In 2016, Trump's promise to protect the LGBTQ community brought people to tears and applause. What now?

When it comes to Donald Trump's war against the LGBTQ community since he took office, actions highlighting  his attacks may seem petty. But what do you do when you have a leader who tries repeatedly to lie and rewrite history. There is no doubt that he will mostly likely try to rewrite the history of his negative relationship with the LGBTQ community.

The first video above is from 2016 when he gave his speech at the Republican National Convention. It highlights the part when he promised to protect the LGBTQ community and how that promise brought some people to tears and on their feet. The second video features the full context which shows that he was merely using us to fan the flames of Islamophobia.

Still,  I wonder, after taking into account all he has done to reduce our rights,  how these people feel now; particularly the Republican mother of the gay son.

From his Administration arguing in front of the Supreme Court that it was legal to fire LGBTQ people simply for our sexual identities or gender expressions to banning trans men and women from serving in the military to opening up his Administration to anti-LGBTQ groups and personalities who have then worked steadily to  strip away even our dignity as taxpayers and basic healthcare protection, Trump has continuously put LGBTQ health and safety at risk. 

It seems to me that Trump's way of protecting the LGBTQ community from religious terrorists was to enact laws and policies which would lead us depressed enough to do ourselves harm before the terrorists even showed up.

Trump obviously manipulated people in those videos. Of course the vast majority of LGBTQ people knew he doing this, but the videos underscore just how evil and insidious that portion of his speech was. Trump was lying to that Republican mother who was rightfully concerned about the livelihood of her gay son. He lied to all of those folks who were brought to their feet . They believed him at his word and some probably voted for him because of what he said. They inaccurately translated his promise to protect us from religious terrorists as blanket protection. It wasn't and I'm sure Trump knew that. 

The rest of us who knew better could be blase. We could say "we told you so," but that would be a mistake. The villain in this piece aren't those those believed Trump, but Trump himself who mostly likely knew at the time that he was bullshitting them. It's something we should never forget, nor let anyone else forget.

Related post - Under Trump, LGBTQ Progress Is Being Reversed in Plain Sight

'Congressman Cicilline - Pandemic relief must include LGBTQ protections ' & other Thur midday news briefs

Congressman David Cicilline

Rep. David Cicilline: Pandemic Relief Must Include LGBTQ Protections - Rep. Cicilline is an openly gay Congressman. He is right on when it comes to this issue and also proves how representation in always important. Don't be afraid of noting and voting for our own (with vetting, of course).

Puerto Rico government sharply criticized over response to LGBTQ murders - We got serious problems in Puerto Rico and the government isn't doing what it's supposed to do.

Lesbians, gays live in fear of attacks in Kenyan refugee camp - the struggle is real, y'all. 

Biden Helped Make LGBT History—Will That Be Enough? - He's not Trump is enough for me, but this helps.

The Family Research Council wants your money to help it stop . . . 'the return of 'Obamaphones?''

Just in case you have nothing better to do with your money (like saving it up because of COVID-19, buying supplies because of COVID-19, donating to hospitals or wonderful charities because of COVID-19), hate group the Family Research Council wants you to contribute to its fundraiser.

I'll spare you the link, but as you can see by the graphic above,  FRC and its president Tony Perkins, your donation will help them fight the "evil liberal" influences such as (in the group's own words):

carbon emission mandates, 

visa extensions for immigrants, 

a postal bailout, corporate pay equity, 

the return of “Obamaphones,” and more!

This list gets me angry on so many levels. The most noticeable being where the hell are the "radical homosexuals?" We're not even on the list nor in any of the rest of the fundraising appeal. Do we not make enough money for FRC anymore? We got dumped over Obamaphones?

Come on folks, there has to be a drag queen reading to children somewhere in the country!

'ICE being sued for holding trans migrants in COVID-19 'death traps' & other Wed midday news briefs

ICE faces class action lawsuit for holding transgender migrants in COVID-19 “death traps” - I have very few f@ks to give lately so I say "take all of the money!"

Council of Dads' J. August Richards on Black Gay Visibility's Power - PREACH!!

LGBTQ groups seek safeguards against COVID-19 discrimination - Cause goodness knows we would be in danger without them. 

Doctor stripped of license during pandemic over sexist & anti-LGBTQ social media posts - See response in first item. Some changes but sentiment still the same.

'Congratulations' to Donald Trump for making America 'first in the world'

Based upon this above video, Donald Trump used the coronavirus pandemic to make America first in several things. And based on the video below, he so humble, he refuses to take "credit" for it. But he would like if folks showed some appreciation for all of his "work"

Just think, with his homophobic point man Roger Severino guiding in an attempt to remove LGBTQ health protections, Trump could make LGBTQ people specifically first in the some of the same categories. So much damn winning. And yes for the people in the back, that was sarcasm. 

Meet Roger Severino - Trump's point man in putting LGBTQ health in danger during the COVID-19 pandemic

Trump appointee Roger Severino's anti-LGBTQ agenda could damage LGBTQ health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the middle of a pandemic which is causing more American deaths than the Vietnam War, the Trump Administration is working to remove LGBTQ healthcare protections. And no one seems to be raising a sufficient amount of hell about it.

We should not only point the finger at Trump, but also Roger Severino, Director of the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He has also been Trump's point man in the attempted removal of healthcare protections from LGBTQ people.   Last year, he spearheaded an HHS attempted rule which would have allowed healthcare workers to deny basic care based upon "moral or religious" reasons. In November, three different federal courts struck down the rule and one court found that HHS exaggerated a justification for the rule. Severino was pointed out in an NPR article to have contributed to that exaggeration. 

Severino's initial appointment caused controversy - although not enough to keep him from being appointed - because he was previously employed by anti-LGBTQ organizations such as the Heritage Foundation and the Becket Fund. When employed by those groups, his job was mostly to undermine LGBTQ equality and safety.

According to GLAAD, Severino:

Criticized bans on scientifically-discredited “reparative therapy” and labeled being LGBT as being “against your biology”: “Unfortunately you’re seeing some states that are actually trying to criminalize any sex therapy that reinforces a person’s biology. They’re calling into question and passing bans on reparative therapy, is one name for it. And so it’s really an ideology that’s saying you can only go one way, against your biology, but if you try to do anything that enforces it, then we’re going to criminalize it.” (clip begins at 20:18 in audio a link) 

Insisted that anti-LGBTQ views are “actually decent and honorable beliefs based not on any sort of hatred but, in fact, out of love. It’s a vision of human flourishing, people who believe in marriage and believe in a biblical view of human sexuality, it’s out of love and because you believe this is the proper vision for human flourishing that leads to happiness and leads to childhood success, and there’s a lot of social science evidence backing those statements up.” (clip begins at 7:15 in audio at link)

Wrote a joint Op-Ed with former Senator and anti-LGBT activist Jim Demint,  in which he maligned the complexity of gender identity by insisting transgender rights supporters see sex as “merely a placeholder’ assigned at birth,’ much like a Social Security number, only far easier to change.” In same piece, he slighted trans teen Gavin Grimm as “a gender-dysphoric teen girl.” 

Said of LGBT rights: “...same-sex marriage was merely the start, not end, of the left’s LGBT agenda. The radical left is using government power to coerce everyone, including children, into pledging allegiance to a radical new gender ideology over and above their right to privacy, safety, and religious freedom.”

Since being appointed, Severino's actions have justified all of the concern LGBTQ people and our advocates  have had. Other than the "healthcare conscience" debacle in November,  Severino spearheaded a proposal which critics claimed would "legally erase the trans identity" and another proposal which would allow faith-based foster care and adoption agencies to have access to tax dollars even while discriminating against LGBTQ people.

When he was appointed, no one was fooled about Severino's purpose. He was to undermine LGBTQ health and equality as much as possible.  It was so obvious that a lot of people - particularly the media - was nonchalant and blase about the subject. 

Just how blase and nonchalant will people be if Severino's homophobic agenda causes LGBTQ people to die during this pandemic?

'During pandemic, Trump team moving to allow physicians to discriminate against LGBTQ people' & other Mon midday news briefs

Trump failed in preparing for the COVID-19 pandemic. He's adding to the error by an attempt of his administration to undermine LGBTQ health during the pandemic.

Trump team moves to scrap protections for LGBTQ patients - In the middle of a pandemic . . . 

 The Trump administration could soon allow doctors to discriminate against LGBTQ people - More information on this batshit idea. 

 Loving and adapting amid coronavirus, NC LGBTQ church gives back to community - More proof that this gay vs. Christian narrative is a lie.

LGBTQ People Facing More Economic Hardship In Coronavirus Fallout, Survey Finds - Yep.

'We Stand Behind the President' - a video montage

I can't begin to describe this short film by Phil Rosenthal except for to say that it speaks for itself. You simply have to watch it.

'Anti-LGBTQ hate group behind bid to 'reopen' churches' & other Fri midday news briefs

    Mat Staver of the Liberty Counsel.

Anti-LGBTQ hate group is behind bid to reopen churches & endanger communities - Mat Staver and the Liberty Counsel. Of course.

Day of Silence 2020 will see thousands of LGBT+ students and allies gather virtually to protest homophobia and transphobia on Friday - If it weren't for the pandemic, this would be today's top news brief.

Stephen Fry Reveals How Right-Wing Media Crippled America’s Coronavirus Defense - Yep. And they will face little to no backlash. No accountability whatsoever.

EU’s highest court rules against lawyer who said gays “have physical & genetic anomalies” - Oh the poor baby. HEHEHEHEHE!

Coronavirus Camp Classics 3 - 'The Zombies of Sugar Hill'

Time for another change of pace in an attempt to perk up spirits during this pandemic. Try to keep up when it comes to the plot of this 1974 blaxploitation cult classic, Sugar Hill (otherwise known as The Zombies of Sugar Hill.) Marki Bey portrays Sugar Hill, a photographer whose boyfriend is murdered by the Mob because they to get ownership of his very lucrative night club. Naturally, Sugar wants revenge but can't go to the police. Instead, with the help of a voodoo priestess (Zara Cully of  'The Jeffersons') she contacts the Haitian lord of the dead, Baron Samedi, and his voodoo army of undead former slaves to teach exact proper and deadly vengeance.

You get all of that? By this trailer, it looks like a rather spooky movie:

It is slightly scary but it's more campy than scary. Being a blaxploitation movie, Sugar Hill shared the same tropes as others in that genre (ie. Coffy, Cleopatra Jones, Shaft, Superfly, Blacula) - a weak storyline carried by charismatic actors, strong and heroic black characters, evil white characters, sell-out evil black characters, racial components, outrageous hairstyles and fashions.

'A Secret Love' traces lesbian couple's relationship across six decades' & other Thur midday news briefs

 

Netflix’s ‘A Secret Love’ Traces Lesbian Couple’s Unlikely Romance Across 6 Decades - A wonderful story which puts out sisters in the spotlight. Awesome reminder of the power of love.

UK moves to ban trans youth from getting gender affirming health care -  Transphobia across the sea. NEVER a good thing.

 LGBTQ Asian Americans Brace for a 'Double Whammy' as Hate Crimes Rise - Siiiigh!

Homophobes rage at 'DuckTales' for featuring gay dads but can't do a thing about it

Some people are angry that the Disney cartoon 'DuckTales' featured gay dads in a recent episode. They can stay mad.

When it comes to noting and combating homophobia, I have a massive guilty pleasure. I sometimes like to read the comments on anti-LGBTQ websites. I don't necessarily see the comments as negative more than they are educational as to the mindsets of those who oppose us. And sometimes they are a pleasure to read.

For example, take the recent comments from the religious right website Lifesite News. Presently, the folks there are up in arms because a Disney cartoon, DuckTales had the temerity to include a simple fact that some children are being raised same-sex parents. Believe it or not, the article from the site is pretty much straight forward (except for a small part at the end.) It's the comments from readers which are a hoot. 

Raging, stomping, making threats, spinning conspiracies about plots to recruit children. They all emphasize the point that there is nothing more delicious than a bigot blowing smoke because he or she is unable to stop progress. Here are just a few. And I warn you, they aren't nice. (Editor's note - for the sake of veracity, I should tell you that I was banned from commenting on LifeSite news articles years ago.)

.... ohmygoodness, like - what is wrong with these people?! Can they just stop shoving LGBT nonsense on everybody's throats?! Leave the children alone for crying out loud!

Am I missing something? They portray a larger homosexual "duck" whose "companion" is a smaller "chicken" (having a beak and not a bill). This has got to be a play on older homosexual pedophiles, known as "chicken hawks", who prey on younger males.....there are people in Disney that are really perverted....

Why are they taking this show and adding gay peiple kids do not understand what gay means so why instroduce them.to this leave our kids alone go abck to good family oridinted movies this is.leaning towards perversion we need clean movies for our kids this is just disgusting (Editor's note - I presented this comment exactly as it was written)

Normal is the way God made it to begin with. He didn't make Adam and Steve or Eve and Madam. Normal is the way your mom and dad got together to create you.

April 15, 2020: Actually, it's up to the parents and guardians of children to make sure they don't get exposed to such perversion...spread the word. Raise Awareness of Disney's alliance with perversion and urge parents to keep their children away. When that happens, maybe Disney will back away of partnering with those who would harm our children.

I'm so gayed out! I have been done with Disney for years and it looks like I haven't missed anything. Sick and twisted.

I actually believe we are being prepared for the coming of the antichrist who will be a homosexual. satan perverts everything he can about Jesus and that is who he plans to be seen as. The Messiah of Israel.

I'm guessing that these comments rightfully disturb you. However, it helps to remember that they are a sign that we are winning. Years ago,  no one would have dared to include same-sex parents in a spotlight, much less a children's cartoon. And now it's happened without so much as a whimper, that is except for some people who can't face the reality that same-sex families exist, we are raising very wonderful children, and that our community was never on the outside looking in.

The comments probably don't feel like a victory to some of us because we are still in the war. We are knee deep in the mud with battle cries ringing in our ears while debris is continuously flying overhead. But in the midst of it all, we are moving forward instead of backwards. Ignorance is giving up ground. We aren't. And that is what matters.

'Advocates to Congress: don't use relief bill to discriminate against LGBTQ Americans' & other Wed midday news briefs

Advocates to Congress: Don't use relief bill to discriminate against LGBTQ Americans - Don't EVEN think about discriminating. 

A Republican compared coronavirus measures to Nazis. His gay, Jewish governor wasn’t having it. - That's right. Pluck that turkey!! 

 1 in 5 Russians Want to 'Eliminate' the LGBTQ Community - The struggle is real and it's starting to get scary.

Donald Trump is merely the symptom. Fox News is the disease.

 

 The Donald Trump Administration will not last forever. Whether it will slither away or go down in a blaze of shame is irrelevant. We've been ignoring the real problem and it's not Trump. Trump is merely a symptom. The actual problem is the Fox News network and the ugly propaganda it successfully spews. Just like it helped to create the tea party:

and the Trump presidency:

and the demonization of Obama:

 

Fox News and its goons will work extensively to give birth to more liars, sheep-like protesters, and  general havoc.   One example of this is how the network is helping to undermine the fight against COVID-19 via giving a platform and support to the coronavirus protests:

While we rail at Trump, we fail to recognize that behind his rise and the basic lowering of American integrity, common sense, and basic goodness is Fox News;  propaganda network preaching that greed is good, selfishness is wonderful, and resentment is a virtue. Many of us like to say that what's happening during the Trump Administration isn't normal. We need to stretch that to emphasize that the Fox News isn't normal. And it's not healthy. 

'Marriage equality blamed for coronavirus (again)' & other Tue midday news briefs

Pat Robertson 

Pat Robertson blames coronavirus on same-sex marriage - They're at it again part 1

LGBTQ Orgs Say They're in Deep Fundraising Trouble Because of Coronavirus - And we have a serious problem. 

 Conservative Christians calls for a boycott of Disney over DuckTales episode - They're at it again Part 2

Eight of 10 most-banned books challenged for LGBTQ content - Some things never change.

Coronavirus pandemic and AIDS epidemic have one thing in common - being undermined by the same anti-LGBTQ talking head

Gary Bauer

Discussions and arguments comparing the coronavirus pandemic to the AIDS epidemic have left a lot of people bristling. I've chosen to stay out of such a controversial discussion.

That is until today because I found a sad similarity between the two. The American Family Association's online "news" source, One News Now featured an interview with conservative evangelical talking head Gary Bauer. Bauer was spinning the insane notion - without any proof - that Donald Trump's opponents and the media was exploiting the coronavirus epidemic to yank down Trump's approval rating and eventually cost him re-election:

It's just hard to know how many of the American people are buying into this Democrat media narrative that the president reacted to all of this too slowly," he tells OneNewsNow. "The whole charge is ridiculous – but nearly every media outlet in the country is promoting that idea."Bauer doesn't deny that millions of Americans are hurting financially because of the lockdown – but suggests that some of the president's opponents don't have a problem with that.

"Historically even if a president was not responsible for the economic pain, people tend to blame the incumbent of whatever party if they've lost their job, if they've lost their business," he says. "So, this is a huge challenge for the president. [But] some of these people would like to keep things shut as long as possible, because that will mean that on Election Day there won't be enough recovery for voters to reelect the president and vice-president.

By making such a statement, Bauer is spreading false information much like Fox News and Rush Limbaugh. This filters down to the protests we have seen last weekend and this week by wrong-minded fools whining about how America needs to be "re-opened." And all of it serves to undermine the fight against COVID-19 or the coronavirus pandemic. Unfortunately, this sort of thing is not new to Bauer. Before making his name as a "pro-family" talking head, Bauer worked in the Reagan Administration.  That was the time when the AIDS virus hit America. Reportedly, Bauer undermined Surgeon General C. Everett Koop's efforts to fight against the epidemic because he felt that it was God's judgment. 

'Lawsuit claims that school allowed anti-LGBTQ abuse of teen' & other Mon midday news briefs

School allowed anti-gay abuse of teen, lawsuit claims - Sue! Take it all! Folks need to learn the hard way. 

Coronavirus closed down colleges – now some LGBTQ students fear an abusive "war zone" at home - This ain't good. 

Baldwin endorses Biden: ‘He has always fought for bold, progressive change’ - Yep.

 Idaho’s Transgender Sports Ban Challenged In Federal Lawsuit - In case you didn't hear. . . 

Coronavirus pandemic villain - Pastor Tony Spell

This pandemic has brought the good in a lot of people and turned the spotlight on those professions which we needlessly take for granted. But I'm not here to talk about the good. Unfortunately, at the same time, some have chosen to exploit this critical situation to get paid, take advantage of the gullible, be selfishness or incompetent ,and basically show their verbal asses to the world.

First up on my list of the latter group is definitely Louisiana pastor Tony Spell of Life Tabernacle Church. He originally made a mockery of himself by refusing to abide by social distancing requirements for his church.   Believe it or not, he has compounded the embarrassment by urging those who receive stimulus checks to give them to either him or other churches. And he didn't even bother to be modest by asking for "some" or a "little." Not even the noted "10 percent" that is genuinely seen as customary tithing. He said give it all. To make matters worse, Spell has a disastrous interview Sunday morning on CNN.   As you can see via the above video, host Victor Blackwell didn't let him sneak by with a thing.

'Evangelical pastors using coronavirus pandemic for latest persecution lie' & other Fri midday news briefs

Evangelical Pastors Seize Political Opportunity in Coronavirus Crisis - Why am I not surprised.

Netflix’s ‘Circus Of Books’ Profiles Conservative Couple Behind Gay Porn Empire - Laaawd hammercy! 

 Americans Aren't Polarized on LGBTQ Equality, Survey Finds - That's right. There's broad support for our rights. 

 Anti-LGBT discrimination ballot drive moves to e-signatures - Meanwhile, things are hopping in Michigan.

Flash Gordon (1980) was intended to be campy romp

 

Flash Gordon, the story of a hero fighting a dictator, Ming the Merciless, of the distant planet Mongo, was a  comic strip created in 1934. Since that time, it has been the subject of many movies, television shows, and cartoons.

But I don't think any could top the 1980 movie in terms of abject campiness. From the dialogue to the characters, to the  cinematography,  the movie practically screeches ludicrous.  And notice I didn't even mention the costumes, which I can't begin to adequately describe. The phrase "extremely vivid" comes to mind. They look like they were made by a bunch of drunken drag drag queens. But that's not a bad thing. Lastly to top it off, the soundtrack was done by the legendary group Queen.

 And none of it was accidental. The makers intended for it to be this campy. I think they were attempting to capture the spirit of the original comic strip. It wasn't as if  they were treating it like a B-movie. Even though the star of the movie, Sam J. Jones, was basically unknown, other members of the cast - Topol, Brian Blessed, Max Von Sydow - were respected in the industry.  Flash Gordon was a minor hit and, as those who saw it can tell you, a sequel was in the works. However, disagreements during the making of the movie between Jones and the producer, Dino De Laurentiis, prevented it from happening.  

Now onto my favorite character. If there was one person who greatly typified just how wild and absurdly ludicrous the movie was, it had to be General Kala. Portrayed by Mariangela Melato, Kala can only described as perfectly too much in terms of scene stealing. Faye Dunaway as Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest wouldn't have been able to compete. Her black and gold outfit  and boots is something I would kill to wear. I would look fantastic in it.  And her accent provides the final perfect touch.

Hate group leader Tony Perkins claims that Franklin Graham is not a homophobe. And the word 'irony' loses all meaning

Due to a controversy regarding his organization helping to fight the coronavirus pandemic in New York, Franklin Graham appeared on Fox News to play the victim and claim that he is not homophobic. What ensued next was a lovely pulling out of receipts, i.e. the revelation of statements from Graham and videos starring Graham attacking LGBTQ people, families, and voicing support for Putin's violent repression of LGBTQ Russians. Yes, I was involved and it was wonderful. But some folks did come to Graham's defense. 

Most specifically, the Family Research Council and its president Tony Perkins, came to Graham's defense:

When Franklin Graham set up a 68-bed field hospital in the middle New York City's Central Park, he didn't hang a sign saying, "Christian Patients Only." But somehow, the state's extremists think it's okay to demand only pro-LGBT caregivers on his staff. Samaritan's Purse, liberals argue, isn't tolerant enough to treat the sick. In a tweet so offensive it's difficult to believe he holds public office, New York State Senator Brad Hoylman (D) said, "It's a shame that the federal government has left New York with no other choice but to accept charity from bigots."

 

What a luxury it must be to criticize people in the trenches, while you sit in the safety of your home. Samaritan's Purse is risking its volunteers' lives to be on the front lines, at great expense to the organization, treating whomever the hospital sends them. Do you think these patients, a lot of them in desperate need of help, care who their doctors voted for in the last election? No. They just want to survive -- like the other 110,000 people infected in New York City.

 

If Senator Hoylman is so worried about politically-correct care, then where is his relief effort? The truth is, the only reason he has time to attack Franklin's virus responders is because his colleagues aren't on the ground meeting New Yorkers' needs. But then, that's what we've come to expect from the far Left. These liberal activists are more concerned about their agenda than actual people. We've seen it in the adoption debate, the foster care debate, and now in the medical debate. If the choice is between a Christian organization helping someone or the person getting no help at all, we already know what they'd choose: children without homes and patients without care.

Perkins continues on this absurd narrative without mentioning that Graham's past  homophobic statements was what helped to give folks pause.  And on that same note, one would think that Perkins and FRC would have been wise to not dip into the situation with their attempt to defend Graham.  Because neither FRC nor Perkins have room to talk. 

Particularly when one of FRC's spokespeople, Peter Sprigg, once expressed a desire for gays to be kicked out of  the country:

And Perkins himself is no slouch when it comes to homophobic statements. In 2014, he made a Holocaust reference by implying that gays want to put Christians in boxcars and take them to "re-education camps."

Franklin Graham claims he is not homophobic. The paper and video trail exposes him as a liar

Hat tip to my friend Joe Sudbay who brought this to my attention.

Franklin Graham appeared on Fox News Tuesday night to claim that he is not homophobic. He has been getting a lot of negative attention due to his attempt to provide help in New York during the coronavirus pandemic. And adding catches to his help:

According to Religion News Services.

 On a group of LGBTQ activists stood several yards away from the Samaritan’s Purse field hospital on the East Meadow lawn and blasted city and state officials and Mount Sinai Hospital for partnering with the evangelical humanitarian relief organization treating overflow patients suffering from the coronavirus. 

 . . . The LGBTQ coalition is the latest in a series of barbs aimed at Samaritan’s Purse since it opened a 68-bed field hospital in Central Park two weeks ago. The conflict pits the country’s growing acceptance of LBGTQ rights with the conservative values of a premier evangelical relief organization. The hospital is staffed with Christian doctors and nurses experienced in treating infectious diseases. But Samaritan Purse's policies require most contractors and some full-time volunteers to sign a statement of faith that includes a declaration that “we believe that marriage is exclusively the union of one genetic male and one genetic female.”

So on the Ingraham Angle, Graham attempted to deflect the controversy via a soft interview with host Laura Ingraham:

Laura: Why are you being attacked for opening a field hospital?
Franklin Graham: We believe marriage is between a man and a woman... We have a statement of faith that we require our employees to sign and in that is a marriage is between a man and woman... I’m not homophobic pic.twitter.com/eE0fv4Ree6

— Acyn Torabi (@Acyn) April 15, 2020

'Fundamentalism kills' - A gay man speaks about the rejection from his Christian family

Daniel Lawson

A really good Facebook friend of mine, Daniel Lawson, just published a personal account of his coming out in a fundamentalist Christian, right-wing family and how it nearly killed him. It's not an easy read and I commend him for having the courage to publicly tell his story. It should serve to remind us that the fight for our equality isn't solely for us, but also for our kids. So many folks like Daniel have been in this environment and have suffered for it.  We can't ever get blase about this battle because it's about more than rights. It's about the ability to love oneself even though others tell us that we shouldn't. And unfortunately sometimes, those "others" are the folks who are close to us:

From Medium:

It doesn’t take great powers of deduction to ascertain which of the “sinner” or “good Christian” categories I was railroaded into after coming out to my family over that Thanksgiving break after the dumpster fire Baptist college semester. As I watched my entire family change toward me before my eyes, it slowly began to dawn on me that there was, in fact, no going back now. Their supposed “love” had changed overnight to hostility, fear, anger and aggression. Their lifelong abusive ways, which always lay dormant and ready to strike, now ratcheted up into high gear. I had gone from one bad situation at the Bible college to now confronting an even worse, uglier mix at home, with no time to process the rapid traumatic chain of events that were altering the course of my life. My parents called up the local chapter of Focus on the Family and sought out a team of quack doctors and therapists to try to rid me of my “wicked lifestyle.” With each successive forced visit to one of these charlatans, the situation continued to spiral downwards as my parents’ anger and impatience grew that their son was not immediately “cured.”

 . . .Things reached a climax one night when my mom started an argument with me and suddenly, she flew into an irrational, senseless fit of rage and started chasing me down the hallway! I ducked into the bathroom and slammed my body against the door, locking it just in time as she barreled down against the door, howling and shrieking like a banshee and trying to beat down the door, screaming the whole time, “YOU’VE GOT THE DEVIL INSIDE OF YOU! YOU’VE GOT THE DEVIL INSIDE OF YOU!”

You can read the rest of it here. It's worth your time.

' A message to LGBTQ parents during this difficult time' & other Tue midday news briefs

You don’t have to be the perfect “gay parent” right now. We’re all doing our best. - This piece is VERY appropriate right now. 

 Indigo Girls's fears for LGBTQ youth during pandemic: 'Praying people find their chosen family' - Thank you, ladies. 

 Paige Kreisman: Kicked Out of the Military, Now Running for Office - When faced with bigotry and hate, running for public office is a good way of combating it. 

 Four gay men with HIV released from ICE custody - Good.

Trump's meltdown at latest press briefing poses appropriate question - does America really want four more years of this sh!t?

Everyone hates Trump's press briefings. They were supposed to be about the coronavirus pandemic, but since Trump can't have any of his therapeutic "rallies,"he has decided to dominate the briefings. Monday's was especially awful. But it should serve notice to folks who claim to be "uninspired" by the prospect of a Joe Biden presidency.because it puts the appropriate question in front of them. And that question is:

Do you really want four more years of this shit?

Trump to @PaulaReidCBS, who asked him about the slow federal coronavirus response: "You are so disgraceful ... you know you're a fake." pic.twitter.com/6iKl6eyPX3

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 13, 2020

For anyone who was lucky to miss Trump's latest escapade, the above video is him lashing out at CBS reporter Paula Reed for asking him about his ignoring and lack of preparation for the pandemic - something he has been called out for on many occasions. I have to give it to Reed for maintaining her professionalism as he dodged her legitimate questions by insulting her. And as long as I'm giving out compliments, whoever was doing the chryon for CNN did NOT come to play:

 

But back to the appropriate question. Do you really want four more years of this shit?

'FL police chief suspended for suggesting deputy's COVID-19 death was linked to his being gay' & other Mon midday news briefs

Florida police chief suspended for suggesting deputy’s COVID-19 death was linked to his being gay: report - Mercy! Someone needs to get a complimentary kick in the ass.

Leftover fabric from the AIDS Quilt is being used to make face masks for healthcare workers - I think this is a good thing. But it still jabs my heart just a little bit.  

Franklin Graham says he 'shudders to think' where America would be if Trump weren't president during COVID-19 - My post from last night bears repeating.

Northam signs anti-discrimination act to protect LGBTQ community - Good things happen even in the midst of a crisis.

Franklin Graham says he 'shudders to think' where America would be if Trump weren't president during COVID-19

Franklin Graham stoops to new low in support of Trump

Last week, according to NBC News, Trump held a conference call with evangelicals and other religious leaders who have supported him. The purpose was to implore them to convince their supporters and followers to vote for him. You can read the article if you would like. For me, however, one part stood out in a terrible fashion:

Trump praised one of those leaders, evangelical leader Franklin Graham, for the work his group Samaritan Purse's work setting up a field hospital in Central Park.Graham has said previously that COVID-19 is happening because of sin and because mankind "turned its back on God." On the call Wednesday, he praised Trump and Pence for their handling of the crisis. "Mr. President, we want to thank you and the vice president for your leadership, our country would be in trouble," Graham said. "If you were not the president, I just shudder to think where we would be."

 

Bear in mind that while Graham made that statement, many other individuals have the opposite opinion. Trump has been almost universally blasted for his behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. From taking over press briefings about the pandemic with lies and conspiracy theories, to attacking governors trying to deal with it in their states, to downplaying the crisis for weeks and then lying about it by claiming he always knew how serious it was,  this entire situation is the disaster we were warned about during the 2016 election. The Russian investigation and the impeachment were only the preludes; the cocktails before the main dish, if you will.

And that's not even taking into account:

 the articles this weekend which confirmed that Trump ignored medical and security experts who tried to warn him about the coming pandemic,

the way he brazenly attacks reporters who ask him perfectly legitimate questions about his handling of the pandemic,

the accusations that he is showing unfair preference to GOP governors in giving out needed medical equipment,

 hinting that he wants to "reopen" America, ie. putting a halt to lockdown procedures which have helped stave off COVID-19 even though our country now leads the world in coronavirus deaths with over 20,000.

Graham said he shudders to think where the  country would be if Trump wasn't president during this pandemic. It's fair to say that the rest of us shudder to realize how many mistakes he made which helped to further the chaos and death. Willful mistakes, too.  Mistakes of someone who lacks the intellectual, emotional, and moral maturity to even lead an old lady across the street.

Someone should ask Graham a simple question. We know why he has supported Trump these past three years and continues to support him even now. But really, are conservative judges worth the lives of over 20,000 Americans?

Anti-LGBTQ leader claims LGBTQ groups trying to 'wrap their tentacles' around coronavirus stimulus money

Frank Schubert

On Thursday, the following article was published by hate group American Family Association's fake news site, One News Now:

A nonprofit organization with a mission to protect marriage and the faith communities that sustain it says LGBT groups may succeed in dominating the media and wrapping their tentacles around coronavirus stimulus funds. 

 

The Human Rights Campaign -- the largest, wealthiest, and most powerful pro-LGBT lobbying group in the U.S. – has written an open letter to the media, the government, and health officials demanding special consideration to their community, whose members are supposedly especially vulnerable to the virus. They are seeking financial resources and government coordinating with LGBT organizations. 

 

"This is a virus that affects every person in the country," responds Frank Schubert of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM). "Millions of people are out of work, trillions of dollars in economic loss has been wiped out, and here we have special interest groups from the LGBT community demanding that they be given special considerations."

 

While he finds the effort off-putting, he says the Human Rights Campaign may be able to pull it off.

 

"They may be in a position to affect that outcome because of their close allied relationship with Nancy Pelosi, who is as we speak busy writing the next coronavirus relief act," the NOM spokesman tells OneNewsNow. "She's made it clear to members of her Democratic Party that she intends to use that opportunity as a way to advance her hard-left agenda."

'LGBTQ celebrities who have come out in 2020 (so far)' & other Thur midday news briefs

LGBTQ Stars Who Have Come Out in 2020 (So Far)​ - Eh. Why not a little frivolity in a story to beat back the doldrums? 

LGBTQ rabbi who confronted AIDS crisis now faces coronavirus - Excellent article! 

 Outside of CNN's LGBTQ town hall, evening TV news spent under 20 minutes covering 2019's anti-trans violence - Discounted again . . .

L.A. Pride's 50th Anniversary Is Postponed — But Not Defeated - Good for them!

'The Curse of the Black Widow' - if it's not a camp classic, then it should be

Based on the popularity of last week's post on the motion picture, The Women, I'm thinking of posting a weekly bit on classic camp movies we can all watch while we are stuck at home during this pandemic. Tonight is one of my favorites.

The Curse of the Black Widow comes from 1977, a time before cable when television movies ruled the day. Just about several times a week, ABC, CBS or NBC would feature an original movie, which could be a comedy, drama, or horror. And a lot of actors made bank starring in those movies. Several of them will probably be featured here in the future. But very few should grab your attention like this movie, which was also known as Love Trap.

The summary is simply nuts. A detective (Anthony Franciosa) is investigating a bunch of mysterious murders in which the victims blood was drained and replaced with venom. He finds out that the murders center around fraternal twin heiresses (Patty Duke and Donna Mills). And here is the kicker (by the way, I will be including spoilers, but you really shouldn't watch these movies for the plot) - due to a incident when they were born, one of the twins has the power to transform into an indestructible giant black widow spider who can only be harmed by fire. Which twin is it? The one with the most acting range. Out of Duke and Mills, who has an Oscar and two Emmys? You figure it out.

'How three major LGBTQ centers are virtually keeping their communities alive' & other Wed midday news briefs

How 3 Major LGBTQ Centers Are Virtually Keeping Their Communities Alive - We need more good news like this. 

Campaign to Help LGBTQ Seniors Reminds Us Love Is Not Cancelled - Amen!

Coronavirus jeopardizes LGBTQ groups’ $22.6 million budget request - Well damn. This is not good. 

Mormon leaders address coronavirus pandemic, somehow manage to make it about ‘sinful’ gay sex - But don't they always?

Video montage proves how Fox News helped make the coronavirus and COVID-19 pandemic worse in America

I interrupt my usual banter because I feel that this is a video which needs to be seen and shared as much as possible. And it concerns all of us, including the LGBTQ community. Years ago, some folks said that Fox News was dangerous, not necessarily because of its right-wing conservative slant, but because of the lies and propaganda its personalities freely push in pursuit of that slant. These folks were pushed aside, laughed at, or generally ignored. Even when Fox News backed up Bush's "weapons of mass destruction" lie, undermined Obama at every turn, helped to transform Hillary Clinton into Satan's female twin in the eyes of many Americans, etc. etc., excuses were made for the network. 

And now we're here and no one is laughing. We rightfully blame Trump and his incompetence for how the coronavirus has negatively impacted this country. But let's not forget his helpers.At every turn, Fox News trivialized or made light of the pandemic. Instead of informing the country, its personalities bent over backwards to defend Trump or make excuses for him.   As the above video proves, Fox News should share equal blame for the lives lost in America during this COVID-19 pandemic. Everyone who works at Fox News - and I mean everyone - has blood on their hands. And I hope history never forgets.

'Children's cartoon DuckTales introduces gay dads. How long before religious right freak out?' & other Tue midday news briefs

DuckTales introduced gay dads as new characters & the web went quackers - Those were the positive comments. You just know the religious right isn't going to let this one slide. 

Hungary bill would ban transgender people from legally changing gender - Great. Hungary chooses to be a bastard of a country right now. 

 Log Cabin Wrongly Credits Trump With Easing Gay Blood Ban - Of course those jerks did. 

 Children's Author Jacqueline Wilson Comes Out at 74 - Better late than never.

Randy Rainbow salutes America's actual leader during the COVID-19 pandemic

As usual, Randy Rainbow astutely nails the point. To the tune of  'Sandy' from the musical Grease, he salutes the one person who has shown some semblance of leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic - New York governor Andrew Cuomo. Hilarious as always.  If Trump's smart, he will keep his mouth shut.

'How Trans and Nonbinary people are coping right now' & other Mon midday news briefs

How Trans And Nonbinary People Are Coping Right Now - It's a needed question. 

Coronavirus pandemic a perfect storm for LGBTQ homeless youth - Don't forget our kids.

 Trump says he had nothing to do with FDA easing gay blood ban - I can actually believe THAT. 

 Lawyer calls judge a “gay fat f*g” but claims he can’t be homophobic because he has a gay cousin - Oh the poor thing (eyeroll)

Franklin Graham points the finger at 'sin' for the coronavirus. Fails to see the three fingers pointing back at himself.

Franklin Graham

Franklin Graham on Saturday night talking with Jeanine Pirro on Fox:

. . .  Graham was asked to make sense of Covid-19’s worldwide devastation, and the Fox host wondered “How could God allow this thing to happen?” “Well, I don’t think it’s God’s plan for this to happen. It’s because of the sin that’s in the world,” Graham answered. “Man has turned his back on God, we have sinned against him, and we need to ask for God’s forgiveness and that’s what Easter’s all about.” After recalling the story of Easter, Graham continued to say “this pandemic, this is the result of a fallen world. A world that has turned its back on God.”

Also from Franklin Graham, but not last night when pontificating about sin. This was last year when he was defending Donald Trump (yet again):

“I don’t think the president is sitting there behind the desk trying to make up lies,” Graham said. “I don’t believe that for a second. Has he misspoken on something? Sure, all of us do that, you do it, I do it. So I think the president is trying to do the best that he can under very difficult circumstances,” the pastor added. 

 

At the time, Trump had been shown to have lied over 8,000 times. And then there are tweets from Graham about Trump like so:

It's the first time I have ever seen a supposed man of God calling out sin for the world's calamities while hoping that people forget how much sympathy he's shown for the devil.

'Religious liberty' argument, once hindering LGBTQ rights, is now endangering COVID-19 prevention

It took a pandemic to bring home the fact that the LGBTQ community was attempting to tell America for the longest - the concept of 'religious liberty' is being distorted and used as a weapon. In the same manner that racists began claiming that they weren't "anti-black," just "pro-white," the religious right portrayed themselves as victims who would be "compelled" to go against their "deeply held personal beliefs" if they were supposedly forced to serve LGBTQ people, follow rules having to do with taking tax dollars, or basically afforded us the respect we are due  as taxpaying American citizens etc. Critical questions in terms of how far "religious liberty" should go were generally ignored by the media as they fell for narrative after narrative of a 'Christian bakers, florists, faith-based adoption agencies or other entities falsely portrayed as victims of LGBTQ people who simply wanted fair treatment. But now, we see how far the concept is being pushed. And it endangers more than just LGBTQ  rights. It still endangers our safety,mind you, but along with the safety of pretty much everyone else:

From The Center for American Progress:

Collective efforts to flatten the curve of COVID-19 through social distancing are critical to spreading out the rate of infection over time so that America’s health care system is not overwhelmed. “If we don’t make substantial changes, both in spreading the disease over time and expanding capacity, we’re going to run out of hospital beds,” Harvard Global Health Institute Director Dr. Ashish Jha told The New York Times. “And in that instance, we will not be able to take care of critically ill people, and people will die." 

 

However, at a time when it is crucial to respond thoughtfully and prudently to this pandemic, there is an alarming trend of government officials ignoring public health warnings and refusing to call on houses of worship to close. Establishing religious exemptions—in this case, by freeing houses of worship from public health order compliance—will only result in more cases of COVID-19 and greater numbers of death from the disease.

 

Thankfully, many religious communities, which sit at the nexus of caring for people and being a focal point of community gatherings, are leading efforts to flatten the curve. A diverse group of religious organizations, including the National Association of Evangelicals, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the newly established National Muslim Task Force on COVID-19, have called for suspending in-person services. Many religious organizations have found new and creative ways to gather for worship, pray together, and continue community social service work. Faith community leaders deserve praise for their efforts to combat the coronavirus; they serve as trusted messengers who affect the daily lives of people of faith outside faith-specific spaces.

The publication also noted that there are churches who have chosen to vigorously ignore this. The New York Post goes into more detail:

An Evangelical pastor mocked the “pansies” who are scared of the coronavirus — as he insisted his packed church will only shut its doors “when the Rapture is taking place.” “If you cannot be saved in church, you in serious trouble,” Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne told Florida’s River Tampa Bay Church, as he encouraged congregants to hug in defiance of health warnings. 

 

Howard-Browne has continued to wage war against stay-at-home regulations until he was finally arrested. He has since announced that he is canceling services, but not for the sake of safety. Instead he lays the blame on the "tyrannical government." And he is not the only religious leader raising a fuss over the situation. Several Texas pastors are suing  for a religious exemption to the coronavirus stay-at-home regulations. In addition, Florida and several other states are allowing some type of exemption. In Ohio, one church is deliberately holding large services in defiance. Another church in California did the same thing. And another in Louisiana.

The irony is that VP Mike Pence and Family Research Council president Tony Perkins - both big promoters of exploiting "religious liberty" against LGBTQ people - are now pleading with people to follow stay-at-home regulations or speaking against large church gatherings.

Whatever, guys. You let the beast out of the cage. Now, you can't control it. You encouraged people to believe that their "religious liberty" matter more than the rights and dignity of LGBTQ people.  Why act so surprised when folks are now deciding that their "religious liberty" matter more than the very lives of people in general?