Beware The Lesbian!!

The scariest thing about this Buzzfeed parody is that there was a time which such claims were taken serious. And to a degree they still are. The religious right merely shifts them to another lgbt group:

'Ted Cruz, anti-gay lies, & the 'sweater from hell'' & other Monday midday news briefs

I wish this was a joke, but it's not

Ted Cruz's 'Transgendered Leftist' Claim About Planned Parenthood Shooter Emerged From Far-Right Web - Aside from ruining everyone's Christmas with an UGLY sweater, Cruz has topped all of the news cycles with this mess about the Planned Parenthood shooter being transgender. Some of his defenders said he only uttered this to make a point about jumping to conclusions when it comes to violent acts. Funny how that only makes it worse because of the conclusions he jumped to with regards to the Syrian refugees after the violence in Paris.

 Kids At This School Will No Longer Be Allowed To Read A Book About Trans People - The part about this situation which should spook us all is that the principal offered an "opt-out" for students if they didn't want to read this book. The Liberty Counsel threatened to sue to keep all students from being assigned the book.  

Holiday Homophobia Hurts - It's important to remember that the law can't change everything. As lgbts fight for equality, we do need to combat these things which fall between of legal rights.

 Houston mayor says nothing could have averted HERO loss - And she is right because HERO opponents reached way back into an old but effective playbook which we don't seem to think of combating until things like referendums arise. Then we tend to sink.

What the anti-gay right hides about religious liberty

Let's start this Monday off with a lesson in simplicity. Sometimes we allow our issues to get so complicated that the most important points become missing throughout the tangent mess.

For example, let's take the argument of "religious liberty."  When the religious right says:

"It's time to stand up and exercise that freedom, whether it's in the workplace, whether it's in school, whether it's in the public square as a public official or in our homes, in our churches. Everywhere there is air, there must be religious freedom, and we must exercise it." - Tony Perkins, Family Research Council

“There is a war on religious liberty! And this war is not targeting people of the Muslim faith or the Jewish faith or the Hindu faith. This war on religious liberty is targeting people of the Christian faith. . . The time has come for all of us to stand together with one voice!” Starnes insisted. “They may demand to know the content of our prayers, they may try to shut down our bakeries, they may try to silence our voices, but we will not be silenced! We will not be intimidated!” - Todd Starnes, Fox News personality

Homofascists trample religious liberty, freedom of association, shred what's left of Constitution. - Bryan Fischer, American Family Association

They ultimately mean this:

It's really quite simple.

'Marco Rubio wants to take away gays' right to marry' & other Wed midday news briefs

Marco Rubio

Rubio says same-sex marriage ‘not settled law’ - Uh you wanna bet! It is settled law and we are not giving up what we EARNED. Looks like Rubio is polishing up his "why are you calling me a bigot simply because I believe differently than you" talking points. 

Marco Rubio: 'Ignore' Gay Marriage Decision Because 'God's Rules Always Win' - More on Rubio's nonsense. 

 Read this gay man’s emotional letter to the parents who refused to attend his wedding - SAD situation. Wouldn't happen in my family. Mother dearest will be attending my wedding (specifically if my groom is a doctor or lawyer) and the rest of my family would come if for nothing more than the sake of curiosity. 

 ‘The Danish Girl’ Takes The Transgender Story Off Of E! And Into Oscar Consideration - Speaking of  Oscar season, I have a feeling that this is only one of a few lgbt-oriented pictures going for the big prize. This may turn some people off, but I say go for it!

  The 8 Things You Should Never Say To Your Gay Friends - In my case, add "unless you want to get cut." 

 Liberty Counsel: 'Oppression Of America's Churches' Reminiscent Of Nazi Germany - Soon, anti-gay activists like Mat Staver is going to bring up Nazi Germany so many times, their supporters are going to become desensitized to it.

Anti-gay right, conservatives falsely imply Obama is starting 'War on Christmas'

Obama is NOT declaring a 'War on Christmas.'

Thanksgiving isn't even here yet and some conservatives on the anti-gay right are already pushing the  "War on Christmas."

For the luckily uninitiated, the "War on Christmas" is a yearly event in which conservatives, Fox News, and anti-gay groups either outright lie or blow small incidents way out of proportion to claim that there is some type of  "conspiracy" to somehow strip the holiday of its supposed Christian  heritage.

In other words, it is merely a fear tactic used to generate big ratings or fundraising profits. And it must be working because America has been exposed to it for so long that many of us are now desensitized to how Christmas is exploited by this awful nonsense.

American Family Association's phony new service, One News Now, has already begun ringing the alarm:

"Those who deny that there's no war on Christmas just have a different reality in which they live," says Liberty Counsel founder Mat Staver. The Christian attorney points to one recent example: the Veterans Affairs medical center in Salem, Virginia, which banned Christmas altogether – including the Christmas tree. "This year we've seen a number of attacks on Christmas – [one of them being] the absurd situation that Christmas trees are not permitted," he says, referring to the Salem situation. "That is probably one of the most absurd positions of any government official: that a Christmas tree cannot be permitted because it's Christian and establishes a religion – and yet that's exactly what was happening at Salem, Virginia." 

Remember how I said incidents are blown out of proportion?

'Will media ignore Ted Cruz's newest anti-gay alliance?' & other Tue. midday news briefs

Ted Cruz

Ted Cruz Welcomes Endorsement From Pastor Who Linked Ebola To Gay Rights - After a lot of folks in the media, particularly our lovely overpaid pundits, pretty much ignored Cruz's alliance with a pastor who talked about the death penalty for gays, I'm not hopeful that this will be an "item." 

N.Y. farm appeals $13,000 fine for refusing lesbian couple's wedding - This is NOT a church nor a religious institution. It is a business and those who talk about how businesses should be allowed to discriminate should take in a history lesson on segregation.  

With Millions On HIV Treatment, AIDS Pandemic Tide Turns - BUT slowly...

The Upcoming Film About Black Trans Activist Marsha P. Johnson Looks Absolutely Legendary - THANK YOU! We need more films like this.

'It Gets Better' Launches Inspiring New Project To Celebrate 5th Birthday - Wonderful campaign we all can take part in.

Online publication Vox exposes the Liberty Counsel as an anti-gay hate group.

Staver

If Mat Staver and the Liberty Counsel raised "holy hell" with the Associated Press for merely pointing out that the organization is considered by some to be a hate group, I imagine that they are going to be extremely angry at the online magazine, Vox.

In a recent issue, Vox shined a bright spotlight on the Liberty Counsel, publishing a piece which should serve as a lesson on how to create a proper article.

German Lopez's article, Meet the little-known religious group that turned Kim Davis into a right-wing superstar, is detailed, thoroughly researched, and downright brutal. An excerpt is as follow:

The group presents itself as a reasonable arbiter of religious liberties in these fights, citing discredited scientific research and supposed experts. But a theme runs through all of these battles: Stop LGBTQ rights — even basic ones, like legally allowing consensual same-sex relationships — at any cost.

Here are just a few examples of Staver and Liberty Counsel's past work and comments, largely gathered from Right Wing Watch's archives:

• In 2003, Liberty Counsel submitted a brief to the Supreme Court arguing that the court should not strike down states' anti-sodomy laws, which banned gay sex. The brief stated, "Statistical evidence concerning the medical and social harms resulting from 'private, consensual' same-sex sexual conduct, together with recent legislative and judicial battles, underscore the long-term, devastating consequences of a decision declaring a fundamental right to engage in private consensual same-sex sodomy.

• In 2004, Staver argued in Same-Sex Marriage: Putting Every Household at Risk, "Homosexuality is a destructive lifestyle both physically and emotionally. Same-sex marriage cannot be viewed in isolation from homosexual activity and its consequences on those who engage in such practices, and especially on children raised in such an environment." He was citing the now-discredited work of psychologist Paul Cameron.

  . . .  Mark Potok, senior fellow at the Southern Poverty Law Center, told me that the long history of anti-LGBTQ activism and incendiary comments is what led his organization to classify Liberty Counsel as a hate group. "We do not list groups on the basis of opposition to same-sex marriage or the belief that homosexuality is a sin," Potok said. "We base it on the propagation of known falsehoods and, to a lesser extent, repetitive name-calling."

Staver denies that Liberty Counsel is a hate group, saying his comments have been taken out of context and noting that his group strictly advocates for nonviolent protest. But looking at the collection of all these statements, an obvious pattern emerges — one that is clearly demeaning to LGBTQ people.

But as offensive as these comments are, they're not even the most bizarre aspect of Liberty Counsel's recent anti-LGBTQ work. In the past month, Staver and the group have also been caught repeatedly lying — in what seem to be two failed attempts to appear as if the group and its anti-LGBTQ crusades are still a major, well-supported force in the world.

'Anti-gay backlash coming? Do I look scared?' & other Mon. midday news briefs

Vander Plaats

LGBT Leaders Warn of Looming Gay Rights Backlash - Those of us who study history know that this is inevitable. Historically, after any group becomes successful with attaining some form of equality, backlashes by other parts of society occur. The lgbt community does have one advantage. If we followed history, we know what to expect so we can launch a full-throated, unapologetic, aggressive defense of what we have attained. It beats standing out with your thumb in your ass waiting for the wave of homophobic backlash to knock you down. Make sure those folks know that "you have to bring some to get some."

GOP Candidates Seek Endorsement Of Iowa Anti-Gay Leader Bob Vander Plaats - The fact that many lgbts aren't familiar with Vander Plaats or will write him off as "simply a bigot" is a mindset that we need to overcome.  

Transgender Women’s Health Benefits From Transition Surgery, Study Finds - It's interesting and unfortunate that whenever the media talks about the transgender community, we hear more from pundits and religious right leaders rather than medical professionals and the transgender community itself. 

 I'll Go With You - A Mother's Personal Story About Her Trans Child And Public Bathrooms.  

Victory Fund won’t dump gay lawmakers over refugee vote - I respect the Victory Fund but I also feel that lgbt lawmakers should be called to the carpet, like any other lawmaker, when they do things which simply aren't right. And what these lawmakers did with regards to the Syrian refugee vote was shameful.

Heterosexuality can be cured . . .

No doubt, rampant heterosexuality is a major problem. The following video demonstrates how one can get help in overcoming it:



(In case you haven't realized it yet, this video is strictly satire. These days, it seems that you always have to clarify the obvious.)

'Why 'Transgender Day of Remembrance' is important' & other Fri midday news briefs

Transgender Day of Remembrance 2015: A Reporter's List - I wish days like this weren't necessary, but they are. Cases in point:  

Ted Cruz: Obama Administration Support For Trans School-Aged Children Is “Lunacy” - Idiots like this going for the low hanging fruit of ignorance and fear.  And ignorance and fear only fuels violence.

Wisconsin transgender 'bathroom bill' draws emotional public hearing - While deliberately ignoring the voices of the transgender community - men, women, and children who merely want to live their lives authentically. 

 As 2015 Sees A Record Number Of Documented Transgender Murders, A Glimmer Of Hope - Days like this are necessary because they remind us that there is A LOT of good which has been done, but there is A LOT more to do. 

 In other news: 

 Queer Voices: Do I Sound Gay? Does It Matter? - Or "does this imitation of Diana Ross in Lady Sings the Blues or Angela Lansbury doing 'Rose's Turn' in Gypsy make me look gay? I certainly hope so.  

US Embassy mocks Russian paper over fake ‘outing’ letter - Sock it to them!  

Gay, bisexual lawmakers support bill to block Syrian refugees - I am not, repeat, NOT happy about this.

Family Research Council falsely accusing Obama of discriminating against Christian refugees

There is no doubt that the situation involving the Syrian refugees has caused much controversy due to the attacks on Paris. Much of the controversy has to do with the fact that even though the perpetrators were identified as European nationals, many conservatives, GOP members, and religious right figures have exploited the situation to demonize not only the Syrian refugees but also those who practice Islam.

We've even had some folks, including presidential candidates such as Ted Cruz and Jeb Bush, offer the idea that only Christian Syrian refugees should be admitted because - as the more coarse of their colleagues put it - "only Muslims are looking to harm people."

To accentuate that mindset comes a new, but callously inaccurate spin which accuses President Obama of favoring Muslim refugees over Christian refugees. And who else is helping to forward this lie but none other than Tony Perkins and the  Family Research Council.

'Say you love America, or shut up!'

Let me just preface that I do NOT condone any type of violence. However, I consider the following clip as a stress reliever.

The Fox News network has practically bent over backwards to demonize lgbts, undermine Obama, and now fan the flames of hysteria against the Syrian refugees. The network is clearly out of control and has gotten to the point where, while in the past I have watched the following clip privately and laughed my ass off,  I am now posting it publicly on my blog because I know so many other folks need a stress reliever from that God-awful network.

The following clip is from the Adult Swim show The Boondocks. This episode, Return of the King, deals with a dream had by the main character, Hughie (he's the little boy at the end. When you see him, you'll know) in which Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. was actually not assassinated but put into a coma.  He comes out of the coma and attempts to revive a civil rights movement. This includes an appearance on a program which looks like Fox News (beginning at 19 seconds).

Watching what happens next is MY dream and guilty pleasure:

'GOP candidates not wanting to talk about alliance with 'death penalty for gays' pastor & other Thur midday news briefs

Ted Cruz

GOP Candidates Really Don't Want To Talk About 'Kill The Gays' Conference - Don't worry. We will talk about it for them. Every chance we get. 

Oklahoma Expands Rights For Same-Sex Parents - Good for Oklahoma!

 The Charlie Sheen Moment You Probably Missed - One of the few pieces regarding Charlie Sheen and his HIV status worth your time to read.  

This Is What Happens At A Formal For LGBT Teens - Hey religious right! Don't you just hate it when the reality doesn't match up to your ignorant fantasies.

Washington Post editorial board stands up for transgender student

Regarding the case in Chicago of a transgender girl attempting to be treated fairly, while the anti-gay right spins awful lies of her being an exhibitionist and a predator, legitimate media sources, such as the Washington Post editorial board, offers basic clarity and accuracy to the issue:

 . . . details of the two-year investigation prompted by the girl’s complaint paint a far different picture than that suggested by the rhetoric of school officials. How the girl, who is undergoing hormone therapy and is recognized by the school as a female in all other respects (including her use of bathrooms), first asked — and was denied — an opportunity to change clothes privately within the girls’ locker room in an area such as a restroom stall. How the school’s insistence she use separate facilities for the past two years has stigmatized her. It is clear from the government’s investigation, which included inspection of the facilities and interviews with school staff about conduct common in the locker rooms, that the privacy of all students could be protected without singling out this girl for separate and discriminatory treatment. It is a point that was underscored by the hundreds of students and community members who signed a student-led petition in support of her access to the locker room. 

According to Media Matters:

 The Post's calls for equality for transgender students are backed by the collective experience of 17 school districts around the nation that have implemented policies protecting transgender students with no negative consequences, and falls during Transgender Awareness Week, which according to LGBT media advocacy organization GLAAD, "help[s] raise the visibility of transgender and gender non-conforming people."

'Indiana saying no to refugees, yes to anti-gay bill' & other Wed midday news briefs

Indiana has bad priorities

With two stunningly ugly actions, the state of Indiana practically NAILS what's wrong with American Christianity these days:

Pence: Indiana won't accept Syrian refugees - While Indiana Governor Mike Pence appeals to hysteria by refusing to allow the state to accept Syria refugees . . . 

Indiana Republicans Introduce The Most Anti-LGBT LGBT Rights Bill Ever - members of his party will be pushing the most vicious anti-gay bill through the state legislature. It's that new Bible they are following; the one with the verse which says, "use any excuse to preserve xenophobia and homophobia cause if one thing Gods hates more than homosexuals, it's those brown skin people who aren't victims but the victims of terrorism, but who gives a crap. They aren't Christian anyway."

 Tony Perkins: Refugee Resettlement Shows Obama & Liberals 'Hate America' - Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council apparently not content with being extremely hypocritical last night with regards to the Syrian refugees, wants to extend his ignorance.  

Parents' friend calls their gay teen son 'fag', parents immediately cut friend out of their life - Oh yeah. I would have cut that fool, too . . . out of my life . . .  

Everything You Need To Know About The New Attacks On Caitlyn Jenner In One Sentence - Caitlyn Jenner is catching a lot of flack. She has been called a disgrace to women, a disgrace to the transgender community, a disgrace to the lgbt community because allegedly she plans to vote Republican in the next presidential election. Just cut it out. I may not be happy with some of her statements and choices but she is still a part of our community. I think the problem lies with folks anointing her as the transgender spokesperson for the community. We simply have to stop relying on celebrities. I am one for visibility but I am also one for intelligent visibility and pushing the good people we have into the spotlight instead of lucking out on having some celebrity come out. Just my thoughts which may or may not have anything to do with the article.  

House lawmakers launch bipartisan transgender task force - Now THIS sort of action is what we need to be pushing and supporting in droves.

The so-called Christian group Family Research Council supports abandoning Syrian refugees

FRC president Tony Perkins

I have yet to see any of these so-called morality groups appeal to kindness  or clarity when it comes to the case of the Syrian refugees who have become the scapegoats of the recent attack on Paris. If their comments are like those below from the Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, then its simply another notch in their belts of lies and duplicity:

That's an uncomfortable reality, even for the church. There seems to be a growing chorus of Christians who justify these open-door policies on immigration or asylum with the Bible's command to "love the stranger." I agree, we should love the stranger -- but that doesn't mean we have to do so at the expense of our own security. The president's chief responsibility is to protect Americans from all enemies, foreign and domestic. It's our job then, as individuals, to show love and compassion. And there are plenty of charitable solutions for refugees that don't involve bringing them to America, unchecked and unaccountable. One option would be to make their homelands safe while we offer as much humanitarian relief as possible.

Our nation can be caring and benevolent without unnecessarily endangering our own people. What many forget is that in Scripture, loving the stranger is just one component. God also commands these foreigners to assimilate and keep the laws of the land. As Exodus 12:49 makes clear: "There shall be one law for the native and for the stranger who sojourns among you." The United States' goal should be a safe haven for everyone. And that means protecting the refugees' shelter abroad without sacrificing ours at home.

The statement sounds reasonable except for the fact that it is predicated on the unverified belief that one of the perpetrators of the attack in Paris posed as a Syrian refugee.

But according to Think Progress:

The majority of attackers were identified as French or Belgian nationals. An Egyptian passport was also found, but the Egyptian Ambassador to France said it belonged to a critically wounded victim and not a perpetrator. The Syrian passport caused a ruckus, with some politicians in Europe and the U.S. calling for a halt to Syrian refugee resettlement. An increasing number of state governors are trying to defund the settlement program. American officials told CBS News that the passport might be fake, while British-daily the Independent reported that a man was arrested in Serbia while carrying a Syrian passport with matching details to the one found in Paris.

We all know that the Islamic State of  Iraq and Syria (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the attacks but again, the passport claim has not been verified as a complete fact.

'Bathroom bills' scare merely a cynical shift in anti-gay lies

The right has abandoned this fear tactic because

this one is more successful.

The success of the anti-gay right with stopping a non-discrimination act in Houston has led the Family Research Council to heights of great audacity.

In Houston, anti-gay activists stopped the measure by claiming that  it would lead to male predators invading women's restrooms, i.e. exploiting ignorance about the transgender community. The Family Research Council is using the same distortions to stop a national non-discrimination ordinance, The Equality Act.

FRC spokesman Peter Sprigg had an interview with the American Family Association's One News Now in which he spouted off several lies:

Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council notes that U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-New Jersey) is sponsoring the "Equality Act," which would amend current federal laws to protect homosexuals based on claims of discrimination. Asked if the Equality Act mirrors the non-discrimination bill that was recently defeated by voters in Houston, Sprigg tells OneNewsNow that it is.

In fact, he says, it also includes the "public accommodations" requirement in Houston's HERO law. That allowance is the reason Houstonians described HERO as a "bathroom bill" and likely a reason it was soundly defeated. 

The Equalty Act would give homosexuals, lesbians, bisexuals, trangender, and "gender noncomforming people" access to "places of public accommodations,"  Lambda Legal, a pro-homosexual legal organization, admits on its website.

"And it does not make any exception for facilities in which there's a normal expectation of privacy from the opposite sex such as restrooms, locker rooms and showers," Sprigg warns. "So it would be a bathroom bill on a national level being forced on all 50 states."

Sprigg and the rest of the religious are merely exploiting a useful hook. In the past, they spoke against ENDA, another national non-discrimination ordinance which lgbts were attempting to make into law, by claiming that children would be "trapped" in classrooms with "drag queen" and "cross-dressing" teachers:

It now seems that they have abandoned the classroom lie because focusing on bathrooms and locker rooms, where females are seemingly more vulnerable, reaps more success.

If you don't think so, check out the comment section under the Sprigg article.  The religious right know how to exploit a good scare when they see one.

Of course it's a lie. Transgender-inclusive non-discrimination ordinances will NOT lead to predators coming into women's restrooms and bathrooms. In fact, that has never been a problem with other areas which do have transgender-inclusive non-discrimination ordinances.

 The following graphic is courtesy of Media Matters:

But we know what they say about how hard it is for the truth to compete with a lie, particularly one draped in religion and false concerns about safety.  The sad thing is that people are either so scared or so exploited by their religious beliefs, they won't see that they are being used by folks like Sprigg and organizations like the Family Research Council

'Scalia compares legal protection for lgbts to protection for pedophiles' & other Tue midday news briefs

Scalia

Scalia Compares Legal Protections For Gay People To Protections For Pedophiles - Based on his logic, you can compare legal protections for African-Americans and women to pedophiles, too. To help answer your question, Scalia, minority groups whose behavior is not against the law and historically have been the victims of historical oppression should have legal protection. Folks, whoever wins the next presidential election gets to pick SCOTUS judges and Republicans want more judges like THIS $@!*

Charlie Sheen, HIV Stigma and Why the Media Panic Is Ugly - Charlie Sheen announcing his HIV positive status opens a much needed discussion on stigma.  

Breaking: Utah Judge Who Mandated Foster Child Be Placed With Heterosexual Parents Removes Himself - Just in case you haven't heard this piece of good news . . .

Manhattan Fed Judge Says Trans Equal Protection Claim Merits Heightened Scrutiny - Wonderful!

Here's How These Two Amazing Gay Dads Started Helping Other LGBT People Adopt - I need more "happy." THIS is happy.

Barbie doll commercial guaranteed to send anti-gay right into ORBIT

As a guy who collects male and female action figures (I own several Wonder Woman figures), I don't see anything wrong with this commercial featuring a boy with a Barbie doll. Of course you just KNOW not everyone will be as understanding. But, while my tastes don't run to Barbie dolls, the little boy is right. She is "fierce."

 

'New York Times blasts Cruz for appearing with death penalty for gays' pastor, media for not caring' & other Mon midday news briefs

Sen. Ted Cruz

Ted Cruz and the Anti-Gay Pastor - There should be other venues besides the New York Times calling out Ted Cruz AND the other presidential candidates for appearing with this nut. Still, it's nice that the press also gets called out for not caring.

 Tennessee pastor lashes out after Paris attacks: ‘There is no such thing as a good Muslim’ - And he even worked in some nasty crap about marriage equality. It's always sad how tragedy brings out the worse in some people. 

The POZ 100: Celebrating Long-Term Survivors - A wonderful issue which proves that HIV isn't a "death sentence."

 Linda Harvey: Obama's Support For Equality Act, Appearance In Out Magazine Are Signs Of God's Judgment - Crazy Linda always good for giving me gas.

 Mormon Church Punishes Children For Having Gay Parents. Hundreds Respond By Quitting Church - Just in case you haven't heard, the Mormon church has a little insurrection on its hands. And it's totally deserved. 

 15 Things You Really Shouldn’t Say To Trans People - Be honest. How many of us are guilty of this?

 Last but not least, Happy 10th anniversary to Box Turtle Bulletin!!

Saturday Night Live destroys anti-transgender bathroom horror stories

In less than three minutes, Saturday Night Live destroys the horror story of "men invading women's restrooms" - i.e. the lie which led to the defeat the non-discrimination ordinance in Houston:

UPDATED - 'Judge facing firestorm of criticism for removing infant from home of lesbian couple' & other Fri midday news briefs

Regarding the case in Utah of the judge removing an infant from the care of foster parents simply because the couple is gay, it would seem that the community, including Utah's governor, is rallying on behalf of the couple. This is a wonderful thing which demonstrates how people aren't as easily fooled by anti-gay propaganda when it comes to the ability of lgbt couples to raise children:

Utah challenging judge's order to remove baby from lesbian foster parents

UPDATE: Utah Governor 'Puzzled' by Judge Who Ordered Baby from Lesbians

Utah Judge May Have Violated Ethics Code in Blocking Same-Sex Adoption

 UPDATE - The judge has reversed his order because of the massive negative outcry.  Score a HUGE victory for the good guys!!

In other news:

Protesters Confront Caitlyn Jenner: 'You're An Insult To Trans People'- I don't believe that one person should be "chosen" as a representative of all people in one group and I don't believe that it's anyone else's right to anoint themselves as the guardian of how anyone in any group should act. I said this from personal experience because I've been verbally attacked by heterosexual African-Americans for my sexual orientation. That being said, the protesters did make excellent points and it was to Jenner's credit that she listened and talked with them. Life is a learning experience and no one is perfect in their beliefs.

 Christian UN staff in Kenya refuse aid to gay men fleeing persecution - THIS SITUATION RIGHT HERE is an insult to the body of Christ. 

Christians Are Leaving Homophobia Behind - Will Journalists Keep Up? - But not all Christians are like those above and journalists should explore the diversity instead of falling for the gay vs. Christian narrative. 

 What Reporters Should Know About Dallas' Updated LGBT Ordinance - Because you just KNOW that lie about "men in women's restrooms" will be pushed in Dallas.

Family Research Council seeks legislation which could bar states from protecting lgbt families, community

The SPLC-designated hate group The Family Research Council (so named because of its tendency to vilify the lgbt community via distortions and falsehoods) has announced that it wants to push statewide legislation which would supposedly "protect" those who "support natural marriage."

The group calls it the Government Nondiscrimination Act and claims:

The Government Nondiscrimination Act prohibits the state government from penalizing individuals and entities for their moral or religious beliefs that marriage is the union of one man and one woman. It also protects individuals and entities who believe that sexual relationships are properly reserved for such marriages—such as a religious school requiring students to refrain from engaging in any sexual activity outside of marriage. GNDA also protects individuals and entities from being penalized for believing that “man” and “woman” are biologically based. States should not be in the business of forcing individuals and entities to affirm same-sex marriage or other sexual conduct against their beliefs.

 . . .  The Government Nondiscrimination Act is focused on preventing government discrimination. Our government should never discriminate against, punish, or penalize people based on their sincerely held belief that marriage is the union of one man and one woman. Like the First Amendment Defense Act at the federal level, states need to pass legislation now to protect individuals and entities from state discrimination on the basis of their beliefs in natural marriage.

This act appears to be so deliberately broad  that it could potentially prevent government entities from protecting married gay couples and lgbts (including families) in general from discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations. It also sounds like this act would prevent government entities from fairly keeping tax dollars away from entities which would discriminate against lgbts, such as Catholic adoption agencies.

And in light of the recent controversy involving a Utah judge who removed an infant from the home of its foster parents simply because the couple was lesbian, what potential effect would FRC's Government Nondiscrimination Act have in possible future situations involving officials who may cite their religious beliefs to keep gays from adopting children?

In a nutshell, the Government Nondiscrimination Act seems to be carrying "freedom of religion" a bit too far. You certainly should have freedom to worship. But no one should have the freedom to discriminate while exploiting their religion or "conscience" as an excuse to do so.

Bryan Fischer uses discredited study to support anti-gay parenting judge

Right on cue, someone from the anti-gay industry is defending a Utah judge who removed an infant from a household simply because the foster parents was a lesbian couple.

And who else but Bryan Fischer. From Right Wing Watch:

Recently, a judge in Utah ordered that a foster child be removed from a home with two lesbian parents and placed with a heterosexual couple on the grounds that "kids in homosexual homes don’t do as well as they do in heterosexual homes."

 Predictably, Bryan Fischer came rushing to that judge's defense on his radio program today, declaring that "no culture would ever want to adopt policies that are harmful, dangerous and risky to children." "That means we should never countenance policies that place children in same-sex households, whether it's foster care or whether it is adoption," he said.

Fischer also came out against single-parent adoptions as well, before citing Mark Regnerus' repeatedly debunked study to claim that children raised by lesbians are 10 times more likely to be sexually abused.

 "The risk of sexual abuse, unwanted sexual touching, is 10 times higher in a lesbian household than in a heterosexual household," he said. "So if we care about the sexual purity, the sexual integrity of our children, which I do, then the last place we are going to want to put a child is in a lesbian household." "So good for this judge," he concluded. "I am 100 percent standing behind him."

The irony of Bryan Fischer citing a repeatedly discredited study is that at the same time day, his organization - the American Family Association and various other anti-gay and conservative groups made a failed attempt to initiate a twitter campaign against the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Associated Press.

These groups are angry at the Associated Press for publishing an article which identified the Liberty Counsel as an SPLC-designated anti-gay hate group. And they are still angry that SPLC declared the American Family Association and various other anti-gay groups, including the Family Research Council and the Liberty Counsel, as "hate groups" for their attempts to demonize the lgbt community via lies and distortions.

Kinda like what  Fischer attempted to do during his radio show.

On second thought, I wouldn't call the attempted campaign a failure. It allowed me to garner a large number of new readers for my 2011 post,  16 reasons why the Family Research Council is a hate group.

'Right Wing Watch censored for focusing attention on GOP & 'death penalty for gays' pastor' & other Thur midday news briefs

Right Wing Watch got censored for focusing on GOP candidates (such as Ted Cruz) and Pastor Kevin Swanson (right)

Programming Note: We've Been Suspended on YouTube (For Now) - So someone in the religious right is trying to censor Right Wing Watch by filing a "copyright claim". Why? Because of the following situation:

 Religious Right Pundit: How Were We To Know Kevin Swanson Wanted To Kill Gays! - The fact that Right Wing Watch has been putting attention on the fact that presidential candidates Ted Cruz, Bobby Jindal, and Mike Huckabee kissed up to a pastor who supports the death penalty for gays has gotten some folks angry.  

Anti-LGBT Houston Groups Face Higher Bar To Repeal Dallas Nondiscrimination Ordinance - So the same group who pulled the campaign of lies in Houston hopes to do the same in Dallas even AFTER the folks there voted for the nondiscrimination ordinance. The nerve! 

New business group will promote Indiana LGBT protections - Meanwhile the fight for lgbt equality in Indiana is going to heat up!

 Utah judge removes lesbian couple’s foster child, says she’ll be better off with heterosexuals - NASTY on so many levels. 1. The couple had the child since August and everyone, including the birth mother, approves of the adoption. Except for, that is, the judge. 2. The judge claimed that numerous studies backs up his decision but he has yet to name one. I bet a steak dinner he will pull out the discredited Regnerus study. 3. An awful precedent BECAUSE the judge made a personal choice to pull a child out of a home it was already in because of the sexual orientation of the foster parents. We can only hope this doesn't repeat itself. I have been watching in particular what anti-gay groups have had to say about this. As far as I see, nothing yet. But I double dare them to say any words of support for the judge so I can put it on blast.  

First VA transgender clinic opens in Cleveland - THIS is needed.

Anti-gay hate group wants YOU to help it harm transgender children

 Editor's note - I'm deliberately keeping this as the top post so more folks can read it. That's how important I feel that it is. It would seem that after Houston, the anti-gay right has turned on a new target in demonizing the transgender community - transgender children.

With just 14 words, the American Family Association epitomizes how the anti-gay right creates fear about the transgender community.

I received the following as an email:

The Office for Civil Rights in President Barack Obama's Department of Education (DOE) has determined that a Chicago area high school must leave the choice to openly use the girls' locker room up to a 15 year-old student who has male genitalia, but self-identifies as a girl. Full story here.

Under Title IX, the law prohibiting sex-based discrimination, the DOE civil rights division has threatened to cut funding to Township High School District 211 if it doesn't allow the boy to use the girls' locker room. Here is a statement from a spokesperson at the DOE: "Unfortunately, Township High School District 211 is not following the law because the district continues to deny a female student the right to use the girls' locker room." What they aren't mentioning is that the "female" student they are referencing is actually a boy or "transgender" in their terms. 

Isn't this twisted? The federal government is micromanaging local school district policies in Chicago to allow this boy to dress with girls. This is a prime example of Washington bureaucrats imposing their liberal policies on small town schools.

The entire transgender idea is focused on sexual anarchy. Natural man and woman biology is ignored and people are told they can be whatever gender they "desire" on any particular day.

It is time Obama's liberal minions at the DOE get the gist that they ought to follow common sense instead of put our children at risk.

TAKE ACTION

Contact your Congressman and Senators. Urge them to pass a resolution that Title IX should be interpreted to recognize that transgendered students may be required to accept accommodations that respect the rights of non-transgendered students. 

The AFA version of this story is nothing but a thin tissue of lies. I covered the story of this transgender girl in an earlier post.In the above email, AFA links to  right-wing news source (The Daily Signal), but according to a more credible source,  U.S. News and World Reports, there are a few important facts that AFA omitted:

The transgender student has not been identified and wants to remain anonymous, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, which helped the girl's parents file a complaint more than two years ago. She has been living as a girl since middle school, has changed her legal name, obtained a passport as a female, received a diagnosis of gender dysphoria and is taking female hormones, according to the Department of Education's summary of its investigation. . . . The school district has allowed the student to use girls' restrooms and participate in girls' athletics. She is identified as a female in the district's computer system.

This is a child with a medical issue. It has nothing to do with sexual anarchy. However anyone reading AFA's trash wouldn't know it, particularly because of 14 words:

  . . .people are told they can be whatever gender they "desire" on any particular day.

Why are those 14 words so important? Because with those words, anti-gay groups trivialize real problems that the  transgender community have to deal with and simultaneously conjure up false images of men and boys flippantly declaring they are women just to get close to women and girls in vulnerable settings.  And the sad thing is unfortunately how easy it is to repeat those 14 words to scare people rather than to encourage education about the reality of being transgender in America. 

Just like people don't wake up and flippantly decide to be gay, lesbian, or bisexual, no one realizes that they are transgender on a whim or to run a con.

 

 It's the same mess Mike Huckabee conjured up earlier this year when he made a tacky joke about "pretending" to be transgender so he could shower with the girls in gym class.

Huckabee's image is the one the anti-gay right wants burned in people minds when debates about transgender issues come up. But that's NOT the real situation. 

The actual situation lies in that paragraph from U.S. News and World Reports article, i.e. a transgender child simply wanting to be comfortable as her natural self because she is the reality which millions of transgender men and women face on a daily basis.  Even the child in the picture above used by the AFA is more likely to be transgender than to be targeted by supposed "perverts pretending to be transgender." 

An irony, no doubt, missed by the AFA.

'Maddow calls out GOP candidates for appearing with 'death penalty for gays' pastor' & other Tue midday news briefs

Rachel Maddow

Maddow Calls Out GOPers For 'Kill-The-Gays Rally' Appearance - It's about time SOMEONE did. This is why it is so important that lgbts have a stake in everything, including the media. 

50 Cent, Vivica A. Fox And The Absurdity Of Hip-Hop Homophobia - THIS mess right here is why it's so difficult for lgbts of color to come out. We are nothing but a sideshow to some of our heterosexual African-American brothers and sisters.

 The Devious New Conservative Plan To Turn LGBT People Against Each Other - Just in case you haven't seen this, you need to.

 New Film Examines the Horror of Being Gay, Old, and Forgotten - Which is an issue WE ALL need to think about. 

 Tony Perkins: America About To Hit The Gay Iceberg - I KNEW Tony Perkins was a "freak." The question is will gays just put the "tip" in like the Titanic.

Marco Rubio hires prominent anti-gay spokesperson for presidential campaign

Senator Marco Rubio once whined that " if you do not support same-sex marriage you are labeled a homophobe and a hater." I wonder if he would play the victim if folks reminded him of the past words of his new hire; his director of faith outreach for his presidential campaign, Eric Teetsel:

"In  Obergefell, the highest court in the land has done more than merely allow for citizens to do wrong; it has bestowed its imprimatur to homosexuality as both an identity and a way of life,"  (Eric) Teetsel blogged in First Things. "A significant cultural impediment has been removed, and so sin will spread. This is regrettable because sin, of course, leads to suffering. As our LGBT neighbors continue to experience the ravages of their sin, will anyone be there to explain to them its cause?" Teetsel added: "This is the job of a Christian. Like Christ, we are to meet others in the midst of their pain in order to point them toward the better way on the narrow road."

According to the Huffington Post, who broke the news, comments from Rubio's campaign spokesman have yet to be returned.

'GOP candidates cozy up to 'death penalty for gays' pastor' & other Mon midday news briefs

Ted Cruz

Cruz: 'Any President Who Doesn't Begin Every Day On His Knees Isn't Fit To Be Commander-In-Chief Of This Nation' - Cruz said this at a conference put on by a pastor who defended the death penalty for lgbts. And speaking of said pastor, he said the following at said conference (attended also by Mike Huckabee and Bobby Jindal):

  Kevin Swanson: God Will Judge America For Harry Potter's 'Homosexual Mentor' 
- That's the LEAST craziest thing he said at the conference, which is damn scary. 

11-year-old girl shames ‘One Million Moms’ for attack on her gay dads: ‘This is none of your business’ - A thousand kudos to this little girl for sticking up for her family.

Freedom conference organizer: Homosexuals are coming for Christians like ‘what Hitler was doing’ - This article breaks down just how deep anti-gay propaganda has been ingrained in some people. It's just sad.

Mississippi Supreme Court Justices Break Out Jim Crow Era Arguments To Defy Marriage Equality - yeah they did it!

 Why we lost in Houston and why we may lose again - My post from this morning about the loss in Houston and the future of the lgbt community. Perhaps we would stop losing these things if we not only confront the elephant in the room, but also take it down. What is that elephant? Read on.

What Happens When You Don’t Want To Be A Man At An All-Male HBCU - I LOVE this article!

Why we lost in Houston and why we may lose again

Reluctance to confront lies like this is why we lose.

I've read so many opinions about the lgbt community's devastating loss in Houston and frankly I am sick of the analytical bullshit which skips over the elephant in the room.

You know why we lost in Houston? The same reason why we been put on the defensive about our lives these many years. We fail to take the opposition seriously and take steps to contain them.

The lgbt community faces a huge plethora of interconnected and sometimes non-connected organizations whose sole purpose is to either deny us equality or make our lives hell. It sounds like something out of a James Bond movie and I wish it were a fictional flight of fancy. But it's real. From the Family Research Council to the American Family Association to the Alliance Defending Freedom to the Liberty Counsel and to the World Congress of Families, we are talking about a veritable machine of homophobia which constantly churns out propaganda.

This madness about transgender women being predators and men invading women's restrooms is just the latest in a long line of horror stories and lies which began before I was even born.

We lost in Houston and we lose in other places because we have yet to confront this machine. If anything, we underestimate it. We laugh at the verbal insanity of people like Pat Robertson and Linda Harvey while ignoring the fact that people like James Dobson and Tony Perkins not only have connections with the United States Congress but also state government officials and various statewide so-called pro-family groups. These organizations have been cooperating with legislators and writing laws right under our noses, such as the now defunct DOMA law.  And while we twiddle our thumbs or talk about the latest non-controversy involving folks I don't even know, they are making inroads and alliances with black pastors paved with dollars.

So what's to do? Start taking these people seriously. We should be demanding that our networks, our publications and our leaders not wait until referendum votes like the one in Houston come up to call these people out. Pre-emptive strikes never hurt. Lgbts have been explaining our right to equality since day one. I think it's necessary that these groups start explaining why they feel we have no right to equality and above all, the tactics they have undertaken to deny us said equality.

And individually, we need to educate ourselves on who these groups are, how they lie, and above all, do not trivialize their lies.

Enough with the kumbayah stuff. The pursuit of lgbt equality is a war. It always has been and it will always be.

Perhaps we need to start thinking more like live warriors and less like dead peacemakers.

For your edification, here is a list of 17 lies spread about lgbts. Recognize any?

1. Homosexuality is a lifestyle more harmful than cigarette smoking.

2. Gay men have a short life span.

3. The gay and lesbian community have a high rate of domestic violence.

4. Unhealthy behaviors (i.e. substance abuse, promiscuous sexual behavior) is indicative of the gay or lesbian orientation.

5. Gay men molest children at a high rate.

6. Gays and lesbians want to silence Christians.

7. Gays and lesbians recruit people, particularly children, to their "lifestyle."

8. Gays and lesbians are following a six-point plan to take over America.

9. Any judge who rules in favor of the gay and lesbian community in a case is an "activist judge."

10. Anal sex is "homosexual behavior."

11. Gays and lesbians can change their orientation.

12. Gays and lesbians want to force acceptance.

13. Gay bowel syndrome is a legitimate medical term.

14. A man who molests a boy or a woman who molests a girl is automatically homosexual.

15. A convenience sample or out-of-date study can be used to generalize about an entire community.

16. The average gay man has many sexual partners.

17. Laws created to protect transgender men and women from discrimination will make it easier for sexual predators to come into womens' bathrooms and locker rooms.

THIS is how the Family Research Council spread lies about gays

It never ceases to amaze me how many times the anti-gay group the Family Research Council will just blatantly lie about gay men.

What am I saying?

It shouldn't amaze me because the organization gets away with it often. This particular time has to do with an American Psychological Association series of articles which makes the claim that "rates of military sexual trauma among men who served in the military may be as much as 15 times higher than has been previously reported, largely because of barriers associated with stigma, beliefs in myths about male rape, and feelings of helplessness." 

And one of those myths is spread by the Family Research Council, courtesy of its latest email:

If the Association is right, it paints a frightening picture of the Obama Pentagon -- which is not only denying the fallout of its policies, but far worse, denying our servicemen the treatment and help they need. For years, the DOD has shrugged off the possibility that repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) would have any impact on the ranks. Now, four years into this brave new world, it turns out that conservatives and the dozens of military leaders who fought the change were right. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand that when Congress introduced even more sexual tension into the ranks, it put thousands of our brave men and women into a defenseless and compromising position.

The White House has spent Barack Obama's entire presidency sexualizing the military, beginning with the repeal of DADT -- and continuing with the push for open transgenderism. Now, Defense officials are racing to reassure people that they're doing everything they can to get to the bottom of these issues -- only to inject more policies that accelerate both. They put political correctness ahead of national security and then seem surprised when the people who protect us are at risk.

The Pentagon downplayed the effects of open homosexuality when it was implemented in the military in 2011-- something it will certainly have a tough time doing now. Until that changes, and the administration gets serious about the root problems, every service member will be a victim of this sexually-charged environment.

Not only does the Family Research Council not provide any proof that repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell is the reason for the increase of male-on-male sexual assaults, but according to Right Wing Watch, the reports say that the idea that "that male rape is homosexual sex and therefore, that only homosexual men get raped and only homosexual men perpetrate rape" is a myth.

But in this world of quick punditry, no respect for good old fashioned journalism, as well as the crop of right-wing, anti-gay entities masquerading as parts of the media, how long will FRC's spin be believed before the truth has time to catch up?