'Parents go anti-gay ape@!&# over ELECTIVE sex ed class' & other Thur midday news briefs

In today's news briefs, Chris Kluwe sticks up for lgbts.

WATCH: Screaming conservative parents ignite chaos at Omaha meeting on optional sex-ed class - This awful incident in Omaha is for all of you jaded folks who claim that if we ignore religious right groups, figures, and their lies, these things will suddenly go away. Take lgbt students, bad information about Planned Parenthood, an ELECTIVE class about sexual education (which means parents can opt their children out) and some ignorant, highly excitable parents concerned about purity and whether their children will be taught sexual positions and you've got yourself a PUAAARTY!!!!! (and NOT in a good way). 

Everything you need to know about the anti-LGBTQ World Congress of Families (WCF) - I sent this out on its own, but it bears repeating. The anti-gay right has a veritable homophobic "Justice League of America" here. We could have a pro-lgbt  Justice League if we could get along to trust each other. So many lessons from this article . . . 

 Kluwe Rips Texans Owner Bob McNair - THIS is what an lgbt ally looks like and does.

 How Did A Gay, Married Actor End Up In An Anti-Gay TV Show? - The only reason why I am posting something about this is because the situation is complex and it would do our community well to take that into account rather than turn on the cannons . . . YET. 

 Dad Rips Haters Who Called Son 'Faggot' Over His Homemade Kitchen Playset - THIS is called sticking up for your child. There is NOTHING wrong with a little boy wanting to play in a kitchen playset. There IS something wrong with folks who will attack a child.  

Where Are All The Queer Superheroes? - As a fan of superheroes, I ask this question, too. My hero would be a bald androgynous black man in a leather suit (of course with matching boots) whose intellect AND Machiavellian skill of planning, karate, sword and gun play makes him formidable as hell. Of course his name would either be Hades or The Countess.

Anti-gay activists gather to make stale homophobia sound new

Editor's note - I owe my readers an apology. As some of you may have noticed, I have been going slow on the posting. My push to update my booklet, How They See Us combined with a certain weariness after nine and a half years of posts is tiring me out. Stay with me as I pop that spark back up. Thanks, y'all.

Next week promises to be "fun" as a bunch of familiar anti-lgbt activists get together to trade stale information and attempt to make it sound new:

When Michelangelo Signorile coined the phrase "It's Not Over," this is part of the mess he was talking about. This conference is called
:

 And it will feature probably the same old homophobic tripe wrapped in new packages, like so:

 God help me, I'm actually interested in learning about the "censored medical and social science research."  My guess is that the "research" they talk about hasn't been censored, but  refuted. Inaccurate information generally is.

Far be it from me to be bitchy, but the only thing new I see coming from this conference are the online hook ups.

Ode to the hypocritical religious person consumed with lgbts and sex . .

Editor's note - A very good friend of mine, Jennifer Barber, wrote this short, very on-point poem about how some religious folks are consumed with gays and sex. I personally like it so I want to feature it:

WTF?Hypocrite

You sayin we need to be straight . . .

But in your spare time, do you masturbate?

That's what I though! Another hypocrite!

Full of his lies and religious bullshit!

Wake up people & see what they are doin . . .

Cuz they callin' you out while they in the back screwin!

 

'Anti-gay hate group FURIOUS that the press called them an anti-gay hate group' & other Wed midday news briefs

Mat Staver, anti-gay hate group leader

Kim Davis' Attorneys Attack Associated Press For Identifying Them As A "Hate Group" - Awwww! The poor babies! How DARE the Associated Press tell the truth! 

Survivors Open Up About Trauma Of Gay Conversion Therapy - One of these poor souls was even forced to through a "gay exorcism." 

 10 Examples Of Nonbinary Genders Throughout History - Listverse is a trivia site I like to read every morning. This morning featured a list very apropo to the lgbtq community. 

 Let's not wait to combat homophobia, transphobia - Some folks objected to this piece I posted yesterday, which is my call for some type of national conversation on anti-gay propaganda. Only one objection - a concern about safety - was plausible. Folks, we have to stop pretending this junk is going to go away if we ignore it. IT WON'T! When  the anti-gay right reaps success using anything to denigrate us, they use it to death.  

Mormon leader speaks out against Kim Davis, urges balance in religious freedom disputes - I'm as shocked as you.  

New Federal Lawsuit Is Potentially Bigger Than Obergefell For Gay Rights - Hot damn! That headline is NOT clickbait. It tells the truth. 

 World Congress of Families In Denial Over Promoting Homophobia Globally - Another group insisting they aren't homophobic, but with a paper trail which contradicts their mea culpas.

Let's not wait to combat homophobia, transphobia

My last post, which featured on that awful anti-transgender ad in Houston depressed the hell out of me.

The droll comedian in me, however sees a bit of humor in how anti-gay groups and their spokespeople demonize the transgender community. In the nine plus years which I have run this blog, they have gone from claiming that transgender men and women want to corrupt children in the classrooms:

 to claiming that transgender women want to invade women's bathrooms and locker rooms:

My guess is that they will be soon claiming that transgender women will be wanting to inject pregnant women with some type of formula which will make their infants come out of the womb as transgender.

However, one thing won't change. The anti-gay will continue to smear transgender women as predators as long as they can get away it, just like they attack gay men the same way. There is that fear tactic about a "man victimizing a woman" that they cling to. And it depresses me because I have to remember that no matter how many times I work to refute it, there is still work to do.

'Houston homophobes dial up crazy with extreme anti-transgender cartoon' & other Tues midday news briefs

Trailing In Polls, Houston Equal Rights Opponents Continue Desperate Anti-LGBT Ad Campaign - Folks who want the pro-lgbt ordinance in Houston to pass would do good to turn up the heat. We've seen this before. When the opposition is behind in the polls, they dial UP the crazy as the above video shows. And when the crazy is dialed up, ANYTHING can happen.

 LGBTQ Prisoners Are Routinely Targeted For Beatings, Rape, And Harassment, Report Finds - Just because some folks are in correctional facilities does not forget we don't forget them. Justice for all. 

Court upholds reprimand for airman who opposed gay wedding - This article highlights that often times when anti-gay groups bring up anecdotal stories of attacks on "religious liberty," they never tell us the entire story.

 Ted Cruz Welcomes The Endorsement Of Anti-Gay Hate Group Official And Radio Host Sandy Rios - Basic politeness keeps me from commenting on this one. . .

Bryan Fischer - Anti-gay hate groups don't HATE gays

Bryan Fischer

"Disagreement is not hatred, and the truth is not hate speech. Somebody needs to tell that to President Obama."

When I read the above quote from the American Family Association's spokesman Bryan Fischer, I nearly choked with laughter. It comes from an awful column in which Fischer is claiming that President Obama and the Southern Poverty Law Center is declaring war on Christians because of the lgbt community. He is especially raising a fuss that his group, AFA, and the Family Research Council were designated at anti-gay hate group by SPLC.

Of course being an egotistical self-righteous boob like Fischer, he defines the Christian community as folks who believe as he does, particularly about the lgbt community:

The plain truth is that we at FRC and AFA don't hate a living soul. We love homosexuals enough to tell them the truth about the physical and spiritual dangers of the homosexual lifestyle. We want something better for them than the darkness and disease associated with homosexual behavior. We want them to come out of that darkness into the light of the gospel of Christ. We are for the homosexual, and so we must be against the normalization and promotion of homosexuality. Note the SPLC is no longer accusing FRC and AFA of hate or of violence based on some objective standard. They have simply made a purely subjective assessment that our beliefs about human sexuality and our defense of natural marriage are so offensive to them that we must become the target of the unlimited resources of the federal government. Do we disagree with the homosexual lobby about homosexuality? Of course. Do we hate them? Absolutely not. Do we advocate violence against them? Never have, never will. We are simply determined to tell the moral, spiritual, and physical truth about non-normative sexual behavior.

The comical thing about  the above passage is that Fischer is so oblivious to the fact that he, AFA, and FRC have a paper trail more than a mile long which contradicts his ridiculous mea culpa. In all fairness, neither group has advocated violence against lgbts, but their rhetoric is no better than the rhetoric of anti-Semites talking about the Jewish community or racists talking about the African-American community. As you can see by the following videos, Fischer and his "pals" have more than earned the "hate" designations they have been given:

'Ted Cruz accidentally shows ugliness of 'religious liberty' argument' & other Mon. midday news briefs

Sen. Ted Cruz

Ted Cruz Plans ‘Religious Liberty’ Rally At College That Claimed Bible Backing For Racist Policies - LOVE that "religious liberty" card.

Twitter Attacks Mets Star Infielder Daniel Murphy Over Anti-Gay Comments - Whine about lgbts not showing "tolerance" for anti-gay opinions till the cows come home if you want. People generally object to the dignity of their lives reduced to a talking point about a "lifestyle." 

Right-Wing Pastor Tells Christians To Boycott Same-Sex Weddings. These Christians Disagree. - Another example of right-wing evangelicals attempting to bogart the discussion of marriage equality.

 On Being Black and Gay - WONDERFUL post. 

  'Simpsons' Executive Producer Opens Up About The Show's Legendary Gay Episode - What the hell. It's a slow news day.

Hate group - Give us money or the 'homosexuals' will take over and persecute Christians

Tony Perkins and FRC scaring up the money.

One of these days, supporters of the Family Research Council will realize that its "give us money or the homosexuals will take over" requests are simply bull.

Unfortunately, I don't necessarily see that day coming soon. You have to give FRC points for pushing the "fear card," but none for truth. The following is a little snippet via an email signed by its president, Tony Perkins:

Emboldened by the Supreme Court decision, President Obama, the IRS, Justice Department, Department of Defense, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and even corporate America, are saying with one voice that sexual liberty trumps religious freedom.

Affirming same-sex marriage and accommodating the so-called transgendered will become an official litmus test. The religious organizations that refuse to get in line with this new "morality" will face devastating financial consequences. If radical activists get their wish, many churches, Christian colleges, missions, and other faith-based institutions could lose their tax-exempt status and may have to close their doors!

Think what our country would be like without churches ministering to the spiritual and physical needs in our communities.

It would be a sad day for America.

But that is where we are heading as a nation if we don't act now. A bill backed by the far-left Human Rights Campaign was recently introduced in Congress that would protect sexual orientation and gender identity in virtually every federal law -- all at the expense of religious freedom.

If passed, this sweeping legislation could be used to punish Christians who uphold traditional marriage and adhere to the biological fact that a person is created male or female.

The Human Rights Campaign has even pressured corporate giants to coerce the federal government to target those of us who refuse to surrender their biblical values to those sexual revolutionaries who want to redefine God's established order.

As I said recently in Kentucky outside the jail where Clerk of Court Kim Davis was being held, "Given the crisis our nation is facing, the time for being a spectator is over! It is time for all God-fearing Americans to take a stand!"

If we think there's nothing we can do and sit on the sidelines, their radical agenda for your family and mine will become a reality!

I believe God has positioned FRC for "such a time as this." No other organization in Washington, D.C., does more to further the American values of faith, family and freedom -- and we will continue to do so.

If God has positioned the Family Research Council for anything, I envision that He did it with the same droll sense of humor He used when "He told" Michelle Bachmann to run for president.

Anti-gay hate group doubles down on clueless defense of Rand Paul's homophobia

Sen. Rand Paul

Yesterday, I posted how presidential candidate, Sen. Rand Paul made an ignorant comment conflating being gay to strictly sexual behavior in answer to a question about lgbt equality:

"I think, really, the things you do in your house, just leave those in your house and they wouldn't have to be a part of the workplace, to tell you the truth,  . . .I think society is rapidly changing and that if you are gay, there are plenty of places that will hire you."

I also pointed out that while he is being justifiably criticized for his absolutely ridiculous comment dehumanizing lgbts lives and familes, Paul has been attempting - and failing - to backtrack and clarify. At the same time, the anti-gay hate group the Family Research Council has been defending him exploiting his original comments as an ongoing part of its continued mission to demonize lgbts.

Today, FRC continues to double down on its clueless "defense," thereby continuing to keep the issue in the limelight:

 . . .Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who took an outspoken position against gender confusion bills, is being blasted by the media and a handful of college kids. According to a Des Moines newspaper, some students left the speech where Paul urged people to leave their sex lives at home and started peeling Rand Paul 2016 bumper stickers off their cars.

"I thought, 'What century does this guy live in?'" said one LGBT activist. "He exhibited such bias, real homophobia and transphobia," she said. All Senator Paul suggested is leaving employers alone to make the decisions that are best for their businesses -- not what's best for the gender confused. And somehow conservatives are the intolerant ones? It's ironic. Liberals want to be free to visit the public restroom of their choice, but they don't want to extend that freedom to people to express their choice in public policy!

If I didn't despise FRC so much, I would give the group props for audacity. As you can see in above comments by its president, Tony Perkins, FRC is attempting to tie Paul's statement with the fight in Houston to keep the city's pro-lgbt ordinance as law. And like all other anti-gay groups when talking about lgbt equality laws, FRC has reduced the ordinance to unproven fears about the transgender community as bathroom predators.

It's kinda sad how the vile can attempt to make the vile sound reasonable rather than the bigoted hogwash that it is.

Meanwhile, in the real world, Democratic presidential candidate Hilary Clinton rubbed salt in the wound by a simple but stunning tweet to Paul

The feeling when a GOP candidate says it's acceptable to be fired for being gay. https://t.co/cF9mw5k8fq pic.twitter.com/cYFvcW27mQ

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 14, 2015

Say what you will about Hilary Clinton, that was pretty damn cool. And if I were Paul, I would have a serious talk with FRC. I don't forsee him gaining any advantage in his faltering campaign with this controversy. The more the organization "defends" him, the harder it is for him to recover the controversy.

'TX Attorney General cooking up ugly plans for lgbt community' & other Fri midday news briefs

TX Attorney General Ken Paxton

More Than 6 Million Americans Have Come Out on Facebook - That's because we love our technology. Lgbts are one of the fastest groups to adapt. That's how we have survived. 

The Texas Attorney General’s Thorough Plans To Discriminate Against LGBT People - Geez! What is HIS problem? It's not we are the reason why he is under indictment. 

Here’s Why Major Corporations In Indiana Are Now Pushing To Expand LGBT Rights - The lesson Indiana Gov. Mike Pence learned when he pushed his anti-gay nonsense should come through to Texas. I hate it when some people choose to learn the hard way. "To willful men, the injuries they procure must be their own schoolmasters." (Bet you didn't know I could quote Shakespeare).  

NFL Owner Donates $10K to Repeal Houston's LGBT Discrimination Protections - This is NOT good. The Houston Texans are at the top of my @^!# list.

 Robertson: Don't Let Your Gay Grandson Bring A 'Friend' To Thanksgiving Dinner - Dear grandfather listening to Pat Robertson, your grandson is gay. He is not "coming out of that lifestyle." However, YOU will miss a lot of magic moments that you shouldn't and in the future, you will be blaming yourself for being so bullheaded.  

Mormon Church Bleeding Members Over Gay Marriage - That's what you get for pushing Prop 8.

While Rand Paul backtracks from his bigoted boo-boo, anti-gay hate group tries to defend him

Sen Paul backtracks from a bigoted statement while an anti-gay group tries to defend it.

When President Obama won a landslide re-election in 2012, some commentators were quick to jeer at right-wing outrage. Until the time his victory was announced, various folks on the right, including Fox News pundits and people like Karl Rove, were sure that his opponent, Mitt Romney would be the one to have the landslide. They firmly believed this in spite of the fact that polling clearly showed that Obama would win.

The commentators jeering at conservatives blamed a "right-wing bubble" for their embarrassing depart from reality.  A "right-wing bubble" is when conservatives create their own reality because their own stubbornness will not allow them to see the truth. If Rush Limbaugh tells them that they are in the middle of a blizzard even though it's 100 degrees outside, they will bend over backwards, including deliberately lie to themselves, instead doing the right thing and declaring that Limbaugh is full of shit.

It would seem that this bubble includes anti-gay groups. Take the recent controversy with presidential candidate, Sen. Rand Paul for example

On Wednesday, Paul made an absolutely stupid statement regarding lgbt equality.During a talk with Iowa college students, he said the following about gays being fired for their sexual orientation:

"I think, really, the things you do in your house, just leave those in your house and they wouldn't have to be a part of the workplace, to tell you the truth,  . . .I think society is rapidly changing and that if you are gay, there are plenty of places that will hire you."

It was an infuriating statement which implied that being an lgbt is all about sexual intercourse and facts such as gays leading families, raising children, and caring for loved ones don't exist.

Fox News has some serious #SpiritDay hypocrisy to work out

The webpage Media Matters noted that some Fox News personalities have been supporting our lgbt youth  from bullying during Spirit Day by wearing purple.

Media Matters also noted that the news channel pushes homophobic smears about LGBT History Month. I guess the point of the following video is don't pretend as if you support lgbt youth for one day out of the year when the way you cover LGBT History Month contributes to the problems they are facing:

'Government report calls for end of 'ex-gay' therapy for children' & other Thur. midday news briefs

U.S. report calls for end to 'conversion therapy' for LGBT youth - BOOM! 

 Texas Experts Debunk The Transgender "Bathroom Predator" Myth Ahead Of HERO Referendum - Good. And again. These days, you have to scream the truth a couple of times to get any attention. 

Top Psychiatrist Calls For “Radical Solutions” To Address Mental Illness In LGBT Community - Article acknowledges that it is a problem which is directly connected to homophobia and discrimination. Remember that because when some in the anti-gay right cite this article, they will omit that part. They generally do. 

 Kim Davis’s Lawyers Have Said Things That Are Literally Unbelievable - This article looks at pretty much all of the distortions and lies Kim Davis' lawyers at the Liberty Counsel have spewed. In other words, it is the gay version of 'War and Peace,' i.e. one long ass article.

 Wisconsin Lawmakers Have A Plan To Let People Sue Schools That Respect Transgender Students - Go ahead. Walk into the hole you are digging.

 Rand Paul Says LGBT Discrimination Laws Are Unnecessary - It's times like this when I regret retreating from vulgar language. 

Photo taken from Frontiers Media.

Happy #SpiritDay! Be sure to wear your purple!

Anti-gay right, fake Christians exploiting children to attack transgender community

Earlier today, I posted the following ad from an anti-gay Houston group seeking to overturn that city's lgbt ordinance:

As I said before, for all of their talk about "Biblical values," some right-wing evangelicals never seem to have an argument to oppose lgbt equality, so they are always quick to exploit fears via the demonization of lgbts as predators. And believe it or not, as shocking at this ad is, it was not the first time. In 2008, an anti-gay group in Gainesville, FL



The sad irony is that nothing like what you have seen has ever happened. Twice, the group Media Matters has proven this. Last year, the organization consulted law enforcement officials, government employees, and advocates for victims of sexual abuse in 12 states. All of them debunked the above scenarios.

Most specifically last year, Media Matters debunked the fear tactics of exploiting transgender-inclusive bathrooms and included this handy graphic:

What would Jesus do, indeed? Certainly not this. The next time folks like Mike Huckabee or Franklin Graham or any of these evangelical handwringers start about the "decline of values in America," I suggest they look in the mirror if they want to find the culprit.

'Houston anti-gay group run video labeling transgender community as sexual predators' & other Wed midday news briefs

The ghost of Anita Bryant's "Save Our Children"  campaign rises in Houston. You ever notice that when anti-gay forces can't come up with any logical explanations for their homophobic positions, they pull the "lgbts are out to harm children" card. It happens over and over again. Proving that no matter how you clean up a pig, you just can't keep it from rolling around in the mud and crap. More about this monstrous ad at Think Progress.

Mike Huckabee Got Pretty Racist While Live-Tweeting The Dem Debate - Apparently nothing says "warrior for Christ" better than a seriously racist tweet.
 

Kim Davis' Lawyers: No Need to Change Marriage Licenses After Controversy - Is Kim Davis silently giving up her crusade? Who knows but after the double embarrassment of lies her own lawyers at the Liberty Counsel put her through, who can blame her?

Kicked Out of the Closet: How Two Letters Changed My Life - Wonderful story of how you always can use family support when others attack you for coming out. 

 Rafael Cruz Joining Anti-Gay World Congress of Families At Utah Conference - I've been reluctant to call out Sen. Ted Cruz's father no matter how homophobic and crazy he has gotten. But this is BEYOND the pale. This isn't just words. He is actively joining a group whose global mission is lgbt persecution.

Anatomy of an anti-gay lie - Day three

FRC is now fully embracing the anti-gay distortion I posted about on Sunday.

For three days, I have been tracking an anti-gay distortion regarding the SCOTUS ruling for marriage equality.

To recap - Last week,  statement from a right-wing think tank, the Americans Principles Project, claimed that over 60 "prominent scholars" signed a statement claiming that Obergefell v. Hodges , the case which legalized marriage equality, should be ignored because it was inaccurately decided.

The Americans Principles Project omitted to say that many of these "prominent scholars" were individuals aligned with groups who have opposed marriage equality from the beginning, such as:

 Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence, Princeton University, Founder of American Principles Project (George is one of the founders of the National Organization for Marriage, which opposes marriage equality. And he was also one of the main arranger of the funds given to Professor Mark Regnerus to conduct a study on gay parenting study, which has since been discredited. The study was created as an attempt to sway the Supreme Court against marriage equality. )

John C. Eastman, Henry Salvatori Professor of Law & Community Service, Dale E. Fowler School of Law at Chapman University (the present chair of the National Organization for Marriage)

George W. Dent, Jr., Professor of Law, Case Western Reserve University School of Law (Dent supplied the discredited information which the defenders of DOMA used in court to unsuccessfully defend that law.)

 

I have been tracking this distortion not out of concern that it will do any damage, but simply because I want to see how long will it take before it becomes a widely repeated falsehood by members of the anti-gay right.

Today, it just took another step in that direction. In my last post concerning this distortion, I related how the Family Research Council retweeted it from another source, CNSnews.

As of now, FRC has the distortion as a full article on its webpage. An excerpt follows as such:

Last week, a number of scholars and law professors released a statement calling on all officeholders to resist -- within the grounds of their own constitutional authority -- the Supreme Court's illegitimate and groundless ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges. The scholars' statement points to the grave consequences of letting this decision continue to be treated as legitimate and binding precedent on the entire nation, and urges public officials to exercise their independent authority to follow the Constitution regardless of Obergefell's dubious claims:

One lacking anything remotely resembling a warrant in the text, logic, structure, or original understanding of the Constitution must be judged anti-constitutional and illegitimate. Obergefell should be declared to be such, and treated as such, by the other branches of government and by citizens of the United States.

The authors of the statement remind us that the Supreme Court is not the only branch of government granted authority by the Constitution. While the Supreme Court has the authority and responsibility to decide cases and controversies between parties, it does not have the authority to declare entirely new doctrines of law binding on parties not before the court.

Conveniently, FRC doesn't even include the names of the statement's signers (Not to worry, though. I left a comment on its webpage giving a short description of why the statement is a distortion.)

So in the past week, the distortion has moved from the Americans Principles Project to the National Organization for Marriage's webpage to the vile anti-gay Barbwire webpage to the CNSnews webpage and has stopped for now at the Family Research Council's webpage.

And that's not counting pit stops at other right-wing sources such as Free Republic and various other conservative blogs.

If it ever breaks through to Fox News, either by television or online news site, I think I will create a chart.

Related posts:

Anti-gay right sloppily dredge up 60 'legal scholars' to oppose Obergefell decision

Anti-gay right continues to push the anti-marriage equality 'scholars' distortion

Anti-gay activist turns drama queen in pulpit over marriage equality

In the video above, courtesy of Right Wing Watch, Vision America's Rick Scarborough  is STILL angry about marriage equality. He no doubt thinks that he is making a wonderfully dramatic statement in the pulpit. If you ask me, I think he is auditioning for an Ed Wood movie. Three points which I have to make about it, though. What's with the disrespect of the Supreme Court, when exactly did God define marriage, and what exactly is a "God hater?"

'Desperate Ted Cruz disrespects transgender soldiers' & other Tue. midday news briefs

Sen Ted Cruz disrespects transgender military.

Cruz blasts efforts to lift trans military ban - Sen. Ted Cruz is picking on transgender soldiers and he is using the phrase that anti-gay folks use when they want to create the false idea that our presence or existence is out of the ordinary - "social experiment." They said the same thing about same-sex families, even though lgbts have been raising children for YEARS. The semantics are so annoying. 

Gay Man Kicked Out Of His Church For 'Embracing The Homosexual Lifestyle' (Video) - A few years back, we had sort of the same situation at a church in my area. Some members came to the pastor wanting to kick out gay members. He told them to forget it because it was wrong to keep people away from God. And this was a black church. It's a shame that one hardly ever hears about these incidents of bravery.

 Transgender foster kids in California can now go to homes that match their gender identity - Wonderful!!  

Little Red Riding Hood And The Big Bad Gay Wolf - Proving how SOME people have too much time on their hands, an anti-gay activist transforms the fairy tale of Little Red Riding Hood into a cautionary tale about the lgbt community.  

Trans Activist On Keisha Jenkins Murder: 'It Feels Like I'm Next' - This is a spooky situation and needs more attention.

Anti-gay right continues to push the anti-marriage equality 'scholars' distortion

Sunday evening, I posted an article about how anti-gay groups and personalities were claiming that over 60 "prominent scholars" had declared that the SCOTUS decision legalizing marriage equality shouldn't be followed because it was decided in the wrong fashion.

These "scholars" were mostly comprised of individuals who dedicated a lot of money, influence, and effort in stopping marriage equality from day one; a fact that many touting this development omitted.

Monday evening came the following "announcement" courtesy of the conservative site CNSnews by way of anti-gay hate group The Family Research Council's twitter:

As you can see, the "prominent scholars" distortions has swiftly moved from its original spot on the webpage of the Americans Principles Project.to the twitter and webpage of two other conservative, anti-gay groups.

 The big question I have as I track this distortion is how many channels will it move through?  Will it appear as an item courtesy of Fox News personality Todd Starnes? This sort of lie is just his speed.

Or better yet,  can't you just picture Megyn Kelly coddling interviewing  FRC head Tony Perkins in which he is allowed to repeat this distortion without any push back. And let's not forget Ryan T. Anderson and his many resources at the Heritage Foundation and the Witherspoon Institute (who, coincidentally, employs someone who signed this statement.)

Let's raise the stakes a little bit more. How much attention would the truth behind this distortion garner if it were repeated by someone like Mike Huckabee or Sen. Ted Cruz?  Or read by someone like Rep. Louie Gohmert in the halls of Congress? Probably none.

The point is not the statement itself because the statement is useless. It is  the equivalent of a weak fist beating against a steel wall.

The point is acknowledging what the lgbt community is up against in our fight for full equality. While we have won marriage equality, there are a lot other issues we need to take care of, i.e. ENDA, the rights of the transgender community, the safety of our lgbt children.

And it's time we take into account the entire power of those who oppose us.

They are united, numerous, and have access to many resources. We defeated them regarding marriage equality because in spite of all of that, truth was not on their side. However, it took a number of years.

Given how connected these folks are, how long will it be before we can win the other fights?

Whatever the case may be, I will continue to track just how much of a stake anti-gay groups and personalities are willing to put in this distortion about "legitimate scholars." At the very least, it will give a wonderful view as to how low they will stoop to lie.

Bisexuality is . . . Bisexuality isn't . . . - stopping the stereotypes

One myth which the lgbt community perpetuates - and I despise with a passion - is that we are of the same mind and have the same knowledge of our community.

Unfortunately ignorance knows no sexual orientation, just as it knows no color, gender, religion, etc. We tend to be ignorant of each other because some of us are content with creating a bland stew of the lgbt identity. We are all different and embody all facets. With that in mind, enjoy the video below in which members of the bisexual community dispel myths and stereotypes about their orientation:

'Stories to celebrate National Coming Out Day' & other Mon. midday news briefs

18 Coming Out Success Stories To Celebrate National Coming Out Day - Happy National Coming Out Day! One thing to remember - you don't owe it to anyone other than yourself to come out. Do it at your own pace and your own time. Here are 18 successful stories. 

These Black LGBT People Reveal What Happened When They Came Out - Remember that coming out is also complex. It won't be all roses and music. I was fortunate. It ain't easy coming out as a black lgbt.

 Gender Nonconforming Transgender People Face Greater Discrimination And Health Risks, Study Finds - Important to remember for two reasons - it is an issue which should be taken care of on its own. Also, anti-gay groups and personalities tend to cite studies such as this to claim that lgbts are susceptible to bad health but always omit how homophobia and discrimination play a great part in these health risks.  

Theodore Shoebat: Homosexuality Leads To Cannibalism, Kill Those Who Won’t Submit To Christianity - Lawd, help this crazy child!  

Importance of paid leave for trans patients - An issue which deserves a lot of attention.

Anti-gay right sloppily dredge up 60 'legal scholars' to oppose Obergefell decision

Supposedly ' over 60 legal scholars' oppose Obergefell vs. Hodges decision.  Not quite.

Supporters of marriage equality (which is now LEGAL in all 50 states) should be on the lookout for the following bit of subterfuge which I gleaned from the webpage of the Americans Principles Project. The entire statement is too long to be printed, therefore I am posting an excerpt :

Statement Calling for Constitutional Resistance to Obergefell v. Hodges 

 . . . We stand with James Madison and Abraham Lincoln in recognizing that the Constitution is not whatever a majority of Supreme Court justices say it is. 

We remind all officeholders in the United States that they are pledged to uphold the Constitution of the United States, not the will of five members of the Supreme Court.  

We call on all federal and state officeholders: 

To refuse to accept Obergefell as binding precedent for all but the specific plaintiffs in that case.

To recognize the authority of states to define marriage, and the right of federal and state officeholders to act in accordance with those definitions.

To pledge full and mutual legal and political assistance to anyone who refuses to follow Obergefell for constitutionally protected reasons.

To open forthwith a broad and honest conversation on the means by which Americans may constitutionally resist and overturn the judicial usurpations evident in Obergefell.

 

We emphasize that the course of action we are here advocating is neither extreme nor disrespectful of the rule of law. Lincoln regarded the claim of supremacy for the Supreme Court in matters of constitutional interpretation as incompatible with the republican principles of the Constitution. Our position is summed up in Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address . . .

So what exactly is this? Well according to the National Organization for Marriage and anti-gay talking head Michael Brown, it's a statement made by "over 60 prominent legal scholars" who felt compelled, on the basis of their expertise, to announce that Obergefell vs. Hodges (the case which legalized marriage equality) should be resisted because it was wrongly decided.

Their reasoning makes no sense. However, I find their reasoning irrelevant when one takes a look at the signers of the statement , i.e. the so-called "prominent legal scholars." 

I list a few just as they are listed on the statement but also took the liberty to include certain omitted details in italics:

Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence, Princeton University, Founder of American Principles Project (George is one of the founders of the National Organization for Marriage, which opposes marriage equality. And he was also one of the main arranger of the funds given to Professor Mark Regnerus to conduct a study on gay parenting study, which has since been discredited. The study was created as an attempt to sway the Supreme Court against marriage equality)

John C. Eastman, Henry Salvatori Professor of Law & Community Service, Dale E. Fowler School of Law at Chapman University (the present chair of the National Organization for Marriage)

George W. Dent, Jr., Professor of Law, Case Western Reserve University School of Law (Dent supplied the discredited information which the defenders of DOMA used in court to unsuccessfully defend that law.)

 Matthew J. Franck, Director, William E. and Carol G. Simon Center for Religion and the Constitution, Witherspoon Institute (Franck made the outrageous claim that judicial decisions for marriage equality was akin to the Dred Scott decision of 1857, which further stripped African-Americans of their humanity. His organization, the Witherspoon Institute, also contributed funds to Regnerus' discredited anti-gay parenting study.)

Walter Schumm, Professor of Family Studies, Kansas State University (Schumm has been criticized for shoddy research against lgbt equality. His  "expert testimony" against gay adoption in Florida  in 2010 was negatively called out by a lower court and an appeals court.

Lynne Marie Kohm, John Brown McCarty Professor of Family Law and Associate Dean of Faculty Development and External Affairs, Regent University School of Law (Regent University has fallen under a lot of criticism due to its stated goal  to "use the law to further the kingdom of God")

It's relatively easy for someone like Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council  to vaguely cite the truncated "fact" that "60 legal scholars"  oppose Obergefell vs. Hodges decision without giving pertinent information about some of these "scholars.". In fact, I anticipate that Perkins, and several others on the right, will most likely do so.

However, it doesn't change anything. Marriage equality is the law of the land. And best of all, opponents of marriage equality continue to mire themselves in the same lies and oblivious lack of self-awareness which eventually caused them to lose the fight against marriage equality in the first place.

I swear, a part of me misses the days when highly immoral, questionable acts were done with a degree of covert style and technique instead of the mistaken belief that one can get away with lying openly and unashamedly.

Editor's note - The site which trumpeted the letter, Americans Principles Project,  was founded by Robert P. George and has former NOM head Maggie Gallagher on its board.

Related post:  Marriage Equality Opponents Need to Admit Actual Reason for Their Loss

'Magazine wins defeats anti-gay billionaire in court' & other Fri midday news briefs

We Were Sued by a Billionaire Political Donor. We Won. Here's What Happened. - Sweet! Progressive magazine Mother Jones was sued by anti-gay billionaire but won because truth is ALWAYS the best defense against charges of libel. 

No talk of 2016, Speaker mess at Log Cabin dinner - Okay, y'all. No picking at the Log Cabin Republicans. They are having a rough time of it right now.

 'Glorifying Unnatural Marriage': One Million Moms Steaming Hot Over Campbell's Soup Ad With Gay Dads - Apparently acknowledging that gays have families is wrong. For what reason, I don't know . . .

  This Trans Guy Documented His Transition By Taking A Selfie Every Day For 3 Years - The steps to being one's authentic self.  

Tony Perkins Blames Obama For UCC Shooting - Between attacking lgbts, FRC and Tony Perkins talk about having more guns. Well that's a bad combination.

Fox News caught pushing another false story about the transgender community, bathrooms

Fox News can't stop lying about the transgender community.

One thing the following item from Equality Matters proves - you don't need to follow any tenet of responsible journalism to work for Fox News:

Fox News reported a bogus story about a California mom who claims to have been kicked out of an REI sporting goods store for complaining about a man frightening her daughter in the store's women's restroom. Fox's reporting was based on statements made by an anti-LGBT hate group with a history of fabricating similar incidents in order to fearmonger about transgender people using public restrooms.

Fox Parroted Mom's Allegation Of Being "Booted" From Store. In an October 2 article on FoxNews.com, Fox News reporter Perry Chiaramonte reported a California woman's allegation that she was kicked out of a Santa Rosa REI sporting goods store after complaining that a man had frightened her daughter in the women's restroom:

A California mom who says she was recently kicked out of a sporting goods store after alerting a manager that man had frightened her young daughter in the women's restroom is demanding  answers - and a policy change - from the Washington-based chain.

The woman, who spoke to FoxNews.com but asked not to be identified, said she was shopping with her 12-year-old daughter and the girl's younger friend when her daughter told her what had happened moments earlier at an REI sporting goods store during a shopping trip in late August.

"We started to drive to another store and she said to me, 'Mom, I need to tell you something,'" said the woman. "I asked her what was wrong and she told me 'A man used the bathroom while we were in there and it scared me.'"

When the mother turned the car around and went back to the store to confront the manager of the Santa Rosa store, she said she was stunned to learn that the man, who she said was not dressed in women's clothes and did not appear outwardly to be transgender, had done nothing wrong in the eyes of the employees and other customers. [FoxNews.com, 10/2/15]

There ARE a couple of things wrong with this story. We don't know the identity of the woman who alleged this incident.  REI investigated and - surprise, surprise - couldn't find anything to verify the accuracy of the woman's tale:

After Investigation, REI Finds "No Evidence" Of Incident, Confirms Woman Was Not Asked To Leave. In a statement posted on their website, REI said store personnel had found no evidence to support the claim that a man was in the women's restroom. Additionally, the sporting goods retailer denied the woman's allegation that she was asked to leave the store (emphasis added):

And last but not least, according to Equality Matters, Fox News based its report on claims made by an anti-gay hate group called the Pacific Justice Institute.  PJI is not known to many folks, but the organization has a history of pushing false stories. Equality Matters gave two for an example:

PJI Previously Fabricated A Story About Transgender Bathroom Access. In 2013, the PJI was criticized after being caught fabricating a story about a transgender Colorado student who it said was harassing girls in a school bathroom. Fox Nation reported that bogus story without issuing a retraction. [Media Matters, 12/29/13]

Fox Was Recently Duped By Another Bogus PJI Story About LGBT People. In February 2015, Fox News contributor Todd Starnes fell for another another bogus PJI horror story about anti-gay students being bullied at a California high school. [Media Matters, 2/19/15]

It's  junk like this which should anger not only lgbts about Fox News, but also conservatives. Many at Fox News have said that the network exists to push the conservative point of view in the media. So I guess articles like this means that the conservative point of view is unverified slanders via "anonymous" sources.

'What LGBTQ person should know about their history' & other Thur midday news briefs

Editor's note - As some of you may have noticed, my postings have been a bit meager. The reason is I live in Columbia, SC and as you know, we have been hit with disastrous flooding. By the grace of God, my area has been mostly untouched (apparently my area is so ghetto, pizza deliveries AND natural disasters skip it). Still things have been chaotic around here as we monitor the damage done to the city and state. Keep South Carolina in your mind and prayers.

Southern Baptist Conference: ‘Struggling’ LGBT People Can Change Through Christ - Actually they are right in a way. It was my faith in God which led me to stop worrying about ignorant people who don't know me, but will condemn me and embrace my gayness as a wonderful gift from Him. And it is, too.  

Every LGBTQ+ Person Should Read This - Yes and double yes. Every lgbt person should read this to know the stock of their worth, especially our youth. I love this reminder of where we came from and how people like us changed history and transformed the world for the better. 

 A Kentucky Clerk Changes His Policy, Will Now Issue Marriage Licenses To Different-Sex Couples - Somebody is jealous that Kim Davis is getting all of the attention.

 Bryant assistant coach Chris Burns comes out - Becoming the first Division One men’s college basketball coach to ever publicly come out.

 10 Ways to Make It Easier for Your Child to Come Out - Pay attention and write it down.

Senator wants 1950s anti-gay blackmail, suicide case investigated

Senator Tammy Baldwin

It is actions like this which make Tammy Baldwin a wonderful Senator and and a genuine leader in the lgbt community.

From Yahoo:

In the wake of disclosures in a Yahoo News documentary , the Justice Department is facing new calls to investigate a Cold War-era antigay blackmail plot that led to the 1954 suicide of Wyoming Sen. Lester Hunt.

Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin — the first openly lesbian member of Congress — asks Attorney General Loretta Lynch in a letter to “help shine a light on a dark chapter in the history of the Senate” by investigating the roles that three U.S. senators played in hounding Hunt to his death by exploiting his son’s arrest for soliciting gay sex in Lafayette Park, across the street from the White House.

The death of Hunt has been shrouded in mystery and controversy ever since the Wyoming Democrat went to his office on June 19, 1954, with a rifle and killed himself. Although the details were covered up for years, the event became the inspiration for the 1959 bestselling novel “ Advise and Consent,” later a popular Hollywood movie that had a huge cultural impact due to its frank depiction of the ways in which homosexuality was used as a political weapon at the time.

 “While decades have passed since this tragic incident, it remains a troubling example of the misdeeds of the McCarthy era and the role homophobia and bigotry has played in the history of our nation, including at the highest levels of federal government,” Baldwin wrote in a letter to Lynch last week. (A Justice Department spokeswoman said officials had not yet had a chance to review the letter and therefore couldn’t comment.)

I support this entirely. Looking into our past is something that the lgbt community has not done with as much fervor as we celebrate our present victories. Remember, someone paid dearly for what we have. We owe it to them to always remember their stories so that we never take anything for granted.

'Danny Pintauro raising eyebrows with HIV claim, message' & other Wed midday news briefs

Danny Pintauro

The Problematic Case of Danny Pintauro - Since announcing that he is HIV positive, the former "Who's The Boss" cast member has been raising eyebrows in a negative way regarding some things he said as well as how he presented himself in the media. Just goes to show that our community need not anoint every lgbt or lgbt-ally celebrity as a role model, leader, or spokesperson. Perhaps choosing people with no spotlight works better than attempting to bogart spotlight already created.

Brian Sims announces bid for Congress - The first gay man elected to the Pennsylvania legislature. I've heard nothing but good things about him. I hope he wins because he would be a great addition to other lgbts in Congress. Also, it could inspire more of us to run. We cherish the fact that we work outside of the system. Being inside the system also doesn't hurt.

 On Savage Lovecast, Equality Matters' Rachel Percelay Describes How Fox News Turns Transgender People Into Villains - Wonderful interview!  

Huckabee: Pope Should Fire 'Elitist' Staffers Who Distanced Him From Kim Davis - Put a sock in it, Huckabee!  

Judge Tells Hobby Lobby To Stop Discriminating Against Trans Employee - They aren't going to like that. (Good!)

Family Research Council can't stop lying about The Vatican, Kim Davis, and SPLC

Tony Perkins can't stop lying.

The push back by the Vatican on the claim that the Pope met with anti-gay Kentucky clerk Kim Davis has really struck a nerve with some anti-gay groups.

Tony Perkins of the Family Research added some spin to the situation:

Pouncing on the private nature of the meeting, everyone from Reuters to the Associated Press is casting doubt on the nature of the get-together, and whether -- in fact -- the Vatican actually invited the Davises to meet the Pontiff. Some reporters are now insisting it was a random encounter, which is laughable considering the amount of security involved in the Pope's visit. In a place like the Vatican Embassy, there's absolutely no way the two parties could have accidentally crossed paths. As Liberty Counsel explained, the Davises were actually transported to the meeting by van by the Vatican's own men. Kim was even asked to wear her hair up so that she'd be less recognizable.

Ultimately, the Davises ended up in a private room, where "no one else [was] present." When the Pope arrived, he stretched out his hands and encouraged Kim to "stay strong," something that wouldn't have made sense unless he was familiar with her case. Now, several days later, the Vatican's communications shop seems intent on giving the media a story where there is none. Pressed by reporters, Spokesman Federico Lombardi appeared to backtrack on the significance of the meeting, suggesting that no one should construe the invitation as an endorsement of Kim.

So Perkins is basically relying on the words of the Liberty Counsel, the organization whose credibility took a tremendous beating  over this incident and a certain other false claim it made recently regarding a Peruvian rally in Davis's honor.

Okay.

Attorney defending Kim Davis is an awful liar

Staver

Yesterday, the Associated Press published a wonderful article on the anti-gay Liberty Counsel, its lying defense of Kim Davis, and the fact that it is labeled a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Instead of yelling "what took you so long," I read the article thoroughly while enjoying the fact that millions will finally see the Liberty Counsel  as a homophobic group masquerading as a Christian organization.

I did catch one vital part, however:

The Southern Poverty Law Center lists the Liberty Counsel as an anti-gay hate groups for spreading false information.

"A group that regularly portrays gay people as perverse, diseased pedophiles putting Western civilization at risk are way, way over the line," said Mark Potok, a senior fellow at the center. The Liberty Counsel has connected homosexuality to higher rates of promiscuity and incest, Potok said, despite scientific evidence to the contrary. The firm opposes laws banning hate crimes and supports discredited conversion therapies that purport to turn homosexuals into heterosexuals. Staver once declared that the Boy Scouts would become a "playground for pedophiles" once it allowed gay troop leaders.

Staver, his hair bright white and his ties usually red, contends his quotes were taken out of context and he has legal arguments for the rest: hate crime laws infringe on free speech, he believes, and gay conversion therapies should be available to those who want them because he believes in "personal autonomy." "It is irresponsible and reckless to call someone a hate group because you disagree with them," he said.

Staver continues to play the victim but as recent events demonstrated, he is a terrible liar. These are comments made by Staver which correspond to the above accusations.


Comments he made about Boy Scouts and gays:



His claim that marriage equality is leading America to the pit of hell:



 And there are recordings of other statements, including when he called gays demonic and defended oppressive anti-gay laws in other countries such as Russia and Nigeria.

Out of context, my foot!