The Daily Show's Michael Kosta . . . interviewed the "No. 1 book banner" in Florida, the state where books are banned from public schools more than any other state in the U.S. Gee, thanks for that, Gov. DeSantis. He hit the Floridians' central issues, like banning Maya Angelou's 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.' Imagine banning Maya Angelou's book. Holy shit.Kosta spoke with Bruce Friedman, a conservative activist who is responsible for that. He admitted that he has filed more than 900 objections to books so far. Kosta used expletives throughout the interview since Friedman is against profanity.The interview is hilarious and pathetic at the same time. "You're the Michael Jordan of book banning," Kosta said. "Well, in the last two years, I've challenged more than one book every calendar day," Friedman said.
Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters
Analyzing and refuting the inaccuracies lodged against the lgbt community by religious conservative organizations. Lies in the name of God are still lies.
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
The Daily Show gives 'No 1 book banner' wide room to make a fool of himself.
Monday, December 16, 2024
'Pastor snuck anti-trans speech into school board meeting. Instantly got checked' & other Mon/Tues news briefs
Thursday, December 12, 2024
Nancy Mace becomes social media laughingstock after questionable claim of assault by 'pro-trans man'
South Carolina Congresswoman Nancy Mace is now being mocked on social media due to a recent incident in which she had a pro-trans advocate arrested for assault.
She's being mocked for two reasons:
1. A witness contends the incident involved a simple handshake and that she blew it out of proportion.
2. Mace has a reputation on Capitol Hill for public actions and publicity stunts designed to grab attention and get her interviewed on cable news and podcasts. This alleged incident happened on the heels of a public campaign she began to bar Delaware Congresswoman Sarah McBride banned from using the women's restroom. McBride is the first trans woman ever to be elected to Congress.
While the truth of the incident remains murky, there are a lot of questions as to Mace's actions. According to court records, Mace did not allow a paramedic to examine her. If that's the case, why was she wearing a cast on her wrist and elbow the next day:
Nancy Mace arrives in Congress after her “assault.” pic.twitter.com/WtyKccX4RQ
— Hoodlum πΊπΈ (@NotHoodlum) December 12, 2024
Nancy Mace after seeing a rainbow in a Hawaiian rain forest. pic.twitter.com/4wkx6mURrC
— ππΊπΈ DTM Woodworks πΊπΈπ (@DTM_Woodworks) December 12, 2024
Now with her arm in a sling, some on the Hill speculate that Nancy Mace is looking to boost her chances of landing the Jack Lemmon role in a reboot of The Fortune Cookie. https://t.co/ThDnSQ5VzL pic.twitter.com/L8LPArotLI
— Ira 'Greybeard Homer' Goldman π¦π¦π¦ (@KDbyProxy) December 11, 2024
Nancy Mace when someone gives her a high five, but says, “trans” at the same time pic.twitter.com/lyjgMXRItP
— PatriotTakes πΊπΈ (@patriottakes) December 12, 2024
Nancy Mace pic.twitter.com/R4s2pdJ97a
— Gabe Sanchez (@iamgabesanchez) December 12, 2024
Nancy Mace after a trans woman waves at her. pic.twitter.com/syoXyEMnJX
— ππ‘π’ππ’ (@ChidiNwatu) December 12, 2024
Nancy Mace was electrocuted this morning.
— Cat Astrophe (@JohnSte69481381) December 12, 2024
Took a static shock picking up the remote.
Thoughts and prayers π pic.twitter.com/9g1oalEL6C
Nancy Mace after someone said hello to her. pic.twitter.com/IIRVINMbJ4
— JustTheFacts! ⚓️ πΊπΈπ¦ (@JustTheFacts_68) December 12, 2024
Nancy Mace after a car with a Pride Bumper sticker honked at her.
— Karma Dawgs π πΎ (@karmadawgs) December 12, 2024
( I posted this twice n it keeps getting deleted- this place is so bad.) pic.twitter.com/jbx7PqLEa2
This is the same woman who told staff, myself included, during Jan. 6 that she wanted to get “punched in the face” by a rioter so she could get on TV. She’s full of shit and her prop of a sling is a pathetic ploy for attention. pic.twitter.com/f8sHCq4u0C
— Natalie Johnson (@nataliejohnsonn) December 12, 2024
Wednesday, December 11, 2024
Nancy Mace claims she was assaulted by a 'pro-trans man.' A witness says she's lying.
Nancy Mace on Capitol Hill a day after an alleged assault by a 'pro-trans man'. Mace's claim of assault has been disputed by a witness. |
South Carolina Congresswoman Nancy Mace has been riding the publicity wave fueled by her attacks on Sarah McBride, the Delaware representative who recently became the first trans woman elected to the House of Representatives. An alleged incident Tuesday night will generate more publicity for her, although it may not all be in her favor.
From Emily Brooks of The Hill:
A disputed handshake is at the center of a Tuesday incident involving Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) that resulted in an Illinois man’s arrest, according to a police report and a witness who spoke to The Hill. Mace, who has made headlines in recent weeks for advocating against transgender women being able to use Capitol facilities that match their gender identity, said on the social platform X that she was “physically accosted” by a “pro-tr*ns man.”Capitol Police confirmed that 33-year-old James McIntyre of Illinois was arrested Tuesday in connection with the incident, which took place at a foster care youth advocacy event. But witness Elliott Hinkle, who is transgender and has experience in foster care, disputed Mace’s characterization of the interaction.. . . “As she went to leave the room, James met her by the door where people could see her and him to say, ‘Trans youth are in foster care and they need your support,’ and gave a handshake and then walked back to his seat and sat down,” Hinkle told The Hill, noting that 30 percent of youth in foster care are LGBTQ.“It seemed a pretty normal interaction from those of us who witnessed it.”A Mace staff member returned to ask McIntyre’s name and what he said to Mace, Hinkle said. Soon after, Hinkle said, Capitol Police showed up with an “overwhelming presence” and eventually arrested McIntyre.
Elliott Hinkle, a former foster youth and advocate for LGBTQ rights, said McIntyre shook her hand, and made a comment about how many transgender youth are in foster care, adding: “They need your support.”“From what I saw, it was a normal handshake and interaction that I would expect any legislator to expect from anyone as a constituent,” said Hinkle, a consultant who has advised the federal government on issues affecting youth in foster care.
A police report on the incident also documented Mace’s account of the handshake, which had a more aggressive interpretation.“The victim [Mace] offered their right hand to the individual to shake hands, and upon their hands coming together, the individual placed their other hand on top of the victim’s hand in a clasping manner so that the victim’s hand was between both of the subject’s hands. The victim stated that the subject began to aggressively and in an exaggerated manner shake her arm up and down in a hand shaking motion. The effect of the motion was described as her arm flailing for about 3-5 seconds,” the police report said of Mace’s accounting of the interaction.“The victim stated that she attempted to pull her hand away from the subject but was held in place by the subject,” the report continued. “During the shaking motion, the victim advised that the subject stated, ‘trans youth deserve advocacy.’”Mace told police she was experiencing pain in her wrists, arm, and armpit/shoulder after the incident, according to the police report.
McIntyre was arrested Tuesday and charged with assaulting a government official, Capitol Police said. On Wednesday, McIntyre pleaded not guilty to the charge in D.C. Superior Court.Asked to respond to Hinkle disputing Mace’s characterization of events, Mace spokesperson Gabrielle Lipsky told The Hill in a statement: “With an ongoing investigation, we’re limited in what we can share beyond what Capitol Police have already made public. The Congresswoman is in pain this morning, with her arm in a sling, but she’s otherwise doing well—just shaken up. What’s even more disheartening is watching the Left and their media allies deny this even happened, propping up misogyny instead of condemning violence.”Mace was spotted wearing a sling in the Capitol on Wednesday and posted on X that President-elect Trump had called her to check in on her.
Monday, December 09, 2024
Ohio schoolteacher sues district claiming that anti-LGBTQ book policy violates her moral and religious beliefs
Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea is one of the four books which initiated a lawsuit in Ohio. |
An Ohio elementary school teacher is suing her school district for disciplining her because she had books in her classroom which contained LGBTQ+ characters. And in an interesting turn, she is using the argument conservatives have used against the LGBTQ+ - religious liberty.
From The Advocate:
Karen Cahall, who has worked at New Richmond Exempted Village School District for over 30 years as an elementary teacher, filed a lawsuit against the district last week after being subjected to "disciplinary proceedings" when a parent complained about four books she kept in her classroom – all age appropriate and not required reading – just because they had LGBTQ+ characters.
The lawsuit claims that Cahall was suspended three days without pay for "simply having in her possession in her classroom four books that had LGBTQ+ characters in the plot line, even though these particular books were intermingled among approximately one hundred other books, were not prominently displayed ... [Cahall] did not teach from those books as part of her instructional program, and did not require students to read those books."
. . . The four books are Ana On The Edge by A.J. Sass, The Fabulous Zed Watson by Basil Sylvester, Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea by Ashley Herring Blake, and Too Bright to See by Kyle Lukoff. None of the books contain sexual content, but rather characters who "are coming to terms with feeling different and excluded," according to the lawsuit.
The district has “controversial issues” policy that does allow teachers to address issues "likely to arouse both support and opposition in the community" so long as they are related to instruction and do not "tend to indoctrinate or persuade students to a particular point of view."
Cahall's suit argues that the policy "is so vague and all-encompassing that it could extend to virtually any topic upon which any two random individuals or groups of individuals might find something to disagree about, and therefore fails to provide people of ordinary intelligence a reasonable opportunity to understand what is or is not a 'controversial issue.'"
The suit also contends that Cahall's "sincerely held moral and religious beliefs" were violated. The article pointed out how her claim is "flipping the script" because of how many times conservative Christians have used the "religious liberty" argument to undermine LGBTQ+ equality:
"Cahall maintained these books in her classroom amongst over one hundred other books spanning a wide variety of subject matters in furtherance of her sincerely held moral and religious beliefs that that all children, including children who are LGBTQ+ or the children of parents who are LGBTQ+, deserve to be respected, accepted, and loved for who they are," the suit continues."
Thursday, December 05, 2024
Trump's mass deportation plan is going to have an ugly crash with reality
I'm taking a small departure from my usual postings about LGBTQ issues. Indulge me, please.
One good thing may come out of Trump's nonsensical plan to mass deport undocumented immigrants is a realization of how much this country depends upon them. Whether folks want to admit it or not, there is very vital ecosystem of undocumented workers. They not only work at the jobs people in this country don't want to have, but their spending contributes greatly to our economy.
No matter how much they are attacked by wannabe social media influencers, vilified by opportunistic politicians, or resented in general, the fact of the matter is that they are as part of America as the rest of us. This country needs them just as much as they need us. Very few will say this out loud and even fewer wants to admit to it, but it's a fact.
As you can tell by the success of Trump's recent campaign, they also serve a convenient function as scapegoats, i.e. the proverbial monster in the dark closet. The only problem is when lights get switched on and the closet doors get flung open, are we going to be able to cope with the consequences of what Trump has in store for them? He has no thought-out plan of how he's going to accomplish this mass deportation, nor does he have no idea how much it would cost. He's simply riding an emotional wave built up by fear and jealousy. But what's going to happen when reality comes crashing into that wave?
I'm not alone in feeling this way. Articles from various news sources have been warning us. Some of us simply refuse to listen:
Undocumented immigrants have a substantial economic footprint in the US and Utah
US neighbors balk at Trump plan for deported migrants
Expert: Mass deportation would have ‘devastating impact’ on Michigan agriculture industry
‘Mass deportations would disrupt the food chain’: Californians warn of ripple effect of Trump threat
US farm groups want Trump to spare their workers from deportation
Some upstate farmers worry about plan for migrant workers, deportation promise from Trump
Wisconsin Farmer Talks about Essential Role of Migrant Workers
Pa. farm industry braces for raids, deportations under proposed Trump policy
Even immigrants with lawful status brace for Trump's mass deportation
South Florida immigrants fear mass deportations amid Trump's return to office
Trump's deportation vow alarms Texas construction industry
Mass deportations could hinder US agriculture
Monday, December 02, 2024
'Village People singer defends Trump's use of 'Y.M.C.A' by claiming song isn't a gay anthem' & other Mon/Tue news briefs
“Y.M.C.A.” singer and co-writer Victor Willis of the band Village People defended President-elect Donald Trump’s use of the song Monday on Facebook. Willis denied that the disco tune was intended as a “gay anthem,” saying he “knew nothing about the Y being a hang out for gays” when he wrote the lyrics.Willis said he wrote “Y.M.C.A.” based on what he knew about the worldwide youth organization at the time, particularly the YMCA branches in the urban areas of San Francisco.“When I say, ‘hang out with all the boys’ that is simply 1970s black slang for black guys hanging-out together for sports, gambling or whatever. There’s nothing gay about that,” he said of one of the song’s most notable lines.
Seriously, Victor! Your group was comprised of members who costumed themselves in stereotypical gay macho attire. Your songs included "San Francisco," "Macho Man," and "In the Navy." YOUR FIRST ALBUM WAS ABOUT GAY LIFE!!!! Sorry but this is one bit of history y'all ain't gonna rewrite. EVER.