EXECUTIONAL GUIDELINES

C. LEXICON
“As I’ve said any number of times over the years, once you lose the language battle, the substantive policy defeat is sure to follow.”
Andrew C. McCarthy, Contributing Editor, National Review
Words reflect meaning and can improperly or properly communicate ideas and facts. Thus, the following language guidelines are to
be used in Alliance Defending Freedom communications. In all instances, do not use highly pejorative adjectives regarding those who
oppose us, do not single out individuals as the opposition—instead refer to the organization or the administration. The only exceptions
are for direct, documented quotes from third parties, which then should not be altered unless noted or when deviation from the norm is
determined to be in the best interest of a legal client (for major exceptions, consult with the CEO/General Counsel).
Guidelines are listed by topic (Organization, Religious Liberty, the Sanctity of Life, Marriage and Family) in alphabetical order.
Organization
USE: ACLU and its allies
DON’T USE: ACLU (unless they are acting alone)
USE: Alliance Defending Freedom
DON’T USE: ADF (do not use the acronym at this time)
Note: When introducing our new name, it is important to use the full name so that our target audiences intuitively and consistently
recall Alliance Defending Freedom as the name of our organization.

USE: Alliance Defending Freedom

DON’T USE: The Alliance Defending Freedom
Note: In order to strengthen the impact of the brand name, articles generally do not precede the name of a brand; for example,
Apple is “Apple” not “the Apple,” Barnes & Noble is “Barnes & Noble” not “the Barnes & Noble.”

USE: Alliance Defending Freedom

DON’T USE: Alliance Defending Freedom’s (no use of possessive)
USE: Alliance Defending Freedom and its allies
DON’T USE: Alliance Defending Freedom (unless we are acting alone)
USE: Alliance Defending Freedom-backed (for organizational funded cases)
DON’T USE: Alliance Defending Freedom-funded
Note: Alliance Defending Freedom funding takes on many different aspects. For example, Alliance Defending Freedom may not
directly fund a case, but does fund a moot court training session for an attorney who is going to argue the case. So it is a misnomer
to say that Alliance Defending Freedom funded a case, because we did not fund all aspects of it.

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EXECUTIONAL GUIDELINES
USE: Alliance Defending Freedom was launched in 1994
Alliance Defending Freedom was founded in 1993
DON’T USE: Alliance Defending Freedom was founded in 1994
Note: January 31, 1994, was the first day Alliance Defending Freedom opened its doors publicly for business. The conference call
that led to the founding of Alliance Defending Freedom occurred in 1993. But January 31, 1994, is really the “birthday” of Alliance
Defending Freedom.

USE: Attorneys General (for multiple persons in that office)

DON’T USE: Attorney Generals
USE: Blackstone interns or Blackstone graduates (as a blanket term)
DON’T USE: Blackstone Fellows or Blackstoners
Note: Not all Blackstone interns eventually become fellows. “Fellows” can be used if someone has been awarded that status, but
it cannot be used as a blanket term to describe all who participate in the summer program. Additionally, there is no such thing as a
“Former” Blackstone Fellow.

USE: Blackstone leadership development program

DON’T USE: Blackstone program
USE: faith promise, faith commitment
DON’T USE: pledge
Note: Alliance Defending Freedom Co-founder Larry Burkett mandated that Alliance Defending Freedom never use the term
“pledge” in any allied Ministry Friend communications. Larry saw “pledge” as making a vow that you may not be able to keep, but a
“faith promise” as relying on the Lord to be able to provide the funds to give.

USE: keep the door open for the spread of the Gospel
DON’T USE: keep the legal door open for the spread of the Gospel
Note: Important to remain true to Alliance Defending Freedom history by keeping this phrase as originally spoken by Bill Bright.
While we will not add the word “legal” to the phrase, we continue to reinforce that we are working in the legal arena in the context
of the rest of the communication.

USE: “legal ministry” or “alliance-building legal ministry” to describe Alliance Defending Freedom
DON’T USE: “legal alliance” to describe Alliance Defending Freedom
Note: “legal alliance” or “the alliance” can be used when referring to Alliance Defending Freedom working with its allies (allied
Ministry Friends, allied attorneys, allied partners, etc.).

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EXECUTIONAL GUIDELINES
USE: Allied Ministry Friend Education Letter
DON’T USE: acquisition letter
Note: The major purpose of all Alliance Defending Freedom communications is to educate the Body of Christ on the battle and call
them to act—what’s working, what’s not, what needs to be done, and what needs prayer.

USE: Allied Ministry Friends

DON’T USE: Donors
USE: opposition
DON’T USE: enemy
USE: the name of the organization or the administration (when referring to the opposition)
DON’T USE: do not refer to a personal name or the last name of a person as profanity or obscenity
USE: Prayer and Information Letter
DON’T USE: Appeal Letter OR Fundraising Letter
Note: The major purpose of all Alliance Defending Freedom communications is to educate the Body of Christ on the battle and call
them to pray and to act—what’s working, what’s not, what needs to be done, and what needs prayer.

USE: team members (for those on the payroll)

DON’T USE: employees
Note: We are part of a team.

USE: “This is…,” “That is…,” “They are…,” etc. (see Note below)
DON’T USE: Do not use “I believe...,” “I think...,” “It’s my opinion...,” etc. However, depending on the context of the communication,
these phrases may be appropriately but very sparingly used.
Note: Per Alan, something is either correct or incorrect, but usually we “think” is nothing more than an “opinion.” In this battle
we are fighting, we do not want to reduce the stakes/situation/issue down to whose “opinion” wins. We are not relativists, but
Christians.

USE: Title, Team Leader (or similar)

DON’T USE: Boss
Note: Alan says we are co-laborers in the vineyard, and brothers and sisters in Christ; “ladies and gentlemen serving ladies
and gentlemen.”

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EXECUTIONAL GUIDELINES
USE: U.S. Court of Appeals for the ____ Circuit
DON’T USE: ____ U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, ____ Circuit Court

Religious Liberty
USE: Christmas
DON’T USE: X-mas, holiday season, winter holiday/break
USE: defending biblical, religious principles, convictions
DON’T USE: bigotry, anti-tolerance
USE: equality of opportunity
DON’T USE: equality
Note: “Where equality is enthroned, freedom is extinguished. The rise of the egalitarian society means the death of the free
society.” Patrick Buchanan [Suicide of a Superpower: Will America Survive to 2025?]

USE: “hate” crimes, so-called “hate” crimes

DON’T USE: hate crimes
Note: We put quotes around “hate” because all crimes are motivated by hate of some kind; there are no “love” crimes.

USE: Rights protected by the Constitution, Rights guaranteed by the Constitution,

First Amendment protected rights, constitutionally protected rights.
DON’T USE: First amendment rights, constitutional rights
USE: science
DON’T USE: antievolution, antiscience, creationism
Note: In Alliance Defending Freedom communications, we do not want to add a qualifier to “science” such as “Creation science.”
Adding a qualifier suggests that there are many types of science about the foundations of our existence.

USE: sexual indoctrination programs

DON’T USE: sexual education programs, health education
USE: troubled/religious theory of evolution
DON’T USE: fact of evolution, scientific theory of evolution

The Sanctity of Life

USE: abortion advocates, proponents of the culture of death, etc.
DON’T USE: pro-choice
USE: abortion, killing of the innocent, committing abortions

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EXECUTIONAL GUIDELINES
DON’T USE: termination of pregnancy, abortion procedure, performing abortions
Note: “Procedure” is a medical euphemism.

USE: abortion-inducing drug, morning-after abortion pill

DON’T USE: emergency contraception, birth control, morning-after pill
USE: abortionist, abortion facility, commit an abortion
DON’T USE: health clinic, family-planning center, women’s center, do an abortion
USE: killing the defenseless, premeditated murder of the helpless
DON’T USE: mercy killing, euthanasia, right to die, pulling the plug, compassion
USE: preborn child
DON’T USE: unborn child, fetus, unwanted pregnancy
USE: pro-abstinence, pro-purity/responsibility
DON’T USE: anti-contraception, unrealistic expectations
USE: pro-life, pro-family, pro-children
DON’T USE: antiabortion, anti-reproductive rights
USE: pro-life advocates, defenders of life
DON’T USE: pro-life protesters, antiabortion protesters, pro-lifers
Note: Describe those wanting to save lives in a positive way.

USE: protect human life

DON’T USE: restrict abortion
USE: women considering abortion, women struggling with abortion
DON’T USE: women exercising their reproductive rights
USE: women who’ve experienced abortion, women struggling with abortion
DON’T USE: women who’ve exercised their freedom of choice

Marriage and Family

USE: adultery, infidelity, fornication
DON’T USE: extramarital relationship, affair, liaison
USE: advocating/promoting promiscuity/immorality
DON’T USE: sex education, safe sex, responsible sex
USE: anti-marriage, opponents of marriage
DON’T USE: pro-marriage rights, gay marriage advocates

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EXECUTIONAL GUIDELINES
USE: advocates of homosexual behavior, homosexual behavior advocates
DON’T USE: homosexual or gay activists
USE: biological sex in reference to he/she
DON’T USE: “changed” sex in reference to he/she
USE: convictions against homosexual behavior
DON’T USE: homophobia, antigay bias, intolerance
USE: cross-dressing, sexually confused
DON’T USE: transgender
USE: demands of/by the homosexual legal agenda, demands of/by advocates of homosexual behavior, special privileges
DON’T USE: homosexual/gay rights, hate-crimes legislation, antidiscrimination laws
Note: According to Alan, “The goals and the agenda of advocates of homosexual behavior are not ‘rights,’ but ‘demands.’”

USE: homosexual agenda

DON’T USE: lesbian and gay civil rights movement
USE: homosexual behavior
DON’T USE: homosexuality or gay
Note: Homosexuality is a personal struggle; however, homosexual behavior is sinful. Alan adds, “It isn’t a condition.”

USE: homosexual behavior

DON’T USE: gay
Note: The word “gay” was conceived by advocates of homosexual behavior to de-stigmatize their behavior and advance their
agenda.

USE: homosexual behavior

DON’T USE: homosexual lifestyle
Note: Alan notes that it’s not a “lifestyle”—tragically, it’s a way that often leads to death (Proverbs 14:12).

USE: marriage and family

DON’T USE: traditional marriage OR traditional marriage and the family
Note: Using the word “traditional” reinforces the notion—by some—that there are many types of marriage and lends credibility
that marriage could be something besides “one man / one woman.”

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EXECUTIONAL GUIDELINES
USE: panderers of pornography
DON’T USE: pornography industry
USE: pedophile, child predator, child molester
DON’T USE: adult attracted to children
USE: pornography
DON’T USE: adult literature, literature for mature audiences
USE: protect families, protect communities
DON’T USE: restrict pornography, censor pornography
Note: Protecting children, families, and communities against the scourge of pornography is not censorship.

USE: same-sex “marriage,” marriage imitation

DON’T USE: gay marriage or homosexual marriage
Note: According to Alan, “It isn’t marriage.”

USE: sexual-identity confusion / sexual confusion

DON’T USE: gender / gender identity confusion
USE: sexual preference/choice
DON’T USE: sexual orientation, genetic predisposition, gay gene
USE: sexually mutilated male/female, self-proclaimed male/female, biological male/female
DON’T USE: intersex person/male/female
USE: sexually oriented businesses (SOBs)
DON’T USE: adult businesses
Note: “Adult” was a term that pornographers fabricated to try to de-stigmatize hard-core pornography. We do not want to adapt
to their lexicon. For media interviews, generally do not use the acronym “SOBs.” Simply say, “sexually oriented businesses,” or you
may get more media coverage than you want!

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