Jacksonville, FL anti-gay activists aiming low to defeat non-discrimination ordinance

The handiwork of an anti-gay activist smearing a Jacksonville Councilman

While everyone's eyes are on the Iowa Caucus, there is an interesting situation developing in Jacksonville,  FL.

According to Media Matters:

Jacksonville is set to be the next major battleground for LGBT equality as the city council considers extending non-discrimination protections to include LGBT people. Here's what the media should know about the groups and activists leading the fight against LGBT equality in Jacksonville. As the largest US city that has never enacted protections for LGBT people, Jacksonville is considering updating its Human Rights Ordinance (HRO) to include non-discrimination protections based on gender identity and sexual orientation in areas like housing, employment, and public accommodations. Anti-LGBT activists leading the fight against expanding Jacksonville's HRO falsely claim that adding LGBT protections would allow sexual predators to enter women's restrooms, a bogus talking point that was used to defeat similar protections in Houston in 2015.

Media Matters point out the three entities who are heavily involved in defeating the non-discrimination ordinance.  The organization also gives information which the media should point out. The groups are:

 The Liberty Counsel:

Right-wing Christian legal group based in Orlando, FL

Designated an anti-LGBT "hate group" by the Southern Poverty Law Center

Represented notorious Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis

Has a history of misleading media outlets

Florida Family Policy Council:

Florida chapter of national anti-gay group Focus on the Family

Headed by anti-gay activist John Stemberger 

Urges gay people to seek help in leaving the "gay lifestyle"

And last, but certainly not least, this guy:

"Pastor" Kenneth Adkins channeling anti-transgender stereotypes

This is Pastor Kenneth Adkins. Amongst other things, he is responsible for the awful graphic above smearing a councilman. He supposedly leads a group of black pastors against the non-discrimination ordinance:

Adkins has said that the definition of the expanded HRO is "Giving Civil Rights to men who engage in Anal Sex with each other," called City Council Member Tommy Hazouri the "anti-Christ" for supporting the HRO, and photoshopped Hazouri's face onto pornographic images.

He has also:

Took photos of himself dressed up as a woman to oppose the Jacksonville HRO

Garnered local media attention with his vocal antics against the expanded HRO

Stroll over to Media Matters for the full story on these folks. If we lose this one, we really need to assess our priorities as an equality movement. There has been a lot of talk lately over a certain nasty event which happened a recent lgbt conference.  All I am going to say about that is  if we don't get our stuff together and stop with the bickering and bullshit academic "queer studies" lingo, we are going to lose to people like THIS guy above.

Often.