Visual reminder - homophobia and transphobia are two heads on the same beast

I have a visual reminder for everyone, particularly the relatively small number but nonetheless extremely annoying and ignorant LGB people in my community. 

Remember when these notions were openly expressed about gays:

There has been a small shift:

This not to say that lies about LGB people have gone away. But there have been some "incorporations." They have gone from this:

To this:

 Some folks have expressed the stupid belief that this new wave coming against us is the fault of the trans community. The people and groups who spew the vile tropes which I've just featured seek to eliminate equality, as well as the right to self-determination, and safety from all of us. Not just the trans community. 

Think of homophobia and transphobia as two heads on the same beast. And this beast has always hit at us from a perceived weak angle.  Once it was those of us who wanted to marry.  Today it's the trans community. Who knows which part of our community will be the next victim of its undeserved attention. 

We should have sense enough as a community to not open our doors and invite the beast in.  And we definitely should have sense to know that allowing the beast to feed on a portion of our community won't satisfy it. 

It wants all of us.

 

Hat tip to Comics with Problems for some of the images in this post.

'Ohio GOP's drag ban cosponsor was accused of sexual conduct with a minor' & other Mon/Tue news briefs

Ohio state rep Rodney Creech

Ohio GOP's drag ban cosponsor was accused of sexual misconduct with minor relative:

 (State Rep. Rodney) Creech was accused in 2023 by a minor female relative of climbing into bed with her while erect and wearing only his underwear, according to Bureau of Criminal Investigation documents obtained by the Statehouse News Bureau. Text messages showed the minor complaining that Creech had been rubbing her legs and grabbing her waist, according to NBC4. Creech admitted to investigators he had gotten into bed with the minor in his underwear but denied the sexual nature of the allegations. 

 Clark County Prosecutor Daniel Driscoll, brought in as a special prosecutor, declined to file charges but wrote that Creech’s “behavior during the time of the investigation was concerning and suspicious,” according to documents reported by the Dayton Daily News. Creech has called the allegations “demonstrably false.” 

 The allegations were initially brought to the Preble County Sheriff’s Department in July 2023, but no investigation was opened. Both the sheriff and then-Prosecutor Martin Votel — personal friends of Creech — later recused themselves. Five months after Votel was credited by the sheriff with turning away the allegations, Creech donated $4,100 to Votel’s judicial campaign — accounting for roughly 75% of Votel’s total fundraising, according to the Dayton Daily News. Votel, now a Preble County Common Pleas Court judge, denied any impropriety. 

 Tennessee librarian risks job after refusing to move LGBTQ+ children’s books: 

 Luanne James, director of the Rutherford County Library System in Tennessee, has garnered national support after refusing to move more than 190 LGBTQ+-themed books out of youth sections. In an 18 March letter she sent to the board, she argued that relocating the titles would amount to “viewpoint discrimination” and violate the First Amendment, writing plainly: “Therefore, I will not comply.”

Heard enough news about trans people? Believe me, so have I - Jace Woodrum, a trans man and executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of South Carolina breaks it down: 

 Like most people, I’m shocked at what I’m paying at the grocery store. I’m worried about how South Carolina might change as people continue moving here. I’m concerned about the teachers who have left my kid’s school for jobs outside of education. 

But our lawmakers don’t seem to be doing anything about how expensive everything is or about rapid growth. And they don’t seem to be doing enough about the pressures facing our educators. Our legislators have only 54 days out of each year to get things done in their regular session. They seem to be spending a lot of time on proposals that harm a small population instead of using that time to help the everyday South Carolinians who sent them there. 

Trans Ohioans create a safe space to teach other trans people how to shoot guns and handle firearms safely - I fully support this. In this climate, it is vital that trans Americans learn to defend themselves: 

Some have never shot a firearm before, but felt safe enough to do it with the help of Fifi and Bella, two trans people of color. (The Buckeye Flame has omitted surnames and changed some first names upon request due to safety concerns.) Fifi was inspired to host the class after they moved back home to Ohio in 2022. They had been living in Portland, Oregon and was shocked by the amount of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation moving through the Republican-controlled Ohio Statehouse. Range goers cited the legislation as key to their decision to own a gun and to learn how to shoot.

MAGA Christian Nationalist pastor: We are going to impose our (morality) on America. If you don't like it, I'm sorry

Why do white conservative evangelicals support Donald Trump even though he is the antithesis of everything they claim to oppose? Because he gives them power. With him in office, they are feeling incredibly sure of themselves, as this seen this item below. While people's heads are turned and distracted by Trump's various mad exploits (the Iran War, the attacks on DEI, etc.) and unprecedented attacks on the transgender community, MAGA pastors such William Wolfe are plotting to impose their religious will on the country. 

 

 From Right Wing Watch: 

 On Saturday, former Trump administration official and radical Christian nationalist William Wolfe delivered a speech at Bethel Church in Petersburg, West Virginia, entitled "Five Popular Lies About Faith & Politics." Wolfe, who now runs the Center For Baptist Leadership and has become an increasingly fanatical anti-immigrant activist, openly admitted that the goal of Christian nationalists is to gain political power and impose their morality upon everyone else.

 "We should not blink, we should not hesitate to tell people—not because we are so wise, not because we made the rules of the world; we didn't—we humbly submit to how God made the rules of the world, and we say, 'This is how we should order our lives together,'" Wolfe said.

"And frankly, yes, we are going to impose it upon you. If you don't like it, I'm sorry, but this is good and right and just if it lines up with God's standards and I am going to enforce my morality on you inasmuch as our morality is God's morality." 

 "You should always check yourselves," Wolfe continued. "Do I believe what God believes? Am I defending what God says is good? And if it is, then you should have the courage to say, 'This is how we're going to run our town, this is how we're going to run our county, this is how we're going to run our state, and this is how we should run the United States of America by legislating the morality that we can find in the Bible.'"

'The absolute gayest moments from this year's Oscars' & other Mon/Tue news briefs

Editor's note - I am going to start out today's news briefs with something frivolous because there are so many awful things going on and so much hatred being passed around. Much of it is thanks to the dumbass in the White House who a bunch of other dumbasses decided to put in charge of our country. Specifically, this first item is dedicated to a friend of mine on Facebook (who shall remain nameless) as a way of saying self-care is always important. Sometimes you have to tune it out from time to time to replenish your spirit and preserve your happiness and health. And above all, find something funny to laugh about. It's good for you.

 

The absolute gayest moments from this year’s Oscars, from that winning kiss to Channing Tatum’s glittery thong - Last night at the Oscars was very enjoyable and as you will read, very gay. Even a certain gay icon showed up and sang as a tribute.

Dr. Oz Tried to Pressure Medical Societies to Oppose Trans Youth Care - And we are back to the grind. Luckily Dr. Oz failed in his endeavor. Oz already has much to answer for due to his bizarre tangent late last year regarding certain claims about "bottom surgery" costs for trans kids - something which is NOT happening.

Zohran Mamdani recruits NYC’s first openly trans director for new LGBTQIA+ Affairs office - Good for New York! 

Trump says Iran throws gays off buildings after trying to deport same-sex couple there - The man is a moron. Point blank.

'Maine residents rally to keep LGBTQ book in local libraries' & other Wed/Thur news briefs

Resident in the city of Gardiner, ME rallied to keep the LGBTQ book 'Prince and Knight' on the library shelves after some people called it 'propaganda' created to 'indoctrinate' children.

Residents rally to keep LGBTQ book in Gardiner-area school libraries - Good news coming from Maine to start it all off on a positive note. 

Engineer sues LA County for right to work from home when Pride flag is displayed​ - It's ridiculous, but the Supreme Court has everyone playing the "it's my religious liberty" card so he could win. It's becoming annoying how almost every time we are mentioned in the public square, someone pulls the "religious liberty" card to render us invisible or create some sort of psychological roadblock which they would never do in other situations.

San José State University Sues Trump Admin Over Anti-Trans Threats—Refusing to Capitulate - Good for them!

Cisgender kids in Texas can’t get care due to anti-trans laws - Transphobes like to smear puberty blockers when they are prescribed to trans teens. They don't say a word when they are prescribed to other kids for different conditions. 

There Is No Evidence For Banning Trans Women From Sports - SCOTUS is not going to rule in our favor on this subject because it's all about fears and irrational suspicions. Still, this information is needed.

He helped ban conversion therapy. Now the Supreme Court could undo it all. - Now we could win this SCOTUS case. But then again, it could be the "it's my religious freedom" card played again.

This conservative is losing his mind over Biden’s “gay maps,” but the joke’s on him - The joke's on him? He is a joke.

LGBTQ studies are necessary in K-12 education - Amen! We need to have this conversation. and NOW.

Moms risk arrest to protect gender-affirming healthcare for trans youth

From Orion Rummler of The 19th by way of The Advocate comes a simple fact that the parents of trans kids are determined to keep their children healthy and safe. 

Even if they have to be arrested for it:

(Larissa) Godfrey-Smith was one of over 50 people who joined a protest last month against the Trump administration’s plans to ban gender-affirming care for trans youth. They blocked the entrance to the Health and Human Services Department headquarters to demand that the government stop blocking medical care for transgender kids. Godfrey-Smith was among the 25 protesters arrested.

 Parents and grandparents of trans youth, plus their therapists and medical providers, are fed up after years of health care bans and hostile rhetoric. Those feelings are driving them to do things they’ve never done before — like plan to get arrested at a protest.

 . . . As a licensed professional counselor who specializes in LGBTQ+ mental health, Godfrey-Smith, who uses she and they pronouns, works with trans kids and their families as they navigate the complexities of gender changing over time. They answer nervous parents’ questions. They talk about concerns regarding medical transition. They also work with trans adults who are well into their 30s and 40s and figuring it all out for the first time. 

 The Trump administration is not helping those patients, she said; bans and rhetoric are just making everything worse. Families are confused about what they can access and what to believe. Financial costs to find knowledgeable providers are rising. And parents are scared about the world their trans children are growing up in. 

“I’m so angry and so frustrated. I’m just so exhausted at the misinformation,” they said. As a mental health provider, they know that families feel abandoned. She wants those families to see people standing up for them. 

 

Read the entire article here. 

'Trump causes MAGA meltdown with post accidentally supporting 'child transgender surgery'' & other Thur/Fri news briefs

Trump's original Truth Social post which causes a conservative meltdown

Trump Deletes Post Backing Child Transgender Surgery With ‘Approval of the Parents’ Following Backlash From Conservatives​ - Gender-affirming healthcare for trans kids generally doesn't involve surgery and I'm sure this was an error in syntax on Trump's part. STILL, it was hilarious to watch conservatives flip out over it. 

Joe Rogan calls trans people “f**king perverts” & blames them for school shootings - Joe Rogan's personal animus against the trans community is probably one of the things which fueled transphobic backlashes. 

13 HIV/AIDS activists arrested on Capitol Hill - Good for them! 

West Virginia Senate passes ‘anti-LGBTQ’ bills on Crossover Day - Bizarre bills. I guess they were meant to be anti-LGBTQ