Franklin Graham's fawning praise of Trump is simply embarrassing

The speed from which Franklin Graham pivoted from "Stop picking on Donald Trump. We never said he was perfect." to "Oh my God! Isn't Donald Trump so dreamy! We need to pray for him!" is embarrassing. Especially when one considers that had not the media pressed him and other evangelicals on the matter, they probably wouldn't have mentioned Trump's many moral lapses. As the investigations into how Russia helped the Trump campaign continues, I have a feeling that Graham will be regretting his kiss-ass behavior in support of Trump.

And I bet that Graham never asked that Obama be prayed while HE was president. Yet more proof that Trump's relationship with Graham and company is merely about acquisition.

(Editor's note - I offer a pre-apology just in case it is proven that Graham did in fact ask for Obama to be prayed for.)

'Anti-LGBTQ group already talking about repealing marriage equality' & other Wed midday news briefs

NOM: Supreme Court Is ‘One Retirement Away’ From Ending Marriage Equality - NOM's pipe dream isn't that much of a pipe dream and it reminds us of the simple fact that besides NOM, there are anti-LGBTQ organizations and hate groups just planning to take away marriage equality, even as you read this. But giving up is not an option. We can fight and defeat this notion. And the first step is in the mid-terms. Y'all need to vote and get as many folks to also vote as you can.

Trump’s State of the Union speech omits mention of LGBTQ rights - Surprise! NOT!

Efforts to help LGBT Puerto Ricans after Maria ‘being forgotten’ - We can't let this happen, y'all.

New York School System Holds Its First Summit For LGBTQ Students - New York is a start but we need this in other places too.

The memes from Trump’s first State of the Union address are in and they’re brutal - Damn right. And you KNOW we don't care, either. We are going THERE.

Randy Rainbow has a couple of things to sing about Trump and his 'base'

I personally think that Trump's base, i.e. many of his supporters, are entitled fools who can't deal with the fact that the country is becoming more diverse and no one thinks that they are special anymore. For too long, they have been coddled by being referred to as "the American heartland" or "real America." They don't want to let go, so they whine about lazy people, political correctness, and some bull about erased heritage or tradition.

I could go on, but the incredibly talented Randy Rainbow is better at describing them through song. I could only offer up profanity and words so "non-progressive," they would make Truman Capote blush.

Take it, Randy:

'45 times Trump has attacked the LGBTQ community in his first year' & other Tue midday news briefs

Trump

45 times Trump attacked the LGBT community in his first year in the White House - Just 45 times? Yes, we know that Trump isn't the LGBTQ community's best friend. But it's a point we need to hammer home, so ONE MORE TIME FOR THE FOLKS IN THE BACK!!!

These ‘No Promo Homo’ Laws Are Hurting LGBTQ Students Across America - There are laws in seven states which prevent teacher from even talking about homosexuality in any type of "positive" light. This is harming our LGBTQ kids. 

Conservative evangelicals want to give Trump a 'mulligan,' but they gave Obama hell - And following that "one more time for the folks in the back" philosophy, a repost of my piece from last night. Repetition of truth is a very good tactic for the LGBTQ community to learn.

Gay Couple in Hiding Amid Police Threats After Russia Accidentally Registered Their Marriage - This is downright scary. 

Lesbian firefighter's legal win further divides courts on anti-gay discrimination - Keep fighting, y'all.

Conservative evangelicals want to give Trump a 'mulligan,' but they gave Obama hell

One very important component missing from the debate of conservative evangelical hypocrisy in supporting Donald Trump in spite of his morally questionable behavior is how they acted towards Obama.

With Trump, they are all "well he isn't God" or "I trust his word when he says he has changed," or "we are all entitled to make mistakes."

Not so with Obama. With him, they weren't so open-hearted as the videos below show. They weren't so eager to trust his word because they were too busy implying that he wasn't a Christian ergo he danger to America, particularly its moral image.

First, let's look at Family Research Council president Tony Perkins. Perkins, whose talk of giving Trump a "do-over,' or a "mulligan" for his questionable behavior, wasn't so conciliatory to Obama's morality, values, or words in 2012:

People for the American Way's Right Wing Watch also pointed out that in the same year:

Before the 2012 election, Perkins said that voters in 2008 “chose the economy over the moral foundation of the country when we selected Barack Obama as president, and it did not work out,” claiming that Obama had set himself up “in defiance to everything that is biblically oriented in terms of the history of our country and the word of God.” He called for Christians who had voted for Obama in 2008 to “repent” by voting against his reelection and declared that Obama had a “disdain for Christianity.”

And then there is this lovely, yet insane, claim about how the re-election of Obama could mean "the end."

'TX Republicans censure state House speaker for blocking anti-transgender bill' & other Mon midday news briefs

TX House speaker Joe Straus

Texas Republicans take extraordinary step and censure GOP House speaker for blocking transgender bathroom bill - Simply trashy. Just mean-spirited mess. 

Trans soldier will be Joe Kennedy’s guest at State of the Union address - Well alright! Remind this administration of who helps in the fight for freedom, i.e. the folks they tried to kick out of the military. 

The Trump Administration Is Dropping The Ball On HIV/AIDS - That terrible administration has dropped the ball on so many other things, so why not this too?

‘No, She’s Not My Sister’: The Hidden Stresses of Gay Relationships - A harm of the so-called religious liberty argument. We don't get to talk about this like we should because the religious right bogarts the debate.

Ex-evangelist says conservative evangelical support of Trump is motivated by racism & revenge

Although I don't think I will ever get tired of hearing, seeing, and especially spotlighting the backlash against conservative evangelicals for their hypocritical support of Trump, I also think it has to be put in a proper perspective.

Former evangelist Frank Schaeffer brought that perspective Sunday on AMJoy as he tore into conservative evangelicals.

Schaeffer pointed out it is white evangelicals who support Trump as he made the argument that this support is less about values and more about racism towards former president Barack Obama and revenge.

He punctuated the interview with the following statement about evangelical leader and Family Research Council president Tony Perkins. Perkins, whose controversial statement last week about evangelicals letting Trump's behavior slide because they felt bullied by the Obama Administration, has been in the center of the backlash:

 “Tony Perkins forgot his own theology and replaced it with a theology of revenge on people he disagrees with politically, and that’s what’s going on here . . .Revenge of white American, evangelical right-wingers and who they want to punch in the mouth is not just black Americans but, to put it in the words of the President of the United States, those who live in shithole countries. So they’re willing to put up with anything when it comes to moral degradation to see those ends achieved. I’m glad he put it in terms of revenge, at least he misspoke from his point of view but told the truth.” 

'Another physician rebukes Trump Administration for HHS 'religious freedom' division' & other Fri midday news briefs

A Doctor's Take on the Health Department's New 'Religious Freedom Division'- Another physician, Dr. Magda Houlberg, is calling out the Trump Administration's desire to protect healthcare workers who use their religion as an excuse to not treat certain patients. We need a few more before there can be an official backlash. And I hope they are forthcoming. 

Related post - Pediatrician isn't here for the anti-LGBTQ religious liberty con game

Fresh call to ban 'gay conversion therapy' - The Church of England is calling for a nation-wide ban on "ex-gay" therapy. Wow! Would be awesome if someone did the same thing in this country. Stop laughing . . .

Anti-LGBTQ hate group orchestrates client business practices to win cases - The anti-LGBTQ industry can't win against us fairly in the courts, so they are attempting to game the system. This doesn't come from genuine concern about "religious freedom." Such Machiavellian plots comes from the desire to discriminate.

Anti-LGBTQ Violence Claimed One Life For Every Week In 2017 - Simply awful. Just can't say anything else.

Steve Strang: Christians Who Oppose Trump Need To ‘Get Over It’ - Whatever. Write your own epitaphs.

Pence breaks tie to confirm anti-LGBT Brownback nomination - Say hello to Sam Brownback, America's ambassador at-large for religious freedom. Whatever that is. We will be watching you, Sammy.

Exclusive: Majority of Americans support transgender military service - poll - Damn right.

Conservative evangelicals need Trump like an addict needs his 'fix'

Conservative evangelicals willing to hold Trump up as Messiah as long as he gives them their psychological 'fix.'

I said it yesterday and lo and behold here it is.

Evangelical conservatives are doubling and tripling-down in supporting Donald Trump. In spite of all of his bad behaviors, including basic incompetence, racism, and allegations of adultery, religious conservative leaders are continuing to hold up Trump as the new Messiah. They claim that Trump, in spite of all of his problems, is ushering in "pro-family" and "pro-life" policies.

Family Research Council president Tony Perkins, who knows he stepped into it earlier this week with his "religious conservatives will give Trump a do-over for his bad behavior"  comments, continued in attempts to soften the blow of hypocrisy.

According to Right Wing Watch:

Perkins said that evangelical faith leaders’ support for Trump is “not unconditional” but that “as long as he continues to be the most pro-life, pro-family president” and “continues to walk the straight and narrow with the right influence,” Perkins and his allies will continue to support his administration.

Perkins's group, FRC, also issued a public prayer for Trump:

“Thanks be to God for giving President Trump a burden to champion religious liberty. May Christians pray for and support the president for the good thing he is doing, even if they cannot approve of his past or present behavior in other respects.”

Not to be outdone, Franklin Graham, fresh from humiliating himself with awful defenses of Trump's behavior, is telling people to pray because Trump is supposedly facing a coup de etat. Franklin is echoing nonsense which shot up then fizzled down in right-wing circles about a secret government group working to overthrow Trump.

'Evangelical says religious right deserting Donald Trump would punish America' & other Thur midday news briefs

Bryan Fischer Says There Is No Reason For The Religious Right To ‘Punish America’ By Turning On Trump For His ‘Reprehensible’ Behavior -  Bryan Fischer becomes the latest religious right figure to show hypocrisy when it comes to Donald Trump. I am so enjoying taking down these receipts. I'm going to need another book to put them all in.

In three years, LGBT Americans have gone from triumph to backlash - This neither surprises nor scares me. Students of history will tell you that after every successful movement for civil rights comes a huge backlash. The key is to strap yourself down and solider on fighting no matter what.

Tolerance takes a hit: Americans less accepting of LGBT people in 2017, survey shows - Another view of the issue just in case the above link is behind a pay wall. Awful headline, though. LGBTQs are not dogs urinating on the good carpet. We don't need "tolerance" or "acceptance." We need fairness and all that we need, including fairness, will be what we will take because they all belong to us in the first place.

Conservative book ‘When Harry Became Sally’ attacks trans people while conveniently leaving them out - Another book attacking the LGBTQ community and like all of the others, it's filled with distortions. 

Nearly 700,000 adults in the US have received gay conversion therapy - And guess how much have worked . . . go ahead. 

Lastly: 

NOW would be a perfect time to remind people that support of Donald Trump is not the only area in which evangelical conservatives have displayed questionable morals. Let's talk about their DECADES-LONG war on the #LGBTQ community via propaganda and junk science.

Just click on here to read and send (even if you have already) my free 2103 online book How They See Us: Unmasking the Religious Right War on Gay America.

Pediatrician isn't here for the anti-LGBTQ religious liberty con game

Daniel Summers, a gay pediatrician, has something to say about the new division of HHS designed to protect healthcare workers who refuse to give certain treatments under the grounds of "religious liberty." He pulls no punches and makes no apologies for his rejection of this idea.

In a piece published by  The Slate , Summers says the following:

If you are a healthcare provider who doesn’t want to treat LGBTQ people or their families, please don’t waste your time and mine applying for a job in my practice.  

  .  .  . Because many people justify their bigotry against gender and sexual minorities in religious terms, this new division is quite alarming news for LGBTQ people. The creation of this division appears to open the door for medical providers to, for example, refuse to provide gender confirmation treatment for trans people, or refuse to treat children with same-sex parents. 

 One attendee at the ceremony announcing this new division was Sara Hellwege, a nurse-midwife who sued in 2014 after being denied a job at a Florida health center. The reason she didn’t get the job? She admitted that she would refuse to prescribe birth control pills because of her religious beliefs—and prescribing birth control pills was part of the job she applied for. 

 She had no business seeking the position in the first place. 

 David Gorski, a surgeon and editor of the website Science-Based Medicine, expressed the views of many medical providers, myself included, when he tweeted that “physicians who refuse to treat certain patients based on their religious beliefs are in the wrong profession and should never have become doctors in the first place.”

  . .   .If you don’t think same-sex couples should be raising children, you won’t be interacting with families in my practice at all. If you’re not willing to discuss PrEP with your gay male patients, and think HIV prevention funding would be better spent on conversion therapy, you won’t be seeing any patients here. If you’re going to ignore the needs of our trans patients or insist on mis-gendering them, we have no opening here for you. And I don’t care at all if you justify any of that with your religion. 

Check out the entire column here.

News brief special - Evangelical conservatives hit with huge backlash over hypocritical support of Donald Trump

Editor's note - What was first a small occasional drip . . . drip and moved to a slow but steady trickle is now a raging flood. Conservative evangelicals, particularly their leadership, are now facing a tremendous backlash for their dogged support of Trump and minimizing of his bad behavior (which includes racism and cheating on his wife with a porn star). It would do the LGBTQ community some good to pay attention to this firestorm and "collect receipts" for the future.  This much deserved backlash probably won't make a dent in the "true believers" crowd who support conservative evangelicals, but you would be surprised how a little sunlight makes the truth more powerful. The truth, in this case being how these folks love to demonize the LGBTQ community, but those attacks like their support of Trump, is rooted in hypocrisy, fear tactics, and un-Christian desires for power. And barring a public "come to Jesus" moment in which they admit their hypocrisy (which probably won't happen), expect them to double-down and even triple-down on their support of Trump. These conservative evangelical leaders are incapable of admitting that they are wrong.



Don Lemon perfectly nails Franklin Graham’s ‘ends justify the means’ moral hypocrisy on Trump - See above video. It means a lot to me to see an openly gay man drag Franklin Graham for his hypocrisy.

Evangelical leader defends ‘mulligan’ remark about Trump, Stormy Daniels - The Family Research Council's Tony Perkins makes a fool of himself.

After Years Of Questioning Obama’s Christianity, Tony Perkins Gives Trump A ‘Mulligan’ On Porn Star Affair - Oh if there were only a way to compare how religious evangelicals leaders dogged Obama (who ran a scandal free, successful administration ) in relation to how they lovingly embrace Trump (who has arguably the worse administration in the history of this country). Oh wait. There is this lovely piece which looks at Tony Perkins's  (the one in the last news brief) attacks on Obama when he was in office.

Former RNC Chair Michael Steele: Trump’s Evangelical Backers Need To ‘Shut The Hell Up’ - Never thought I would agree with Michael Steele, but here we are.

The religious activists on the rise inside Trump's health department - The fruits of their rotten labor Part 1. 

‘Religious freedom’ for adoption discrimination on Georgia Republican’s to-do list - The fruits of some of their rotten labor Part 2.

And the editorial pages have been brutal:

Trump's a true-believing Christian? Tell me, how does that work?

Michael Gerson: The Trump evangelicals have lost their gag reflex

Hypocritical conservative evangelicals shelter themselves from Stormygate

Franklin Graham rails against 'sin of homosexuality' days after justifying Donald Trump's sins

One would think that in light of all the scrutiny paid to the hypocritical support religious evangelicals give Donald Trump, they would be in a position of hiding or at least self-examination.

Not hardly. In spite of admissions that they only support Trump and defend his many bouts of behavior because of the power he gives them, religious evangelical leaders seem to want us to pretend that there nothing wrong with what they are doing.

Case in point is Franklin Graham. Today, he posted the following on his facebook page:

Please bear in mind that only days ago, Graham was giving poor denials to allegations that Trump racially slurred foreign countries or paid off a porn star he had an affair with at the time of present wife's pregnancy.

Finally, when pressed by about past comments he made claiming that America has a "sin problem," Graham said Trump wasn't perfect.

Keep it up, Mr. Franklin. Don't think people neither see nor know what you are doing. Dig that hole and when it gets deep enough, enjoy not being able to get out of it.

'Religious right leader Tony Perkins admits it - evangelicals don't care about Trump's behavior as long as he gives them power' & other Tue midday news briefs

Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council (first picture) admits that as long as Donald Trump gives the evangelical right power in terms of policy, they will overlook his consistent bad and incompetent behavior and  instead will treat him like the new Messiah (second picture.)

The Family Research Council head says that evangelical conservatives are willing to overlook Trump’s past behavior so long as he delivers for them on policy - So many things to unpack from this article:

1. Without a degree of shame, Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council admits that the religious right are willing to overlook Trump's un-Christian behavior if he continues to give them what they want in terms of policy - i.e. the power to control people's lives and divert the direction of this country, less healthcare for women, and an undermining/reversal of the LGBTQ equality and safety. I always knew this. So many others already knew this. However. it's amazing to hear Perkins simply admit that all of the religious right's talk about a "moral crisis" in America over the years was a big fat lie. 

 2. If Perkins is accurate, evangelicals do not like John McCain and, just like Trump, don't view him as a war hero because he got captured. 

3. It's not just that evangelicals will overlook Trump's bad behavior. As shown in the article, they sometimes give justifications & lies about his bad behavior 

 4. The religious right should never get to demonize the LGBTQ community ever again without being strongly and repeatedly reminded of this moment.

Evangelical conservatives surrendered moral authority to Trump. They don't deserve to get it back.- A perfect time to remind folks about last night's post.

Here Are the 2018 GLAAD Media Awards Nominees - Congratulations to all of the nominees, including several of my friends for their nominations in the category of 'Outstanding Blog.' Having been nominated three times and winning one last year, I know how much of a thrill this is. Enjoy it because y'all deserve it. 

Laverne Cox Makes History As Cosmopolitan’s First Transgender Cover Girl - Not bad. Not bad at all.

Evangelical conservatives surrendered moral authority to Trump. They don't deserve to get it back.

Religious conservatives surrendered their moral authority to Trump. They don't deserve to get it back.

Recently, someone in my Sunday school put forth an interesting theory which got a lot of support. She claimed that God may have put Trump in the White House, not as a vouch of support, but to send a message to people about certain interests and concepts.

That may have a ring of truth when one considers how the evangelical right have acted with him in office, i.e. like greedy hogs at a trough constantly eating and not caring about being seen as gluttons. Today is yet another example.

According to this tweet, conservative evangelicals consider Trump's first year as a success.

The Trump administration is "genuinely interested and responsive to the concerns of the evangelical community." @tperkins @TheBrodyFile @CBNNews #POTUS https://t.co/N6ZGqgku2y

— FRC (@FRCdc) January 22, 2018

And why shouldn't they consider him a success for their cause. After all, he has given them unprecedented access and power. He has bowed to their desire for symbolic support, vouched for their ideas that their religion makes them superior, and has partly surrendered secular government agencies and judiciaries to their control.

But they don't seem to understand what they have lost.

The video below shows the many of the gaffes and horrors Trump has committed in his first year. From his awful Muslim ban to the mind-boggling irresponsible comments he made after the Charlottesville tragedy, the gaffes and horrors are many. America needed a loud and visible moral voice to remind us about the goodness of this country because of these gaffes and horrors. We received that moral voice, but it didn't come from the conservative evangelical community. They were too busy either counting the coins Trump threw at them or justifying his unjustifiable acts to receive more.

Bottom line - whenever Trump leaves office, Franklin Graham, Robert Jeffress, and the rest of that ilk shouldn't have moral authority to criticize folks for scratching their junk in the public, much less criticizing this country's moral climate. And as far as I am concerned, that specifically speaks about the LGBTQ community. Evangelical conservatives no longer have what little moral authority they did hold to call us out. Ever again.

Video shows intricate dangers of anti-LGBTQ discrimination

A new video released by the Colorado-based independent think tank Movement Advancement Project highlights things which people should be aware of regarding anti-LGBTQ discrimination. It goes beyond scenarios like baking cakes and arranging flowers. As the video shows, even the simplest things, such as going to the movies, can be problematic when ignorance is thrown into the mix. And many times, people aren't aware because they aren't specifically affected. 

'More cash than Christ' - Franklin Graham called out for hypocritical defense of Donald Trump

In the midst of the madness that is the Trump Administration (the latest being Trump's lack of good leadership has led to a government shutdown and it was discovered that before the election, his lawyer paid off a porn star, Stormy Daniels, to keep quiet about an affair she had with him), Franklin Graham stepped up today to defend him.

Graham, who seems to never been speechless when it comes to denigrating the LGBTQ community, offered an absolutely ridiculous defense of Trump

  

Graham, the president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, was questioned by MSNBC “Live” anchor Alex Witt on Saturday. 

Witt asked Graham how he could support President Trump after his sh*thole comments.
“He said he didn’t say it,” Graham said. “I don’t think any of those senators, if he did use that language, have heard that word for the first time. I’m sure that’s a word they’ve used before, I think there’s a little hypocrisy here.” 

“He said he didn’t say it, so I have to go along with the president in that he didn’t say it,” Graham claimed. 

“We have a businessman who is a president, not a politician, but a businessman,” Graham said. “We should all be grateful that he’s brought his knowledge to Washington and he’s helping to turn this economy around.” 

“Reverend, you just told me that this country has a sin problem and I know you’ve no doubt heard that the president is accused of having his lawyer pay $130,000 to a former porn star allegedly for her silence about his sexual encounter while he’s married,” Witt said. “The previous allegations as well, that access “Access Hollywood” tape, does that challenge your faith in the president?” 

“Does the president have a sin problem?” Witt asked. 

“I can promise you he is not President Perfect,” Graham replied.

In response to that, another pastor, William Barber, let loose with both barrels at Franklin during an appearance on "AM Joy" with MSNBC's Joy Reid:

“What we see here is a mass coverup by so-called white evangelicalism that’s more about, as I’ve said before, cash than Christ,” Barber explained. 

 “It’s heavily funded, you see Franklin Graham saying we have a sin problem. We do. But it’s not what they’re talking about.” “We see 365 days of attacks on voting rights, that’s sin, attacks on Muslims, that’s sin, attacks on the LGBT community, that’s sin, attacks on health care, attacks on living wages, giving the greedy and the wealthy tax breaks on the backs of the poor and the working poor,” Barber said. 

 “Wherever you look in the scripture, that’s sin. Anyone who attempts to justify that is engaging in a modern day form of heresy.” “It’s just wrong what he’s saying. Actually, I would say to my brother Franklin Graham, he needs to stop lying, tell the truth and not being bought off or paid or whatever is causing him to misrepresent the faith like that.”

'New 'religious freedom' division of HHS in Trump Administration led by anti-LGBTQ advocate' & other Fri midday news briefs

Former Heritage Foundation employee Roger Severino leads controversial new HHS division.

New HHS division slammed as tool for anti-LGBT discrimination - Speaking of that awful monstrosity of an office . . . we are just waiting for one screw-up. JUST ONE.

Roger Severino - Director of Office of Civil Rights (at Dept. of HHS) - And while we are at it, let's take a look the history of the man leading this office from when he worked for the right-wing Heritage Foundation. He isn't exactly an advocate for our community. 

Who Is Roger Severino? Donald Trump's New Appointment Sparks Concern Among LGBTQ Activists - And his history. Like I said. JUST ONE SCREW-UP.

Nearly half of trans people have been a victim of hate crime in the last year - We simply have to do better to protect our own.

Court Orders Return of Gay Mexican Asylum Seeker ‘Dumped at the Border’ Over Christmas Holidays - That's right and there should be some shame with doing him ugly. 

 This Man With HIV Just Won His Battle To Change The Rules So He Can Become An Airline Pilot - Awesome!

Anti-LGBTQ group call books about gay families & transgender kids 'morally toxic'

A bigoted group, One Million Moms, called books about transgender kids and gay families 'morally toxic.'

At pretty much the same time the Trump Administration is instituting some "religious liberty" garbage at Health and Human Services, an anti-LGBTQ right-wing group is raising hell at Scholastic Books for focusing on same-sex families and transgender children. A representative of this group, One Million Moms, called books about same-sex families and transgender children "morally toxic."

According to OneMillionMoms.com, Scholastic, Inc. is no longer safe for children. Monica Cole, director of the online activist group, explains that Scholastic books is "publishing and marketing books that are not safe for your children" and "promoting pro-homosexual and pro-transgender picture books for children." 

 In an Action Alert to its supporters, 1MM says the Scholastic website features "morally toxic" reading lists for children, such as: 

 "Mother's Day Books for Two-Mommy Families" 

"Great Books for Two-Dad Families" 

"6 Picture Books About Transgender Children" 

"... We're concerned [that] Scholastic is pushing topics on children and introducing them to children as young as preschool age [that] should be left up to the parents to discuss," Cole states, "and [selling] books ... at book fairs at your child's school that you may or may not be aware of.

"It is shocking because we know the dangers and how harmful the lifestyle choices are and can be," she adds.  

 The pro-family group cites the American College of Pediatricians on the issue: "Conditioning children into believing that a lifetime of chemical and surgical impersonation of the opposite sex is normal and healthful is child abuse." OneMillionMoms is calling on Scholastic, Inc. to stop pushing this agenda.

So according to this group, it's morally toxic to even acknowledge same-sex families and transgender children, even though according to a 2013 study by the Williams Institute as the UCLA School of Law found that:

As many as six million American children and adults have an LGBT parent. Same-sex couple parents and their children are more likely to be racial and ethnic minorities. An estimated 39 percent of individuals in same-sex couples with children under age 18 at home are non-white, as are half of their children.

'Religious freedom' is a quiet way of normalizing homophobia

Editor's note - With the news today that the Trump Administration is trying to shield healthcare workers who deny care on the grounds of "religious liberty," it is imperative that we don't continue to allow people to lie about what "religious liberty" is. In the hands of the anti-LGBTQ industry (groups and personalities of the religious right), religious liberty is less about protecting personal beliefs and more about being a weapon to undermine LGBTQ equality and safety. With that in mind, I am reposting a piece from 2014 (and slightly altered) which best explains what I am talking about.

In the 50s and 60s, they said we were perverts who ought to be jailed.  

In the 70s, they said we recruit children.

 In the 80s, they said we were diseased freaks who run around catching AIDS. 

 In the 90s, they said we wanted "special rights." 

 In the 2000s, they said we wanted to redefine marriage. 

 Now they claim we are trying to put Christians out of business and jail them.

The more I think of this bogus argument of "religious liberty" or "religious freedom," the more angry I become about how the entire debate is being conducted with no perspective. "Religious liberty" is merely a new anti-gay buzzword. It is the latest in a long line of concepts and claims used to justify anti-gay animus and discrimination. It's nothing new and it shouldn't be debated as if it is a new concept. Allow me to elucidate with the use of words and visuals from various anti-gay spokespeople and groups in debates throughout the years:

 1970s: Gays are pedophiles - "As a mother I know that homosexuals cannot biologically reproduce children. Therefore, they must recruit our children." - Anita Bryant

1980s: Gays are diseased -   ''The poor homosexuals -- they have declared war upon nature, and now nature is extracting an awful retribution.'' - columnist and Presidential candidate Pat Buchanan during the early days of the AIDS crisis

'Trump Administration wants to shield healthcare workers who deny care on grounds of 'religious liberty'' & other Wed midday news briefs

The Trump Administration wants to shield healthcare workers who deny care on grounds of 'religious liberty.'

Trump to shield health care workers who claim moral objections - We warned this could happen when the anti-LGBTQ industry began its "religious liberty" lie:

The Trump administration is planning new protections for health workers who don't want to perform abortions, refuse to treat transgender patients based on their gender identity or provide other services for which they have moral objections. Under a proposed rule — which has been closely guarded at HHS and is now under review by the White House — the HHS office in charge of civil rights would be empowered to further shield these workers and punish organizations that don’t allow them to express their moral objections, according to sources on and off the Hill.

Trump will give healthcare workers the right to refuse to treat LGBT people - The ENTIRE LGBTQ community could be negatively affected by this. It's bad enough for our transgender brothers and sisters. That automatically puts the LGB community into this fight from the get-go.

The solution to this? Don't put all of your eggs in an "impeachment basket."Raise hell, get LGBTQs to run for public office, support positive candidates,  vote, register people to vote, break down Trump's power by helping to elect blue candidates later this year, then unite behind a 2020 candidate. ABOVE all, show unity, trust, and discipline.

Senior DHS adviser Frank Wuco claimed "societies and nations for millennia have suffered greatly" for LGBTQ acceptance - Meanwhile the hint of homophobia and transphobia taints other parts of the Trump Administration.

Gay Couple Sues Printing Company Over Homophobic Wedding Pamphlets - Mess like this only happens because we are winning. The other side is pushing back HARD. Keep the momentum going.

Alabama Senate Passes Bill To End Marriage Licenses - THIS is interesting.

MSNBC's Ari Mebler takes the evangelical right to church over their defense of Trump's racist comments

All I can say when I see this clip is "it's about time."

 For a while there, I felt like a lonely voice in the wilderness pleading to folks to not allow the anti-LGBTQ right and religious conservatives to walk away proverbially smelling like a rose after the controversy over Trump's vulgar words about immigrants from Africa, Haiti,and Central America. I was "collecting receipts," i.e. noting how Trump's religious conservative allies were either conveniently ignoring or defending his words. But it seemed that hardly anyone else, particularly folks in the LGBTQ community were.

 Our problem is that we are too damned jaded. We as a community have been hit constantly by these so-called Christians with their dehumanizing venom and lies that we've become desensitized to a degree by it. Call it a survival technique, if you will. The only problem with this is that when these folks are in a situation such as this which unmasks their hypocrisy, we can't amass enough anger, righteous indignation, and desire for payback to give them the verbal thrashing they deserve.

In other words, we can't be petty, if you will, when pettiness is the appropriate response to the situation.

Thank goodness Ari Mebler from MSNBC handles the business quite well. And he breaks the hypocrisy of the right wing quite nicely.

'Transgender kids: we are being discriminated against, Trump Administration: we don't think we can help you' & other Mon midday news briefs

Trump Admin To Transgender Kids: We Won’t Deal With Your Civil Rights Complaints - That the Trump Administration is attempting to ignore the complaints of transgender kids should surprise no one:

 In Texas, a transgender teenager said his high school discriminated against him for almost two years. He was not allowed to use the bathroom that corresponded with his gender identity. When he traveled overnight with one of the school’s teams, he wasn’t allowed to room with his male peers, he alleged. But Donald Trump’s Department of Education did not think it could help this student. 

The teenager’s case is one of at least three involving transgender students’ experiences navigating school bathrooms or gender-specific sports teams that the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has dismissed in the past several months, with the explanation that these issues do not fall under its jurisdiction, according to documents obtained by HuffPost and a source familiar with the matter. The Trump administration’s view of these cases diverges sharply from that of the Obama administration, which contended that Title IX ― the federal law that deals with sex discrimination ― included discrimination based on gender identity. 

The Obama administration issued guidance holding that schools should allow students to use the facilities that align with their gender identity. But a month into Trump’s presidency, the Department of Justice and Department of Education rescinded this guidance, saying that these issues should be decided at the local level and that the original guidance did not contain enough legal analysis. Since then, it has been unclear how exactly the Office for Civil Rights, or OCR, would handle these cases. An internal OCR memo from June directed employees to still take the complaints of transgender students seriously. It said employees may dismiss complaints related to bathroom issues, but it did not specifically direct them to do so.

Republicans block hate crime law for LGBT people in Virginia - A hate crimes law already exists in Virginia. They just don't want to add LGBTQs to it.

Ann Coulter says US should refuse entry to people with HIV - Begging y'all's pardon, but Ann Coulter can go to hell on this one.

No Mr. Perkins - You don't get to appropriate Martin Luther King's legacy - Tony Perkins and the Family Research Council won't comment on Trump's recent racist comments, but have the nerve to appropriate King's legacy simply because his niece is a poseur. Oh no you don't!

Cowardice of conservative evangelical leaders should always be remembered

It's both fascinating and sad that on a day in which we honor Martin Luther King, Jr., a religious man who became the moral voice of where America should be in relation to the treatment of its poor and minorities, we see other religious figures failing to a righteous stand  by their own choice.

In the aftermath of Trump's racist comments regarding immigrants from Africa and Haiti, one would think that the evangelical conservative leaders who support him would step up. Very few have and those who haven't stand out for their lack of courage and desire to defend or distract.

James Dobson once excused Trump's excesses by calling him a "baby Christian." According to the Washington Post, he has refused to comment on Trump's words.

Franklin Graham also refused to comment, but he did send out the following ridiculous tweet instead:

Then on Monday, he sent the following ironic tweet:

Robert Jeffress, Trump's supposed evangelical advisor, sent a tweet which supported Trump's comments while attempting to underplay its racist tone.

The Family Research Council chose to focus on attacking transgender children instead of addressing Trump's comments. Meanwhile, Ken Blackwell, a member of the group, attempted to defend Trump by completely distorting comments Obama once said about Libya.

These cowardly actions by conservative evangelical leaders shouldn't be forgotten. It really doesn't matter if no consequences will come of their words. It doesn't matter if they don't lose the support of their followers or that the media still regard them as "religious leaders."

What matters is that the truth be told about these leaders constantly and that truth never be far from the conversation about the things they do choose to take a stand on.

Or to speak plainly - the next time any of these jokers attack the LGBTQ community, I intend to say a couple of things about their embracing or ignoring Trump's racism.

Family Research Council chooses to attack transgender children instead of Trump's racism

No surprise here, but let's make it official and mark the Family Research Council as the latest conservative evangelical Trump-supporting bloc who have refused to comment on his recent racist statements about Haiti and Africa.

Instead, here are just two items the group decided to focus on today:

From what I hear, neither James Dobson nor Franklin Graham will be commenting about Trump's comments either.

No surprise here, but just consider what I'm doing now as "receipt gathering."

'Conservative evangelical pastor Robert Jeffress defends Trump's racist comments' & other Fri midday news briefs

Conservative evangelical pastor Robert Jeffress praised Trump's racist comments.

And we have our first conservative evangelical leader defending Trump's racist comments. Who else but Robert Jeffress:

What's missing in Jeffress' statement is how he can hold his breath with his head so far up Trump's ass. But I did hear that he has a special Bible which tells us that when the woman with the issue of blood touched the hem of Jesus's robe, Jesus turned to her and said, "Get away from me, you dirty bum."

And wouldn't you know it? Jeffress is a homophobe. A BIG one:

No fan of the gay community, Jeffress believes that gays and lesbians are “perverse” people who are either pedophiles or likely to abuse children in the future; compared homosexuality to bestiality and called it “a miserable lifestyle”; accused gay people of using “brainwashing techniques” to have homosexuality “crammed down our throats”; said that gay people “are engaged in the most detestable, unclean, abominable acts you can imagine”; predicted that the gay rights movement “will pave the way for that future world dictator, the Antichrist”; and labeled homosexuality a “filthy practice” that will lead to the “implosion of our country.”

Related post:  Dear conservative evangelicals, we notice your convenient silence about Trump's racist comments


In other news:

Within 1 Week, 4 Black Lesbians Were Murdered - THIS is downright spooky.

LGBT candidates hoping to ride Democratic wave - Damn right. Now is not the time for bickering.

Gospel singer leaves industry & comes out as bisexual - Good for you, my brotha!

Dear conservative evangelicals, we notice your convenient silence about Trump's racist comments

With Trump's racist comments today, one wonders if Franklin Graham regrets this ridiculous tweet from last year.

As hard as it is to believe, Donald Trump has sank lower than ever today with comments about African and Haitian immigrants:

President Donald Trump reportedly asked lawmakers during a meeting in the Oval Office on Thursday why so many people from “shithole countries”—referring to Haiti and countries in Africa—immigrate to the United States, The Washington Post has reported. 

“Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?” Trump reportedly asked seven members of Congress present at the meeting. Trump also reportedly followed up the remark by asking why “people from countries like Norway” don’t migrate as much to the U.S. 

In a statement released on Thursday, the White House did not deny Trump made the remarks. Instead, the statement restates the president’s stance on curtailing family-based legal immigration. ending the visa lottery program, which aims to bring more immigrants from low-represented countries around the world.

To no one's shock, our Orange Menace is getting deservedly blistered in the media and online, while being defended by some folks on Fox News. But I think the conservative evangelical leadership, i.e. the bunch of folks who supported Trump and declared that he would be a great defender of Christianity and that he gave his heart to Jesus, should say a word or two about the situation.

So far, they have been silent, no doubt hoping that this thing will blow over or someone will craft a reasonable defense which they can latch onto.

Sorry guys, I see you. All of you

Most specifically, I would like to see folks like Robert Jeffress, James Dobson,  Franklin Graham, the Family Research Council, Tony Perkins, Gary Bauer, and all of the other evangelicals who have been kissing Trump's ass like it's sugar actually do something moral for a change. Call this man out with as much energy as you attack the LGBTQ community for not accepting second class treatment or with as much vigor as you specifically stigmatize transgender men, women, and children as predators for merely attempting to live their authentic lives.

Come on guys. Trump just said something viciously racist. It shouldn't be so difficult to take on the mantle of morality and call him out on it.

But then again, who am I kidding? These so-called Christian leaders wouldn't dare call out Trump. Knowing how he likes to throw tantrums,  he probably wouldn't give them more any "access."

And they certainly can't have that.

'Hate group working with Trump administration to take protections away from trans inmates' & other Thur midday news briefs

The primary goal of the Alliance Defending Freedom is to undermine or eliminate LGBTQ equality and safety.

Recent reporting on violence against trans inmates illustrates the dangers of Trump administration rescinding protections - The Trump Administration is seriously considering rescinding protections which keep trans inmates from being exposed to prison violence. And guess what hate group is behind it - the Alliance Defending Freedom. This is the SAME group which is fighting to keep trans children from being protected in America's schools and pushing for homosexuality to be illegal in foreign countries. More proof of the point that there are organizations out there geared to undermining LGBTQ equality and safety. We not only had better recognize, but we need to proverbial yell from it from the mountaintops until the fact is drilled into people's heads. No matter what they tell you, the primary goal of the Alliance Defending Freedom is to undermine or eliminate LGBTQ equality and safety.

More info on the Alliance Defending Freedom (for you to digest, educate yourself and other folks on, put to memory):

Six key takeaways from The Nation's investigative report on Alliance Defending Freedom’s “legal army”

The many ways Alliance Defending Freedom is fighting against transgender student equality

A compliant press helped bring Alliance Defending Freedom's anti-LGBTQ hate back into the mainstream in 2017

In other news:

Williamston school board members who voted for transgender policy face recall effort - I bet if you scratch deep enough, you'll find the Alliance Defending Freedom in the middle of this mess, too.

New Hampshire Lets Debunked Gay Conversion Therapy Remain Legal - For some of the dumbest reasons, I might add.

How to Cope When You're Gay and Lonely - A MUCH needed article.

Remember the anti-marriage equality 'Gathering Storm' ad?

All of you folks who were as deep into the marriage equality fight as much as I was, do you remember the controversial "Gathering Storm" ad which officially brought the National Organization for Marriage and the group's fight against marriage equality into the nation's view:



It's hard to believe that it's been eight years since the ad premiered. But is it wonderful to watch it again knowing that NOM and its fight to keep marriage from us failed miserably.

'School district will pay transgender student $800,00 to settle lawsuit' & other Wed midday new briefs

A School District Will Pay A Transgender Student $800,000 To Settle A Discrimination Lawsuit - And a Wisconsin school district is the latest to learn the lesson of what it costs when you don't treat our transgender children fairly. And I tremendously approve.

This court just issued a sweeping LGBTQ victory for the Western Hemisphere - Just like that, marriage equality will expand across Central and South America. 

Take Five Minutes To Look At The Happy Same-Sex Couples Who Got Married Today - Speaking of marriage equality, it is officially legal in Australia and these just-married couples are all for it.

India’s Gay Prince Opens His Palace To Vulnerable LGBTQ People - THIS is pretty damn awesome.

Trump renominates dishonest and homophobic Sam Brownback as religious freedom ambassador

I refuse to believe that the LGBTQ community and the religious community do not intersect. I do not believe in the idea that there should be a gay vs. religion argument. As a black gay man, my faith is very important to me and it was my relationship with God which contributes to my honesty as an out-of-the closet gay man. It's not anyone's place to question what I believe in relation to Biblical Scripture or traditional church faith.

Unfortunately, there are some folks determined to push the false idea that being and LGBTQ means that you oppose religion and vice versa. And leave it to Trump to put a spotlight on one.

From The Advocate:

Sam Brownback, the intensely anti-LGBT Republican who’s been Kansas’s governor and a U.S. senator from the state, has been renominated by Donald Trump as ambassador at large for international religious freedom. 

Trump nominated Brownback for the post last year, but since the Senate failed to take action and Senate Democrats refused to allow the nominations to roll over into the new year, he had to be renominated, The Kansas City Star reports. His is one of numerous renominations announced today, several of which are problematic for LGBT people. 

Brownback has a long anti-LGBT record, and during a confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in October he refused to answer Sen. Tim Kaine’s question on if there were “any circumstance under which religious freedom can justify criminalizing, imprisoning, or executing somebody based on their LGBT status could be deemed acceptable because somebody asserts they are religiously motivated in doing so,” notes the Human Rights Campaign. HRC and several other groups opposed his confirmation. (Editor's note -see above video)

The article goes on to say:

'LGBTQ community need not freak out because SCOTUS allowed Mississippi anti-LGBTQ law to stand' & other Tue midday new briefs

SCOTUS turned back a challenge to Mississippi's anti-LGBTQ 'religious freedom' law. BUT for a good reason and it doesn't negatively affect attempts to overturn it.

Supreme Court allows Mississippi anti-LGBT law to stand - I deliberately held back from posting this because I can't stand needless hand wringing. In actuality, the court refused to hear a case in which a lower court turned down a challenge to this ugly law. The challenge was turned down because the law had not taken effect as of yet, therefore the plaintiffs could not show how it damaged them. Unfortunately, this makes sense. When people attempt to use this law to discriminate will be a perfect time to challenge it, and not before. It WILL be struck down eventually.

Supreme Court Refuses To Hear Early Challenge To Mississippi’s Anti-Queer Law - More details about this situation.

Chechnya's LGBT Muslim Refugees Struggle To Cope In Exile - The LGBTQ community in America have problems, but not as bad as this. Keep these folks in your prayers and if you can do something for them, do it.

2 trans people ask Utah Supreme Court to grant gender changes a judge denied them - Kudos to them for fighting for what should be theirs.

Brian Brown: Gorsuch Confirmation Was Step Toward Overturning ‘Illegitimate’ Marriage Equality Decision - Yeah. Whatever. We don't take lightly attempts to steal away what we earned. You got a fight on your hands, Brown.

Why We Need More Latinx LGBTQ Representation in Pop Culture - Amen. As a start, too.