'Christians United gives wonderful clap back to disgusting Nashville Statement' & other Thur midday news briefs

Sign this religious statement affirming the LGBTQ community.

Christians United statement- The clap back to that vile Nashville Statement. This one affirms the LGBTQ community. I've already signed on. Hopefully a lot of others also will.

The Christians United Statement In Support of LGBT Inclusion - More about the group.

Ruby Rose called ‘disgusting human being’ for donating to Houston LGBT center - See, it's not black folks who get hit with that "All Lives Matter" bull by folks who really don't care but want to hide their biases.

Reese Witherspoon To Produce Film About ‘God Hates Fags’ Church - It was bound to happen. I wonder who will play Fred Phelps.

Following a national trend, Washington, D.C. plans to offer LGBTQ senior housing - Wonderful!

NOM weighs in on Alabama race, endorses Roy Moore - Lawd, give us strength if THIS fool becomes a United States senator.

Ten Important LGBTQ Moments in US History

Whether or not you agree with the historical relevance of all of the items on this video list (compiled by Ms. Mojo in June), you have to admit that, at the very least, one thing is clear. LGBTQs will always eventually win because we aren't afraid of the hard battle:

'Why The Nashville Statement is a piece of bigoted garbage' & other Wed midday news briefs

A homophobic piece of garbage

Quotes From The Nashville Statement That Are Flat-Out Homophobic - Let's be clear about this crap.


Bigoted evangelicals comically think LGBTQs give a damn about their opinions - Very clear as my post from last night says: 

 Our community fought like hell for the right to marry. We did things the right and honorable way by proving our case in the right arena, i.e. the court. We EARNED marriage equality. And we aims to keep it. No statement by a bunch of self-righteous wannabe religious phonies is going to change that. Nor will we be made to hate ourselves because you have the ridiculous belief that you sit on the right hand of God and angels sing your praises when you walk across a floor. To put it succinctly - Ain't none of you special. Get over yourselves. No one gives a damn about what you think. 

Children’s books about gender identity prompt right-wing media freakout over trans-inclusive education - Apparently, attacking elderly transgender men and women simply isn't enough for the right. 

'Grossly Misleading': LGBT Legal Experts Slam Reports Defense Secretary Has 'Frozen' Transgender Policy - Something worth knowing . . .

No, Mattis did not ‘freeze’ the transgender military ban - More about this mess. 

Chile legalises gay marriage and allows LGBT couples to adopt as historic new bill signed - Good for Chile!

Bigoted evangelicals comically think LGBTQs give a damn about their opinions

I was working on another post when this junk came in and I simply have to comment on it:

A nationwide coalition of more than 150 conservative Christian leaders signed a statement, released Tuesday, affirming their beliefs on human sexuality, including that marriage is between one man and one woman and approval of "homosexual immorality" is sinful. The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood's list of 14 beliefs, referred to as the Nashville Statement, is a response to an increasingly post-Christian, Western culture that thinks it can change God's design for humans, according to the statement. "Our true identity, as male and female persons, is given by God. It is not only foolish, but hopeless, to try to make ourselves what God did not create us to be," the statement from the coalition members reads.

The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood convened a meeting of evangelical leaders, pastors and scholars Friday at the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission's annual conference in Nashville. The coalition discussed and endorsed the statement.  

 . . .Among the signers who have been involved in national politics: James Dobson, founder of the Colorado Springs-based Focus on the Family, and Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council in the District of Columbia. Dobson and four others — Senior Pastor Ronnie Floyd of Cross Church, which has four campuses in northwest Arkansas and southwest Missouri; Pastor Jack Graham of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas; President Richard Land of the Southern Evangelical Seminary in Charlotte, N.C.; televangelist James Robison, founder of Fort Worth-based Life Outreach International — also are members of President Trump's evangelical advisory board 

Well I am so glad for this statement because it kills my compulsion to marry James Dobson. Seriously, before the news of that statement came out, I was being overcome by a need to make him my love slave for life.

 All jokes aside, I hope the LGBTQ community doesn't fall for this mess. I can see how this can play out. We lodge intense verbal disagreement, leading Dobson, Perkins and the rest to do a media blitz on Fox News and other conservative-friendly news sources while playing the victim and calling out the LGBTQ community on our supposed intolerance of their "personally held religious beliefs."

Sorry my friends. Your statement doesn't move me. It doesn't anger me or sadden me. But it gets me defiant as hell because a simple fact:

 Our community fought like hell for the right to marry. We did things the right and honorable way by proving our case in the right arena, i.e. the court. We EARNED marriage equality. And we aims to keep it. No statement by a bunch of self-righteous wannabe religious phonies is going to change that.

Nor will we be made to hate ourselves because you have the ridiculous belief that you sit on the right hand of God and angels sing your praises when you walk across a floor.

To put it succinctly - Ain't none of you special. Get over yourselves. No one gives a damn about what you think.

Deal with it.

'Gays for Trump' protest at Charlotte Pride fizzles into embarrassment' & other Tue midday news briefs

Roughly a Dozen ‘Gays for Trump’ Protestors Showed Up at Charlotte Pride - This group was told by Charlotte Pride that they could not march in last weekend's parade so they held a really poor protest. They should be embarrassed. But if they are gays who support Trump, my guess is that they lost their sense of embarrassment a long time ago. My pet peeve about the entire thing is that so many articles talking about this ridiculous situation omitted one of reasons why the "Gays for Trump" group was denied the so-called right to participate in the pride parade was because of ugly comments members allegedly made about Muslims, the transgender community, immigrants and LGBTQs of color. 

Transgender Military Members At Risk Of Harassment Under Trump, Says Former Army Secretary - How convenient. I'm sure this was a desired effect of Trump's terrible ban. 

Group Advocates For LGBT Youth In Religious Homes - Faith In America does wonderful work.

Here’s How You Can Help the LGBTQ Victims of Hurricane Harvey - Help some people who may get lot in the shuffle.

Tucker Carlson rationalizes abuse of the elderly in attack on pro-transgender bill

I had to post a follow-up to my last post because this right here  pisses me off.

To recap, the conservative right is all upset over a California bill,  SB-219, which would protect elderly transgender residents of long term care facilities from potential verbal abuse from health care workers,

They don't like the fact that the bill lists deliberately and willfully misgendering the transgender resident as abuse. Members of the conservative right, such as Fox News personality Tucker Carlson (seen here in an exchange with strategist Robin Biro), claim that this is an assault on free speech:

'This Criminalizes Speech': @TuckerCarlson Battles Dem on Bill to Jail People Who Misuse Transgender Pronouns https://t.co/yonN1IxFvc pic.twitter.com/ir4LKZKA5I

— Fox News (@FoxNews) August 29, 2017

So I guess in Tucker Carlson's world, a healthcare worker verbally abusing any elderly resident of a long term care facility should be protected under free speech. Or do scurrilous arguments about "free speech" only count when it comes to the transgender elderly?

Deliberate right-wing distortion about CA bill can endanger elderly transgender community

The right-wing locusts are buzzing around an issue. They are attempting to create a moral panic regarding nursing homes and their transgender residents:

Calif. attempting 'tyranny on the highest level'

California Threatens Jail Time for Dissenters from the New Transgender Dogma

California Could Start Jailing People Who Don’t Use Transgender Pronouns

Use wrong pronoun for transgender senior? California may punish you

These fake moral protectors are complaining about a bill, SB-219, in California which spells out the rights of nursing home residents. The part which these folks are specifically targeting speaks about abuses of these residents. The section - which they have distorted and truncated says the following (the portion aprpo to this post is put in bold): 

This bill would enact the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Long-Term Care Facility Resident’s Bill of Rights. Among other things, the bill would make it unlawful, except as specified, for any long-term care facility to take specified actions wholly or partially on the basis of a person’s actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status, including, among others, willfully and repeatedly failing to use a resident’s preferred name or pronouns after being clearly informed of the preferred name or pronouns, or denying admission to a long-term care facility, transferring or refusing to transfer a resident within a facility or to another facility, or discharging or evicting a resident from a facility. 

In other words, when you eliminate all of the name-calling (transgender dogma?) and the semantic lies about people being forced to adhere to a code which supposedly goes against their free speech and morality, what you have is a common sense way to keep  elderly transgender men and women from being abused by people who would deliberately misgender them.

And what's wrong with that? Who would be so mean-spirited and hateful to oppose a bill which would prevent the mistreatment of the elderly?

According to an article in the August 12, 2015 issue of The Atlantic magazine:

 . . .  there are more than 1.5 million LGBT people over 65 in the U.S., a number expected to double over the next 15 years as the population ages. But precise statistics on older transgender adults—or, for that matter, transgender people of any age—are hard to come by. One 2011 study using health-survey data estimated that the country’s transgender population was around 700,000; this past May, the Census Bureau published a study that analyzed the number of “likely transgender individuals” based on the people who had changed their name (around 90,000) or sex (around 22,000) with the Social Security Administration.

And they do face the possibility of discrimination, according to Transis City, a group serves the Missouri and Kansas transgender communities:

A study of 646 transgender adults living in California (80 persons being over 55) found that 30% of the group avoided medical treatment out of fear of maltreatment by the medical staff. (IOM) One large study found that nearly 40% of elderly transgender persons were afraid of seeking health care, compared to just 13% of the LGB community. On average each transgender person in the study reported 11 different severe incidents of discrimination and victimization, including verbal insults, threats, denial of employment, and police harassment.

None of these facts mean anything to the self-righteous, self-satisfied individuals on the right whose distortions are obscuring much needed education on the well-being of our transgender elderly. They are trying their damndest to make the entire situation about imposing a transgender agenda on people.

 I'm confused because I always thought that the right to live in safety and dignity, no matter who you are or what your age may be, is a part of the human agenda.

Related post: FAQ FOR TRANSGENDER AND GENDER-NONCONFORMING OLDER ADULTS 

SAGE - Transgender Aging

'Bryan Fischer adds homophobia to Confederate flag debate' & other Mon. midday news briefs

Bryan Fischer: ‘It’s Time To Have The LGBT Flag Banned Right Alongside The Confederate Flag’ - I've always compliment the religious right on the skillful they turn can turn debates on silly factoids and arguments. However, I really don't think this one is going to be successful.

Bisexual people share their experiences in dating different genders - The bisexual community simply doesn't get enough of a spotlight in the LGBTQ community or the so-called mainstream one. 

Trump’s transgender military ban met with backlash - As it should be. Don't be nice, folks. 

When Some Christians Finally Get Tired of Being Terrible - The argument over the false dichotomy of the LGBTQ community vs. the Christian community cannot be confined to those two characterizations. There is a larger battle going on here which John Pavlovitz breaks down. 

How Alex Jones attacks the LGBTQ community - Alex Jones needs a strait-jacket (preferably locked around his face) but instead possibly has a corner of Trump's ear. That's scary.

Debate proves emptiness of Trump's ban on transgender people from the military

Even when they are on Fox News, religious right spokespeople can't defend their mess when they face an informed opponent. Case in point, this exchange between the Family Research Council's Jerry Boykin and  U.S. Army Ranger,  combat veteran (and friend of mine) Robin Biro . Boykin was attempting to defend Trump's ban on transgender people from the military:

'Lawsuit proves SPLC's point about anti-LGBTQ hate groups' & other Fri midday news briefs

Anti-LGBTQ hate groups push a false connection between homosexuality and pedophilia. And then whine when called out about it.

Christian Hate Group Sues SPLC Over “Hate Group” Label - The group suing SPLC for calling it a hate group has said this about the LGBTQ community: 

And if you’re wondering why Kennedy’s ministry is on there, here’s an example of what SPLC says on its site: Over the years, Kennedy emphasized anti-gay rhetoric, particularly in his TV ministry. He recommended as “essential” the virulent work of R.J. Rushdoony… who believed practicing gays should be executed. In an especially nasty 1989 edition of a [Coral Ridge Ministries] newsletter, Kennedy ran photographs of children along with the tagline, “Sex With Children? Homosexuals Say Yes!” 

 The organization says it's losing money because of the hate group label. Wonderful. That's why a serious public debate on what groups like these do and say to denigrate LGBTQs is needed. And if a lawsuit these groups are stupidly pushing will open the door and let all it come out, so be it! Don't be blase. Demand the debate.

Related posts:

Why can't anti-LGBTQ hate group Family Research Council stop distorting science?

SPLC puts the Alliance Defending Freedom's long history of anti-LGBTQ bigotry on public blast

LGBT organizations 'declaring war' on religious right lies, homophobic junk science

The right pushes sad new homosexuality = pedophilia angle

In other news:

Senator Who Lost Both Legs In Iraq Blasts Trump’s Military Transgender Ban - Well alright!

Frank Amedia ‘Saw How Angry And Hurt Our Lord Was’ When The White House Was Bathed In Rainbow Colors - This 'Trump shielder' has a very different view of God than me.

Parents of gay athletes say sports brought them closer - I love this story.

Family Research Council doesn't want an actual debate about its hate group status

Don't let any member or supporter of hate group the Family Research Council, nor its leader Tony Perkins, fool you.

For all of their whining about being "forcibly silenced," none of them want an actual debate on why the Southern Poverty Law Center declared the organization to be a hate group. There is a reason why Perkins and company generally retreats to the friendly territory of the Fox News network and its propaganda machine (on this youtube channel from the Family Research Council itself, you can see that the majority of interviews are on Fox News).

If there is a true debate on a genuine news program, FRC members - particularly Perkins - are  called out their deceptions about the LGBTQ community. Or better yet, embarrassed by the ignorance of the stances they take.

It's one thing to have a "talk" on a news program where you won't be challenged. It's quite another to have to defend your point of view and information you cite.

Like so in the following videos:





This debate was about gays in the military, but you can see that FRC's Peter Sprigg makes a huge faux pas which discredits his group's argument about not wanting persecute LGBTQs:

And not necessarily a debate but a statement which justifiably continues to haunt FRC:

'Condemnations coming down on Trump's trans military ban' & other Thur midday news briefs

A defender of the LGBTQ community my black ass!

With Trump's ban on transgender troops put on a fast track, the condemnations are coming down on its head: 

First, the policy - White House gives Pentagon six months to create new trans military ban policy 

Reinstating Transgender Ban Would Disrupt Military Readiness 

TLDEF Condemns Reported Ban on Transgender Military Health Care and Deployment 

Draft policy on military trans ban looks as bad as Trump’s tweets 

In other news:

Lesbian, gay and bisexual older adults suffer more chronic health conditions than heterosexuals, study finds - One guess why . . .

How Trump’s Homophobic USDA Chief Scientist Pick Directly Threatens LGBTQ People - The dangers of junk science and why it is very necessary to call out the purveyors of lies in an assertive manner. 

Freedom Of Sexual Orientation Is Now A Fundamental Right In India - Ruling just came in and it's stunning.

In the Benham family, the rotted apples don't fall far from the homophobic tree

I think a lot of us in the LGBTQ community know David and Jason Benham, the Glimmer Twins of Homophobia whose severe anti-LGBTQ speech cost them a reality show on HGTV in 2014 but gave them new careers as professional victims of the supposed radical gay agenda.

These guys right here:

 

They are so well-spoken, hunky, and photogenic that's almost so darn easy to pay no attention to the mind boggling extremity of their homophobic speech.

But then you would have to remember who their father is. I personally think that an asset the Benham brothers has is that there is little to no attention focused on their father, Flip Benham. Benham, a minister and head of the group Operation Save America, is infamous for his stances against the LGBTQ community. I really wish there was more attention paid to Benham because he gives a good example of what his sons really are.

Strip away the cute faces, the muscular bodies, and the supposed Christian veneer and you'll have what you see below in these videos of Flip Benham screeching about the LGBTQ community - a paranoid fanatic:

'Anti-LGBTQ religious leaders provided 'prayers' before Trump provided the madness in Phoenix' & other Wed midday news briefs

Franklin Graham (top) and Alveda King (bottom) gave the prayers at Trump's insane Phoenix rally.

Alveda King &  Franklin Graham Provide Cover For Trump At Unsettling Phoenix Rally - Apparently Trump's insane rally last night featured two supposed religious figures who came on and prayed before he proceeded to do his head-spinning, pea-soup spitting act. Martin Luther King Jr's homophobic fake-assed civil rights activist niece (which means she goes anywhere to get attention spotlighting her phony status) Alveda King.  And Franklin Graham, who said nothing when the GOP nearly stole healthcare from millions of Americans via its attempt to repeal Obamacare probably because he was too busy still being angry that the 'Beauty and the Beast' motion picture featured a gay character. Naturally, Graham made a subtle homophobic dig during his prayer.

The president can’t stop hiring people who oppose LGBTQ rights - And the latest one is . . . 

Let’s Not Forget The People Of Color Who Helped Pioneer Marriage Equality - Pssst! AND the bloggers. But our story will be told later. Let's concentrate on these folks so that they aren't forgotten.

Parents, Students Throw A Fit Over Alabama High School’s Pride Flag - MERCY!

7 LGBT Americans Who Deserve Monuments More Than Confederate Leaders - I FULLY support this!

Arguments against marriage equality in Australia as inane as those used in America

Right now, even as I write this, the continent of Australia is embroiled in a huge fight over marriage equality. While monitoring this debate, I am noticing an uneasy similarity between the arguments made by those who didn't want marriage equality here in America and the opposition to it in Australia.

You have the same disgusting claims about how marriage equality coming to Australia will harm children:

Which we had to deal with:

And the same nonsensical arguments we had to deal with (how many of these do you remember):

.@AlexHawkeMP: I'm conservative on marriage, I don't want to see people sued for expression of religious freedom. https://t.co/C5IzPJPB6x pic.twitter.com/7FPRAtwI2P

— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) August 8, 2017

.@kevinandrewsmp: I have a relationship with my cycling mates, but the law has no place in that relationship https://t.co/3nKBUCzjYS pic.twitter.com/KusSCp7232

— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) August 14, 2017

.@kevinandrewsmp: Once you change the definition from a man and a woman, any set of arrangements can be put in place https://t.co/3nKBUCzjYS pic.twitter.com/IAWGkJHFEP

— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) August 13, 2017

And of course let's not omit the downright insane:

Lots of respectful correspondence today #ThanksMalcolm pic.twitter.com/c5CWnfKEvS

— Tim Watts MP (@TimWattsMP) August 10, 2017

We won marriage equality in America because we were able to take our case to court. It was in this arena of logic that we were able to make our case, while the opposition showed that they only possessed smoke and mirrors.

It's not so easy in Australia. As  I understand it, they have a different system and will have a voluntary postal survey on the issue.

What that means is we need to pray for Australia because the continent will be in for all sorts of crazy mess geared to scare people about marriage equality.

Don't be surprised if a conspiracy theory about aliens takes center stage.

Hat tip to Buzzfeed.

'Nauseatingly homophobic posters go up in Australia' & other Tue midday news briefs

Bigots in Australia have no time for subtlety.

Disgusting Anti-LGBT Posters Have Gone Up Throughout Melbourne, Australia - A reminder that our struggle for equality is worldwide.  I haven't seen homophobia this visually hardcore in a while. It's pretty much the same message that groups like the Family Research Council presents about LGBTQs, but without any subtlety.

“Fuck you, faggots”: The anti-LGBTQ bigotry of white supremacists and neo-Nazis - Geez. I guess that's two reasons why they hate my guts. 

After Charlottesville attack, anti-LGBTQ hate groups attack media outlets for accurately calling them hate groups- The poor things. Bless the stewing pits where their hearts would have been if they had hearts. 

Bryan Fischer: ‘Our Land May Be Getting Ready To Vomit Us Out’ Because Of Abortion And Homosexuality - For the life of me, I don't know why anyone would call the American Family Association a hate group. Bryan Fischer, you are connected with them. Can you tell us why? 

San Francisco 49ers assistant Katie Sowers is first out LGBT coach in NFL - Not everything is negative in today's news briefs. As Ms. Sowers shows us, don't allow ignorant fools to get you distracted. Keep your eye on them of course. But don't let them distract you from achieving your goals.

How the 'Christian' right dodged calling out Trump for 'both sides' statement

The religious right have traded Jesus for this guy.

Trump received much well-deserved criticism because of his abysmal "both sides" quasi-defense of white nationalists after the Charlottesville tragedy.

However, one thing  about the controversy which should've received front page press but didn't was how religious right groups and leaders failed to give Trump any type of moral guidance. Instead, in their responses, they have him excuses and back-up.

Americans United for the Separation of Church and State.breaks down  it all down:

Many Americans were repulsed by Trump’s comments, but not the Religious Right. Its leaders responded to his comments in a number of ways, none of which involved criticizing the president or noting his appalling moral failure – as they certainly would have done had a progressive president behaved this way.

Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council issued a statement echoing Trump’s offensive “both sides” rhetoric. Perkins couldn’t manage to muster the courage to denounce Nazis, but he did find a way to point out – twice – that a Bernie Sanders supporter shot U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise.

Prominent evangelist Franklin Graham chose to blame the victims of neo-Nazi violence, asserting that this all started because some people advocated removing a statue of Robert E. Lee from a public park. (For good measure, he blamed Satan as well.) The clear implication is that they should have known better.

Anti-LGBTQ right gets caught lying about gay millionaire

Editor's note - Due to today's eclipse, there will be no news briefs

Tim Gill is not targeting Christians.

In late July, Rolling Stone magazine published a profile of gay millionaire activist Tim Gill. The religious and conservative right went ballistic, claiming that Gill said he would be targeting Christians.

Like so many other claims about the LGBTQ community and individuals they've made in the past, this claim was a shameful lie. But it gained so much traction in right-wing circles that the author of the original Rolling Stone piece, Andy Kroll, wrote a follow-up in which he called out those who distorted his first article:

The reaction to my recent profile of Tim Gill, the 63-year-old tech entrepreneur who has spent nearly $500 million of his fortune to win equal rights for LGBTQ people in America, is a small but useful case study of how the warped echo chamber of conservative media works. 

The story went largely unnoticed by conservatives when it first appeared a month ago. Yet in the past 48 hours, the boldface names of today's right-wing media—Breitbart News, the Washington Times, Washington Examiner, Glenn Beck's The Blaze, The Federalist—have seized on the story. Every one of these outlets has chosen to fixate on – and badly mangle – a single quote of Gill's. Here's the passage in which it appears:
"More broadly, for Gill and his allies, nondiscrimination is the new front of the movement: a campaign that pits LGBTQ advocates against a religious right that responded to marriage equality by redoubling its efforts. The election of Donald Trump, who claims to support gay rights but stocked his administration with anti-LGBTQ extremists, has only emboldened those looking to erase the gains of the past decade. Gill refuses to go on the defense. 'We're going into the hardest states in the country,' he says. 'We're going to punish the wicked.'" 

Pointing to this solitary quote, conservative outlets say that Gill is "targeting" Christians. The Federalist writes that Gill is "aiming to punish Christians who don't want to participate in same-sex weddings." The Blaze claims that Gill "called for the punishment of Christians who refuse to take part in same-sex weddings." The Washington Times ran this headline: "Gay megadonor on going after Christians: 'We're going to punish the wicked.'" 

This is complete nonsense. 

Not once in my profile does Gill talk about "targeting" Christians. Not once does Gill so much as hint at singling out Christians or adherents of any other religion. Not once does the word "Christian" appear. The authors of these cookie-cutter stories sprouting up across the conservative blogosphere either didn't bother to read the actual piece or were blinded by their own biases. (None of the outlets in question attempted to contact Gill or his foundation for comment or clarification, according to a Gill spokesman.) . 

 . . . . Gill has used the phrase "punish the wicked" as a rallying cry for years. "The wicked" is anyone who stands in the way of progress on equal rights for LGBTQ people: politicians, activists, lawyers, some people of faith, and plenty more with no religious affiliation whatsoever. This isn't a Democrat-Republican thing: Some of the most brutal and effective campaigns mounted by Gill's operation have targeted Democrats who opposed marriage equality. (See, for instance, the 2010 Fight Back New York campaign.) For the quote in question, "the wicked" refers to anti-equality lawmakers on the ballot in 2016, such as then-North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory, who signed his state's infamous HB2 bathroom bill. (With Gill's help, Democrat Roy Cooper ousted McCrory and then partially repealed HB2.)  "The wicked" refers to the lawmakers who, in response to the Supreme Court's 2015 Obergefell decision legalizing same-sex marriage, have introduced dozens of so-called religious freedom restoration bills that would give legal cover for individuals and businesses to discriminate against LGBTQ people.

'Power hungry white evangelicals will still support Trump' & other Fri midday news briefs

Robert Jeffress is symbolic of white evangelicals willing to trade integrity for power in Trump Administration.

Why Trump’s Charlottesville response won’t hurt him with a key chunk of his base - Guess what this base is? White evangelicals. The religious right. The anti-LGBTQ religious right. Sarah Posner gives a detailed reason. I prefer to be simple. These people are hypocrites and liars. They are only concerned with their ego and manifesting power. These people get angrier with the notion of a school having a club which reaches out to LGBTQ students than white supremacists invading a town and causing chaos. They exploit Christianity for their own desires.

Yes, There’s Actually A ‘Straight Lives Matter’ Rally In The Works - This is happening in Australia but I'm sure some fools in America will be getting ideas. 

Banning transgender troops would cost 100 times more than letting them serve - Yep! Not surprised.  

Twitter Blasts Ex-Google Employee Who Says Being Conservative Is Like Being Gay In The ‘50s - YES WE DID! I even threw out a few licks myself. 

Opinion: We Must Combat Smoking Disparities in LGBTQ Community - An important issue.

Do anti-LGBTQ hate groups know our meaning of the word 'receipts?'

The American Family Association is angry at CNN for daring to refer to them as an SPLC-designated hate group.

From AFA:

This week, CNN listed the American Family Association as a "hate group" in a sham news article that could easily incite violence and place AFA employees and supporters in harm's way. CNN has since issued a correction and removed AFA by name off their website. Instead, CNN links to the Southern Poverty Law Center website which falsely lists AFA as a "hate group." AFA is urging CNN to stop using the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) as a source when reporting real news. The SPLC is a radical organization whose hateful rhetoric was implicated in a 2012 shooting at the Family Research Council's headquarters in Washington, D.C. Today, we need your support to sustain our efforts in this important and lengthy battle. By citing the SPLC, CNN underscores why many Americans don't trust it for honest reporting. The SPLC has been widely discredited over the years because of its false labeling of Christian organizations as "hate groups.

AFA even has the nerve to ask that folks tweet the following mess:

Earlier today in my news brief, I talked about the Family Research Council throwing a tantrum because Apple will be donating a large amount of money to anti-hate groups, including SPLC.

And it's not just those two. According to People for the American Way:

It appears as if there is a coordinated campaign from anti-LGBTQ Religious Right organizations to fight back against outlets that identify them as SPLC designated hate groups.

My guess is because of Charlottesville, there is an interest in learning more about hate groups in America. And in spite of what some folks have said about SPLC being discredited, the organization is the best resource on hate groups. Anti-lgbtq hate groups are rightfully figuring out that a lot of eyes will be looking at the info SPLC has compiled on them. Therefore they are attacking SPLC's credibility.

These groups  are merely digging a hole for themselves. And for a very simple reason.

'Anti-LGBTQ hate group angry that SPLC getting donations to combat other hate groups' & other Thur midday news briefs

Apple to donate $2 million to anti-hate groups, Tim Cook tells staff - One of the groups receiving donations will be the Southern Poverty Law Center. Naturally the Family Research Group (who SPLC has called a hate group) isn't happy about this:

That's the Family Research Council - a group which heavily supports Donald Trump, hasn't say a word about him this week defending white supremacist groups, and will most likely still have him at it's so-called Values Voters Summit

Conservative faith leaders stand by Trump despite his defense of white supremacist rally - I bet if Trump said something positive about LGBTQs, they would have dropped him in droves. Kinda sad but nice at the same time to see the greed of conservative faith leaders. 

Yes, A Big Victory In Texas On The Trans Bathroom Bill, But The Battle Is Far From Over - Yep. Never over. Bring it on. 

Log Cabin Republicans Didn’t Endorse Trump but Booked Gala Event at Trump’s DC Hotel - Finally . . Lawd hammercy!

Racist reduced to weepy wreck over possibility of warrant for his arrest

Editor's  note - That awful tragedy in Charlottesville and Donald Trump's hideous reaction to it is screwing with my normal LGBTQ blogging . I will continue to blog about LGBTQ issues and expose the lies of the religious right. However I will be pushing other posts about Charlottesville

Below is Chris Cantwell. He is a NASTY white supremacist who advocates all sorts of violence, including killing law enforcement officers and government figures.

You know. One of those fine individuals Trump defended on Tuesday.  The following, courtesy of SPLC, are just a few of Cantwell's comments:

“If you listen to the first time I was on the show, all right, like, I did not get the Jew thing. Like I thought of Jews as white people with bad ideas, right? Like, I had no idea Karl Marx was a Jew. I had never associated Jews with communism, right? And it was like the second that I made that connection, I was like, they all have to die … I’m not even a Hitlerite but I’m like ok, let’s fucking gas the kikes and have a race war because once I realized they were responsible for the communism, then I was like, oh, wait a second, yeah, that’s a fucking really good reason to fucking genocide a group of people.” — Interviewed on the Alt-Right show Exodus Americanus, June 26, 2017. 

“I never wanted to jump over a counter and attack a fucking hotel clerk because he fucking didn’t speak proper English. But what it is now is that I see it as a fucking threat. You know? I feel like my country is being fucking invaded. That like I’m being outbred. That guy has probably fucking 12 kids at home.”” — podcast, “I Almost Committed a Hate Crime,” January 29, 2017 

“I think chemical and biological weapons can do a great deal of good for mankind. Releasing nerve gas or some kind of lethal virus into a left wing protest could prepare the bodies for physical removal without making a big scene for the cameras or destroying anything of value.” — Facebook post, January 28, 2017. 

“I would go ahead and I would say that I don’t know that Dylann Roof made the fuckin’ best use of his life by fucking throwing it away on these fucking animals in the goddamn church. But I understand what he’s going through, right?” — Radical Agenda, January 5, 2017

He's a real badass, that is until he found out that possibly a warrant for his arrest exists. It's the video that has gone mega viral and you will see why:

 

'Texas Victory! Anti-transgender bills defeated' & other Wed midday news briefs

TX Gov. Greg Abbott's attempt to pass anti-trans bills went down in defeat

Anti-Trans ‘Bathroom Bill’ Dies In Texas - Activists, big business, the clergy, legislators (including the GOP Speaker of the House) and civil rights groups teamed up to protect Texas' transgender community. No victory is ever impossible to achieve when you are willing to work together. 

This Report Says More LGBT People Were Killed So Far In 2017 Than In All Of 2016 - An article from last week but still needs to be posted. 

Bryan Fischer: Violence In Charlottesville Was A Clash ‘Between The Left And The Left’- Lovely. When Fischer isn't verbally bashing the LGBTQ community, he spews verbal acid on other subjects.

Indonesia’s LGBT youth bears brunt of hostility towards gay and lesbian community - Our fight for equality is EVERYWHERE.

Louisiana governor seeks reinstatement of LGBT-rights order - Fingers crossed.

Trump's ugly speech sounds like it came straight out of 'Mississippi Burning'

Trump is an idiot. We all knew that. Yet some Americans still voted for him. Don't blame Clinton or Sanders or anyone else. When it all comes down to it, Americans made a decision. We knew all of the costs and dangers and we made a decision.

And elected a fool who can attack the Muslim community over almost anything but WILL NOT (I didn't say cannot) rebuke white racists.

He reminds me of that scene in the motion picture 'Mississippi Burning' in which a redneck judge chastised a group of Klansmen for their violence by mostly attacking the so-called "outside agitators" for 'making them do it.'

In this country a man's home is his castle. That is one of the principles by which this community survives. You men have done violence to that principle. But I want you to know that the court understands that the crimes you have committed have been, to some extent at least brought about by outside influences. Outsiders have come into Jessup County and they've been people of low morality and unhygienic. And their presence here has provoked a lot of people. So the court understands without condoning them, mind you that the crimes to which you men have pled guilty were, to some extent at least, provoked by these outside influences. So, with all this, I'm gonna make your punishment light. I'm gonna sentence you each to five years' imprisonment. But I'm gonna suspend these sentences.

And that's where America is right now. A man who is supposed to be president possibly using Fox News talking points to avoid rebuking  white supremacists.




The president of the United States shouldn't sound like a redneck judge excusing Klan violence. But this bozo does.

''Auntie Ruckus' Fox News pundit says LGBTQ pride flag & confederate flag are exact same thing' & other Tue midday news briefs

Fox guest: Confederate flag and LGBTQ pride flag "represent the exact same thing" - I hardly think that a flag put up to celebrate oppression is the same thing as rainbow flags - the symbol of unity for community UNDER oppression. But that's what Auntie Ruckus, I mean Star Parker is claiming. Why do I call Star Parker Auntie Ruckus? Well the video below from The Boondocks is the best way I can tell you who she is. When she isn't attacking the LGBTQ community, Star Parker resembles the black man, Uncle Ruckus, in the videos below. Though not as comically extreme, but you get the point:

In other news: 

Defense secretary reveals the trans military ban is in limbo - Dag! Trump even screws that up.

Reflecting On The AIDS Epidemic This Gay Men’s Health Crisis Founders’ Day - KNOW your history.

The Justice Department Is Evaluating Obama-Era Rules For Transgender Prisoners - For Pete's sake! Damn!

St. Petersburg's LGBTQ Pride Rally Had the Largest Turnout Since 2010 - These are some BOLD brothers and sisters. Keep the fight up!

Trump Administration expected to remove healthcare protections from women, transgender community

Trump Administration about to negatively affect healthcare for transgender community and women

In the past, the religious right has cloaked its attacks against the transgender community as an issue of safety in women's bathrooms and locker rooms. However, a possible move by the Trump Administration could put into perspective how women and transgender individuals in general are in danger of losing decent health care:

According to NewNextNow:

The anti-discrimination policies set up by Obamacare designed to protect transgender patients are now in danger of being rescinded, according to The Hill. The Department of Health and Human Services has reportedly crafted a proposed rule that would allow doctors to legally refuse treating trans patients or women who have had abortions, two groups who were protected under the Affordable Care Act. A Christian group previously sued to rescind those protections by claiming they were against its members’ religious beliefs. The group won the case and a Texas judge then blocked the provisions from going into effect. The Department of Justice never appealed the ruling after Jeff Sessions was appointed as the Attorney General of the Trump administration earlier this year, and now the provisions are at risk of being removed entirely.

The Hill provided background on this issue:

A sweeping 2016 final rule from the Obama administration prohibited healthcare providers and insurers who receive federal money from denying treatment or coverage to anyone based on sex, gender identity, or termination of pregnancy, among other conditions. It also required doctors and hospitals to provide “medically necessary” services to transgender individuals, as long as those services were the same ones provided to others. That rule was challenged in court by a group of Christian providers called the Franciscan Alliance. 

They argue the rule forces insurers to pay for abortions and compels doctors to perform gender transition services, even if the services are against their medical judgment. The Alliance won that case, and a Texas district court judge issued a nationwide injunction blocking the gender identity and pregnancy termination provisions from taking effect. Trump’s HHS decided not to appeal the ruling. On Aug. 4, the Department of Justice, which is representing HHS in the lawsuit, said it was reviewing a draft proposed rule that had already cleared HHS. It’s unclear when DOJ will complete the review. Once DOJ finishes, the final step before the rule’s release is a review by the Office of Management and Budget. Buchert said she was surprised at how quickly HHS drafted the new proposal. “I expected them to take more time in deliberating, in the same way the original rule was crafted, rather than crafting something internally and sending it over to DOJ,” she said.

According to both sources, the ACLU has been prepared for the new rule and will fight it. NewNextNow, however, added an interesting coda:

The guidance won’t go public until the DOJ reviews it and sends it to the Office of Management and Budget, so it remains unclear if the changes will affect gay, lesbian and bisexual patients, as well.

Hat tip to AKSARBENT

Fox News deserves some of the blame for Charlottesville tragedy

I generally try to keep my blog focused on matters of religious right propaganda and how they are used to dehumanize the LGBTQ community. But the situation in Charlottesville is something I can't stay away from.  When tragedies like this happen, I don't like to include my voice in an already noisy din of talking and words unless I have something to say which would add to the discussion.

And in this case, I do. I have a few words and a short video to show.

Fox News deserves some of the blame for the violence.  In the eight years of the Obama Administration, personalities operating under the guise of "fair and balanced" stroked racist lies and tensions about our first black president. From lies about his birth certificate, slyly claiming that his Administration turns an eye to black people committing federal crimes, to lying that he is "apologizing for America," claiming that he hates America, to even calling out the condiments he puts on a sandwich, Fox News cultivated a scenario which sent a message to White America that their country was supposedly being taken away from them.

And it just wasn't with Obama.  In so many other ways, Fox News gave aid and comfort to bigoted stereotypes and hid behind "free speech" and "fighting political correctness" when called to the carpet about it.

Fires, both figurative and literal, are never started by themselves. Someone is always there exploiting and instigating. And, in the case of Fox News, playing innocent when the fire burns out of control.  Don't let them get away with it. I implore you.

'GOP Senate candidate praises Putin for persecuting LGBTQ community' & other Fri midday news briefs

Roy Moore

Republican senate candidate says ‘Maybe Putin is right’ on gays - Roy Moore is so homophobic that he could probably cause the late anti-gay Congressman Jesse Helms to become an ally. And he does NOT like the LGBTQ community so much that he praises Russian president Vladimir Putin on his persecution of the Russian LGBTQ community. Instead of making jokes about Alabama - Moore's state - perhaps we would best served to prepare ourselves for what may happen if Moore does become a United States senator. He will cause havoc. That's not a possibility. It's an actuality.

More information on Roy Moore - Click on this reflection of Moore's career of anti-LGBTQ bigotry at your own risk of getting your blood pressure up. 

'White queers are really good at erasing us': the lives of LGBTQ Somali-Americans - External enemies of equality are bad enough, but the internal enemies are the ones who can cut you deeper than any religious right group. There is NO reason why this should be happening. 

Trump's New Navy Secretary Opposes Trump's Transgender Ban: 'Any Patriot' Should Be Allowed to Serve - Damn right!

New book concocts a religious excuse to demonize trans people - I know this well. Write a book with a lot of footnotes which demonizes the LGBTQ community. The opposition has shifted its target to our trans brothers and sisters, but the tactics of lies remain the same. 

Lambda Legal Sues Houston to Defend Obergefell - Handle the business . . .

Flashback - The unchanging semantics of anti-LGBTQ propaganda and lies

In my last post, I made reference to how for decades the religious right have demonized the LGBTQ community via junk science, cherry-picked legitimate science, and outright lies. From the archives of this blog, I want to spotlight a 2009 post which looked at an example of what I was talking about.

When Something Guaranteed to Piss You Off  parts 1 and 2 was posted, it had quite an effect on readers. Now,with Trump and office and the religious right gaining more influence, I am hoping that people will look at this again and recognize how the rhetoric used against the queer community, while not as openly vile as it was in the past, has not changed in semantics, connotations, and especially distortions:

I ran into something a while back that I have been itching to show on this site.

This 1986 comic was created by a man named Dick Hafer and it is a vile representation of some of the most evil anti-gay lies out there.

This is for the many young folks who don't remember what it was like in the 1980s when the AIDS crisis was in full bloom, ignorance was all around and Paul Cameron was a credible name.

It is a representation of how far we have come and how far we have to go. You will recognize how some of the same arguments are still being used, although not as explicitly. Check out the comic's list of supporters shown on the last graphic.

You can click on the pictures to get a better view of the pages - more are at the bottom (even though I don't think it's work safe). And if you want to see the entire comic (God help you) go here.


Editor's note - The webpage featuring this comic is not anti-gay. It's a site that looks at "problem-based comics" from the past.

'Anti-LGBTQ groups see influence rising in Trump Administration' & other Thur midday news briefs

With Trump in power, anti-LGBTQ groups & spokespeople (like Tony Perkins -  right) are gaining influence. Good.

Anti-LGBT groups on rise again with Trump in White House - According to Chris Johnson of the Washington Blade, anti-LGBTQ groups - hate groups and otherwise - are seeing a resurgence of power because of the Trump Administration. After eight years of being on the back end because of the Obama Administration, these folks are suddenly enjoying a new round of influence. Let me put it this way - if this scares you, then go home. Personally, I feel that it was a matter of time before something like this would happen and I've been kinda pining for it. With influence comes a larger and brighter spotlight and with that comes many opportunities for us to twist the narrative and make them explain their tactics instead of us having to explain our existence, for a change. This is less of a calamity than an opportunity to educate the country on the 30+ years groups like the Family Research Council, the American Family Association, etc deliberately created a body of homophobic talking points based on junk science, cherry-picked legitimate science and outright lies to rob the queer community of our God-given rights to equality and self-determination. And you know, I've been waiting for a moment like this for quite a while.

Minnesota school agrees to respect trans identities after a community forced a family out - It's awful that this incident took place, but the results is favorable to our trans youth. 

Dallas Stars hockey team becomes first franchise to publicly oppose Texas 'bathroom bill' - Meanwhile, the war in Texas goes on and this is big news. 

  Meet the legendary queer comedian ‘Moms’ Mabley - A little history on the intersection of the African-American and the LGBTQ community never hurts.

  Reading the Right Wing: Trans Acceptance Will Lead to Robot Army - Lord, help this fool named Alex Jones and everyone else mentioned in this article.


Photo courtesy of Media Matters

Hate group affiliate angry at Disney show for featuring same-sex family

Disney's 'Doc McStuffins' under fire for showing same-sex parents.

A ridiculously named affiliate of the anti-LGBTQ hate group American Family Association is furious at Disney for (shock and shudder) daring to acknowledge the existence of same-sex families.

From The Huffington Post:

In a post on its official website, One Million Moms officials blasted Disney for “pushing an agenda” by featuring the two-mom family on “Doc McStuffins,” which airs weekly on both The Disney Channel and Disney Junior.

“Controversial topics and lifestyle choices should be left up to the parents to discuss and Disney Junior should not introduce this to young children,” they wrote. “Just because an issue may be legal or because some are choosing a lifestyle doesn’t make it morally correct.”

Included in the post is an excerpt of a 2012 AfterEllen interview with “Doc McStuffins” creator and executive producer Chris Nee, who is a lesbian. Nee acknowledged she would “definitely” instill messages about acceptance in the show.

'Peter Thiel, your LGBTQ brothers and sisters haven't forgotten your support of Trump' & other Wed midday news briefs

Peter Thiel, how do you feel about your 'pro-gay' buddy Trump now?

How Peter Thiel Sold Out LGBTQ People For The Spotlight - Remember that gay billionaire who supported Trump's presidential bid. I do. It was him vs. the religious right for the ability to shape Trump's agenda. Guess who lost? Now is NOT the time for us to take the high road. It only sets us up for future disappointments.

FLASHBACK: Peter Thiel's obliviousness creates historic nonsense - I said this over a year ago.

Focus On The Family Political Arm Seeks Money To Fight ‘Ex-Gay’ Therapy Bans - By the way, that's YOUR money they want. 

Transgender third-grader files groundbreaking lawsuit against school - Wonderful! I applaud every LGBTQ youth fighting for his/her rights. 

 Christian Parents of LGBTQ Children: The Church Has Been Wrong - John Pavlovitz has a message of encouragement for parents of LGBTQ children.