Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Family Research Council has no use for credible legal experts in condemning block of trans ban

As to be expected, hate group the Family Research Council is "ever so pissed" at the decision of a federal judge to block Trump's ban on transgender Americans serving in the militaryAnd the organizations has "experts" ready to spell out why Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly was wrong in her ruling.  

In reality, FRC doesn't. It only has vitriol like so:

It may be Halloween, but Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly didn't bother disguising her activist agenda. In a stunning ruling on Trump's military policy, Kollar-Kotelly thrilled liberals by putting the brakes on the president's July order that stopped people who identify as transgender from serving. Although it's the same policy Barack Obama held for seven years, it's apparently unconstitutional now that Donald Trump is president. 
Most Americans will probably never get used to judges substituting their own opinion for the law, but it was especially jarring yesterday when this one declared herself the final authority on U.S. military policy, despite never being elected for the job. As any credible legal expert would tell you, Kollar-Kotelly's opinion was amazingly presumptuous for an unelected district judge, who -- without the benefit of internal intelligence, the service chiefs' counsel, and Defense Department data -- is quite content telling the White House how to defend America. 
It was a jaw-dropping move, suggesting that she knows better than the commander-in-chief, but that's the unfortunate climate of America's courts. Liberal judges have gone from rewriting the law to second-guessing our president in areas like national security, where the courts almost always defer to the executive branch. And this court doesn't tiptoe -- it leaps over the White House's authority on military issues.

Now the headline of FRC's condemnation of Kollar-Kotelly's ruling says the following:




However, it is clear that FRC sees the concept of "legal expert" with as much contempt as it sees the concepts of "truth" and accuracy." FRC seems to think the integrity of all of these concepts are mere expendables in its quest to shape America to its pseudo-Christian liking.

The experts used by FRC in its post are employees Travis Weber and Peter Sprigg. Weber has practiced law and does have a Master's Degree. But based upon his statement, Weber seems to be unschooled about how our court system works:

"This type of judicial activism gives the court a self-conferred 'veto' of any presidential decision concerning the military the court simply thinks is unlawful. That's not the way our constitutional order works."

Actually, our constitutional order does work that way. The courts do not issue vetoes. They see that laws follow the constitution and this also includes executive orders.

And then there is Peter Sprigg, whom I've written about more times than I can count. Sprigg has no law degree and no experience in practicing law. He is a pastor and a former professional actor. He also has a propensity for spinning shameless lies and distortions about the LGBTQ community.

In contrast, the judge FRC smears, Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, has been on the bench for 20 years.

So one side of a judicial decision, you have a judge with 20 years experience. On the other, you have an obviously wet-behind-the-ears fanatic and a man who couldn't give a proper legal reason for even picking his nose.

I think we know whose opinion to trust here.


'Roy Moore wants to impeach judge who blocked Trump's trans ban' & other Tue midday news briefs

Roy Moore

Roy Moore: Impeach Judge for Blocking Trans Military Ban - A preview of scenes to come should Roy Moore win the election in AL to be a United States Senator. God help us all, but let's start planning now, just in case, to undercut and use his homophobia and transphobia as an asset to our equality movement.

Hillary Clinton: Roy Moore's 'bigotry and hatred speaks volumes' about country - Mercy, she should have been president. At least she is doing what other folks don't have the courage to do.

The Senate Is About To Confirm A Frenzy Of Conservative Judges - Pay attention cause this is NOT good.

U.S. Congress unanimously condemns anti-LGBTQ violence in Chechnya - It's about time.

Michigan city among first to permanently display LGBT pride flag - Sweet! 

Conservatives Are Hinting They May Try And Delay Marriage Equality If Australia Votes "Yes" - A good sign for marriage equality in Australia. Those who oppose it are scared of losing a public referendum.

Monday, October 30, 2017

Think Progress - Trump's trans ban blocked due to his incompetence & laziness

Incompetent Trump gets burned by a federal judge.

By now you know that a federal judge suspended Trump's executive order banning transgender men and women serving in the military.  The details will filter out and I'm sure the anti-LGBTQ industry will have its (false) spin on the situation.

But for my money, I love the post by Ian Millhiser of Think Progress, who pulls no punches, particularly with the headline  A court blocked Trump’s transgender military ban because Trump is lazy and incompetent 

Before most presidents announce a significant policy change, they spend some time studying the problem. They consult with outside experts and various stakeholders concerned about the issue. They seek the input of senior advisers, who themselves seek input from a team of researchers and policy experts. 
Donald Trump, by contrast, is more inclined to simply announce a major policy shift on Twitter. 
This lack of concern with the intricacies of policymaking bit Trump hard on Monday.

. . . Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly’s opinion is significant for several reasons, including the fact that it holds that courts should treat all government discrimination against transgender individuals with a great deal of skepticism. One of Judge Kollar-Kotelly’s most significant conclusions, however, is that she does not owe much deference to Trump’s judgment thanks to the slipshod way that Trump decided to implement the ban.
. . .In reaching this decision, Judge Kollar-Kotelly notes that she may have reached a different outcome if Trump had followed a more ordinary process before announcing his new policy. If Trump had bothered to study the question in a serious way “and then decided that banning all transgender individuals from serving in the military was beneficial to the various military objectives cited, this would be a different case. But as discussed above, that is not the case before the Court.” Rather “it appears that the rights of a class of individuals were summarily and abruptly revoked for reasons contrary to the only then-available studies.”


Millhiser goes on to break down just how shoddy Trump's defense for his executive order was and links his loss in court today to the losses he suffered regarding his Muslim ban, specifically with this savage closing sentence:

In the age of Trump, liberty’s greatest shield is Trump’s goonish ineptitude.

'Kevin Spacey accused of deflection in coming out as gay after claim he sexually harassed 14-year-old' & other Mon. midday news briefs

Media Skewered For Focus On Kevin Spacey Coming Out Rather Than Harassment  

Furious, Many Accuse Kevin Spacey of Coming Out as Gay to Deflect From Accusation of Underage Sexual Assault by Anthony Rapp

How Kevin Spacey tried to get everyone to ignore his alleged advances on a 14-year-old

If not for the indictments and guilty pleas from the Trump campaign and administration today, the news that Kevin Spacey finally came out in the midst of charges that he sexually harassed an actor when said actor was 14-years-old would be THE mega news of the day. But still, allow me to convey a message to Spacey:

 Dear Kevin Spacey, 

No! No! No! Oh HEEELLLLL NO! 

Yours truly, 

the Gay Mafia

 In other news: 

Phil Robertson Suggests Listening To BeyoncĂ© Will Give You An STD - Bigotry makes one SOOOO stupid! 

Louisiana man sues sheriff’s office for HIV discrimination - A form of discrimination we really need to talk about. 

Lambda Legal to High Court: Religious License to Discriminate Harms LGBT People from Cradle to Grave - PREACH!!!!

Trump supporter makes fool of himself in attempt to 'expose LGBTQ agenda'

Editor's note -All of the anger should be directed at anyone who exploits the Kevin Spacey situation to conflate being gay with pedophilia. The Kevin Spacey incident doesn't mean that being gay is conflated with pedophilia any more than the Weinstein incident and several incidents regarding other heterosexual men becoming known mean that all heterosexual men are dogs and rapists. That's all I'm going to say for now because the majority of folks should know better. I say "for now" because unfortunately some folks don't know better. Don't even try to exploit this, Family Research Council, etc.

Arthur Christopher Schaper is not known to many, but those who do know him regard him as a nuisance. The Los Angeles Times calls him " . . .the Trump backer leading the resistance to the resistance in California" 

 Schaper, a 36-year-old unemployed Torrance resident and blogger, usually shows up at public meetings in his red Make America Great Again cap, wearing a Trump flag as a cape. He records his escapades on cellphone video, narrating in real time as he trolls in real life. Schaper's style — which includes showing up to Waters' office with a sign reading, "Maxine Waters Go to Hell" — caused the Republican Party of Los Angeles County to pull the charter from the Beach Cities Republicans club of which he is president. 

 And that's not his only endeavor:

 Schaper is involved with numerous right-wing groups, including MassResistance, an anti-LGBTQ organization that the Southern Poverty Law Center has labeled a hate group. He said financial support from MassResistance helps fund his activism. 

 Hence the video below of him showing the "outrageous" things a children's library is doing to celebrate LGBTQ Pride Month." This video was shot by Schaper in June can in fact be called outrageous but for its banality and basic stupidity. Come on, guy! Where's the beef?


Friday, October 27, 2017

Silly group boycotting Disney Channel for acknowledging existence of LGBTQ children' & other Fri midday news briefs

Disney Channel show will feature a gay storyline.

One Million Moms launches hysterical Disney Channel boycott over gay characters - A worthless group calling for a useless boycott against the Disney Channel for daring to acknowledge the existence of LGBTQ children. It, like all of their other boycotts, will fail.

Disney Channel’s ‘Andi Mack’ Will Make History With Gay Storyline - The Disney Channel show in the center of the controversy.

Court: Phoenix wedding invitation designers must serve LGBT customers - Like I said before, the anti-LGBTQ industry has an abundance of idiots just wanting to be martyrs. The business owners in this case is a shining example. No gays requested their services and no one filed a complaint against them. But they wanted to be stars and got burned for their efforts. 

What We Can Learn From Closeted Gay And Bi Men Who’ve Been Sexually Harassed - Pay attention.

Matt Barber Cites Hoax News Story To Link LGBTQ Activists To Pedophilia - Here is someone I haven't talked about in a while. And I see nothing has changed since I've featured him on my blog a while back. Barber has no problem lying in the name of his so-called religion.

Thursday, October 26, 2017

Hey African-American bigots! We exist ! (This ain't no #@&! love letter, either!)







I have been in a state of extreme anger for two days now due to a press conference in which a bunch of bought-and-paid-for trifling conservative black folks again allowed the anti-LGBTQ industry to use them.

What did they do? The same shit they always do when the anti-LGBTQ industry yanks their chain - make all sorts of false claims about how the LGBTQ community is attempting to piggyback on the African-American civil rights movement. They get all vocal and self-righteous proclaiming how gays are trying to "equate their sin with black folks' skin" or how gays never suffered segregation or racism.

Or  when they claim that gays are attempting to equate "sexual behavior" to "innate skin color."

They even got this cute webpage and hashtag (#wegotyourbackjack ) which references the upcoming SCOTUS case of a baker attempting to get away with discriminating against gay couples on the grounds of religious liberty.  Their entire campaign is a nasty slap in the face to the LGBTQ community in general but specifically LGBTQs of color.

That's what really pisses me off to the highest levels of "pissivity" when black folks allow themselves to engage in this game of attack.  By their statements and pronouncements, these fools attempt to push the semantic idea that being an LGBTQ is a "white issue." In other words, they render people like me invisible.  It's bad enough to be called names, but its worse when people deliberately omit you. It makes you feel absolutely worthless.

And I refuse to feel worthless because a bunch of self-righteous idiots allow themselves to be used to get acclaim and money for denigrating their own people. I exist. Other LGBTQs of color exist. We aren't going away and fake activists (such as Alveda King who is knee deep in this mess. She is a gigantic phony. The most important thing she ever did was to have the good luck of being Martin Luther King, Jr's niece) can't make us go away.

The videos above says it all. Since those folks don't want to acknowledge us common, everyday LGBTQs of color, the videos of famous LGBTQS of color are to remind them that their false attacks  may get them what the acclaim and probably the money they want, but that's all they are going get.

They have no control over reality.

'Lies about children, trans community used against VA candidate' & other Thur midday news briefs

A nasty lie rears its ugly head in a Virginia General Assembly election.

Far-Right Virginia Legislator Fights Trans Opponent With Help Of Anti-LGBTQ Megadonor - Just about every anti-LGBTQ campaign - from the opposition to non-discrimination ordinances to the unsuccessful fight against marriage equality - has contained some form of the "LGBTQs want children" horror lie. Why should the campaign against Danica Roem, a transgender woman seeking a seat on the Virginia General Assembly, be any different? It's the enduring lie which we have YET to take on in a blitz campaign it deserves.

‘We Are Being Hunted’: Why LGBTQ Egyptians Are Living in Fear - Our struggle for equality and against persecution is worldwide. 

Every Terrible Thing Jeff Sessions and the DOJ Have Done Since February - And a large number of it has been against the LGBTQ community.

Trump’s gay nominee facing Dem opposition in Senate -It's not that Trump picked him. The problem lies with his past misogynist comments. 

Sen. Murray comes out against Trump’s anti-LGBT pick for NASA - Good.

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Hate group president claims he knows Steve Bannon's plan of war on GOP

Steve Bannon has a plan to reshape Congress for Trump.

FRC president Tony Perkins claims to know the plan, calls it 'doable.'

The belief that the Family Research Council's Values Voter Summit represented a possible fusion between the religious right and the alt-right just gained another notch of credibility today.

According to People for the American Way's Right Wing Watch, FRC president Tony Perkins was bragging he knows about Steve Bannon's plan to "reshape" the GOP. You will remember that it was during the Values Voter Summit that Bannon talked about "declaring war" on the Republican Party.

Bannon, a former official in the Trump Administration and editor of the far right publication Breitbart, has recently been openly supporting GOP primary candidates for Congress. His candidates lean to the very far right, such as anti-LGBTQ activist and former Alabama judge Roy Moore. His goal is to get elect a Congress more supportive of Donald Trump.

Needless to say, his efforts have a lot of Republicans, particularly Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell, worried.

One of the reasons is Bannon's ties to the racist alt-right. According to a Buzzfeed article, Breitbart under Bannon's leadership pushed racist alt-right ideas in its reporting and into the mainstream.

However, FRC's Perkins isn't bothered by any of this. In fact, he bragged about knowing Bannon's plan:

During yesterday’s episode of his “Washington Watch” radio program, Perkins agreed with a caller that voters should not donate money to the Republican Party. Instead, Perkins encouraged listeners to donate money directly to candidates and groups like the Family Research Council instead. Perkins cited his conversations with Bannon as part of his fundraising pitch. “I’ve talked with Steve Bannon. I know the plan, and I think it’s a doable plan. It’s working. I mean, Flake is peeled off and there’s more to come,” Perkins said, referring to Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake’s announcement that he would not seek reelection due to the state of the Republican Party under President Trump.

When the president of an anti-LGBTQ hate group is bragging about being privy to the plans of another man who has ties to the racist alt-right and those plans are to reshape Congress, we are all in trouble. Particularly the LGBTQ community.

This issue will be followed and visited again before next year's mid-term elections. Trust me on that one.

'A mother watches her son become the victim of 'religious liberty' discrimination' & other Wed midday news briefs


How It Feels When Someone Refuses to Make Your Son a Wedding Cake - The mother of the gay couple involved in the "religious liberty" case going to SCOTUS eloquently speaks out on why the case isn't about simply a cake but plain blatant discrimination and how it feels to see her child become a victim of it. One advantage the anti-LGBTQ industry has over us are so-called Christian bakers and florist willing to have their egos stoked and play the martyr. They don't mind doing interviews and appearing on talk shows pretending to be victims because they have allowed themselves to be manipulated by groups who pay the cost of everything for them. The true victims - the people denied services on the basis of sexual orientation - don't have the same luxury. But it does prove that our side aren't willing to exploit folks. After all, these people went in said businesses expecting a service. They didn't ask to be made into nationwide symbols of martyrdom.

Black pastors, conservatives are letting white homophobes exploit them (again) - Speaking of the same situation, my post from last night. It proves that this entire "religious liberty" nonsense is a coordinated campaign by the anti-LGBTQ industry to undermine our equality, again.

GOA to hold its first ever gay pride this month- Sweet! 

The Arizona Senate Race Is About To Be Bonkers - Because of Donald Trump, Arizona senator Jeff Flake will not seek re-election. This puts the LGBTQ community square in the middle of possibly one of the wildest, ugliest Senatorial elections in recent history. To quote the Huffington Post - "The first openly bisexual member of Congress could end up facing off against a Republican whose own party has called her a conspiracy theorist."


Photo take from Commondreams.org

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Black pastors, conservatives are letting white homophobes exploit them (again)

The newest coalition between conservative black pastors and the mostly white anti-LGBTQ industry exploits the Civil Rights movement to diminish the LGBTQ equality movement and renders African-American LGBTQs invisible.

Editor's note - Please DO NOT be like our opposition. Do not use this post as proof of the ridiculous LGBTQ vs. African-American argument. Do not fall into the trap of getting caught up in that argument.  Our equality and survival depends upon knowing that we ALL have the same opposition and knowing that,  just like with Milo Yiannopolous with the LGBTQ community, there are some African-Americans willing to exploit ignorance and prejudice for their own gains.

One thing the LGBTQ community has earned in our successful fight for marriage equality is how the anti-LGBTQ industry has no problem  using African-American pastors and conservatives as a tool either to turn the black community against us or to give themselves some type of credibility with other white folks.

The National Organization for Marriage tried to use this strategy. It even  employed a pastor by the name of William Owens as its "bona fide" civil rights movement leader. to lash out against marriage equality and the LGBTQ community. Employed is the correct term because the group was paying him and his wife for their efforts. We later found out that Owens was known for being the black token for conservative white groups (for a price.)

I wonder how much the anti-LGBTQ industry is paying for  THIS version of the  old divide-and-conquer game:

Yesterday, a group of black leaders made that quite clear in a special press conference on the steps of the Supreme Court. Tired of hearing the LGBT community compare its experience to the real suffering of the civil rights movement, church and civic leaders decided to speak out about why Jack's case matters. FRC's Dean Nelson and FRC Action's Patrina Mosley spoke, sharing deeply personal stories about the pain and prejudice their families experienced over the color of their skin. Patrina talked about how insulting it is to hear LGBT activists equate their "persecution" to generations of African Americans.

Ah yes. Deliberately omitting or diminishing the existence of LGBTQs of color in order to push the phony idea that the gay community is attempting to "equate their struggle to black people."

'Transgender candidate for VA General Assembly working hard to make history' & other Tue midday news briefs


This Transgender Candidate Is Fending Off Attacks And Getting Support From A New Transgender PAC - Win or lose (and I hope she wins and makes history in Virginia), this is what some of us in the LGBTQ community can do to combat anti-LGBTQ industry lies - run for public office. Why not? Aren't we American citizens, too?

‘(BPM) Beats Per Minute’ Is the Most Authentically Queer Film of the Awards Season - Keep your eye on this film, particularly after last year with 'Moonlight.'

Challenging Trump With Powerful Black Queer Stories - This is interesting (seeing that I would have a couple of things to say).

In response to far right, LGBTQ gun group hits firing line - OOOOkay.

Monday, October 23, 2017

Hate group to host Congresswoman who funneled its false data


Rep. Vicky Hartzler, hate group stooge.
Hate group the Family Research Council is in bragging mood about the fact that it has a Congressional leader in its hip pocket:

If there was an unsung hero in the effort to end social experimentation in our military, it’s Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.). She tackled the issue of transgenderism in the military that many Republicans don’t even want to talk about (let alone fight). Vicky has repeatedly stood up for our troops -- and America’s taxpayers. In what was one of the fiercest debates of Trump’s first year, she stood in the fire while other members ran and hid, determined to stop what Barack Obama started: the decimation of the world’s greatest fighting force. 
Although the House didn’t reward her hard work, President Trump did, ordering a halt to the previous administration’s policy to let the gender confused serve. In a series of tweets that exploded across social media, the president was clear: “After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military. Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you.” 
For conservatives, it was a powerful and crystallizing moment. But a lot of the credit for raising that issue belongs to Vicky. Her amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which would have blocked the use of taxpayer money to pay for gender reassignment surgery or hormone treatments was narrowly defeated -- but it helped focus the White House’s attention on the issue.  
Tomorrow, October 24, Congresswoman Hartzler is going to personally deliver an update on where the fight for our military currently stands in a special FRC Speaker Series talk, “Keeping Our Military Ready: Why Radical Social Experimentation in Our Armed Forces Must End.” You won’t want to miss this important conversation! Join us at FRC headquarters

According to People for the American Way's Right Wing Watch in 2010:

Mother Jones posited that Hartzler might be the “most anti-gay candidate in America”– she believes that repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell will “put us at risk,” maintains that sexual orientation is a choice and therefore gay people aren’t entitled to civil rights, and dubbed hate crimes legislation one of the “the extreme agenda items of the gay movement.”

'How to detect & debunk anti-trans propaganda in the media' & other Mon midday news briefs

Neo-Nazi renounces movement, embraces being gay and Jewish



Some things have to been seen to be believed. At any rate, I commend this man for finally being truthful with himself and attempting to make amends for his violent past.

Friday, October 20, 2017

'Hate group trying to gross America out with book about gay sex' & other Fri midday news briefs

This propaganda book is nothing new. It presents the same old lies about gays wrapped in a new package.

MassResistance Wants To Gross America Out With Book About Gay Sex - It's an old but popular propaganda tactic of the anti-LGBTQ industry. Exploit preconceived notions and underlying curiosity about gay sex by establishing false talking points and relying on junk science and cherry-picked legitimate science to prove said points. It's as old as the "gay men want to recruit children" lie. I should write a book on it. Wait a minute. I did. 

There’s a rising global tide of crackdowns on LGBT communities - They are trying to test us but they won't defeat us. 

How two female playwrights are risking their lives to fight homophobia in Africa - Fight on, my sisters!

Jeff Sessions never thought ‘religious freedom’ would allow anti-LGBTQ discrimination - Yeah right. And I'm Scarlett O'Hara from 'Gone with the Wind.' 

Flier At Cleveland State University Encourages LGBTQ Students To Kill Themselves - Then the university claimed that the flier was "free speech." Then folks got really pissed ... 

Parents infuriated after football coach directs players to mock student with gay parents - This here is some mess. But it does show that more people care about doing the right thing. Other parents and students prevented this junk from happening.

Thursday, October 19, 2017

Jeff Sessions won't answer question about his 'religious liberty' guidance and anti-LGBTQ discrimination



There is so much nonsense, chaos, and confusion ala Trump that we are in danger of missing things happening which are important to the future of our equality. On Wednesday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions faced a Senate committee and was asked questions about his "religious liberty" guidance memo.

The anti-LGBTQ industry trumpeted Sessions's guidance memo, claiming that it "protects" Christians from having to choose between their faith and their jobs. Those of us who know better says that it is the latest in the war on LGBTQ equality by the religious right and their supporters. In the committee hearing, we finally got to the meat of our problems with the idea of so-called religious liberty. The exchange above between Sessions and Sen. Dick Durbin is the reality of the dangers of Sessions's guidance memo and the idea of "religious liberty" as it is being pushed by the anti-LGBTQ industry.

It's not by accident that groups like the Family Research Council and the Alliance Defending Freedom, as well as people like FRC president Tony Perkins tend to shy away from a thorough debate about "religious liberty." And it's not by accident that Durbin's question left Sessions stymied and tongue-tied.

'Anti-LGBT industry hoping to play 'divide & conquer' plan to defeat pro-trans policies' & other Thur midday news briefs

Remember this mess? Expect the anti-LGBTQ industry to exploit something like it to divide our community.


Values Voter Summit Panelist: ‘Divide & Conquer’ To Defeat ‘Totalitarian’ Trans Inclusion Policies - Remember that "drop the T" crap some gay folks were pushing (as in abandon the transgender community while pursuing equality.) The anti-LGBTQ industry thinks that it's a wonderful strategy. So much so that they will be pushing something along the same lines along with other plans to denigrate the entire community. So folks deal with the fact that there should be and will be NO abandoning in this so-called culture war. If one of us goes down in flames, we all go down in flames. We are in this TOGETHER.

Two states brace for public campaigns against transgender equality - Speaking of which . . . 

White Nationalism and Christian Right Unite at Values Voter Summit - The sad thing is that there was no internal struggle with so-called Christians. They just want power. 

The U.N. Wants American Businesses to End Anti-LGBT Discrimination - Money always talks.

Settlement Proposed In North Carolina Transgender Bathroom Lawsuit - Could be good news for the transgender community. We'll see. 

HuffPost: Roy Moore’s Charity Accepted Donation From Nazi-Founded Group - The next time the LGBTQ and African-American communities start fighting over legacies, they both need to be reminded that they have a lot of the same enemies.

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Trump's judicial nominee continues to show why he shouldn't be appointed to the federal bench

Trump judicial nominee Jeff Mateer

According to Vice, in a 2015 speech to the National Religious Liberties Conference, Trump's judicial nominee to the federal bench in Texas, Jeff Mateer, admitted that he discriminates against gays:





“Guess what? I attend a conservative Baptist church. We discriminate, alright. On the basis of sexual orientation, we discriminate.” 
 . . . That remark is just one of many that Mateer — who’s currently the first assistant attorney general in Austin, Texas — made during a pair of speeches at the conference. In them, Mateer provided a roadmap for businesses to discriminate against LGBTQ people without legal repercussions. In the two speeches — titled “Seven Things Every Christian Employee Should Know” and “Are You Ready? Protecting Your Church or 501(c)(3) Ministry” — Mateer also said the Constitution doesn’t mandate the separation of church and state and that diversity training “brainwashes” people into accepting the LGBTQ lifestyle.   Citing both speeches, 36 LGBTQ advocacy organizations sent a letter to the Senate on Tuesday demanding that its members vote down Mateer’s nomination. His comments, the letter states, “disqualify” him from public service.

Comments taken from the speeches are a veritable cornucopia of reasons as to why Mateer has no business on the federal bench.

Among them, Mateer said the separation of church and state is nowhere in the Constitution, diversity training is reprogramming, churches should be able to endorse candidates, marriage equality is illegal in spite of the SCOTUS decision legalizing it, and "honest conviction" allows employers to discriminate.

During the time of the speech, Mateer as employed as general counsel for First Liberty Institute, a religious right organization. He is already under fire for other past statements, including claiming that transgender children are a part of "Satan's plan." This latest development only adds to his troubles.


Hat tip to The New Civil Rights Movement.

'Trump judicial nominee played 'Nazi Germany' card in attack on LGBTQs, Obama Admin.' & other Wed midday news briefs

It's LGBTQ Pride in SC! Check out articles in news briefs for more information.

Trump judicial nominee invoked Nazi Germany in describing treatment of Christians in US - See, I knew all of those claims comparing the Obama Administration to Nazis would come back to haunt some people. Just another notch as to why Jeff Mateer shouldn't have a lifetime appointment as a federal judge. His attacks on the LGBTQ community was bad enough.

Night Moves - With a move to a two-day festival, Famously Hot South Carolina Pride is courting a bigger audience. Can it do so without losing sight of itself? - It's LGBTQ Pride time in South Carolina. And guess what intrepid blogger has been asked to bring his 2017 GLAAD Media Award and to say a few words. What should I wear? How should I do my hair? 

As S.C. Celebrates Pride, Some Signs of Change in the Dominant Political Party? - And with this year's Pride comes the fact that slowly but sure, SC is changing for the better. It's still gonna take a little work but I'm always down for a fight. 

New York’s highest court’s first openly gay judge is sworn in - Quietly but steadily. 

Inside The Fight For Transgender Americans In The Mountains Of North Carolina - Meanwhile in NC, the transgender community aren't taking any slack. 

Tony Perkins Says LGBTQ People In The Military Create ‘Moral Confusion’ That Makes Men Harass Women - Dang, Tony. Sit your ass down!

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Evangelical hate group tries & fails to justify support of Trump

Trump and conservative evangelicals have a predatory relationship.

Hate group the Family Research Council is furious about the criticism its recent Values Voter Summit and Trump, who gave a keynote address,  has received. In its latest  Washington Update, the group whined specifically about North Carolina pastor and activist William Barber

Barber had called the summit "heretical extremism" during an appearance on MSNBC and criticized Trump for addressing the group.

FRC head Perkins said the following about Barber's words:

Before the motorcade even arrived at the venue, liberals had fired their first shots. First, they took aim at Donald Trump for speaking to a "hate group." When that didn't work, they started in on Christians, shaming them for supporting a man they claim "contradict[s] Jesus directly." Conveniently (and selectively), they quote Scripture to make their point, desperate to prove that conservatives are betraying their faith by sharing an agenda with the president. "We have to stop pretending that these men and women are leaders in the Christian church," Rev. William Barber argued. Why? Because they appreciate a leader who will finally go to bat for that church? Say what you will about Trump's past or his fiery personality, he's done more for Christian conservatives than any president since Ronald Reagan -- and this is only his first year!

This isn't blind allegiance on the part of evangelicals. This is the earned respect of a man who's kept his promises. We wanted to move public policy, and this president has. Look at what he's done since taking office: defunding global abortion, protecting religious liberty, rolling back President Obama's social experimentation in the military, appointing originalist judges, overturning the HHS mandate, and fighting for mothers and their unborn children. As I've said before, our support isn't unconditional. But Donald Trump has done more to restore a pro-family, pro-faith culture in eight months than George W. Bush did in eight years! Were Christians foolish for supporting him?

Yet still, people like Rev. Barber fumed, "Last week, the men and women who crowded into that D.C. ballroom claimed to be attending a values conference. But instead, they proved yet again how morally bankrupt a vocal segment of Christians has become." Morally bankrupt for advocating for the unborn? Morally bankrupt for advocating for the freedom to live according to stated biblical values? Rev. Barber, who was a part of the Democratic National Convention, which called for forcing taxpayers to fund abortion and pushed religious freedom to the back of the bus so that sexual libertines could impose their values on the nation, is looking in the mirror of moral bankruptcy.

Even though he clearly didn't mean to, Perkins justified the criticism aimed at FRC and other so-called moral groups and evangelicals for supporting Trump. Since taking office, Trump has been a disaster who has thus far accomplished nothing. He is unfocused, immature, and has a tendency to either shamelessly lie or pick petty fights with members of his own party. He has taken the side of white supremacists, attacked the First Amendment right of individual Americans and the media, and whines about being treated unfairly when quoted specifically and directly.And I haven't even mentioned the sexual harassment accusations or the "grab them by the pu**y" comment.

It is this man, Perkins claims, who is restoring a pro-family, pro-faith culture. That, my friends is a big load of horse shit.  Perkins can talk about "restoring a pro-family, pro-faith culture" all he wants. Talk is cheap when everyone sees how quickly and eager you are to kiss the ass of the devil.

'Russian man first to go on record about anti-gay purge in Chechnya' & other Tue midday news briefs

They are 'purging' LGBTQs in Chechnya. We have on-record testimony from a victim.

Russian man is first to go on record as a victim of antigay purge in Chechnya - And what he has to say will put a chill in your bones. 

36 LGBT Groups Demand Withdrawal of Jeff Mateer Nomination - No Jeff Mateer, no one has forgotten about you. You have a special place on our sh!t list.

Me Too: The Difficult Truths About Gay Men And Sexual Assault - Goes without saying. 

Trump was asked to explain his support for an anti-LGBTQ extremist. It didn’t go well. - Does anything go well with this monstrosity polluting the Oval Office? 

Celebs, Rights Groups Appalled By Trump’s Reported Quip That Pence Wants To Hang Gays - Speak of the monstrosity, jokes like this is never funny. Direct your attention to the first item on today's news briefs.

Monday, October 16, 2017

Conservative evangelicals gladly turn their backs on integrity for the power Trump gives them

They can deny it all they want, but evangelicals have turned their backs on their faith to embrace Trump.
There is one itsy-bitsy, nonetheless significant positive of Trump being in the White House.

The rest of the country is seeing what the LGBTQ community has always known about the religious right. For all of their talk about values, morals, and their "Judeo-Christian" faith, their efforts have solely been about their desire to control lives and gaining power.

And they simply don't care what avenue they travel to get that power.  I don't think I'll ever get tired of these "why does the religious right support someone as immoral as Donald Trump" articles like the one Politico recently published:

Several senior White House officials say they've never heard Trump reference the Bible privately or pray in the Oval Office — even though he has, at times, asked Vice President Mike Pence to pray. He swears frequently, even startling some aides with his coarse language. He was famously caught on tape saying he could grab women by their genitals because he is famous. In New York, he was well-known for cheating on his wives and encouraging coverage of his sex life in the tabloids. 
Though he has declared the Bible to be his favorite book, just ahead of his autobiography, he has not exhibited a deep knowledge of it. On the campaign trail, one of his more famous moments was calling the communion "my little wine and my little cracker" and incorrectly calling Second Corinthians "Two Corinthians." 
Yet he has told advisers he sees evangelicals as among his most important constituencies, and he has enjoyed fervent support, as evidenced by another rapturous reception on Friday at the Values Voter Summit. A Reuters poll in September showed more than 60 percent of white evangelicals back Trump, far higher than his overall approval rating, which has often fallen below 40 percent. 
“Trump has been focused like a laser beam on the evangelical vote since the day he entered the presidential race in June 2015, and that has never changed," said Ralph Reed, founder and chairman of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, who said Trump called religious leaders repeatedly during the campaign.

Several people who know Trump say he appreciates that evangelicals have been loyal to him — and he wants to keep them in the fold, almost as he would valuable business customers.

It gets even better:

. . . several religious leaders said, they feel Trump is fighting for them in a cultural war that has been heading in the other direction. 
"They believe they have a commander in chief that is effectively using the bully pulpit to advance a Judeo-Christian framework that has been minimized, scrutinized and ostracized for the last few decades," said David Brody, who has enjoyed tremendous access to White House officials as a correspondent for the Christian Broadcasting Network. He says his viewers overwhelmingly support Trump and see him as unfairly under attack, a view shared by a dozen religious leaders interviewed for this story.

Seems to me that if these so-called religious people can fold up their supposed integrity to support Trump with all of his deliberate warts and all, whatever faith they practice probably should be minimized and shunned.

'Trump jokes about Pence wanting to hang gays' & other Mon midday news briefs


Trump’s sick ‘joke’ about how much Pence hates LGBTQ people - Again Trump opens his big mouth and makes a Freudian slip. We all know Pence's record on the LGBTQ community. And none of it is good. It's a tasteless joke on its own but gets even more tasteless when one remembers that Trump gave a speech last weekend to a room full of people who want to, at the very least, criminalize homosexuality. 

The Danger of President Pence - Speaking of Pence, here is the article which documents Trump's "joke."

Sessions Confounds Critics By Aiding Murder Prosecution In LGBTQ Case - Even a wolf in sheep's clothing gets caught up and starts to bleat every now and then. 

Australian Children's Rights Groups Say Yes To Marriage Equality - Meanwhile in Australia, we are still fighting. 

 Gay lawmakers create first LGBTQ caucus in Arizona Legislature - Long overdue.

Pastor calls Values Voter Summit 'heretical extremism . . . perpetrating a fraud'



There has been a justifiable complaint that if last weekend's Values Voter Summit isn't representative of all Christians, then why don't other Christians, particularly Christian leaders,  speak out against it.

One has publicly spoken against it and his words were blistering in their tone and accuracy. William Barber is a minister in North Carolina and a community leader who is heavily involved in progressive activism. And unlike other ministers who hide behind twitter, Barber takes an active role in leading protests and getting arrested for his beliefs.

Joy Reid conducted an interview with him Saturday in which he called out the Values Voter Summit for a multitude of things, including, as he puts it, replacing the values of Christ for cash.

" . . . from Jeremiah 22 to Jesus and Matthew 25, Christian values for nations and political leaders has to do with love and justice, equality, stopping exploitation of the vulnerable, caring for the poor, caring for children, welcoming immigrants, helping the sick and loving all, And by these standards, the so-called Values Summit is not about Judeo-Christian values, it’s not about Christianity, but the values of a heretical rhetorical extremism funded by a whole lot of money, perpetrating a fraud on the American people.”

In addition, he also called out Trump for being the first president to address the group.

“What the president did was irreligious, it is an anathema to Christian values. He boasted about taking health care, that’s not Christian. He promoted arrogance, he promoted warmongering — these are not Christian values — and it’s high time that we call it out,”

Friday, October 13, 2017

Donald Trump & the Values Voter Summit - jack meets ass (or vice versa)

The religious right trades Jesus for Donald Trump

Editor's Note - HUGE shout out to those on our side who are attending that vile Values Voter Summit to document all of the madness. You are doing wonderful work because if I was there, I would have already been Granny Clampett with the switch.

President Trump Claims People ‘Don’t Use The Word Christmas Because It’s Not Politically Correct’ - The best way to describe the Values Voter Summit is the the official moment when the religious right traded in Jesus for Donald TrumpA bunch of bigoted jackasses kissing the butt of an idiot as he claims he saved a"Judeo-Christian" values the day after he sabotages health care for millions of people. That's about it. WE ALWAYS SAID MERRY CHRISTMAS YOU JERK!

Trump claims he 'met with the president of the Virgin Islands.' That's him. - AND he makes a complete fool of himself besides.

Trump gets hero’s welcome at Christian summit - For a "nicer" view of Trump at the summit, go here.


For up-to-date information on this hot mess of a summit, go to Right Wing Watch (and swing some money to PFAW for their wonder efforts.) But for you can expect, allow me to repost the following:

Values Voter Summit promises to be an orgy of hypocrisy and hate

Family Research Council 'Values Voter' Summit will see religious right meet alt-right


Last but not least, how can we forget the meat of the summit - rampant, virulent homophobia:

Here’s what’s in the grab bag at the anti-LGBT Values Voter Summit - Oh you are going to LOVE this.

This Is The Anti-Gay Pamphlet Handed Out At The Values Voter Summit - Another look at the mess.


This is the pamphlet advertising a book referenced in the last two news briefs. I personally liked it better when it this:


You see, that's a secret of anti-LGBTQ propaganda. It's the same lies year after year, decade after decade. But it's put in a different package every time.


To break it down, THIS is how the Values Voter Summit attendees see the LGBTQ community. And by their actions, they want to confine our being into this fictional image.


For more information about the comic book, Deathstyle, see -

  #TBT - 'Homosexuality: DEATHSTYLE'

Thursday, October 12, 2017

Values Voter Summit promises to be an orgy of hypocrisy and hate

Don't let them fool you with their false piety and flowery language about protecting faith, God, and country.

The Family Research Council's upcoming weekend event, Values Voter Summit, will be nothing more than a bunch of self-righteous, hateful folks giving both Christianity and conservatism bad names as they gather to lick the boots of a madman and plan what mayhem they will cause for those of us who don't fit their definition of purity.

Kinda like a Nazi rally without the ugly battleship grey uniforms.

Trump will be giving the keynote address Friday night, no doubt leaving the crowd drooling over what they can get away with his Administration. And, according to Right Wing Watch, the following are a few of the other attendees (aside from the usual cast of vile characters - Tony Perkins, James Dobson, Todd Starnes, Michelle Malkin, etc):

Roy Moore:

Moore is likely to get a hero’s welcome in spite of revelations this week that he took more than $1 million from the nonprofit he founded, the Foundation for Moral Law, between 2007 and 2012, which the Washington Post reported “far surpassed what the group disclosed in its public tax filings most of those years.” On top of that, Moore’s political career has been funded in part by Michael Peroutka, who has been active in Christian Reconstructionist and neo-Confederate groups and promotes the idea that a certain interpretation of biblical law should trump civil laws. Moore has repeatedly put his own religious beliefs above the law. He is intensely hostile to legal equality for LGBT Americans, arguing that homosexual relationships should be criminalized. And his avowed devotion to religious liberty seemingly extends only to those who share his faith.

'Sessions openly defends anti-LGBTQ discrimination' & other Thur midday news briefs

Jeff Sessions
Attorney General openly defends anti-gay discrimination - It's all about JESUS! The folks who push this nonsense are clearly hiding their motives. It's not about baking a cake or arranging flowers. It's about what it has always been about - oppression. They simply change the lie. They used to say "gays are trying to corrupt children." They shifted that argument to attack the transgender community and now are saying "LGBTQ equality will deprive Christians of their rights." Know the pattern and types of lies and tell everyone. Unfortunately we can't seem to do that because folks are paying too much attention to the trees instead of noticing the forest. It's not about a cake so stop talking about cakes. Stop defending these bakers, florists, etc. 

A hate group's anti-LGBTQ law just went into effect in Mississippi. Here's what you need to know. - Other than it's crap, there is plenty that needs to be known.

Saying Queer People Should Stop Coming Out Isn’t Just Stupid, It’s Absolutely Offensive - Brought to you from the school of "black people should stop talking about racism," and "women should stop talking about sexual harassment." 

Caitlyn Jenner calls Trump administration the “worst ever” for LGBT+ rights - Girlfriend, what took you so long? 

White Evangelicals Are Why America Can’t Have Nice Things - Rather harsh tone but rings true. This was posted in June but it's remains relevant.

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Trump keynoting your 'Christian' conference is nothing to brag about

Aside from the other stuff I posted last night about the Family Research Council's upcoming Values Voter Summit, there is a new development.

Apparently Donald Trump will be the first sitting president to be the keynote speaker at the summit.

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, announced late Tuesday in a statement Trump would speak on Friday at the conference, which is taking place over the weekend at the Omni Shoreham Hotel. 
“Values voters have waited eight years for a leader who puts America’s mission first and respects the values that made America into a great nation,” Perkins said. “Values voters are coming to our nation’s capital thankful to hear from a president who is fulfilling the promises that he campaigned on. Since the early days of the campaign, President Trump allied himself with values voters, promising to put an end to the 8 years of relentless assault on the First Amendment

It's ironic - and deliberate on my part - that I would include Perkins's false comment about Obama assaulting the First Amendment on the very day that Trump threatens to shut down NBC  simply because the network ran a story he didn't like.

It's just part and parcel of the conundrum that is the cozy relationship with Trump and right-wing evangelicals. This is the group which continues to support him as his ratings plummet. And that's simply because he gives them what they want - access and the power to change the government to their liking regardless of the negative effects it could have; particularly to the LGBTQ community.

Based on his behavior before and especially after he won the election, FRC and others celebrating Trump keynoting their upcoming summit is yet another sign of how they really are. Behind the pious words, sincere look, and slogans of faith, country and God are a people so hungry for power that they have desecrated themselves in front of the entire nation.

When they chose to publicly support or rationalize Trump, right-wing evangelicals showed America how eager they were to trade the values they claimed to uphold for the "privilege" of diving  head first and mouth open into a vile mucky swamp.

What's happening now is that they are repeatedly dipping themselves into the fetid ooze that is Trumpism in some sort of grotesque baptism.  They are clearly pretending that the muck is clean water which will wash away their sins.

What are they going to do when they realize that there are some stains that can't be cleaned and there are some smells you simply can't wash away?

'National Coming Out Day - unstoppable & unapologetic' & other Wed. midday news briefs

Happy National Coming Out Day! One day, I may tell y'all stories about my origin (my origin? that makes me sound like a super hero . . . . or villain). But not today. Come out and be out if you can. If you are unable to, at the very least be honest with yourself and take it step by step. You don't have to apologize or give an explanation for your life:







In other news:

Letter From 114 House Democrats Challenges Trump’s Decision To Ban Transgender Troops - Don't let him ignore this letter.

Trump Administration Pulls Out of Stonewall Event, Sought Assurance That No LGBT Pride Flag is on Federal Land - Leave it to the Trump Administration to pull such a petty move as this.

New evidence reveals Russia targeted LGBTQ Americans on Facebook - Oh Good Lord!

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Family Research Council 'Values Voter' Summit will see religious right meet alt-right

Steven Bannon, who mainstream alt-right views in Breitbart will be a speaker at FRC's Values Voter Summit this weekend.

It's that time again when hate group the Family Research Council will have its annual so-called Values Voter Summit  this upcoming weekend (so named because the organization high jacked the word "values.")

It's always a drag to read about when FRC and various other prominent religious right members and conservatives come together to spin their lies about the LGBTQs,Muslims, and other so-called unworthy communities or wring their hands in false abject misery of how America has supposedly fallen and they stand between it and an wrathful God wielding a thunderbolt of calamity.

This year, however, it will be nauseatingly different. With Trump in office handing out all sorts of goodies such as access and anti-LGBTQ policies and executive orders, the summit promises to be worse with them in a good mood.

But in the midst of that junk, there will be another difference which cannot be ignored. I think it's not farfetched to say that this will be an official joining of the religious right and the alt-right.

From FRC:

On Friday, October 13, former Deputy Assistant to the President, Sebastian Gorka, will address the 12th Annual Values Voter Summit taking place at the Omni Shoreham Hotel. Thousands of grassroots activists from around the country will gather in the nation's capital to hear from Gorka and other confirmed speakers which include House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), Reps. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.), RSC Chairman Mark Walker (R-N.C.), Chris Smith (R-N.J.), Dr. Bill Bennett, Laura Ingraham, Dana Loesch, "Duck Dynasty's" Phil Robertson, Todd Starnes, Steve Bannon, Judge Roy Moore, Lt. Col. Oliver North, and more. FRC Action's Values Voter Summit is co-sponsored by AFA Action, American Values, Christian Healthcare Ministries, Association of Mature American Citizens, The D. James Kennedy Center for Christian Statesmanship, The Heritage Foundation, United in Purpose, Oklahoma Wesleyan University, and Family Research Council. An exhibit hall, book signings, radio row, media row, and much more will be packed into this three-day conference.

Two new and very interesting faces will be headlining the summit - former Trump Administration officials Sebastian Gorka and Steve Bannon. Both men are controversial figures for their comments and alliances.

According to Rolling Stone, Gorka wasn't popular in the Trump Administration and no one really knew what his position was:

t's not easy to find out exactly what Gorka does in the White House for his $155,000 salary. In terms of policy, according to The New York Times, Trump's recent pro-Saudi Arabia tilt was "driven by two advisers, Stephen K. Bannon and Sebastian Gorka." But a former top White House official tells Rolling Stone, "His only job appears to be to go on talk radio or Fox News to defend the indefensible." That he does constantly, spinning the administration's confused, roller-coaster ride of a foreign policy; slamming "the fake-news industrial complex," on CNN; supporting a Supreme Court decision as "a slap in the face" to critics of Trump's Muslim travel ban, on talk radio; and, on MSNBC, explaining Donald Trump Jr.'s secret meeting with a team of Russians peddling dirt as "a massive nothingburger."