Monday, August 31, 2020

Niecy Nash's wedding begins a needed conversation. Black LGBTQ people need to get a word in.









A huge topic on Monday was the news that television star, comedian, and multiple Emmy nominee Niecy Nash came out and announced her marriage to singer Jessica Betts.  To some folks, this is not major news because so many celebrities have publicly come out. However, to many folks it is a big deal because the vast majority of those celebrities are white.

It has caused much conversation and controversy in the black community with folks either congratulating the couple, whining about how could Nash "choose" a woman over a man,  and even making ridiculous comments about Betts' appearance.

But let's ignore the fake Afrocentrics and the idiotic fools determined to psychologically dissect the LGBTQ and black identities. Nash's decision to go public is yet another chance for the conversation to begin in both the LGBTQ and black communities, so I want to spotlight a few videos featuring African-American LGBTQs talking about us. These videos are just a small segment of  the diversity of LGBTQs of color. And it's just my attempt of beginning an accurate conversation which is long overdue.

Unfortunately when conversations about being black or being LGBTQ come up, there are assumptions made by both communities when it comes those of us who encompass both identities. There's not enough listening. Even on this blog. When I post blog entries featuring LGBTQ people of color, they aren't generally popular. And that's a real shame. Too many folks in both communities claim that they want to accept us but they forget that this acceptance includes listening to us.

'NYC must pay $5.9 million to settle after transgender woman's death' & other Mon midday news briefs

Sunday, August 30, 2020

The Top 10 Most Famous Celebrity Coming Out Moments



As we move into this week which, because of the election in November, promises to be tumultuous, let's enjoy a little history. Two years ago, the site Ms. Mojo came up with a list of the Top 10 Most Famous Celeb Coming Out Moments.

How do you feel about the list and the folks on it two years later? Particularly the top moment? Have there been other celebrity coming out stories more interesting than these?

Friday, August 28, 2020

Four years in 'Trump's America' is enough!



Donald Trump's attempt to blame Joe Biden for his failures as a president creates a first for him. It's the first time he has given someone else credit for HIS work instead of the other way around.

'TX teacher reinstated in spite of complaints about LGBTQ and BLM posters' & other Fri midday news briefs.

A teacher in TX nearly got into trouble because of posters in her virtual classroom.

Teacher reinstated after parents complained about Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ posters - Good. Stand firm.

New Orleans shelter to be ‘forever home’ for homeless trans people - This is wonderful news. And I hope others will follow the lead. 

HHS sued for ending data collection on tribal, LGBTQ youth in foster care - Sock it to them! 

Gay Trump Appointee Grenell Spreads Falsehoods at GOP Convention - 'Gaslighting Grenell' lied his bony white ass off. 

National Republicans Are Ordering Up Attacks On A Democrat’s Sexual Orientation - Nasty is as nasty does.

Thursday, August 27, 2020

Video - Donald Trump would not protect America from COVID-19. He doesn't deserve a second term.



On Thursday night, Donald Trump will officially accept the Republican nomination for a second term in the White House. Expectantly, he will lie, distort, and basically conjure up bullsh!t reasons as to why he deserves a second term.  There are so many reasons why he is undeserving, but the one which really should stand out is his failure to protect America from the COVID-19 pandemic.

 A true leader would have made decisive and intelligent moves instead of spotty and incompetent actions. A true leader would have listened to medical experts instead of worry about his re-election. A true leader would have made protecting Americans his first priority instead of rushing to get things supposedly back to normal.  But we don't have a true leader. We have Trump. And he screwed it all up. Forget his speech because the one minute and 16 seconds it takes to watch this video is all you need to know.

'Log Cabin Republicans trying to duplicate Grenell's attempt to gaslight LGBTQ people for Trump' & other Thur midday news briefs

Richard Grenell

Log Cabin’s new project seeks to duplicate success of Grenell video
- The gaslighting attempt continues.

Ric Grenell’s Claim Trump Helped Legalize Homosexuality Worldwide Is a Lie, Activists Say - This relates to the above post. 

 GOP resolution condemns org that tracks anti-LGBTQ hate groups with ties to Republican politicians - Another silly and useless attack on SPLC. 

U.S. appeals court sides with transgender student over bathroom access - Just in case you didn't hear, another victory for our community. 

What a second Trump term could mean for LGBTQ people - It wouldn't exactly be nice. It was already hell throughout these years but we gave as good as we were given and actually came out with some surprising victories. Still, it would be better to beat this beast by eliminating the head.

Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Donald Trump gave LGBTQ Americans lots of broken promises. Anyone telling you different is a liar.

Richard Grenell thinks he can fool LGBTQ Americans into supporting Donald Trump.

On Wednesday night during the Republican National Convention, openly gay former diplomat and Trump pick Richard Grenell is going to make a argument that Trump is pro-gay. It's a continuance of a video in which Grenell anointed Trump as the most pro-gay president in American history.

As proof of this claim, Grenell is no doubt going to pull out some human rights initiative by the Trump Administration which sought to decriminalize homosexuality around the world.   As luck would have it, an article came out in Wednesday's edition of the Daily Beast which said this initiative was nothing more than "smoke and mirrors" and that it accomplished absolutely nothing.

I wish I were surprised.

No matter what Grenell might say, please don't be taken in. Donald Trump is not pro-gay NOR is he pro-LGBTQ. In fact, the method in which Trump has dogged LGBTQ Americans should be considered the epitome of how Trump has dogged America in general.

If there is any group who has been the prime victim of 'Trumpism,' it's LGBTQ Americans. You know what Trumpism is, don't you? It's the art of stabbing people in the back while trying to make them grateful that you're touching them in the first place. Perhaps Trump believes that we are into psychological sadomaschism. Either that or he thinks we're stupid. Or maybe highly forgetful.

LGBTQ Americans are none of those things, especially that last one. We seldom forget when we've been done wrong. It goes along with the measured cynicism we have. It's a quality which we, to paraphrase a line from All About Eve, acquired the day we realized how different we were from other little boys and girls.

And when it comes to four years under the Trump Administration, we not only don't forget. We've been taking notes. Many, many notes.

Allow me to be blunt. Anyone claiming that Donald Trump is even a little bit pro-gay is either delusional or a liar more concerned with his status than with the rights and safety of LGBTQ people. Allow me to be even more blunt. By unashamedly helping to create a false narrative that Trump is pro-gay,  it is obvious that the only community Grenell seems to care about is comprised of only himself and maybe whatever  barely legal twink he has managed to corral for a time. (yeah, I know it's a stereotype, but this is war).

LGBTQ Americans do not forget that while running for office in 2016, Trump sent us this tweet:




Nor do we forget that after he was elected, Donald Trump instead silently declared an unofficial war on us, including the following seen below:

'COVID lockdown has led to depression in LGBTQ people' & other Wed midday news briefs


Coronavirus lockdown has led to depression in LGBTQ people - Yes it has. We really need to be there for each other, y'all.

Nigerian lesbian love film to go online to avoid censorship board - The struggle is real and it's universal, y'all. 

LGBTQ+ Californians Know Kamala Harris, We Know She Will Fight for Us - Amen. 

Jerry Falwell Jr.’s Years of LGBTQ Hypocrisy End With the Splash of a Pool Boy - And another one bites the dust. Junior gives us the karma we were denied with regards to senior.

Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Trump Jr's girlfriend, Kimberly Guilfoyle, becomes the national laughing stock after insane speech at RNC convention

I feel the need to be "gay bitchy" today. That's being bitchy with a severe dash of evil. And Monday night's edition of the Republican National Convention provides so much material.

No matter how the GOP tries to spin it, last night's most memorable moment was the bonkers speech of Kimberly Guilfoyle, former Fox pundit and present girlfriend of Donald Trump, Jr. No doubt she was hoping to give this speech to a packed house. However, COVID put a dent in her plans. Still, girlfriend thought she was a "true diva" and decided to carry on.

She really shouldn't have as this shows:



No doubt when she screamed that the best is yet to come, she was thinking about the increase of pay she will be asking for should Trump get elected. Being Trump Jr's "girlfriend" and a "fundraiser" is obviously hard work.Expensive outfits, good teeth, hair, etc don't pay for themselves. And $15,000 a month simply isn't enough.

But folks decided look at her speech in other ways:

'Republican National Convention features racists, homophobes, and con men' & other Tue midday news briefs

Monday, August 24, 2020

Bonkers preacher (who once said gays stick cellphones up our butts) claims Kamala Harris is trying to recreate Sodom and Gomorrah

Editor's note - When you're done reading this post, check out the post below it - Donald Trump is trying to blame Joe Biden for the divided America which 'Trumpism' created. Both of them prove that we have some screwed up people we need to fight (instead of each other and those wanting to represent our interests.)



 Patrick Wooden Declares That Kamala Harris Is ‘Trying to Turn America Into Sodom and Gomorrah - Well that nails it down. I'm REALLY supporting Senator Harris now. A little information about Patrick Wooden:

 Wooden is a preposterously vehement anti-gay activist who has claimed that gay men regularly shove objects such as cellphones, baseball bats, and animals up their anuses and has insisted that by the time gay men reach middle age, they “have to wear a diaper or a butt plug just to be able to contain their bowels” because of “what happens to the male anus.”

 Oh yeah. He naaasty! And a liar.

Donald Trump is trying to blame Joe Biden for the divided America which 'Trumpism' created




 Because he has absolutely no way to justify a second term, Trump is attempting to scare voters. He claims that Democratic nominee Joe Biden will create a violent and divided America. However, the images in this Don Winslow Films video show that Trump has already done just that during the four years we have been cursed to have him in the White House. It's not an easy video to watch but it is necessary for us to remember what we are fighting against. Especially during the Republican National Convention.

'State Dept fighting to deny US citizenship to gay couple's child' & other Mon midday news briefs


State Dept. fighting to deny US citizenship to gay couple's child - The Trump Administration lost but its appealing just to be ugly.

Los Angeles police slam 'callous' witnesses who filmed attack on 3 transgender women - Everything about this situation pisses me off. Let's NOT forget the bastards who stood by and did nothing or laughed when this was going on. 

Chasten Buttigieg gets blunt with Fox News during live interview - Oop! 

Mom asks LGBTQ people to send cards to trans teen left paralyzed after being brutally beaten - Address enclosed. Please do this if you can.

Sunday, August 23, 2020

Court rejects anti-gay 'Save Chick-Fil-A' lawsuit


While we await the beginning of the upcoming disastrous nonsense (or as its called by its common name, the 2020 Republican National Convention) here is some recent news which I hope will be considered as sort of a good look charm for the week.

From the San Antonio Current:

A Texas appellate court has rejected a lawsuit against the City of San Antonio by conservative activists angered by council's decision not to allow Chick-fil-A to participate in an airport concessions contract. 
On Wednesday, the Fourth Court of Appeals reversed a lower court's ruling that allowed the suit move forward. The appeals court agreed with the city's argument that law protects it from being retroactively forced to rebid the contract. 
“We’re pleased that the Fourth Court of Appeals has dismissed this suit," City Attorney Andy Segovia said in a statement. "The plaintiffs tried to use the court to advance a political agenda, and we’re glad to see this matter put to rest.” 
The five plaintiffs sued last September after Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law prohibiting local governments from discriminating against businesses for their owners' religious beliefs. The plaintiffs argued the decision not to include Chick-fil-A in the contract stemmed from its donations to Christian groups.

Let's hope the rest of the week goes well in general for us all, especially LGBTQ people.

Thursday, August 20, 2020

Upcoming book - Hannity thinks that Trump is 'batsh!t crazy,' Fox staffers frustrated with being presidential echo chamber

According to an upcoming book, Fox News personality and Trump cheerleader Sean Hannity has a totally different private view of Trump.

I think I may buy this particular book about Trump. It sound deliciously evil. And very accurate. The central theme is that Trump biggest cheerleaders, Sean Hannity, actually thinks he is "batsh!t crazy."

From Alternet:

Sean Hannity is among President Donald Trump’s most strident sycophants at Fox News, angrily lambasting anyone who questions anything that Trump says or does. But according to CNN reporter Brian Stelter’s forthcoming book, “Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth,” Hannity has privately told colleagues that he believes Trump is “batshit crazy.” 
Vanity Fair has published an except from Stelter’s book, which contains interviews with Hannity associates who spoke on condition of anonymity. In that except, Stelter quotes a Hannity associate as saying that the Fox News host “would tell you, off-off-off the record, that Trump is a batshit crazy person.” And a friend of Hannity, similarly, told Stelter, “Hannity has said to me more than once, ‘He’s crazy.’”

I've read the excerpt and it is juicy:
(Hannity's) friends told me he was burnt out for long stretches of the Trump presidency. Being the president’s “shadow chief of staff,” as he was known around the White House, could be a thrill, but it was also a serious burden. Hannity counseled Trump at all hours of the day; one of his confidants said the president treated Hannity like Melania, a wife in a sexless marriage. Arguably, he treated Hannity better than Melania. Hannity’s producers marveled at his influence and access. “It’s a powerful thing to be someone’s consigliere,” one producer said. “I hear Trump talk at rallies, and I hear Sean,” a family friend commented. 
Hannity chose this life, so no one felt sorry for him, but the stress took its toll. “Hannity would tell you, off-off-off the record, that Trump is a batshit crazy person,” one of his associates said. Another friend concurred: “Hannity has said to me more than once, ‘he’s crazy.’” 
But Hannity’s commitment to GOP priorities and to his own business model meant he could never say any of this publicly. If one of his friends went on the record quoting Hannity questioning Trump’s mental fitness, that would be the end of the friendship.

Guess what, Sean. That secret is out. And it gets even better.

'Report - Trump policy enabled discrimination against LGBTQ families' & other Thur midday news briefs

Wednesday, August 19, 2020

Trump praises group whose members think Obama is a Satanic child-sex trafficking cannibal (not a joke)

Conspiracy theory group QAnon, whose members think that Obama is part of a group of Satanic pedophiles and cannibals, just got praised  Wednesday by Donald Trump.

Let's be clear about one fact - Trump is an incompetent, desperate character who will kiss the ass of any person or group who can get him re-elected.  And we need to say it more times than we do. It needs to be hammered in. Particularly after his latest hot mess.

Trump just gave his blessing to a group of dangerous conspiracy theorists:
Speaking during a press conference at the White House, Trump courted the support of those who put stock in the conspiracy theory, saying, "I heard that these are people that love our country." It was his first public comment on the subject.

A lot of people aren't familiar with QAnon, but to put it nicely, they are a bunch of nuts:

 The QAnon conspiracy theory baselessly claims that there is a "deep state" apparatus run by political elites, business leaders and Hollywood celebrities who are also pedophiles and actively working against Trump. View described it as meta conspiracy theory that provides an underlying narrative for other baseless theories. According to View, its followers believe that this "worldwide cabal of satanic pedophiles" run "all the major levers of power," including government, media, business and Hollywood. 
QAnon theorists believe that were it not for Trump's election in 2016, the cabal would stay in power, View says. But Trump, working with the military, is actively putting an end to it, according to the theory. An anonymous poster named Q shares cryptic tips that followers then decode to learn the ways in which the "deep state" controls the world, how Trump is battling and marching orders to join in, said Angelo Carusone, the president of Media Matters for America, a nonprofit that researches misinformation in the United States. 

QAnon members haver accused celebrities like Ellen DeGeneres and Tom Hanks or government officials such as Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama of being pedophiles. They also think that children are being harvested for chemical compounds and that JFK is still alive.

And yes,they are dangerous:

A Yahoo News report from August 2019 says that the FBI identified fringe conspiracy theories as a domestic extremist threat, and it specifically mentions QAnon. The majority of QAnon supporters say they are peaceful and most of their activities remain online, View said. "The danger is essentially that there have been multiple instances where QAnon followers have taken their beliefs offline in violent or dangerous ways," he added. View cited multiple cases of violence connected to QAnon believers. In June 2018, Matthew Wright, motivated by his belief in QAnon, blocked the bridge near the Hoover Dam with a homemade armored vehicle. He later pleaded guilty to making a terrorist threat.

Last year the FBI declared the group as a domestic terrorist threat. But guess what? One of these conspiracy theorists is going to Congress next year.

'Judge stops Idaho from enacting ban on trans athletes' & other Wed midday news briefs


Judge stops Idaho from enacting ban on transgender athletes - Another victory. At least temporarily for now.

Three trans Instagram influencers attacked by a mob in LA as passersby laughed & refused to help - This shit is NOT funny. I'm posting because I want these bastards caught but watch at your own risk.

'It Has A Chilling Effect': Some In LGBTQ Community Say Scrutiny Of Alex Morse Is Harmful - Scrutiny my foot! It was targeting.

LGBTQ+ Elders Face a Serious Health Threat: Trump - Yep!

Tuesday, August 18, 2020

Anderson Cooper brutally calls out 'MyPillow' CEO and Trump supporter for pushing untested COVID-19 cure





It's always a delight when Anderson Cooper channels his "this queen has had enough of your bullsh!t" persona and proceeds to "read" (that's a black gay vernacular word) his guest like a dictionary.

I've only seen him do it once to a very deserving Roy Moore surrogate, but this time is a better delight. Cooper conducted an interview with 'MyPillow' CEO and widely known Donald Trump supporter Mike Lindell. According to The Hill, Lindell was pushing an untested cure for COVID-19 which could ultimately benefit his bank account:

Lindell is pushing oleandrin as a potential therapeutic for COVID-19. Last week, he was added to the board of Phoenix Biotechnology, which makes oleandrin, receiving a financial stake in the company, CNN reported. Lindell confirmed to CNN Monday that Trump participated in a July meeting at the White House regarding the use of oleandrin, an extract from the plant Nerium oleander, as a potential coronavirus treatment.

During the interview, Cooper "was not having it." Not even a little bit. You can watch either the full interview or snippets of it from the above videos.

'The Owl House' makes history with Disney's first bisexual lead character' & other Tue midday news briefs

'The Owl House' character Luz Noceda makes history .

'The Owl House' makes history with Disney's first bisexual lead character - Good for Disney. Our LGBTQ children should never be ignored or pushed to the side.

Three gay Democratic “rising stars” to give joint keynote address at convention - Tuesday night at the Democratic National Convention is going to be fierce.

Margaret Atwood, Ed Harris, Judith Butler and more call out Poland’s hateful homophobia in powerful open letter - A wonderful way to use their platform. Good for them. 

The Internet Responds After Hallmark Movie Debuts Its First LGBTQ Couple - So how did it go? What do you think?

Monday, August 17, 2020

Federal judge blocks Trump administration rule against trans health a day before it was to take effect



This just came in this afternoon and it proves how important the recent Bostock decision was.

From Buzzfeed:

A federal judge on Monday blocked a Trump administration rule that would allow healthcare providers to discriminate against transgender individuals, one day before the rule was set to take effect. 
US District Judge Frederic Block found that the landmark US Supreme Court ruling earlier this summer expanding workplace protections for LGBTQ individuals applied in a legal fight over anti-discrimination provisions of the Affordable Care Act. It's one of the first cases to apply the Supreme Court's decision to other areas of federal law — in this case, healthcare. 
The Supreme Court ruled that workplace discrimination based on "sex" included discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Block, who sits in the federal district court in Brooklyn, found that the administration's plan to remove gender identity from the ACA's anti-discrimination provisions could not stand in light of the Supreme Court's decision in Bostock v. Clayton County. 
"The Court reiterates the same practical concern it raised at oral argument: When the Supreme Court announces a major decision, it seems a sensible thing to pause and reflect on the decision’s impact," Block wrote. "Since HHS has been unwilling to take that path voluntarily, the Court now imposes it." 
The case before Block involves Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, which prohibits discrimination in health programs that receive federal funding. Under the Obama administration, the Department of Health and Human Services adopted rules in 2016 that made clear that Section 1557 applied to discrimination based on gender identity. 
A federal judge previously blocked the Obama-era rules from being enforced and sent the matter back to the Department of Health and Human Services. The Trump administration moved to get rid of the gender identity protections altogether. On June 12, the administration announced a final rule that would strip away the gender identity language.

For more details, check out the Buzzfeed article in its entirety.

'DC Congresswoman demands feds prosecute anti-LGBTQ hate crimes they've been ignoring' & other Mon midday news briefs

Eleanor Holmes Norton
DC Congresswoman demands feds prosecute the dozens of anti-LGBTQ hate crimes they’ve been ignoring - Eleanor Holmes Norton has always been an ally.

I’m A Nurse Who Cares For Gender Surgery Patients. Here’s Why I Love It So Much. - About time we hear from more than fake experts getting paid by right-wing groups.

Ashlee Marie Preston on What’s Next for Black Trans Americans - A wonderful and fascinating interview. 

Rising LGBTQ stars, historic platform on deck for Democratic convention - It's coming.

Sunday, August 16, 2020

Creepy but effective ad highlights homophobia of VP Mike Pence and 2nd Lady Karen Pence



I had trepidation about this newest Don Winslow ad because while it speaks truth, it is also probably the creepiest ad of the 2020 campaign. If it gives you a"Norman  Bates from 'Psycho' vibe, please know that it's neither accidental nor a coincidence.

  But then again I sometimes wish the LGBTQ community could be this unapologetically brutal when calling out those who oppose our basic rights and humanity.

Thursday, August 13, 2020

VP Mike Pence doesn't want Biden or Harris to cut America's meat (that's what he said)

Yes, Mike Pence. That was a dumb comment you made.

Dear Mike Pence, I know you were actually trying to attack Biden and Harris in terms of the US Dietary Guidelines when you said the following. I also know that in lieu of a doing a speech with substantial content,  you were trying to repeat the attacks the GOP made against former First Lady Michelle Obama when she was attempting to improve the health of our children

But, if you don't mind a little criticism, this line of attack backfired, especially when one takes into account your history of homophobia.


You definitely didn't mean this to have come out the way it did, but consider it as a metaphor for your aiding Trump's pathetic presidency.  I mean come on. You're talking about meat in the middle of a huge pandemic in which over five million Americans have been infected and over 170,00 have already died.

I am curious, though. Who would you let cut America's meat?

Or your meat . . .

I won't tell "Mother."

'An ugly plot to destroy the Congressional campaign of gay man' & other Thur midday news brief

Wednesday, August 12, 2020

The 'WAP' remix featuring Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion and . . . Ben Shapiro?



Conservative pundit Ben Shapiro (top) attempted to shame rappers Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion (bottom). It didn't work out the way he had hoped.

Editor's note - This isn't necessarily LGBTQ related but it's campy as hell. And in keeping with my new policy of providing a bit of comedy every now and then to get us through the Trump years (and the fact that I had an awful day concerning politics and LGBTQ people), I thought this would be very appropriate. You're either going to laugh or get violently ill.  Or both.

If you haven't heard of the song 'WAP' by name, you are either too old or in a coma. It's the newest hit by rappers Cardi B and Megan thee Stallion.  It's already a monster on the charts, helped along by a very interesting video. The song itself isn't exactly boring. The acronym "WAP" stands for "wet a$$ p#ssy," which Cardi and Megan brags about in terms of the sexual and financial power it gives them over men.

Yeah, the song is raunchy - a bit too much for my taste - and highly controversial. So controversial in fact that conservative pundit Ben Shapiro took time out of his busy day of griping and whining (the usual conservative gimmick of grievance politics) to read the lyrics. I guess he was attempting to shock people. What he actually accomplished was a self-own so brutal that someone put it to music.

So without further ado, here is the 'WAP' remix featuring Ben Shapiro in all of his neebishness.



Just in case you're wondering, the answer is yes. People are laughing at Shapiro, especially Cardi B. Why should she be alarmed? The video has already been watched over 70 million times. And Shapiro's failed attempt to harm the song means more views and more money.

What I want to know is when will Shapiro be making an answer song, 'DAP.'

I think y'all can figure out what that stands for.

'Biden's VP pick Kamala Harris is an LGBTQ ally' & other Wed midday news briefs

Tuesday, August 11, 2020

Video - LGBTQ people should #VoteProud this November



With the help of the classic Barbara Stresisand/Donna Summer song 'Enough is Enough' and a surprise guest at the end, this video serves to remind LGBTQ people what happened when enough of us did not go out and vote in 2016. Let's not allow it to happen again.

Please #VoteProud

'Gay lawmaker falsely attacked as 'pedophile' by QAnon nutties' & other Tue midday news breifs

Monday, August 10, 2020

Repost - Family Research Council anti-LGBTQ pamphlet works better as lining for your birdcage

Editor's note - It is frustrating enough when anti-LGBTQ groups create bad studies about us. But it's worse when they are allowed to do so without hardly any push back. Very few in our community are willing to do the work and promote the truth. Thus, no matter how many times anti-LGBTQ lies and junk science is refuted, the truth-telling doesn't resonate as it should.

Last month, I posted a piece about the Family Research Council's newest junk study, Sex Education in Public Schools: Sexualization of Children and LGBT Indoctrination. However, I am reposting it because the study remains on FRC's webpage and the group has a wider reach than I do. After its reposting, I intend to make my piece a permanent part of my blog's page.


Please share if you can:


Cathy Ruse just published a silly pamphlet.
The Family Research Council is shocked! I repeat, shocked about the following:

The LGBTQ movement demands that homosexual relationships be presented to children as good, healthy, and equal in every way to heterosexuality within man-woman marriage. Many sex-ed developers and providers are all too happy to comply. 
 Parents in Illinois were alarmed when they learned that their preschool children were being instructed: “If you have two mommies, they can be called LESBIANS. 
 In Austin, Texas, schools introduce sexual orientation and gender identity concepts to third graders and have sixth and seventh graders play a sexuality matching game with terms like “bisexual,” “gay,” “lesbian,” and “homophobia.” 
 . . .California law instructs public school teachers to emphasize homosexual relationships: “Teachers should… actively use examples of same-sex couples in class discussions.”

This hysterical junk is only a small portion of FRC's newest pamphlet -Sex Education in Public Schools: Sexualization of Children and LGBT Indoctrination and it's a doozy.


A hot mess.
What you should know about FRC's pamphlets, "research papers,"etc is that none of them contain any legitimate information. In the past, the group used to rely on junk science and legitimate science its employees rigorously cherry-picked to denigrate LGBTQ people.The group generally reduced us to being called a "dangerous lifestyle."

Things have changed tremendously. Thanks to the efforts of bloggers like yours truly and groups like SPLC who took the time to call out those lies, FRC relies less on distorted science and more on anecdotal horror stories from legitimate news sites and biased homophobic right-wing propaganda news sites all sewn together with alarming phraseology. The goal is to create the same connotation as past reliance on bad science did - that LGBTQ people are not normal and are dangerous to America, particularly children.

The passages I cited at the beginning of this post speak to that effect. Same-sex marriage is legal in America. Same-sex couples, as well as single LGBTQ people, are raising children in a large number. They have been doing this for many years and are doing it very well. The existence of LGBTQ children is a simple fact. And as these LGBTQ children are coming out earlier and earlier, more education and information is needed for the sake of their physical and mental well-being.

But to hear FRC talk, these situations are not facts, but aberrations. And the results of a so-called plot to take over America and supposedly "recruit" children.  It's less about equipping people with information and more about exploiting ignorance to create fear. That fear creates more ignorance which creates more fear and so on and so on.

The desired end result is the harming of LGBTQ equality and safety and a forced shoving of our community into a closet of second-class status, depression, and sadness, self-hatred, and, according to the CDC, self-harm via negative behaviors.

And of course FRC and other like-minded organizations will be there to exploit the negative behaviors by falsely claiming that they are characteristics of being an LGBTQ person instead of what they truly are - a characteristics of being oppressed.

Also, there is one more thing you should know about FRC's pamphlets, research papers, etc.  They are usually created by people who have absolutely no expertise in what they write about. In reality, what they claim to know couldn't fit the navel of a smurf.

This particular pamphlet I've been talking about was published by FRC employee Cathy Ruse, who  the Senior Fellow and Director of Human Dignity.   I have no idea what that entails, but if you read Ruse's biography, you will see that her expertise lies in how many conservative groups gave her a paycheck over the years.  And also how she's connected by marriage to another religious right spokesperson, Austin Ruse.

Ruse, head of another conservative group, C-FAM, is an absolutely vile individual who has gone on record supporting Russia's persecution of its LGBTQ citizens.  He and I have sparred on more than one occasion including here in 2013. In 2014, he got into trouble for saying that liberal academics should be taken out and shot.

In spite of this, Cathy listed him as a legitimate source in her pamphlet. According to GLAAD's profile of Mrs. Ruse, vicious homophobia and transphobia seems to be one characteristic she and Austin have in common.

That brings me to the issue of bad sources, which Ruse frequently cited in the pamphlet. 

One person she cited was Dr. Michelle Cretella of the American College of Pediatricians. Of course Ruse omits that  the American College of Pediatricians is an organization recently deemed a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center because of how it attempts to pass homophobic bad science as legitimate.

Nor does Ruse tell anyone how Cretella herself was called out by the The Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM) for several errors contained in a piece she published entitled “I’m a Pediatrician. How Transgender Ideology Has Infiltrated My Field and Produced Large-Scale Child Abuse.”  And that in itself is a huge irony, seeing that the Cretella's piece was used by Ruse to attack the transgender community in her pamphlet.

Ruse also cited American College of Pediatricians information independent of Cretella.

Feel free to read the entire pamphlet, but might I suggest that you print a copy. That way, you can make proper usage of it . Line your birdcage. Use it to pick up dirt while you're sweeping.

Or how about using it to fan yourself.  The weather tends to get hot this time of year.

'Transgender community win two victories in the courts' & other Mon midday news briefs

Sunday, August 09, 2020

The Slate publishes a blow by blow account of how Donald Trump killed thousands of Americans

William Saletan of The Slate points out how Donald Trump made the coronavirus pandemic worse for the country.

Thank you, William Saletan and the Slate magazine for saying the thing about this coronavirus pandemic which needed to be said in the manner that cuts through the bull.

In meticulously thorough article, The Trump Pandemic, Saletan points out how Donald Trump knew the pandemic was coming, refused to get the country prepared for it, and then interfered with the fight against it every step of the way. It's a sad story of negligence which I wish more in the media would have the guts to tell instead of dancing around the subject. 

When you have some time, this article is required reading :

The story the president now tells—that he “built the greatest economy in history,” that China blindsided him by unleashing the virus, and that Trump saved millions of lives by mobilizing America to defeat it—is a lie. Trump collaborated with Xi, concealed the threat, impeded the U.S. government’s response, silenced those who sought to warn the public, and pushed states to take risks that escalated the tragedy. He’s personally responsible for tens of thousands of deaths.  
 This isn’t speculation. All the evidence is in the public record. But the truth, unlike Trump’s false narrative, is scattered in different places. It’s in emails, leaks, interviews, hearings, scientific reports, and the president’s stray remarks. This article puts those fragments together. It documents Trump’s interference or negligence in every stage of the government’s failure: preparation, mobilization, public communication, testing, mitigation, and reopening.

The article contains so many instances of ineptitude and deliberate undermining by Trump that it's almost impossible for me to choose just one excerpt which epitomizes just how badly he bungled this situation.