asking its followers tweet the following message:

Does @TLC know its biggest stars -- the @duggarfam -- are using their celebrity status to spread hate and inequality? #callitout

Apparently, Jim Bob and Michelle's bigotry did not skip a generation. In 2013, the Southern Poverty Law Center designated anti-gay hate group Family Research Council created the ceremonial position of "Executive Director" for the Duggar's eldest son, Josh Duggar. Prior to working for FRC, Josh Duggar, who was home-schooled with a GED but no college education, worked as a used car salesman. Duggar's boss at FRC is Tony Perkins, who according to JoeMyGod, paid $82,500 to use the mailing list of former Klu Klux Klan chieftain David Duke while managing the U.S. senate campaign of Republican Woody Jenkins.

According to The Daily Beast, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar have made a career out of normalizing the extreme Christian right. The couple adheres to a fringe strain of fundamentalist Christianity dubbed the "Christian patriarchy," or sometimes the "Quiverfull" movement, which preaches a combination of beliefs that run counter to mainstream America: Absolute female submission, a ban on dating, homeschooling, a rejection of higher education for women, and shunning of contraception in favor of trying to have as many children as humanly possible.