15 African-American bisexuals changing the world

Travon Free

As we wind down February and Black History Month, let's not forget a group of the lgbt community who really don't get as much attention as they deserve.

From Unicorn Booty:

Faith Cheltenham

The list of famous African-Americans who are believed to have been bisexual include Malcolm X, Jean-Michel Basquiat, James Baldwin, Josephine Baker, and “Empress of the Blues” Bessie Smith.

A number of notable African-Americans still living have alluded to their bisexuality though they don’t publicly embrace the bisexual label. For example novelist Alice Walker, who is quoted as saying, “I’m curious. I’m open to the spirit of a person whether that’s a man or a woman or whoever, that’s not what’s important to me. What’s important is the spirit.” 

Rapper Frank Ocean in 2012 posted the emotionally revealing story of the loving relationship he’d had with a man, and later responded in an interview to the question, “So do you consider yourself bisexual?” in part with, “…just take what I give you. You ain’t got to pry beyond that. I’m giving you what I feel like you can feel. The other shit, you can’t feel. You can’t feel a box. You can’t feel a label.”

Orlando Jordan

Activist Dr. Ibrahim Farajajé has identified as bisexual at times but according to a LGBT Religious Archives Network’s bio, he “prefers no label other than that he’s a ‘full human being’ that embraces all.”

Alternately, in a New York Times Magazine article, Lee Daniels — the producer of the film Monster’s Ball and the director of Precious — is quoted as saying, “I’d prefer to be bisexual, but I don’t think any woman is going to accept me being with a man. I had to choose. And I did. But there’s a deep connection with me and women.” 

Unicorn Booty has a list of 15 notable African-American bisexuals. Check it out.

'Seattle anti-transgender protest backfires big time' & other Mon midday news briefs

Sam Smith wins Oscar, makes error in speech, lgbts declare war.

Editor's note - Lighten up on Sam Smith. So he made a serious faux pas in lgbt history when accepting his Oscar. The criticism he is receiving from some seems to be from that same mindset that says when a celebrity comes out, he or she is automatically a perfect spokesperson for lgbt equality. By that same note, not every lgbt celebrity know their gay history. Perhaps if we spent more time educating our folks on the entirety of lgbt history instead of being catty when someone gets something wrong

No, Transgender Protections Do Not Justify Men In Women’s Restrooms. A State Agency Just Said So. - Chronicle of an anti-transgender protest which backfired big time. 

 Meet The People Fighting Homophobia And Transphobia In Africa - The bravest of them all are those who fight for what's right even though it may cost them their lives. THESE brothers and sisters in Africa are amongst those people.  

Sam Smith's vague, inaccurate Oscars acceptance speech was a missed opportunity - Sam Smith wins an Oscar, makes a serious error, isn't eloquent or doesn't mention some folks specifically, and the community gets bitchy. See my comment above. I don't blame Smith, but the vicious infatuation with celebrity which grips my fellow lgbts.  

Trump Once Again Embraces Anti-Gay, Anti-Catholic Pastor Robert Jeffress - Lie down with dogs . . . never mind. I won't insult dogs.  

Va. Senate approves religious freedom bill - Siiiigh. Indiana learned, Georgia is learning. Virginia gon' learn.

How black gays react to seeing 'no blacks' on dating apps

I'm not a Grindr person. I really am not familiar with it. However, this video below is on point. Now when some guys have "no blacks" on their profile, be it Grindr or any other place, I can understand it. I've heard the "it's just a preference" argument backwards and forwards.

Of course,as this video demonstrates, there are also other unsavory mindsets going on behind that "preference."

'Survey refutes lie about African-American 'homophobia'' & other Fri midday news briefs

New Survey Debunks The Myth Of Black Homophobia - This needs to be shouted from the rooftops. The false notion that African-Americans are more likely to be homophobic serves to cripple our overall struggle for equality and comradeship because it accentuates the inaccuracy that the lgbt identity is solely a recently created Caucasian construct. The truth is that the lgbt community is a worldwide multi-racial group of people of all ages, social stratas who have been present in all eras of history. Our struggle for equality and dignity did not start at Stonewall or America itself. We have a rich history across so many parameters of the human existence from the beginning of time. 

No, LGBT People Aren't Exempt from Donald Trump's Blatant Bigotry - Wonderful! I WAS beginning to feel left out.  (that, of course, was sarcasm)

Washington State Anti-LGBT Group Launches Campaign To Repeal Non-Discrimination Protections - And I hope I don't have to tell you what group they are targeting. Okay, I will. Our transgender brothers and sisters.  

Walid Shoebat Continues To Attack Anti-Gay Activists Who Criticized His Son's Extremist Anti-Gay Views - Generally when anti-lgbt activists feud with each other, I enjoy shining the light on it. But this is just damn disgusting. Read if you want.  

Religious Freedom Bills Surge After Last Year’s Same-Sex Marriage Ruling - Gird your loins, brothers and sisters. But don't get discouraged. Equality is worth fighting for and you really didn't think those who oppose us wouldn't put up a fight, did you? Snatch your earrings off, wrap up your hair, put the vaseline on your faces, take off your good shoes, and prepare to fight (not with violence, of course. I am speaking symbolically). We are going to win. The first rule though is not to give in to discouragement or fear.

Exposing the ugly truth about religious liberty laws

I received the following from the group All Out via email asking me to sign a petition against Georgia's awful anti-lgbt religious liberty bill that the state Senate just passed.

I was very impressed how All Out simplified what these "religious liberty" bills actually mean:

To sign the petition and learn more about All Out, Click here

Trump's success is causing chaos to religious right plans for America

Trump

I am NEVER EVER voting for Donald Trump, but I am not surprised how much chaos he is causing to the plans of the religious right.

According to the Huffington Post:

In a recent article for In These Times, Theo Anderson also took a look at the “great puzzle” of evangelical Christians flocking to Trump, “the Republican candidate most out of step with evangelicals on social issues and the most tin-eared regarding religion.” Anderson concludes that Trump’s success reflects many evangelicals’ desire for an “anti-establishment” candidate as well as what he calls Trump’s performance of a prophetic style of politics practiced by conservative radio preachers who encourage their listeners to stand against the corruptions of the world: “Trump’s speeches and social media output are a stream of falsehoods that speak to the certainty - the ‘higher truth’ - that white Christians, and the nation they love, are being betrayed and targeted.”

 . . . Trump’s success among evangelicals is maddening to some of Cruz’s backers. Glenn Beck, who believes God has called Cruz to save America from the abyss, had urged his viewers to fast on Cruz’s behalf before the Nevada caucuses. Beck says he fears that Trump is the embodiment of “The Bubba Effect,” in which a group of people are pushed over the edge into violence by an overbearing government. Beck says that only the election of Ted Cruz can save America from violent revolution, warning that the country will not be able to recover if it elects a socialist, authoritarian, or member of the status quo.

 . . .  Of course, Trump hasn’t rejected the Religious Right policy agenda. In fact he has fully embraced much of it, pledging to defund Planned Parenthood as long as the organization performs abortions. He has supported Senate Republicans’ vow not to consider any Obama Supreme Court nominee and vowed to nominate Supreme Court justices “as close to Scalia as you could find.” He has called the Supreme Court’s marriage equality ruling “shocking” and suggested Religious Right activists should trust him to put judges on the Court who would “unpass” that ruling and Roe v. Wade. Those kind of pledges may help Trump win conservative evangelical votes, or at least make evangelicals feel more comfortable voting for him in spite of a political and personal record that contravenes the values they say they hold dear. The campaign for the GOP nomination isn’t over, but Religious Right leaders must be wondering how it is that their Chosen One has faltered and seems to be losing ground to the charlatan Trump. In fact, National Review reported on Wednesday that Religious Right leaders who rallied around Cruz are talking amongst themselves about abandoning him for Rubio if Cruz doesn’t do well on “Super Tuesday” next week.

It was bound to happen. For years, religious right groups and leaders sowed fear and mistrust in their followers. To them, almost every event which didn't go their way was THE crisis which would topple America into the abyss. And their supporters drank it all up.

Now the religious right is finding out the hard way that while it may be easy to create mistrust and fear in people, it's another thing to control it. If you don't give them some security from that mistrust and fear, they will seek it somewhere else.

Of course, this is post is not meant to point the finger at the anti-gay industry and go "Ha! Ha!" It's just a commentary that what they spent years sowing may reap negatively for us all.

'Was 'A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 deliberately homoerotic?' & othr Thur. midday news briefs

Was  'A Nightmare on Elm Street 2'  deliberately homoerotic?

The Nightmare Behind The Gayest Horror Film Ever Made - Today's generation regards the horror movie A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2 as subversively homoerotic. But now this article asks was it deliberately so and did it ruin the career of the star, Mark Patton, who at the time was a closeted gay man. Between you and me, I KNEW from several scenes that there was something about this movie. And I hadn't even come to grips with my own homosexuality as of yet.

RNC endorses anti-trans bathroom bills - What a joke of a party. The Republican National Committee can't get a decent candidate to run for president, but it sure can declare war on transgender children.

 GOP Lawmaker Pushes 'Religious Freedom' To Kill Bill Allowing Gays Equal Adoption Rights - Win or lose, I bet this will become the next national step by the anti-gay industry against the lgbt community.

Black LGBT voters on why they back Clinton - I usually stay out of the Hillary vs. Bernie thing cause it's nasty, but hey, I got an ego. And a short interview in this article, not to mention a nice picture of myself included. 

Ex-gay conversion therapy challenged in federal consumer fraud lawsuit - Oh this is gonna end so goooood!

Repost from 2011 - Why I get a nagging feeling every time I hear the phrase 'religious liberty'

I wrote this in 2011 before marriage equality became legal and "religious liberty" was an little more than an obscure catchphrase.  It's kinda sad how it's moved to a clarion call to impose inferiority on the lgbt community:

Those who are my friends know that I am a serious fan of the 1970s detective drama Columbo. The thing I really loved about this show was the fact of how the character of police detective Columbo never considered a murder case completely simple. He never bought into the idea of an "open-and-shut" case if he had a nagging feeling, no matter how insignificant it was.

That nagging feeling is what I get when I hear about  marriage clerks, hotel owners, Catholic adoption agencies, and recently - cake bakers who refuse to serve gay couples. No doubt you have heard about them and will probably hear a lot more as religious right groups trying to hinder marriage equality will canonize these folks as "saints and martyrs" besieged by so-called radical gay activists supposedly trying to force them choose between their livelihood and religious freedom.

In fact they have a term for this sort of thing. They call it "religious liberty."

'Daily Show conducts surreal interview with anti-gay 'semen latte' pastor' & other Wed. midday news briefs

Dear folks. Once you see this interview from The Daily Show with the extremely homophobic pastor David Manning (who, amongst other things, claims Starbucks adds the semen of gay men in their lattes), you will be practically cheering for him to lose his church to the Ali Forney Center. The Ali Forney Center provides housing to homeless lgbt youth. 

 In other news:

  Houston, We Have an LGBT Problem - I LOVE my lgbt community but it has a hard time retaining lessons. The defeat of the pro-lgbt ordinance in Houston practically mirrors our original loss in the Prop 8 fight. The fact that we eventually won the Prop 8 fight and marriage equality in general is irrelevant. We must take to heart every lesson we learn with every equality fight whether we win or lose. That's how you reach your peak of perfection. 

 If We Don't Act Fast, Half of Gay Black Men and a Quarter of Latino Gay Men Will Get HIV - According to the CDC, gay men of color are in serious danger of catching HIV. One reason is that this population is falling through the cracks when it comes attention given to the issues of our community. It speaks to a serious problem in terms of who are our leaders with regards to race, social strata, gender, etc. 

 Why Are Evangelicals Supporting The Unrepentant Donald Trump? - Because the religious right have consistently stoked their followers up on anger and fear. And now they have lost control. Anger and fear is like fire. They is easy to start, but difficult to control. 

GLAAD Relents to Uproar, Will Honor Bloggers This Year - And last, but not least, a happy ending to the controversy between GLAAD and the lgbt blogging community. Kudos to those who defended the honor of lgbt bloggers because we are truly the Field Marshals of the lgbt equality movement. And special kudos to GLAAD for rectifying the situation.

Video - LGBT community stand against fear mongering at Charlotte City Council meeting

By a vote of 7-4, Charlotte City Council passed a pro-lgbt nondiscrimination ordinance. Unfortunately, like with all pro-lgbt nondiscrimination ordinances lately, opponents focused their attention on demonizing the transgender community. Most specifically, they continued to spin the popular lie that predators and pedophiles will disguise themselves as women to assault little girls and older women in restrooms and locker rooms.

Courtesy of the Charlotte Observer is a video featuring testimony for and against the ordinance which took place before the vote:

Testicle transplants and dildos - 'gay cures' from the past and present

A man in China once believed that a ghost parrot was making him gay.

Aside from persecuting lgbts, Russia claims to be developing a sure fire way of "treating" us.

From Buzzfeed:

The Russian Ministry of Health is proposing new regulations that would mandate the creation of dedicated exam rooms throughout the country for the treatment of people with “gender identity disorders,” “disorders of sexual preference,” and pedophilia.

The recommendations are part of a package of amendments to rules that govern care for “mental and behavioral disorders” published last week on a government website where the ministry will take public feedback before putting the regulations into effect. The draft would require “sexology exam rooms” in psychiatric hospitals and primary care clinics where clinicians would counsel “patients with conditions related to gender identification problems… sexual disharmonies and deviations.” They would also be able to diagnose and treat “sexual deviations among children and youth” and “consult youth about their sexual education and knowledge of gender.”

The proposed facilities would also be a place to provide “forced treatment” when ordered by a court, which the regulation states is intended for cases of people accused of pedophilia.

 . . . The regulations specify that the sexology exam rooms must be equipped with “at least one dildo.” Though it is unclear why dildos were asked to be placed in the exam rooms, the Russian Society of Psychiatrists has in the past discussed using them to treat women who experience pain during intercourse.

So combine lgbts with pedophiles and use dildos on us. I'm sure Franklin Graham will continue to approve.

Strangely enough, in the history of people attempting to "cure" homosexuality, what Russia is doing may be nauseating but hardly the strangest thing. Unicorn Booty has chronicled at least six bizarre attempts in the past, including:

Many early 20^th century physicians believed that male homosexuality was caused by a lack of testosterone. Therefore, they reasoned, giving gay men more male hormones would turn them heterosexual. But how could doctors accomplish this in the age before synthetic hormones? Scientists in Germany (where else?) came up with a solution: put dead heterosexual men’s nards in the bodies of gay men.

And then there is this:

 In Beijing, a man named Chen eschewed China’s more common gay “conversion” therapies (like electroshock) in favor of alternative medicine. After a consultation, the Chinese medical practitioner Zhong told Chen what was making him gay: Chen was being haunted by the ghost of a dead pet parrot. Of course.

For more details on these two examples and even stranger ones, you can read this article on Unicorn Booty on the six bizarre ways people tried to cure homosexuality.

'Anti-gay activist fears that evangelicals could make Trump president' & other Tue. midday news briefs

Anti-gay activist fears that the religious right could make Trump president

Will Evangelicals Put an Unrepentant Serial Adulterer in the White House? - It's rare - I mean like never - that I like to anti-lgbt publications in my news briefs, but this is too delicious. Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association is petrified of the idea of Donald Trump as president. Dr. Frankenstein, meet the monster you helped to create.

Charlotte council votes to extend transgender rights - Charlotte failed to get the job done last year but did it this year. But we aren't out of the woods yet because the fraudulent ridiculous bathroom argument has North Carolina's governor screaming foul.  

Benham Brothers: Passage Of Charlotte LGBT Protections Bill Will Allow Us To Become WNBA Stars - And of course, ignorant folks are coming out of the woodwork to condemn it.

 Governor Says Changes in Works on Religious Exemptions Bill - Looks like Georgia is scared of getting a little taste of what Indiana got when that state passed one of those bills.

 Telecom company abandoning Georgia after sweeping anti-gay bill passes: ‘We don’t tolerate that crap’- Too late, Georgia. Take a big gulp of wormwood.  

Does anti-gay marriage bill threaten Georgia’s film industry? - And I mean a BIG gulp.

Anti-gay right exploit fears of gays harming children but no one calls them out on it

1977:

"As a mother, I know that homosexuals cannot biologically reproduce children; therefore, they must recruit our children." - Anita Bryant during her "Save Our Children" campaign. The "Save Our Children" campaign was extremely successful in overturning a pro-gay ordinance in Florida.






 

2016:

"Does the president have the right to force your daughters or granddaughters to share a public restroom with a man? . . .Do you think government officials should have the right to punish a school for not allowing a male student to wear a mini skirt, high heels, and a pink wig to class?" - Family Research Council president Tony Perkins in an fundraising email request. FRC and several other like-minded groups are targeting fears and ignorance about the transgender community in order to hinder lgbt equality.


According to Michelangelo Signorile, there is a serious backlash against lgbt equality by religious right groups in the wake of legalized marriage equality. He also said that lgbt groups are scrambling to catch up. As you can see by the two quotes-  decades apart but very similar - history seems to be repeating itself.  We gain a victory and those opposing lgbt equality exploit fear in order to take it way from us. Meanwhile, we either scramble or stand in the wake of the possibly coming hurricane with no way to fight its onslaught.

So here is the big question. What's more depressing?  That anti-gay groups and figures can successfully exploit the same fears about children and lgbts over 35 years apart?

Or that  even after dealing with the same modus operandi of anti-gay groups and figures over and over again, our community and leaders seem to still be behind the curve rather than riding it?

If you know how your enemy will lie in order to combat your success, you don't wait until he or she begin their lies. The fact that these so-called Christian groups and individuals exploit fear about children is a story in itself which begs to be told.

That is if we can get off our asses and demand the conversation to begin.

'Backlash, leftist drivel harming lgbt community' & other Monday midday news briefs

How a Ferocious Backlash to LGBT Equality Is in Full Force While Leaders Have No Strategy - Michelangelo Signorile's wonderful piece is a serious call to action that our community MUST heed. Perhaps the problem lies with the fact that we are not more aggressive in calling out the forces of homophobia. We tend to let them start the fight, begin the argument, and then we are left scrambling to catch up.

Why This Radical Leftist is Disillusioned by Leftist Culture - But our lgbt leaders aren't totally to blame. Part of the blame has to be given to the group who is the subject of this wonderful piece which resonated with me from the first paragraph. We can't fight the anti-gay right if we are only interested in pretentious bullshit such as academic words and terms like - “the patriarchy”, “white privilege," or “heteronormativity” - the vast majority of lgbts, the ones who need someone to fight for them, don't know what the hell we are talking about. 

North Carolina Governor Wages A Preemptive Strike Against Transgender Equality - If the city of Charlotte passes an pro-lgbt nondiscrimination ordinance, NC's governor has promised to make an ass of himself by intervening in an ugly way.

 Cruz Campaign Quietly Admits 'It Was A Mistake' To Attend Radical 'Kill-The-Gays' Conference - Really? Thanks for the sour persimmons, Ted.

The New Yorker: Scalia made democracy less admirable, America less tolerant

Editor's note - I am posting later than I usually do this morning because I am also fighting a serious cold. Bear with me.

Scalia

The death of SCOTUS justice Antonin Scalia has led to a lot of outpouring of wonderful accolades for the man. Certainly, Scalia deserves these accolades. But they don't tell the true story of Scalia's tenure on the Supreme Court. In all honest, he was not a popular or liked figure and for good reason. Jeffrey Toobin, The New Yorker staff writer and CNN legal senior analyst, can put it better than I:

Antonin Scalia, who died this month, after nearly three decades on the Supreme Court, devoted his professional life to making the United States a less fair, less tolerant, and less admirable democracy. Fortunately, he mostly failed. Belligerent with his colleagues, dismissive of his critics, nostalgic for a world where outsiders knew their place and stayed there, Scalia represents a perfect model for everything that President Obama should avoid in a successor.

 . . .  His revulsion toward homosexuality, a touchstone of his world view, appeared straight out of his sheltered, nineteen-forties boyhood. When, in 2003, the Court ruled that gay people could no longer be thrown in prison for having consensual sex, Scalia dissented, and wrote, “Today’s opinion is the product of a Court, which is the product of a law-profession culture, that has largely signed on to the so-called homosexual agenda, by which I mean the agenda promoted by some homosexual activists directed at eliminating the moral opprobrium that has traditionally attached to homosexual conduct.” He went on, “Many Americans do not want persons who openly engage in homosexual conduct as partners in their business, as scoutmasters for their children, as teachers in their children’s schools, or as boarders in their home. They view this as protecting themselves and their families from a life style that they believe to be immoral and destructive.”

Check out Toobin's entire piece here in The New Yorker.

'Homophobic bills could damage lgbt health' & other Fri. midday news briefs

Yes, South Dakota’s Anti-Transgender Bill Really Is That Bad - How bad is the South Dakota bill targeting our transgender children? THIS BAD:

"The consequences of this legislation cannot be overstated. It endangers every single school’s funding and budgets, and it endangers the mental health of every transgender kid in the state. Daugaard would be requiring every school district to violate federal law for the sole purpose of marginalizing transgender kids, possibly endangering their well-being to such an extent that they experience massive depression and even consider suicide."

MISSISSIPPI: House Panel Advances Sweeping Bill To Legalize Anti-LGBT Discrimination Because Jesus - And as bad as the above bill is, THIS one is worse and just for the transgender community. It also targets the entire lgbt community, unwed mothers and veterans:

 "Under H.B. 1523, religion could be used by most any individual or organization to justify discrimination against LGBT people, unwed mothers, veterans and others. Faith-based organizations could refuse to recognize the marriages of same-sex couples; deny children in need of loving homes with LGBT families; and refuse to sell or rent a for-profit home to an LGBT person — even if the organization receives government funding. As introduced, H.B. 1523 would also give foster families the freedom to submit an LGBTQ child to the dangerous practice of “conversion therapy,” and shame a pregnant unwed girl, without fear of government intervention or license suspension. It would even allow individuals to refuse to carry out the terms of a state contract for the provision of counseling services to all eligible individuals, including veterans, based on the counselor’s beliefs about LGBT people or single mothers."

Facebook Executive To Headline Anti-LGBT Religious Conference - Dear Facebook, what the HELL?!

 Magic Johnson condemns Manny Pacquiao as former sponsors distance themselves - Alright, Magic Johnson!!!! 

 These Giant Portraits Show The Kids Behind The Same-Sex Parenting Debate - Wonderful!! We need to talk more about same-sex families.

Mothers of the transgender community speak out against the hate

One thing I absolutely loath about this religious right war on the transgender community via their "bathroom bills" is how it works to dehumanize our brothers and sisters. Part of the problem is that a lot of folks don't understand that members of the transgender community are simply normal human beings. And they also have family who love and accept them as their authentic selves. The following two videos come from a series by the Human Rights Campaign called Mothers for Transgender Equality. The series spotlights the transgender community and their family:

NYC Public Library has many historical photo treasures of lgbt history

How is this for a "blast from the past?"

Legendary lgbt activist Marsh Johnson picketing outside Bellvue Hospital.

Or this:

1971 - Gay Activist Alliance dance party

According to Unicorn Booty:

 We already told you about the New York Public Library’s newly digitized archives and their upcoming Remix Residency, but we were so overwhelmed by the cool artwork that we overlooked the masses of fascinating LGBTQ content in there. Among its 188,000 items, there are four collections that really stand out: 200 photos of gay and lesbian writers (and their dogs); items from the International Gay Information Center, which ran from 1969-1988; 366 photos of protests, rallies, and other political movements by Diana Davies and, largest of all, over 900 photos from the personal collection of lesbian activists Barbara Gittings and Kay Tobin Lahusen.

The two pictures above are only two of the many posted on Unicorn Booty.

 Go there and see how the lgbt community has changed over decades. . . or remained the same.

'Religious right making ugly war on transgender community' & other Thur. midday news briefs

And Then They Came for Transgender People - My friend Brynn Tannehill breaks it down. What happened in South Dakota is a part of a deliberate plan of anti-gay groups and it's only the beginning of something awful. It's a major reason why I have said for over nine years that the lgbt community AND our allies must do more to focus on these groups and stop letting them dictate the terms of the conversation. No fear, brothers and sisters. This is a war, but of rhetoric and position. If you ain't in the game, go home.

'White-Hot Fury': Anti-Gay Hate Groups on Rise in Wake of Same-Sex Marriage Ruling - The Southern Poverty Law Center just added seven more to its list of anti-gay hate groups. And believe me, they ALL deserve it.  

Texas Conservative Group Makes National Hate Org List - Such as THIS group, and it is a DOOZY!  

Relieved that Scalia can no longer judge us - Respecting the dead and lying about the dead are different things. Scalia had no business on the Supreme Court. And that's solely MY opinion.  

Cruz: 'Disastrous' Marriage Equality Ruling Led To 'Persecution' That's 'Unprecedented' - That howling I keep hearing are the victims of actual persecution. The ones who were tortured, burned at the stake, beaten, and generally executed. And they are all saying, "Is this @!^% kidding?!!" Don't say this man won't be president until AFTER the election is over. Until then, we got work to do.

Six Ways Gays Get People Angry

Strange, probably controversial. But I doubt it's counterproductive.  I found this video this morning and found it to be hilarious. What do you think of this NSFW "pornomedy" by Jason Farone?

'Reports - Nike will dump homophobic boxer Manny Pacquiao' & other Wed. midday news briefs

Nike to Manny Pacquiao - "You gotta go! Just do it1"

 UPDATE :Nike drops Manny Pacquiao after boxer's anti-gay comments - AND he is outta here. Although some folks have lost their damn minds on twitter in their attempts to make him seem like a victim.

Breaking: Nike 'Preparing' To Dump Manny Pacquiao After Anti-Gay Comments, Says TMZ - Bear in mind that this world famous boxer, who is running for public office in the Philippines, is infamous for his attacks on the lgbt community. In this particular case, he called us "worse than animals." Something to remember if and when the "gays are trying to silence people" crowd come along. Like Michelle Malkin (America's version of Jenny Greenteeth) did in 2012 when he attacked us then. 

How The ‘Religious Liberty’ Veneer On Anti-LGBT Bills Is Fading - We all know that the "religious liberty" argument is nonsense. Zack Ford of Think Progress points it out.

 Some of the Catholic faith are disguising homophobia through fraudulent science - Reiterating a post from last night - here is another way a religious body is codifying homophobia, this time via fraudulent science. 

 West Virginia Businesses Fight Back Against Anti-LGBT ‘Religious Freedom’ Bill – VIDEO - And not everyone is agreeable to the "religious liberty" nonsense. Good.

 'Lgbts want to harm children' - the lie the community won't kill - Repeating my post from this morning (sue me already. I was on fire for the past two days) talking about how our community continues be defeated by a lie we should have tackled a long time ago.

  James Dobson: Only Ted Cruz Can Overturn Gay Marriage - Dear James, even if Cruz becomes president (God help us) he will NOT overturn marriage equality. You really don't think the lgbt community is going to give up something we worked hard for and earned, do you?

'Lgbts want to harm children' - the lie the community won't kill

South Dakota just became the first state in the country to pass an absolutely stupid bill which will negatively affect our transgender children:

By a 15-20 vote, the South Dakota state senate passed a bill on Tuesday to ban transgender students from using school restrooms that correspond with their gender identity. After passing the state house earlier this month, House Bill 1008 is expected to head to Gov. Dennis Daugaard in the coming days. Provided that he signs it, South Dakota would be the first state in the country to pass such a law — likely teeing up a clash with the federal government, which has taken the position that such policies constitute illegal discrimination.

Sen. Brock Greenfield said on the senate floor that the legislation is a response to the Obama administration’s push for transgender rights in public schools.

 . . .  He cited constituent concerns about “co-mingling” of individuals of different birth sex, saying it was “inappropriate.” “Do you feel it appropriate for a 13-year-old girl to be exposed to the anatomy of a boy?” he asked.

The ado about bills like this and the supposed safety of children is something the lgbt community can expect to unfortunately hear for while. After their overwhelming victory in Houston against a pro-lgbt ordinance using the same argument (that males will be allowed in women's restrooms and boys and girls will shower together), religious right groups and their supporters have gone practically buck wild in defaming and portraying the transgender community as predators.

Meanwhile, some lgbt activists are scrambling for a way to refute the "bathroom" argument in this latest way the religious right exploits the fear of children being harmed.

Which leads me to be exasperated at my lgbt brothers and sisters for continuing to run about in a panic over an attack which has served to diminish and defeat us for decades - i.e. the lgbts will harm children lie.

Some of the Catholic faith are disguising homophobia through fraudulent science

Austin Ruse demonstrates how some Catholic leaders disguise homophobic lies.

Austin Ruse is the leader of C-FAM (Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute), an anti-lgbt group which lobbies the United Nations. SPLC has it listed as a hate group. This is probably because of the myriad of times Ruse has denigrated the lgbt community or outright lied about us, such as when he called us "Satan's minions" or when he said "left-wing university professors taken out and shot."

That last controversy led Ruse to intensely dislike me because of the work I did to aggregate his words. He even sent me a message last year to let me know that he was still blocking me from twitter, which was a mystery because it came from out of nowhere and I really didn't give a #@!.

Still our paths unfortunately tend to cross, like today.

This morning, I read a column he published in late January in a religious (Catholic) magazine called Crisis. The column, Their Sexual Proclivities Are Killing Them, is something I haven't seen in a while - "good old fashioned" fear mongering about how homosexuality is supposedly a "dangerous lifestyle." And the more I read Ruse's article and where it comes from, the more I get disappointed at a certain religious belief:

It is clear from their relatively tiny numbers—only a few million in a total population of 318,000,000—that men who have sex with men (MSM)* are not “everywhere” as MSM insist they are. It is also clear from their sexual activities, particularly related to anal sex, that their sexual practices also set them apart from the normal population.

 . . .  Independent researcher Dale O’Leary published a hair-raising paper in The Linacre Quarterly two years ago called “The Syndemic of AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases (STD) among MSM” that tells a plethora of uncomfortable truths about MSM.vNote her use of the term “syndemic.” This is beyond both an epidemic and a pandemic. A syndemic is two or more diseases in a population “in which there is some level of positive biological interaction that exacerbates the negative health effects of any or all of the diseases.”

Ruse admits that he is talking about an article which was published in 2014. But here is what he doesn't tell you.  The Linacre Quarterly is not necessarily a credible magazine:

The Linacre Quarterly is the official journal of the Catholic Medical Association. Continuously published since 1934, The Linacre Quarterly is the oldest journal in existence dedicated to medical ethics. The Linacre Quarterly provides a forum in which faith and reason can be brought to bear on analyzing and resolving ethical issues in health care, with a particular focus on issues in clinical practice and research.

The Catholic Medical Association has a negative and very inaccurate stance on homosexuality as evidenced by a pamphlet it offers:

 CMA’s pamphlet Homosexuality & Hope: Questions and Answers About Same-Sex Attraction provides clear, sensitive, and updated advice to persons and families who are dealing with same-sex attraction.CMA’s pamphlet Homosexuality & Hope: Questions and Answers About Same-Sex Attraction provides clear, sensitive, and updated advice to persons and families who are dealing with same-sex attraction.  Homosexuality & Hope was first printed in 1999 in booklet form as a service to the medical profession, the Church, and society.  Later, in 2003, a shorter pamphlet, focused on responding to the most frequently asked questions about same-sex attraction, was published. Later editions of the Homosexuality & Hope pamphlet, in 2008 and 2010, brought a new design and layout, updated citations reflecting new research on same-sex attraction, and a new question on recent attempts to apply the title “marriage” to same-sex relationships.

In other words, The Linacre Quarterly comes from an organization with negative views of homosexuality which are not necessarily rooted in science but faith.  One has the question the credibility of any information about lgbts coming from this magazine. Indeed, the article Ruse is talking about does take a negative view of the lgbt community, generalizing about gay men,"bathhouses," "circuit parties," citing many statistics which are over several decades old, and even using the out-of-date term "gay bowel syndrome."

'How will Scalia's death impact the future of lgbt equality?' & other Tue. midday news briefs

 Scalia

How The Supreme Court Shake-Up Will Impact The Future Of LGBT Rights - Serious talk, folks. Take it to heart because hardly anyone has talked about this as of yet.  

Manny Pacquiao: Boxer sorry for 'gay people are worse than animals' remark - You mean he is sorry he got caught. Listen, I don't care what some boxer says about my people. I DO care that said boxer is running for public office in his respective country, which in this case is the Philippines. We have enough of crazy homophobes in the US Congress. I hate that they extend to other innocent countries.

Heads Of The Catholic And Russian Orthodox Churches Use Historic Meeting To Bash Gays - Well at least we brought them together (snark!)  

Trump Voters in South Carolina Want to Ban Both Muslims and Gays From Entering the Country - I can't begin to tell you how it felt having this be the first thing I read this morning. 

 South Dakota on Slippery Slope With Bill Targeting Transgender People - Here we go again.

 Independent Investigation Debunks The Anti-LGBT "Bathroom Predator" Myth - Some lgbt advocates have complained that we have yet to be able to counter the anti-transgender "bathroom bill" myth. How about a seriously aggressive push of the truth and BEFORE we are knee deep in the latest fight over a state bill. Just a suggestion.

Anti-gay group scared at idea of Obama picking new SCOTUS justice

The American Family Association is spooked to death at the prospect of President Obama naming a new Supreme Court Justice after the passing of Scalia. The anti-gay group sent out the following mass email:

This past weekend America lost a giant on the United States Supreme Court. The Honorable Justice Antonin Gregory Scalia died of natural causes this past Saturday. Justice Scalia served as the conscience of the Supreme Court, holding the line for an originalist interpretation of the Constitution and reflected on the bench the values that we hold dear on the home front.

Together with his family, our nation mourns the loss of this judicial hero.

Justice Scalia was a towering intellectual figure who believed, as you and I do, that the Constitution should be understood and applied as the Founders intended it.

We cannot allow President Obama to replace him with a judicial activist. Activist judges have mangled the Constitution almost beyond recognition, and we cannot allow Justice Scalia to be replaced by a justice who will continue to shred the Constitution rather than protect it and uphold it.

While the Constitution gives the president the right to nominate Supreme Court justices, it also gives the Senate the right to reject them. The Constitution does not even require an unacceptable nominee be given a vote on the floor.

President Obama might also resort to a recess appointment to fill the seat temporarily. This must not be allowed to happen. When the Senate goes into recess for 10 days or more, this door is opened to the president.

TAKE ACTION
Contact your senators today, and urge them to block the president's attempt to pack the Court with another justice who will legislate from the bench.

And not even asking for money? AFA must be slipping.

'Franklin Graham thinks Christians should take over mayorships to stop lgbt equality' & other Friday midday news briefs

Franklin Graham thinks he speaks for all Christians

Franklin Graham: Christians Must Take Over Every Mayorship In The Country To Stop 'Evil' LGBT Rights - Graham has crossed the line to religious fanaticism a long time ago with his support of anti-gay persecution in Russia and homophobic lies, so this is part for the course. Not all Christians believe as he does. But mark my words - Graham is operating not from the word of God, but purely from ego. And one day, his egotism is going to take a huge chunk out of his behind. It happened with Eddie Long, Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, etc., etc. Graham will merely be the latest.

SiriusXM shuts down its gay channel - Booooo! Not a good idea!  

Anti-LGBT Bullying Has Long-Term Mental Health Consequences, Study Finds - Not surprising. Nor will it be surprising that anti-gay spokespeople will probably cite this study as proof of the false idea of homosexuality being a "dangerous behavior" WITHOUT mentioning that it's their pronounced bigotry which is the problem and not sexual orientation. They've done it so many times before.  

Judge Clears Kim Davis, Approves Kentucky Marriage Licenses With Her Name Removed - And so it ends with a whimper and not a bang. I haven't heard any religious right groups talking about this at all.

Anti-Gay Texas Attorney General Faces Disbarment - Mentioning this because I want to end today's news briefs on a happy note. Pluck that turkey!!

SPLC report exposes the 'religious liberty' fraud and anti-gay groups behind it

For those of us looking to find information to expose and combat the trend of  "religious liberty" bills coming from the religious right and supporters in the wake of legal marriage equality, the Southern Poverty Law Center has come out with a kick ass report on the groups behind these bills (all of which should unfortunately be familiar to us lgbts) and their history of homophobia:

In recent years, the LGBT rights movement has witnessed a sea change in American attitudes toward the gay community and, along with it, a series of dramatic policy and legal victories — most notably marriage equality — that would have seemed unthinkable just a decade ago.

Yet, while the majority of Americans support LGBT rights, these gains have produced a strong backlash.The hardline religious-right groups that have long relied on the use of demonizing falsehoods to justify discrimination against LGBT people have not simply folded their tents and walked away.

Rather, they have used their large megaphone to create a dangerous new narrative that portrays Christians who object to homosexuality on biblical grounds as victims of religious persecution. This idea is particularly compelling to millions of evangelicals who see themselves and their values as being under siege in a rapidly changing society.

Across the country, these opponents of LGBT equality are working to persuade state legislatures to pass laws known as Religious Freedom Restoration Acts (RFRAs) — statutes that ostensibly allow individuals to deny goods and services to LGBT people on the basis of their religious beliefs.

 . . . . The new RFRAs are being championed by extreme religious-right groups that — as these profiles reveal — want to reverse the recent progress toward equal protection under the law for the LGBT community. If they had their way, the country would return to the era when gay people remained in the closet and the government claimed the right to say what could go on between consenting adults in their bedrooms.

These groups are clever — and cynical.

They know that, as Americans have grown more accepting of LGBT people, they can no longer rely on discredited stereotypes to stymie the march toward full equality. So they have wrapped their bigotry in the cloak of religious freedom.

The public should not be fooled.

Get the full report (and you can even download for later reading) here.

'IN Gov. Mike Pence can't answer simple question on lgbt equality' & other Thur. afternoon news briefs

Oh good grief, Gov. Mike Pence. How difficult is it to say either yes or no. It's one of those questions. 

In other news:

 Transphobic Bathroom Bill Dies in Washington State - Nice to see common sense prevailing. Unfortunately, you just know it's not over yet.  

West Virginia Lawmakers Pass Problematic ‘Religious Freedom’ Bill 72-26 - However, sanity didn't prevail everywhere.

 Georgia House passes ‘Pastor Protection Act’ - And it totally skipped Georgia. This is a needless bill. No pastor can ever be forced to perform a same-sex wedding.  

Gay teacher’s sex video stolen, posted to school site - And what happened to this teacher was wrong on all accounts.

Mrs. Ted Cruz's spooky vision of America

Heidi Cruz is as spooky as her husband, Ted.

While she doesn't mention the lgbt community, it doesn't take a palm reader to tell that GOP presidential candidate Ted Cruz's wife, Heidi, doesn't necessarily have room for us being treated fairly in her husband's vision of America as evidenced by this religious tangent she went off on during an appearance on a South Carolina radio show.  Count how many times she mentions "Christian." We get it already!

From Right Wing Watch:

Sen. Ted Cruz’s wife Heidi, who has been campaigning for her husband full-time over the past several months, explained the role of faith in the Texas Republican’s presidential campaign yesterday, telling a South Carolina radio host that Cruz is running to “show this country the face of the God that we serve.”

Transcript:

 When I thought about doing it for our country, it became very clear to me that our family must be in this race. And it also became clear to me that we are at a cultural crossroads in our country and if we can be in this race to show this country the face of the God that we serve — this Christian God that we serve is the foundation of our country, our country was built on Judeo-Christian values, we are a nation of freedom of religion, but the God of Christianity is the God of freedom, of individual liberty, of choice and of consequence. And I think that’s something that this country really needs to be reminded of, is that Christians are loving people, are nonjudgmental people, but there is right and wrong, we have a country of law and order, there are consequences to actions and we must all live peaceably in our own faiths under the Constitution. And Ted is uniquely able to deliver on that combination of the law and religion.

Open letter to GLAAD voices anger over elimination of award

After five years of honoring bloggers, GLAAD has decided to do away with the 'Outstanding Blog' category, forcing LGBT grassroots and independent media to compete with larger media sources. Many of us noted bloggers and activists (and more are forthcoming) have signed a letter detailing why we feel this is an egregious error.

This situation is about more than just an award or recognition. This is a terrible example of a larger organization deciding not to acknowledge grassroots activists and journalists who have gone beyond the call of duty to ensure fairness and equality for the lgbt community. And it sends an awful message to future activists and journalists.

An Open Letter to GLAAD Regarding the 2016 Media Awards

We, the undersigned, respectfully but strongly disagree with your decision to remove the category of ‘Outstanding Blog’ from the GLAAD Awards and with your rationalization behind this decision. 

LGBT blogs and independent media play a crucial role in relaying information, providing new and diverse voices, and bringing attention to LGBT issues that have been overlooked and omitted by the mainstream media. Bloggers are the last truly independent voices of lived LGBT experience, and those who undertake this task typically do so without pay or recognition. They don’t grace the cover of magazines. They don’t get book deals. They don’t win Oscars. What they accomplish through their sacrifice of time and energy is the proper dissemination of information which serves to make our community stronger and better educated. 

The ‘Outstanding Blog’ award bestowed by GLAAD was one of the few ways LGBT bloggers has been given their due. The idea that these voices will now have to compete with larger and more powerful news entities such as The New York Times, MSNBC and Buzzfeed is unfair and, frankly, humiliating. The elimination of the ‘Outstanding Blog’ category implies that unless one is a celebrity or affiliated with a publication with a high profile and finances to match, you are held without regard in the LGBT media landscape, or at least as GLAAD sees it. 

It is sadly ironic that GLAAD, an organization which prides itself on lifting up positive LGBT portrayals, has rendered grassroots LGBT voices invisible and unworthy of recognition. While an initial statement from GLAAD explained that bloggers are still welcome to compete with national outlets in other journalism categories, a simple fact speaks for itself: among the 2016 award nominees, there is not a single blog (or community-based LGBT outlet, for that matter) to be found anywhere on the list. The crucial voice of first-person LGBT voices has simply disappeared from the GLAAD Awards. This is a troubling message to send to the general public, to up-and-coming LGBT writers, and to the LGBT community itself. 

In the spirit of a community in which every voice is an asset in our march to full equality, we ask that the ‘Outstanding Blog’ category be fully reinstated immediately. Please conduct a nomination process at once so that this critical error might be rectified before your 2016 awards dinner.  Also, announcing the winner of this category from the stage, unlike in year’s past, would also be a nice touch.

Sincerely,

Diane Anderson-Minshall

CEO of Retrograde Communications & Editor in Chief of Plus Magazine

Hivplusmag.com

Bil Browning

Founder of The Bilerico Project

Bilerico.com 

2011, 2012 GLAAD Award Nominee

JD Davids

Managing Editor, TheBody.com

Zack Ford

LGBT Editor, ThinkProgress.org

Michael Hamar

Michael in Norfolk - Coming Out in Mid-Life

Michael-In-Norfolk.blogspot.com

Rebecca Juro

Columnist, South Florida Gay News

Mark S. King

MyFabulousDisease.com

2015 GLAAD Award Nominee

Will Kohler

Back2Stonewall.com

Alvin McEwen

Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters

holybulliesandheadlessmonsters.blogspot.com

2014, 2015 GLAAD Award Nominee

Noah Michelson

HuffPost Queer Voices

Huffingtonpost.com/queer-voices

Michael Rogers

Netroots Connect

lgbtnetrootsconnect.org

Dana Rudolph

Mombian.com

2012 GLAAD Media Award Winner

Michelangelo Signorile

Sirius XM PROGRESS

Signorile.com

Pam Spaulding

Pam’s House Blend

PamSpaulding.net

Joe Sudbay

Longtime Blogger

Berlin Sylvestre

Editor, OUT FRONT Magazine

Brynn Tannehill

Independent Writer

Daniel Villarreal

Editor in Chief, Unicorn Booty

UnicornBooty.com

Ashton P. Woods

Strength in Numbers

ashtonpwoods.strengthinnumbershouston.com

Sarah Toce

Founder/Publisher, The Seattle Lesbian

theseattlelesbian.com

Dana Beyer

Weekly Columnist

Huffpost Queer Voices
 

Jim Burroway

Box Turtle Bulletin

2015 GLAAD Nominee for Outstanding Blog

2012 GLAAD Nominee for Outstanding Digital Journalism Article

2012 National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association Winner for Excellence in Online Journalism

Sue Kerr MSW
Founding Editor
Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents
 www.pghlesbian.com
@pghlesbian24

Andre Duque

Blogger, Blabbeando

Blabbeando.blogspot.com

2011 GLAAD Award Nominee