'Trump's anti-LGBTQ judicial nominee gets blasted in PFAW ad' & other Fri midday news briefs

People for the American Way posts a blistering ad on Trump's anti-LGBTQ judicial nominee Jeff Mateer. I cannot emphasize how important this fight is and what it's an opening salvo to. A man who says that transgender children are a part of 'Satan's plan' has NO BUSINESS on our courts. And Mateer may be the beginning. The goal seems to be eliminating one of the last places we have thrashed religious right lies and hate - the courts. After all, how can there be fairness for the LGBTQ community in the courts if the judges think that any of us are a part of "Satan's plan?"

Hannah Scherlacher Falsely Accuses The SPLC Of Smearing Her - Hilarious story! SPLC mentioned that I wrote about a hate group (Family Research Council). I guess I should lie that I was smeared too. 

Dozens of LGBT people detained in Azerbaijan capital - This is awful! 

With Only 48 Hours To Prepare, Rob And Zack Became Dads. Here’s Their Story - Wonderful story. It's making my "biological clock" tick.

The Church’s Wasteful LGBTQ-Phobia - Another excellent post by John Pavlovitz

Parents of transgender children want Trump's judicial nominee to apologize for 'Satan' comment

Jeff Mateer has 278 parents angry at him.

Jeff Mateer, one of Trump's nominees for the federal bench, is going to have a particularly rough hearing because of his extreme anti-LGBTQ comments. One of those comments continue to haunt him,

From Think Progress:

Many of President Trump’s judicial nominees have taken controversial positions in the past, but Jeff Mateer has expressed particularly toxic views on LGBTQ equality. In a 2015 speech — video of which has recently been deleted — he said that transgender children are evidence that “Satan’s plan is working and the destruction that’s going on.” The parents of those transgender children are responding. 

In a joint letter organized by the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE), 278 parents of transgender children from 36 states are asking Mateer to apologize or withdraw his nomination to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas: 

As parents, we are deeply disturbed by your remarks stating that children like ours are evidence of “how Satan’s plan is working.” It is hard to imagine a crueler thing to say about a child. It is obvious from your remarks in 2015 that you did not know the child whose very existence you mocked. Have you ever met a transgender child like ours? If you met our families, you would know that while children like ours can face a lot of misunderstanding, there is nothing wrong with who they are. 

We believe our children are miracles, like every child — not a part of “Satan’s plan.” As every reputable medical and pediatric association agrees, there is nothing wrong with being transgender, and children like ours can grow and thrive if they are loved and supported, just like their peers. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, “transgender children fare much better when they feel supported by their family, school and larger community. Shaming children based on their gender identity or expression is harmful to their social-emotional health and may have lifelong consequences.”

For the rest of the article, go to Think Progress. I sincerely hope that Mateer apologizes for such a cruel and thoughtless comment. Either way, I think it's a good thing to keep him in the hot seat. He really had no business being nominated in the first place.

Presently, neither the Trump Administration nor members of the religious right have commented about Mateer. 

'Anti-LGBTQ hate groups attempting to bully SPLC' & other Thur midday news briefs

Anti-LGBTQ hate group Alliance Defending Freedom is leading an effort to bully SPLC.

ADF and friends: Hate group Alliance Defending Freedom is at the center of an anti-LGBTQ industry - Let's dispense with the bull, right now. The anti-LGBTQ industry does not consider being called hate groups by SPLC an honor. They are spooked over it. Why else would this be happening:

 Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) is the largest anti-LGBTQ hate group in the nation and is representing plaintiff Jack Phillips in the upcoming Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission Supreme Court case. The case may determine whether businesses serving the public have the right to discriminate against LGBTQ people under the guise of “religious” or “artistic freedom.” ADF is also currently part of a joint effort, alongside a number of other anti-LGBTQ groups and hate groups, to undermine the “hate group” designation made by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). As such it has co-signed two letters opposing the designation and formally joined an “SPLCexposed” campaign. 

The SPLCexposed webpage is a paper thin misdirection. It does NOTHING to address specific charges SPLC has lodged against these groups. And we all know why the groups WILL NOT address the following: 

18 ANTI-GAY GROUPS AND THEIR PROPAGANDA

10 ANTI-GAY MYTHS DEBUNKED 

In other news: 

Critical gay issues await Supreme Court justices - And guess what anti-LGBTQ hate groups is arguing against us in the lead case? See above. 

Transgender teen goes viral with epic retort to transphobe - Her retort was RICH!

El Salvador activist: Trump immigration policy is ‘dehumanizing’ - Awful!

Roy Moore no different than right-wing evangelicals media previously overlooked

Roy Moore

So Roy Moore, the fanatic from Alabama famous for putting his religious beliefs above the law, is the GOP candidate for US Senate. And its predicted that he may win.

Naturally, this spotlight is causing the media to dig up his past actions and statements, including his exploits with a Ten Commandments monument and when  he went well beyond the call of duty to viciously attack the LGBTQ community.

This is leading to a lot of shock and hand wringing. Big deal. I'm not fazed in the least. I do, however, have a question.

What makes Moore any different than the religious right groups such as the Family Research Council who happen to have a degree of power in Congress. Or how about the right-wing evangelical circles - which include FRC - who have influence over  Trump?

If you looked at any of Moore's statements and compared them to statements said by any members of these groups, I think you find, at the very least, mildly subtle differences.

1. Moore on the LGBTQ community - A child custody case in 2002 was less of a national cause célèbre, but Moore used the outcome, and his concurrence, to author a vicious attack on same-sex parents. "I write specially to state that the homosexual conduct of a parent -- conduct involving a sexual relationship between two persons of the same gender -- creates a strong presumption of unfitness that alone is sufficient justification for denying that parent custody of his or her own children or prohibiting the adoption of the children of others," he said in one of the opinion's more tame passages. In others, Moore labeled "homosexual conduct" by parents as being "detrimental to the children," writing that it "is, and has been, considered abhorrent, immoral, detestable, a crime against nature, and a violation of the laws of nature and of nature's God upon which this nation and our laws are predicated."

Tony Perkins, Family Research Council  in 2011 - In an August FRC mailer discovered by Right Wing Watch, Perkins attacked the Obama administration for participating in the “It Gets Better" Project, a campaign launched last year in response to a series of high-profile LGBT youth suicides. According to Perkins, the administration’s support for the campaign is “appalling,” “disgusting,” and an attempt to “recruit” kids into a perverted and “immoral” “lifestyle”


2, Moore about Vladimir Putin and values - Moore told The Guardian (2017) in August that President Ronald Reagan’s declaration that the Soviet Union is “the focus of evil in the modern world” could be applicable to the U.S. today, citing same-sex marriage as an example “You could say that about America, couldn’t you?” he said. “We promote a lot of bad things.” His mention of same-sex marriage prompted The Guardian to note some similarities between Moore and Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Well, maybe Putin is right,” Moore said. “Maybe he’s more akin to me than I know.”

Franklin Graham in 2016 -Evangelist Franklin Graham hailed Putin as a hero for taking “a stand to protect his nation’s children from the damaging effects of any gay and lesbian agenda” even as “America’s own morality has fallen so far on this issue”

3. Moore  on the supposed loss of American values - Moore suggested that a lack of faith in God may have played a role in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, as he quoted a passage from the book of Isaiah in a February speech at the Open Door Baptist Church. The passage suggests that because God’s message was rejected, sin will come like a high wall that suddenly collapses. “Sounds a little bit like the Pentagon, whose breaking came suddenly at an instance, doesn’t it?” he said. He steered attendees to a later verse that alludes to slaughters and towers falling “if you think that’s coincidence.” “You know, we’ve suffered a lot in this country,” he said. “Maybe, just maybe, because we’ve distanced ourselves from the one that has it within his hands to heal this land.” He indicated that God may be upset because “we legitimize sodomy” and “legitimize abortion.”

James Dobson - We are witnessing an unprecedented campaign to secularize our society and "de-moralize" our institutions from the top down. The effort, now in its fifth decade, has been enormously successful. Most forms of prayer have been declared unconstitutional in the nation's schools. The Ten Commandments have been prohibited on school bulletin boards. Secular universities are blatantly hostile to Christian precepts, and the media screams "Foul!" whenever someone speaks openly of his beliefs. In this wonderful Land of the Free, we have gagged and bound all of our public officials, our teachers, our elected representatives, and our judges. Since we have effectively censored their expressions of faith in public life, the predictable is happening: a generation of young people is growing up with very little understanding of the spiritual principles on which our country was founded. And we wonder why so many of them can kill, steal, take drugs, and engage in promiscuous sex with no pangs of conscience. We have taught them that right and wrong are arbitrary – subjective – changing. They learned their lessons well. 

If the media wasn't so blase and jaded about evangelical right groups and the power they had in Congress before the Trump Administration, as well as now, they wouldn't be looking at Moore in wonderment.

'Shockingly' honest video shows what LGBTQ pride does to children

I may have shown this video before. I can't remember. But if I did, it deserves a second looking. I must say that I'm heartbroken, terrified, and mortified . . . about how ridiculous anti-LGBT propaganda is. The video is courtesy of a vicious anti-LGBTQ hate group out of Massachusetts called Mass Resistance.

 To put it bluntly, if one was to describe the anti-LGBTQ industry as a turkey, Mass Resistance is the stuff you yank out of the bird and discard.

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center:

Mass Resistance, “the leading pro-family grassroots activist group in Massachusetts,” began life in 1995 as the Parents’ Rights Coalition, became the Article 8 Alliance in 2003, and took on its current name in 2006. Its leader, Brian Camenker, is a programmer who was an official of the Article 8 Alliance and also headed the Newton, Mass., chapter of the National Taxpayers’ Association. 

As president of yet another group, the Interfaith Coalition of Massachusetts, Camenker spearheaded the drafting of a bill that passed in 1996 and required that parents be notified of any sex education in their children’s schools. That same year, Camenker claimed that suicide prevention programs aimed at gay youth actually were “put together by homosexual activists to normalize homosexuality.” Later, MassResistance charged that groups like the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), which support school anti-bullying programs, actually want to lure children into homosexuality and, very possibly, sadomasochism. 

At a 2006 religious right gathering in Washington, D.C., Camenker insisted that gays were trying to get legislation passed to allow sex with animals. "One bill in Massachusetts takes away all the penalties for bestiality," he claimed. "This is where this [homosexual] agenda is going." A little later, he added, "They [gays and lesbians] are pushing perversion on our kids." 

In 2006-2007, Mass-Resistance pushed for an amendment of the 1996 statute that would have required that parents be notified of any discussion of gay or lesbian issues in the schools. The group proposed language that lumped sexual orientation (which includes heterosexuality, homosexuality and bisexuality) in with criminal behaviors like bestiality and polygamy. During legislative testimony supporting the amendment, Camenker falsely claimed that no homosexuals died in the Holocaust and that the pink triangle the Nazis forced imprisoned gays to wear actually signified Catholic priests. The amendment did not pass. 

Camenker, who has long focused on the purported “homosexual agenda” in the schools and frequently claimed gays are dangerous to kids, has repeatedly cited discredited claims from organizations like the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality that link homosexuality and pedophilia. 

In 2008, Camenker made another accusation for which there was no supporting evidence at all — the claim that the state of Massachusetts had had to spend more money every year since same-sex marriage became legal in that state. That, he said, was because of “skyrocketing homosexual domestic violence” and because of the “extreme dysfunctional nature of homosexual relationships.”

Camenker also likes to film events such 2016 Massachusetts Youth Rally in the  above video. Supposedly it's proof of how the LGBTQ community is an evil, corrupting influence on America, especially the children.

No offense, but the only thing horrible in the video is the dress the drag queen chose to wear during her performance. I think that was intentional, however.

How homophobic is a person to not know the difference between an anti-LGBTQ video and a pro-LGBTQ video, even when he is doing the filming?

'Trump nominated another anti-LGBTQ activist for the federal courts' & other Tue. midday news briefs

Trump is trying to sneak another anti-LGBTQ activist on the federal bench.

One Of Trump’s Judicial Nominees Sits On The Board Of A Group That Defends “Conversion” Therapy - Further proof that there seems to be a quiet plan to put anti-LGBTQ activists on federal court benches. We need more attention focused on this. Why? Because it is the courts where the anti-LGBTQ industry have been defeated time and time against us. And we can't win in the courts if the judges are former anti-LGBTQ activists. Eyes need to be on Pence for this: 

 One of President Trump’s judicial nominees, Leonard Grasz, has served since 2015 on the board of a Nebraska nonprofit that has defended so-called “conversion” therapy for minors. Grasz was nominated in August to serve on the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. According to a questionnaire that Grasz submitted to the US Senate, he has served since August 2015 as a board member of Nebraska Family Alliance, a conservative nonprofit that in 2017 published two pieces on its website criticizing states that banned so-called conversion therapy, also known as “reparative therapy,” for minors.

TODAY: Jeff Sessions’ DOJ Urges Federal Appellate Court to Reject LGBTQ Protections - Meanwhile, Sessions is already doing his ugly part. 

How One Play Is Amplifying Trans Voices In Theater - This is fascinating. 

Trump And His Supporters Have Forfeited The Right To Be Offended - Damn right! 

LGBT employment cases on road to Supreme Court - Batten down the hatches.

Hate group Family Research Council defends Trump's attack on NFL

Tony Perkins and his hate group FRC fool themselves into thinking they can defend Trump's attack on the NFL.

Surprising no one, hate group  the Family Research Council has taken the side of Donald Trump in the controversy HE fired up about NFL athletes and the American flag.

Proving yet again that FRC was never about morality or Christian guidance and that the organization is now simply a simpering, pathetic evangelical foil for Trump's numerous excesses:

It's been a long time since a group of underdog college kids beat the Soviets on ice at Lake Placid. Or since Jesse Owens sprinted his way to four gold medals while Adolf Hitler watched. Yesterday, Americans probably felt every one of the 16 years that have passed since President Bush walked to the mound at Yankee Stadium to throw out the first pitch after 9/11. They were just games -- but to a nation in crisis, they were so much more. These were the sports that united a country.

Nothing made us prouder to be Americans than the toughness that caused Kerri Strug to stick that impossible landing. Or tore our hearts open like speed skater Dan Jansen's fall when he learned his sister had died. But those moments have never felt farther away than this weekend, when sports was no longer the healer -- but the divider. A storm that had been brewing since the moment quarterback Colin Kaepernick decided to sit out the National Anthem finally boiled over, and for the first time in a long time, the biggest storyline on NFL Sunday had nothing to do with the scores. 

Like most Americans, President Trump has watched this year-long controversy unfold with disdain. Tired of spoiled pros insulting his flag and country, President Trump did what President Trump does -- he vented. At a rally in Huntsville, Alabama, he unleashed on the NFL for encouraging players like Kaepernick to protest. He asked fans to send the League a message by turning off the game. "Things will stop. Just pick up and leave. Pick up and leave. Not the same game anymore anyway... Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, 'Get that [expletive] off the field right now. Out. He's fired. He's fired." 

Trump got the League's attention alright. Immediately, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and owners across the NFL blasted the president for his "lack of respect for the NFL." But respect isn't earned by disrespecting those who defend our freedoms. And while I think President Trump could have delivered his message more artfully, I agree with his sentiment. As someone who was willing to fight for the very freedom these players are exercising, I don't dispute their right to protest. But they'd do well to remember where those rights were earned: under the same flag they're disgracing. FRC's Lt. General Jerry Boykin takes that personally.

"I served the nation in uniform for over three and a half decades, and I served in part so that these players could choose to disrespect the traditions, history, and sacrifices of a great nation. But I find it disgusting and disturbing that men like Kaepernick, who are living the American dream embodied by our flag and anthem, are so determined to belittle and denigrate the veterans and men and women currently fighting to ensure the continuance of that very dream."

Of course FRC  as it always does, distorts the issue. It's not about disrespecting the flag. It's about protesting the people and circumstances (such as police brutality and racial inequality) which disrespect and endanger the freedoms of our country. And generally speaking, I find it ironic that FRC, with its long history of lying and demonizing American LGBTQs, has even the nerve to put its less than two cents in this controversy.

Dear Family Research Council, instead of making a lot of hypocritical noise about "honoring the flag," how about you

1. stop attempting to create discrimination against LGBTQ Americans under the guise of "religious liberty."

2. stop attempting to make churches into grubby dark money political action committees.

3. stop rooting for Congress to repeal Obamacare and thus deprive millions of  Americans of their healthcare, including those with pre-existing conditions

4. stop ALL of your attempts to slander the LGBTQ community, erase our rights, and our families

5. stop your acts of war against the transgender community, particularly our transgender children.

6. stop using Christianity as an excuse to for your wanton desires to obtain political power.

I hardly think that athletes protesting police brutality, racial inequality, and attacks on the First Amendment are threats to this nation. The Family Research Council, on the other hand, is another vile strain of religious demagoguery which has infected, and in some cases, ended civilizations throughout history like a virus. I hardly think it has the integrity to defend Bugs Bunny beating up on Elmer Fudd, much less our American heritage.

'LGBTQ groups turn heat up on homophobic judicial appointee' & other Mon midday news briefs

Editor's note - Sorry for the late start. I am not well.

Jeff Mateer

NCTE Urges Withdrawal of Jeff Mateer Nomination

HRC Calls on Trump to Withdraw Anti-LGBTQ Nominee Jeff Mateer

Don't get distracted by Trump's antics so much that we forget about the chaos he is attempting to cause in the courts. Otherwise, a venomously anti-LGBTQ  activist will get a lifetime appointment as a federal judge.

In The Battle For Trans Equality In North Carolina, This Teen Is On The Front Lines - Huge props for our kids when they stand on the front lines. 

A Guide to Understanding LGBTQ Workplace Discrimination - Take to memory. '

Vote no to fags': Outbreak of homophobic violence, vandalism in same-sex marriage campaign - Australia is going through hell because of its marriage equality poll vote. 

Will Megyn Kelly Bring The Hate Group Leaders And Extremists Who Frequented Her Fox Show To NBC? - She had better not.

'Democrat senators are not happy about Trump's anti-LGBTQ court nominee' & other Fri midday news briefs

Anti-LGBTQ activist Jeff Mateer once said transgender youth are a part of 'Satan's plan.' Trump nominated him to the federal bench. Of course, folks aren't happy about it. Did I mention that Mateer also supports 'ex-gay' therapy?

Harsh questions await Trump's Texas court nominee who sees 'Satan’s plan' in transgender kids -  Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who sits on the Judiciary Committee has indicated there will be some serious questions when Jeff (transgender youth are a part of "Satan's plan") Mateer comes in front of the committee. Another committee member Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, isn't exactly singing his praises either. 

Mateer’s Nomination is a Brazen Attack on LGBTQ Americans - Trump's definition of standing up for the LGBTQ community seems to be filling his administration with folks who work against our equality. Apparently Mateer  is the latest. See what happens we folks get distracted by the antics of a clown put in charge. You watch him do a floppy dance but miss his hands lighting a fuse.

White House silent after revelation nominee called trans kids ‘Satan’s plan’ - Meanwhile, the White House is pulling the classic Mariah Carey "I don't know her" position on Mateer.

In other news: 

What Alabama’s GOP Senate Frontrunner Told Me Should Scare The Daylights Out Of You - Roy Moore has spooked me for years because the possibility of him having more power in our government was always there. 

Michigan Civil Rights Commission declines to reinterpret civil rights law to include LGBT - oh come ON, y'all!

Hate group leader Tony Perkins doesn't get the irony of his 'righteous government' comments

Self-righteous hypocrites generally don't take this short of a time to show their true faces as Tony Perkins, president of anti-LGBTQ hate group the Family Research Council, did in this video. Twenty-seven seconds has to be considered a record.

 Allow me to finish - Yes Tony, people do think politics (and government) is generally corrupt and dirty when people like you and your hate group exist to exploit it for your own self-righteous purposes. A righteous government does not discriminate against its own people and disguise it with a more palatable term of "religious liberty." Nor does it work to dehumanize transgender men, women, and children with misinformation and common stereotypes.

 Also, a righteous person in government is not an overblown, immature, overemotional creep who brags about grabbing women in their private areas, lies constantly, working to eliminate healthcare for millions of people, discarding the Biblical edict against taking care of strangers,and - so I don't forget to mention it - is suspected of  conspiring with a foreign government to steal an election. 

And a righteous group doesn't take the side of this leader. It doesn't ignore his faults, explain away his evil, nor cheer lead his efforts to harm the less fortunate. A righteous group doesn't sacrifice religious integrity for political power and access.

But you and your organization have done so and continue to do it.  So let me ask you something?

 Aren't you glad you weren't struck by divine lightning when you were spinning the junk in that video?

'Fake news site run by gay men underscores class problem in LGBTQ community' & other Thur midday news brief

How I feel after writing  the brief below regarding the fake news site.

L.A. Alt-Media Agitator (Not Breitbart) Clashes With Google, Snopes - Fans and followers of this blog know that no matter how negatively I've felt about a situation, I've always attempted to show a degree of decorum in describing my displeasure.

 But not this time because this here is some MAJOR bullshit. Seriously our community needs to have a discussion on how our "class problem" plays a huge role in hindering our fight for equality. Let me break it down like this - during the African-American civil rights movement, it didn't matter if black folks were rich or poor. It didn't matter how they dressed or what they looked like. To racists attempting to hold them down, they were treated like less than human because they were black. It wasn't something they could hide even a little bit.

Unfortunately in our community, we got some folks with a few bougie points, i.e. they were born into wealth, so-called privilege, didn't have to deal with discrimination as much as a lot of us, or even had the good fortune to fellate the right person and they are in a situation where they have easier access to things the rest of us don't. And they use these things in ways which, in the long or short run, damage the community. And they aren't touched because their class privilege insulates them.

Which brings me to these motherf$ckers  in THIS article above. They have a news site which generates lots of interest and they use it to spread crap and create confusion. And it is a bit pro-Trump.  To get a good idea of their mindsets, check out what one of them says about Donald Trump:

 They are critical of Donald Trump on some policy points (including his transgender military ban) but view him as a salutary influence in politics. "He may be a buffoon, and he may make some really bad mistakes during his presidency, but he's still an anti-establishment figure. A vote for him was a vote to smash the system." 

Who cares if he pushes lies about the transgender community, puts the physical and psychological lives of our transgender kids in jeopardy? Who cares if he appoints federal judges who don't even hide their bigotry about the LGBTQ community? Who cares if the folks who have for years tried to deprive us of our equality are key advisors in his administration? None of this will get through to these fake-ass journalists. They have their money, their circle of friends, their condos, their brunches with mimosas, and all other things which form the stereotypes of pampered gay men to keep them warm. It's the rest of us who are out in the cold being chased by the wolves with crosses seared in their fur.

Jive ass motherf$ckers.

 (takes a deep breath. puts on some Prince in his mp3 player)

In other news: 

Obergefell Is Already Under Attack - We would be deceiving ourselves if we didn't realize that the ruling which brought marriage equality to America was under attack even as it was announced. But pay attention to the long term plan here. This is what the fools in the above post is helping to cause.

Trump wants crude anti-LGBTQ activist as pick for federal judge - My post from yesterday because people like this awful man right here are key to the above news brief. The LGBTQ community should pay attention to who Trump wants to appoint to the judiciary. They can create more lasting damage than an executive order.

Imagine Dragons Lead Dan Reynolds Hosts Festival For LGBTQ Youth With Blessing Of LDS Church - This is a good thing and it cheers me up. 

2 months after arson fire, Phoenix LGBT youth center debuts new home - More cheering news. LGBTQ folks may be beset with setbacks but we are never defeated.

Trump wants crude anti-LGBTQ activist as pick for federal judge

 From Right Wing Watch:

 CNN reported today that Jeff Mateer, a former attorney for the Religious Right legal group First Liberty Institute who President Donald Trump recently nominated to a lifetime seat as a federal district court judge in Texas, has a long history of extreme anti-LGBTQ positions, including saying that transgender children are part of “Satan’s plan” of “destruction” and speaking at a 2015 conference organized by Kevin Swanson, a far-right pastor who has advocated for the death penalty for gay people. 

A Right Wing Watch review of others of Mateer’s speeches and interviews further reveals a clear hostility toward legal protections for LGBTQ equality and reproductive rights

The video below is from a 2015 speech entitled 'The Church and Homosexuality."

. . . CNN notes that , “Mateer said that the Supreme Court decision allowing same-sex marriage could lead to what he called ‘disgusting’ new forms of matrimony” such as “people marrying their pets.” Earlier in the presentation, Mateer told the audience that the “elephant in the room is homosexuality and the agenda that this small group is seeking and imposing on the rest of us” and the “legal attacks that that group of individuals and their surrogates are unleashing on the rest of the country.” He added that the U.S. was facing a “clash of absolutes” between “religious liberty rights” and “what is now being raised as a new sexual orthodoxy,” warning that “the other side” wants to see “enshrined in the Constitution” the “right to engage in homosexual conduct and be protected in that”:

For the sake of modesty and my own blood pressure, I will NOT post the video footage of what he said about transgender children..

'Fox News Channel rejects powerful ad on gay adoption' & other Wed midday news briefs

Watch the new gay adoption ad Fox won’t run because it’s ‘too powerful’ - This is HUGE. Just watch the ad above. Fox News can waste time featuring witches on their "news programs," dog Black Lives Matter, lie about Dreamers, and kiss Donald Trump's tookis, but won't run the above ad. Sometimes it's not about what a propaganda network focuses on, it's about what it deliberately ignores.

Former basketball player says university denied her a job for no longer identifying as gay - To your battle stations, folks. The religious right has a new media darling. She is a so-called former lesbian, African-American, and has a huge "sexy" (as in catches the media's eye big time) angle to exploit. Expect the possibility of a media blitz. However, like all times the religious right target our community with a controversy, the truth of the matter contradict the "sexy" angle. Don't sacrifice good old fashioned doubt before you read the full story. Don't sacrifice truth for the sake of parity. That practice has been one of our biggest flaws when combating the anti-LGBTQ industry.

Anti-LGBTQ hate group Alliance Defending Freedom attacks Michigan elementary school for trans-inclusive policy - A need-to-know article with a sad irony. The tactics these groups claim we use to supposedly infiltrate schools are the ones THEY are using.

  Brazil Overturns Ban On Ex-Gay Conversion Therapy - In Brazil?! Well shit.

What It’s Like To Be Black, Gay And HIV-Positive In Birmingham - Wonderful, thought-provoking piece.

John Aravosis spills the tea on the religious right leader who likes gay sex art

Long-time progressive activist John Aravosis, along with Cliff Schecter, has a wonderful podcast called UnPresidented. Through UnPresidented, Aravosis and Schecter hope to "empower the Resistance in the age of Trump"  by bringing a much needed honest and wry style in talking about today's political scene.

God knows we need honesty in political talk these days and with everything going down like a Mel Brooks movie, we need folks with a wry style to explain it to us. John and Cliff more than fit the bill.

I highly recommend that folks download and subscribe to it, particularly after John's revelations today.

John talks about an estate sale he went to across the street from his condo last weekend. Needless to say, what he found there was a certain piece of highly sexual artwork (and I'm being delicate here. John is explicit about what he saw.)

And the kicker? The estate and the artwork belonged to the son of two very prominent, very homophobic religious right activists.

Without going into too much detail because I really want you to listen to this (starting at 6:55), before he passed away, the father made a lot of money writing about not being "left behind." And the wife is known for being a really "concerned woman for America."

In fact, the son, the one who owned the artwork and of course is gay, worked for his mother during her "concerned" behavior.

The tea John spills is good and spotlights yet another case of extreme anti-LGBTQ activists having gay children.




You can go here to find out more on how to download and subscribe to UnPresidented.  


And - because this needs to be said - I get no monetary benefit for this. Just a large degree of bitchy satisfaction.

'Alt-right is now feuding with a Netflix cartoon' & other Tue midday news briefs

Alt-right continues war on Netflix by accusing a new show of promoting pedophilia - If it's not the "religious right," it's the "alt-right." BTW, the show is risque but not does not promote pedophilia. I doubt it even has anything to do with the LGBTQ community, but we know how these things will eventually yank us into the mix. 

Sen. Cotton: Wait for DOD study to decide on trans military service - Sounds reasonable but then again, don't hold your breath. This IS Sen. Tom Cotton. 

Shonda Rhimes Thinks It's "Embarrassing" That We're Still Celebrating So Many Emmys Firsts - She does have a point. Every time LGBTQs and/or people of color win something for the first time, people think we've rounded some corner. It only means the corner is in sight.

  New York City Announces New Initiatives to Help LGBTQ Youth - This is wonderful!

The 'gays will do something nasty to your children' card is a potent global tool for homophobia

There is a wild public vote going on in Australia about marriage equality. I'm not sure on the particulars but as far as I know the vote is nonbinding. However, that hasn't kept the anti-marriage equality side from wildly spewing all sorts of horror stories from every direction, particularly the claims about how marriage equality will harm children:

Don't these propaganda flyers and newspaper ads remind you of our fight? They should:

'Rapper Kid Rock hints on possible Senate run with attack on LGBTQ community' & other Mon midday news briefs

Kid Rock

Kid Rock opens Senate bid with anti-LGBT rant -  From last week but cannot be underestimated. Before the time in which the Orange disaster is infecting the White House like a monster in a low-budget Roger Corman movie, I would have laughed this off. But now, I realize that this fool running for a Senate seat in Michigan AND winning is remotely possible and even the word "remotely" inserted in my statement doesn't keep me from being fearful. And now he is attacking the LGBTQ community.

 Now for all of you "proper peoples and progressives," please stop reading while I start "machine gunning  shade" because certain things NEED to be said. 

Why the hell should anyone take Kid Rock seriously? I mean the man looks scuzzier than the deepest, hairiest part of Satan's armpit.  The man is more ratchet than a fake Gucci purse wrapped up with duct tape at a swap meat. 

In the article he claims people are scared to call "Jesus" by name. Kid Rock looks like he needs to forget calling "Jesus" and start calling the name of various soaps and lotions. Then he has the nerve to rag on the transgender community using the same tired old lies about "bathrooms." I'm gonna go ahead and admit that I'm less worried about transgender men and women in restrooms and more worried about does Kid Rock even wash his hands or wipe while in the bathroom. 

 Yeah, I'm being cruel and I don't give a shit. It's high time that we stop playing games and stop attempting to pick "sense" out of "nonsense." After Trump, I'm leaving NOTHING to chance. And with our opposition in the religious right having the shameless ability to get behind any candidate who can get them what they want, I bet if the situation called for it, all it would take is a few meetings and media moments for them to declare Kid Rock as a "baby Christian" or some of that crap they did with Trump. Yes, that's what I'm saying. If they can get something out of it, the religious right will support this guy:

Probably the best side (ugh) of the wannabe Senator from Michigan, Kidd Rock.

And if Kid Rock decides to run, you might as well get used to the above picture. I'm gonna put it everywhere, particularly on religious right twitter feeds. 

 In other news:

Here are the best LGBTI moments from this year's Emmys - Earlier, I was much too harsh on last night's Emmy awards. In retrospect, they were really good and especially groundbreaking for our community. 

Trans Actors For Trans Characters - I do agree with this sentiment. 

White guy surprised by anti-Asian racism on Grindr - The LGBTQ community is not free from racist sentiment. No community is. That's reality so folks need to stop being so shocked when it pops up. 

Here's What Happened At The "No" To Same-Sex Marriage Campaign Launch - In a non-binding people's vote regarding marriage equality in Australia, the "no" side is engaging in the SAME rhetorical crap we have had to deal with here. Hell, they are even using stuff from American anti-LGBTQ hate groups. It's all they have.

Lena Waithe, lesbian of color, makes Emmy Award history with well-deserved victory

If only all of my weeks could start off this way:

Lena Waithe and Aziz Ansari’s Emmy win made history on Sunday night. The two earned the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series at the 69th annual awards for the “Thanksgiving” episode from Season 2 of Netflix’s “Master of None.” Waithe, the first black woman to be nominated in the category, is now the first black woman to win in the category. . . . In her acceptance speech, Waithe thanked her “LGBTQIA family,” telling them, “I see each and every one of you.” “The things that make us different, those are our superpowers,” she continued. “Every day when you walk out the door, put on your imaginary cape, and go out there and conquer the world. Because the world would not be as beautiful as it is if we weren’t in it.”

The award-winning episode, 'Thanksgiving' had to do with Waite's character coming out as a lesbian to her mother (portrayed by the legendary Angela Bassett, who herself was nominated for an Emmy for 'Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series' for the episode,)

 

Both Waithe's story and victory prove one thing. In the LGBTQ community, we ALL have stories to tell and very few of them are the same. Instead of talking up diversity, we need to support each other and provide those of us who need it opportunities to get those stories out there. There is no one homogenized LGBTQ community. We are different mixtures and flavors which blend together to form a richness which no degree of hate or ignorance can extinguish. Don't be afraid of celebrating and respecting the mixtures.

Family Research Council asks for God's help in its war of lies against SPLC

According to People for the American Way's Right Wing Watch, the anti-LGBTQ hate group Family Research Council is calling for a new ally to join its fight against the Southern Poverty Law Center.

And, all jokes aside, I really don't think it's going to work out in the group's favor. You see, FRC just made a public prayer to God about the matter:"

“Pray that the SPLC’s leaders, deeds, and motives will be exposed and that their influence will diminish. May God mercifully reach into the lives of the SPLC’s leaders, staff, and supporters, and convict them of the wrong they are doing. May the Holy Spirit lead them to repentance. May many encounter Christ dramatically, just as Rabbi Saul before he became the Apostle Paul, who was on his way to destroy followers of Christ. May the American press and Big Business cease and desist from promoting the SPLC. May those who have helped instigate the present divide among Americans cease to sow seeds of division. Rather, may their stockpiled millions of dollars be used to heal the divisions in America they have helped to create. Protect and prevent the innocent and vulnerable from falling prey to SPLC’s fundraising schemes. Keep them from entanglement with the deeds of the SPLC. Finally, we pray that you would hinder the SPLC from inspiring the harm of one more person and move them to take sincere Christ-followers and Christian organizations off their ‘Hate List’ and issue a much needed apology.”

Bear in mind, just who FRC is praying to.

This is the "the truth shall set you free" God. The "therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another"' God. The "then keep from speaking evil and from telling lies." God. The "thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor" God.

FRC seems to have mistaken God for one of their naive followers or at least one of the propaganda spewers from Fox News. The group thinks it can demonize LGBTQs, conflate us with pedophiles, make all up all sorts of nasty innuendos about our sexual behavior, and generally declare us as a public health menace, but then expect God to suddenly take its side over the group (SPLC) which has not only called them out for it BUT has the proof (i.e. receipts) to back up its charges?


Word to the wise, FRC.  You're making yourself look completely hypocritical. What does it say about the "personally held religious beliefs" you claim to hold so dear if you are praying to your God to help you cover up your lies? 

'LGBTQ seniors in CA gain victory in spite of Fox News' & other Thur midday news briefs

In spite of the lies of Tucker Carlson, LGBTQ seniors in CA, especially members of the trans community, are now protected from abuse.

California Legislature Approves 'Bill Of Rights' For LGBT Seniors -In spite of Tucker Carlson, the Fox News Network cadre of lies, and distortions about free speech, LGBTQ seniors, particularly transgender seniors, are now protected in California.

Linda Harvey: Criticism of The Nashville Statement Is A Precursor To Persecution Of Conservative Christians - Linda pines for the time when the LGBTQ community would simply take abuse. Sorry, girlfriend. Those days are way in the past. 

After death of LGBTQ rights activist Edith Windsor, community thanks her - Damn right. We owe Ms. Windsor the world. 

Ted Cruz's Pollster Is Flooding Australians With Antigay Robocalls - Why the hell are these jokers interfering with another country's decision about marriage equality?

Just A Bunch Of Tweets Searching For The True Definition Of Gay Culture - These tweets are very astute.

A short, delightful history of homosexuality on film

I'm not always gunning for the jugular of religious right groups. There are times in which I enjoy glimpses of LGBTQ history, such as the video below.

It was created in 2015, right after marriage equality became legal. I found it to be quite astute and a very good history lesson about how we have been portrayed on film. How many of these movies have you seen?

Alabama's largest paper issues warning about anti-LGBTQ activist Roy Moore' & other Wed midday news briefs

Alabama’s Largest Paper Issues Blistering Attack On Roy Moore: Look At How Much He Hates LGBTs [VIDEO] - The above video and accompanying post (hat tip to Joe Jervis) doesn't come as a caution but a severe warning. Moore, who was removed from the Alabama's Supreme Court for attempting to circumvent the SCOTUS ruling on marriage equality, is the front runner for the Alabama US Senate seat. And should he win, count on him causing havoc for the LGBTQ community. Don't wait for the inevitable. Don't wait until the last minute and then attempt to stuff all of your anger in a march. Start planning now. We have allies in Congress. But this man will be an enemy. A dangerous one. 

 LGBT Rights Pioneer Edith Windsor Has Died At 88 - Yesterday, one of the greatest heroes of our community met her reward. Ms. Windsor proved you are never too old to fight for your rights and maintain your dignity. We are a much better people for her presence and grace. 

It’s Official: Donald Trump Is The Most Anti-LGBTQ President In U.S. History - That doesn't mean we are going to lose to this turkey, though. The LGBTQ community has faced larger obstacles and won. Trump will be no different.

51 Of The Most Hilarious Signs From Marriage Equality Rallies Around Australia - They are still fighting for marriage equality in Australia and the folks there know how to do it.

Family Research Council's newest symbol of SPLC persecution is yet another fraud

Carol Swain, FRC's fake symbol of 'SPLC persecution'

In the mind of the Family Research Council, there is a huge rebellion of credibility against the Southern Poverty Law Center, For those who don't know, FRC has been feuding with SPLC ever since the organization called out its deliberate lies about the LGBTQ community by giving it the label of a hate group in 2010.

Since then, FRC has been taking potshots at SPLC, even falsely connecting it with a near shooting at  FRC headquarters in 2012 and the shooting in DC earlier this year which saw member of the House of Representatives hospitalized.

But try as it may, and even with the help of other anti-LGBTQ hate groups and like minded conservative groups, the only thing FRC is doing is making a complete fool of itself.

Take today's Washington Update for example:.

Retired Vanderbilt professor Carol Swain explains "What It's Like to Be Smeared by the Southern Poverty Law Center" in a strong column for the Journal, which hasn't exactly been holding back its skepticism of Richard Cohen's group. For Dr. Swain, institutionalized prejudice is nothing new. As an African-American woman, she's been threatened, protested, and verbally abused for exposing students to other views in one of academia's elite laboratories of radicalism. Now, she can add "targeted by the SPLC" to her long list of distinctions, which among other things, accuses Carol of expressing hatred toward minorities – which is ridiculous since she is a minority! 

Still, Swain insists, she "wears the SPLC's mud as a badge of honor because I know I am in the company of many good men and women who have been similarly vilified for standing for righteousness and truth." But, Carol writes soberly, the SPLC's labeling has had "has had a lasting impact on my life and career. Offers from other universities ended and speaking opportunities declined. Once you've been smeared in this way, mainstream news outlets are less likely to cite you as an expert of any kind." 

But, she continues, "Some of those vilified by the SPLC have been subjected to even worse treatment. The Family Research Council and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise have been violently attacked by individuals inspired by the propaganda the SPLC regularly dishes out -- which is often accepted without criticism and passed on by media, law-enforcement agencies and universities." Like others at the Wall Street Journal who think SPLC's "hate list" feeds the polarization it claims to be fighting, Carol knows Cohen's group has one goal (articulated, conveniently, by former staffer Mark Potok): "destroying" the groups it opposes.

First of all, the man who shot Scalise, James Hodgkinson, was not inspired by SPLC. He once "liked" SPLC's facebook page, a far cry from being inspired. So, pardon me for saying so, but Swain is a liar.

Sen Al Franken blasts Trump nominee on ties to anti-LGBTQ hate group, triggers right-wing snowflakes

This is wonderful.

 Last week, Senator Al Franken calls out Trump's judiciary nominee, Amy Barrett, on her links to anti-LGBTQ hate group the Alliance Defending Freedom. His astute series of questions sent the religious right and their allies into fits as evidenced by these headlines via conservative news sources:

Senator Franken Smears Alliance Defending Freedom with ‘Hate Group’ Label

Citing the SPLC, Sen. Al Franken Compares Alliance Defending Freedom to Pol Pot

Franken charges Trump judicial nominee with hate group ties

No matter how triggered these right-wing snowflakes became, Franken was correct in every statement he made about ADF. And it's not the first time Franken has taken religious right groups and their supporters to the "woodshed." In 2011, during another Congressional hearing, he called out Focus on the Family's Tom Minnery for misrepresenting a study.

The LGBTQ community should copy Franken's behavior in warring against these hate groups who seek to take away our equality.

1. Call these anti-LGBTQ groups exactly what they are - hate groups. DO NOT give an quarter or an inch based upon their claims about merely defending religious freedom or "personally held beliefs.

2. Educate yourselves on WHY these organizations are hate groups. In the video above, Franken broke down the nefarious activities of ADF in detail. Nothing can refute generic claims about "religious liberty" more effectively than specific details contradicting the claims.

3. Be firm and unyielding. Control the narrative always. These groups and individuals are always putting us on the defensive. Based upon their actions, they have questions to answer. Demand that they do. Turn the narrative from us to them. Every time.

The central reason why the LGBTQ community lost the Prop 8 vote (and other referendums)

Last week, I hinted on a new project about the religious right's demonization of the LGBTQ community. At the time, I wasn't ready to give complete details. However, right now, I am ready to drop a small hint as to what that project will be.

It's a simple hint because the project (provisionally named HELL) is a simple, but effective one which I hope will bring a much needed degree of seriousness and examination of history when it comes to how anti-LGBTQ groups and personalities have spent countless years dehumanizing us.

There has been lots said about the initial losses we suffered in our fight for marriage equality; the constant defeats we endured in referendum after referendum, which culminated in the shocking loss regarding Prop 8 in 2008 ; the loss which, for the time being, banned marriage equality in the state of California. Supposedly we were supposed to win that won, so when we loss, fingers were pointed, ugly things were said, and unspoken divisions were put out in the open.

However, the Prop 8 loss shared a similarity (which for the purpose of my upcoming project) like so many other referendum fights. Unfortunately, it was a similarity which very few brought up.

In the future, it shall be.  But for now, enjoy the truth of the meme (click on it if you want to enlarge it.). It will be a sign of things to come:

'Steve Bannon trying to get anti-LGBTQ former judge elected to Senate' & other Fri midday news briefs

Roy Moore

Why Steve Bannon’s Next Act Revolves Around Alabama And The Religious Right - Former Trump advisor Steve Bannon and his propaganda site, Breitbart, are working in Alabama to get Roy Moore elected to the United States Senate. This akin to Darth Vader teaming up Aliens to get them more food sources, but without the humor of the situation. If Moore gets to the US Senate, the LGBTQ community will have a new problem. 

DACA Reversal Could Be ‘Death Sentence’ for LGBTQ Immigrants - I repeat - Trump's awful move on DACA affects us too. 

Russia Isn’t Happy About Canada Secretly Helping LGBTQ Refugees Escape Violence in Chechnya - They can go to hell. Russia that is. 

Back-to-School Worries for Gay Parents- Glad this is getting noticed.

Trump DOJ To Supreme Court: Making Gay Wedding Cake Would Violate Baker’s Rights - By the way, this shit happened. I don't care how many people criticize Hillary Clinton. All I know is that HER justice department wouldn't be doing this crap. Let's get a little selfish, folks and think of our concerns too while some of us try to save the entire world. 

The First White President - Not necessarily an LGBTQ issue per se, but the piece is so smoking, so on-point that it needs to be read by ALL OF US.

Religious right pastor claims he has talked with Trump about judicial appointments

There is a verse in the Bible which says "pride goeth before a fall." Someone needs to tell that to pastor and Trump advisor Robert Jeffress.

From People for the American Way's Right Wing Watch:

Trump is talking about judicial appointments with THIS man

Texas megachurch pastor Robert Jeffress, who serves as a top evangelical ally to President Donald Trump, told Christian radio host Sandy Rios today that he met with Trump last week to discuss moving his judicial nominations through the Senate. Jeffress, who has declared that God has authorized Trump to go to war with North Korea, pronounced that God had intervened to make Trump president and said that Trump’s border wall and his attacks on the media are soundly based in the Bible, told Rios that he told Trump that Senate Republicans were holding up his nominations.

“Listen, I want to be very clear about this, Sandy. I had the chance to talk to the president and his team last week about this bigger issue of these federal judge nominees being blocked,” Jeffress said.

. . . Jeffress has a well-documented history of homophobic statements that include labeling gay people as either pedophiles or child abusers, claiming that the gay rights movement will welcome the Antichrist and suggesting that homosexuality will lead to the “implosion of our country.” The megachurch pastor also has a record of hostility to Muslims, Jews, Mormons and Roman Catholics.

Are you scared yet?

Anti-LGBTQ hate groups wages pathetic war against SPLC

Right under our noses, conservative and religious right groups are waging a serious war with the Southern Poverty Law Center because the organization has rightfully labeled many of them as hate groups. They have amassed a lot of attention for their efforts on twitter, on the right-wing blogsphere and on pseudo-news programs such as the one anchored by Fox News personality Tucker Carlson.

It's ugly to see but also funny in a way. For all of their fury, organization, and discipline to their narrative, the only folks they are resonating with are the ones who already share their opinions.  Even worse for them, their desire to slander SPLC only opens up new avenues to have the debate that they don't want.

In other words, in spite of all they do and say, all it takes is a video, a post, or an article to dismantle their false cards. And the SPLC (and others such as yours truly) own these "receipts" and then some:

Right Wing Ramps Up Campaign Against Southern Poverty Law Center - People for the American Way's Right Wing Watch breaks it down. Say what you will about the religious right, they are organized and discipline in pushing their lies.

Tucker Carlson defends hate group that wanted to criminalize homosexuality because its members aren't Nazis - I never liked Tucker Carlson even when he wore that bow tie. Since getting his own show, Carlson has been doing awful work to normalize homophobia and bigotry. 

Time for the receipts: 

Namesake of ministry suing SPLC once endorsed obscenely homophobic comic - My post from last night. After that awful shooting early this year in DC, many on the right attempted to link the assailant, James Hodgkinson, to SPLC because he reportedly "liked" its facebook page. If one uses that logic, what can we say about the D. James Kennedy Ministries because it's namesake endorsed an viciously homophobic comic? 

SPLC's list of anti-LGBT groups and actions - Educate yourself about these groups and why SPLC calls them hate groups. 

 Last but not least, my favorite receipts

Namesake of ministry suing SPLC once endorsed obscenely homophobic comic

A ministry currently suing the Southern Poverty Law Center for being designated as an anti-LGBTQ hate group may soon learn the lesson about past actions coming back to bite.

First, a little background:

D. James Kennedy Ministries, based at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, has filed a federal lawsuit in Alabama against the Montgomery-based Southern Poverty Law Center for calling the ministry a hate group. The lawsuit was filed Aug. 22 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama in Montgomery. The lawsuit alleges that the SPLC "illegally trafficked in false and misleading descriptions of the services offered by DJKM and committed defamation against DJKM arising from the publication and distribution of false information that libels the ministry's reputation and subjects the ministry to disgrace, ridicule, odium, and contempt in the estimation of the public," according to a statement by the ministry. 

The ministry is named for the late TV Evangelist D. James Kennedy, who was the longtime pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church and host of the nationally syndicated "Coral Ridge Hour" TV program. He died in 2007. Kennedy played a role in helping form the conservative Presbyterian Church in America denomination, which organized in Birmingham in 1973 at Briarwood Presbyterian Church.

The Southern Poverty Law Center has made it clear that anti-LGBTQ hate groups are designated so because they demonize the LGBTQ community in the most lurid, inaccurate terms:

The religious right in America has employed a variety of strategies in its efforts to beat back the increasingly confident LGBT rights movement. One of those has been defamation. Many of its leaders have engaged in the crudest type of name-calling, describing LGBT people as "perverts" with "filthy habits" who seek to snatch the children of straight parents and "convert" them to gay sex. They have disseminated disparaging "facts" about gays that are simply untrue — assertions that are remarkably reminiscent of the way white intellectuals and scientists once wrote about the "bestial" black man and his supposedly threatening sexuality.

And that brings up to the late James Kennedy. The D. James Kennedy Ministries has a huge section dedicated to his life and his work.  One thing it doesn't have is when Kennedy endorsed the following 1986 comic book:

How do we know Kennedy endorsed this comic book? Because his endorsement is the first one on the back cover, with his official title as "Senior Minister, Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church."

Reflections on 11 years as a blogger, Trumps's attack on Dreamers split evangelical coalition, & other Wed midday news briefs

Eleven years ago, this blog began because there needed to be a spotlight on the junk science, lies, and discredited arguments religious right groups were using to dehumanize the LGBTQ community and deny us our God-given equality.

Since that time, a lot of progress has been made in calling out groups like the Family Research Council, the Alliance Defending Freedom, and others. Thanks to groups like Media Matters and the Southern Poverty Law Center fueling the discussion, the tactics of these groups have entered the public debate and will not be going away. I like to think I was a part of that.

However, so much more needs to be done. It has been my biggest disappointment how the LGBTQ community leadership - and community in general - have been dropping the ball on this. Even before Trump took office, we constantly find ourselves drawn into repetitive little skirmishes. Bathroom bills, religious liberty bills, etc.  Before our very eyes, the same lies which exploited the fear of gay men and children are being used against our transgender brothers and sisters. And while we fight like hell against in these skirmishes, we fail to weave the thread, i.e. bring into the public debate how all of these attacks on us are connected. How arguments against marriage equality, transgender rights, LGBTQ equality in general are following the same distorted patterns.  We fight the arguments emanating from the anti-LGBTQ empire but have not taken the initiative to attack the empire itself.

We allow ourselves to be put in the position time and time again to have to justify our existence even though we have won major victories in terms of our families, our children, even our private sexual behavior. We fight from a reactive position rather than a proactive position.  And we shouldn't be doing that. We are winners and we need to start acting like winners. We need to start demanding that these groups justify their lies and their tactics. There is nothing wrong with us picking a verbal debate with religious right groups before they begin their latest attack on our physical and spiritual persons. There is nothing wrong with us, just out of the blue, demanding answers to their constant lies about how we harm children.

As they are becoming more aggressive in pushing back against being labeled as hate groups and hungrier because Trump is in office, we shouldn't just be sitting and waiting. It is a war. A war of position, debate, and narratives.   It's time we took control of all of these things.

On that note, I am announcing that I am developing a new visual project. Provisionally, I call it "HELL." And when I'm done with it, I hope that it will be hell . . . for the opposition


In other news:

Southern Baptist Minister: Anti-LGBT “Nashville Statement” Is An “Expression Of Love” - Why is it that every time the religious right shows us love, it makes us feel that we've been pistol whipped for Valentine's Day?

This 6-Year-Old Spent A Year Of Her Life Fighting To Use Her School’s Bathroom - Why we must always not be blase about standing up for our rights. We aren't just standing up for ourselves, but also our children. 

Trump Abandonment of DREAMers Splits Religious Right - Looks like some members of the religious right are showing just a tad bit of integrity. 

47 LGBT Groups Send Letter Opposing Trump’s Justice Department Pick Eric Dreiband - We got another one of Trump's appointments to knock on his ass. 

  Anti-LGBTQ hate group submits pro-discrimination arguments to Supreme Court - Small case with large repurcussions.