'Proud Boys' leader used dildo on himself to 'own liberals' and prove he wasn't homophobic

 

Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes using a dildo on himself to 'own liberals' and prove he wasn't homophobic

After Tuesday night's debate, Donald Trump is in really big trouble. His overbearing and rude behavior during the debate was enough to draw heat, but the vast majority of the criticism seems to centering on what he didn't do. When asked by moderator Chris Wallace to disavow white supremacist groups, Trump dodged doing it. In fact, when asked to disavow one group in particular, The Proud Boys, Trump instead said “stand back and stand by.”

That comment turned out to be the most memorable moment of  the debate because it echoed back to his "very fine people on both sides" comment after Charlottesville, his claim that Obama wasn't an American citizen, and general accusations that he is a racist.

So basically all day Wednesday, Trump and his allies have faced a universal firestorm, even from other Republicans like Sen Tim Scott from South Carolina, because of his refusal to simply disavow white supremacists. It's so bad that even Fox News personalities like Brian Kilmeade, called him out. 

As Trump clean up his mess, attention has been focused on The Proud Boys, the group in the center of the storm.. What exactly is this group and who is behind it. The Southern Poverty Law Center has designated them to be a hate group and according to People for the American Way:

The Proud Boys . . .  has a long history of violence, hateful rhetoric, and coziness with GOP stars and operatives, most notably Trump confidant, Republican fixer, and convicted felon Roger Stone. The group, founded by Canadian media personality Gavin McInnes and currently led by Enrique Tarrio, held a ​Sept. 26 rally in Portland, Oregon, prompting the governor to declare a state of emergency. Although the rally attracted far fewer attendees than anticipated, the event was spun by Tarrio with expressions of pride in having not incited violence—an effort to make their group more palatable. The group is, of course, better known for its members’ attendance at the 2017 Unite the Right white supremacist gathering ​in​ Charlottesville, Virginia, in which counterprotester Heather Heyer was murdered by a white supremacist.

In other words,  they are a bunch of right-wing racist, homophobic idiots who jump in the middle of protests to physically assault people. If they weren't so dangerous, they would be comical. But truth be told, they are very dangerous and are responsible for many acts of violence.  And McInnes himself is a an interesting piece of work.

 According to Forbes magazine: 

A regular media personality appearing in various conservative talk shows, McInnes announced to the world Proud Boys as a secret club for “Western chauvinists,” men (“women are not allowed”) focused on “anti-political correctness” and “anti-white guilt” with meetings that would consist of “drinking, fighting and reading aloud from Pat Buchanan’s Death of the West.” The election of President Trump skyrocketed interest in the group, and by the end of 2017, the Proud Boys Facebook and Twitter pages had over 20,000 members, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, with chapters around the world, and possibly coaxed by McInnes’ inflammatory rhetoric (McInnes admitted he may be Islamophobic and acknowledged being sexist), began to attract the attention of extremist groups.

McInnes claims to have distanced himself from the group after their street brawling brought several charges against them in New York.  But he did leave an enduring image which I think epitomizes what exactly the Proud Boys are. 

On live television (I'm not sure of the year), he stuffed a dildo up his butt to supposedly "own liberals" and prove he has no problem with gays. So he said. 

Come on Gavin. It can't hurt that much. I saw you lube it up.

I kid you not. This happened. I once saw the video and it was unappealing to say the least.  But for those who are interested in things like that, you can see a play-by-play of McInnes via screenshots here. To say that it's not safe for work would be an understatement. Cute tushy, though.

And that's basically what the Proud Boys are. A self-deluded "fight club" made of "he-men woman haters" either overcompensating for their many inadequacies or attempting to create an illusion of machismo because they are scared to be real with themselves. 

Maybe if more of  them used dildos on themselves, they too would have no need for the group.

'Migraines affect staggering number of gay, bi people, study finds' & other Wed midday news briefs

Migraines Affect Staggering Number of Gay, Bi People, Study Finds - Probably because of some of the junk we have to deal with.

Gay 13-year-old kicked out of an “inclusive” church finds true community in love from strangers - Awful situation with a happy ending.

LGBTQ themes found in half of the past decade's 20 most-banned books - They try but they can't shut us down or shut us out.

Advocates work to get LGBTQ community registered to vote - Absolutely.

'What a sh!tshow' - Biden telling Trump to 'shut up' probably the most viral moment of an ugly debate

Well the first debate is over and I personally think anyone who watched the entire thing should have a stamp made commemorating our sacrifice.

Y'all know I feel in general but I think I can be backed up when I make the following statement - Donald Trump showed his ass . . . and not in a good way. People are going to condemn this debate and raise hell at the moderator Chris Wallace. But in my view, the entire thing stemmed from Trump being rude, obnoxious, and extremely boisterous.

His behavior controlled the tone and I don't think it helped him. Unfortunately I also think the need for some folks to play the "both sides" game will lead them to also criticize Biden for the sake of some stupid idea of parity.

 Here are just a few news briefs 

As Trump continues to interrupt during the debate, Biden says, 'Will you shut up, man?' - As evidenced in the video above, this will probably be the most viral moment of the debate. Biden saying to Trump what millions of Americans have no doubt wanted to say since he took office.

What a Sh*t Show: Highs and (Mostly) Lows from the First Presidential Debate of 2020

Trump defiantly refuses to condemn extremists groups at debate: ‘Proud boys, stand back and stand by’  

‘No! The Answer to the Question is No!’: Chris Wallace Demands Trump Be Quiet as He Berates Biden About Hunter - This part was especially ugly as Trump attempted to bait Biden on the alleged wrong doing on his son, Hunter. Biden didn't the bait and Trump ended up arguing with Wallace.

Chris Wallace yells at Trump after debate goes off the rails: ‘Frankly, you’ve been doing more interrupting’ 

Trump blasted for ‘avalanche of lying’ in brutal takedown by CNN fact-checker

Team Trump spinning wild conspiracy theories against Biden before debate

 Tonight will be the first of three debates between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Of course I'm rooting for Biden, but if you ask me, I think Team Trump is oozing desperation. Trump has been consistently down in the polls.  He is running out of time to rebound and it's showing.  All day his team has pushing wild conspiracy theories against Biden, including this one about him wearing an earpiece during the debate. Thanks to several hits by right-wing sources, this claim has gone viral in several places on Facebook.

The Biden earpiece conspiracy theory (which originated in a tweet from a single anonymous source to a NYPost reporter, and was instantly denied by the campaign) is everywhere on Facebook. Absolutely everywhere. pic.twitter.com/AIdXoy4ZIi

— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) September 29, 2020

It's going to be a wild debate and an even wilder campaign as Trump tries to catch up in the polls. Too bad he can't run on his record in office, huh?

'Straight man sues after fertility clinic uses his sperm to help same-sex couples have children' & other Tue midday news briefs

 

Straight man sues after fertility clinic uses his sperm to help same-sex couples have children - For crying out loud!  What would be the grounds for the lawsuit?

10 years after Tyler Clementi's death, his mom continues to combat bullying - I remember this. It was such a sad situation. Kudos to his mother for creating something positive out of tragedy.

Trump says he supports queer people; now he’s trying to strip their rights internationally - Typical Trump lies. 

California governor signs four LGBTQ rights laws - Meanwhile, California continues to get it right.

The time when the religious right used to scare people with anti-gay ads . . .

Last weekend, various groups of the religious right gathered together for huge events and marches in Washington where they did the usual "God is going to punish America because it's disgusting how women can make their own healthcare choices and LGBTQ are all out in the open" rambling which so many of us have come to know them for.

This time though, it was different. According to People for the American Way's Right Wing Watch, they included praise of Donald Trump:

Speakers lavished praise on Trump and thanked God for his presidency; Trump returned the favor, sending a supportive “presidential message” that was read from the stage to cheers from the crowd, which covered most of a two-block stretch of the National Mall. Trump’s message quoted a phrase from George Washington, a favorite of religious-right leaders, in which the first president said that the “propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which Heaven itself has ordained.” ​To that quote, Trump​ added, “As a country and a people, let us renew our commitment to these abiding and timeless principles.” 

Knowing what we know about Donald Trump and his many lies, assorted incompetence, and the basic fact that he is a generally hideous person, it's a miracle that the religious right's weekend Trumpalloza didn't end as one of those Biblical stories did. You know, the ones in which God gets so angry at a group's blatant hypocrisy or open sinning that he smites them with fire or causes the ground to collapse under their feet. Or at least at the very least, sends a disembodied hand to write a message on the wall in front of them basically saying "y'all getting on my nerves."

At any rate,  my point in bringing all of that up was because it reminded me of the time when things weren't so dramatic. When the religious right used to openly use television ads to scare people about us instead of  just solely fire and brimstone.

First there is this 2012 ad from the Campaign for American Values which attempted to attack Obama during his re-election campaign because he supported marriage equality. Gee, I wonder why it didn't work.

 

'Secretary of State Pompeo to speak at a fundraiser linked with anti-LGBTQ hate group' & other Mon midday news briefs

 

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

Mike Pompeo is speaking at a Christian hate group-linked fundraiser right before the election - Isn't his speech illegal due to his office? Just asking. 

California will house transgender inmates by gender identity - A possible step in the right direction.

The Single Biggest Risk Factor for Gay, Bi Men Becoming HIV-Positive - Ugh. This "party and play" mess is a disaster.

How Amy Coney Barrett on the Supreme Court could affect LGBTQ rights - Barrett most likely will be a SCOTUS justice and things after that may not look good for us. BUT do NOT give up hope. Ever.

New York Times bombshell - Trump paid only $750 in federal taxes in 2016 and 2017

 

As if we needed more news explosions as the 2020 election approaches.

From the Associated Press:

President Donald Trump paid no federal income taxes in 10 of the past 15 years, according to a report Sunday in The New York Times. Trump, who has fiercely guarded his tax filings and is the only president in modern times not to make them public, paid $750 in taxes to the federal government the year he was elected, 2016, and $750 again his first year in office. 

 Speaking at a news conference at the White House, Trump dismissed the report as “fake news” and said he has paid taxes, though he gave no specifics. The disclosure, which the Times said comes from tax return data it obtained extending over two decades, comes at a pivotal moment ahead of the first presidential debate Tuesday, and weeks before a divisive election. A lawyer for the Trump Organization, Alan Garten, and a spokesperson for the Trump Organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press on the report.

Garten told the Times that “most, if not all, of the facts appear to be inaccurate.” He said in a statement to the news organization that the president “has paid tens of millions of dollars in personal taxes to the federal government, including paying millions in personal taxes since announcing his candidacy in 2015.”

Admit it. You're practically on the edge of your seat waiting to hear the excuses Fox News and the right-wing media make up for Trump.  No doubt, there will be many as the story progresses.

Meanwhile I know that somewhere,  Hillary Clinton is enjoying all of this

Related post - REVEALED: Trump’s taxes show huge losses and tax dodging schemes

'Senator attacks trans youth in desperate election bid' & other Fri midday news briefs

 

Sen. Kelly Loeffler Attacks Trans Youth in Desperate Election Bid - What a pathetic and sad person she is. 

 Angela Walker is a proud bisexual truck driver promising to bring “trouble” to the White House - Bring it, gurlfriend. Bring it!

Biden to LGBTQ advocates: 'You deserve a partner in the White House' - Hell yeah!

15 Black-led LGBTQIA+ organizations to donate to right now - Break out the wallets and pocketbooks.

Video - How Fox News helped Donald Trump kill of over 200,000 Americans

 

 

 Donald Trump is responsible for the COVID-19 deaths of over 200,000 Americans. But no matter how incompetent his response to the pandemic was, he didn't cause the deaths alone. As this short video shows, he had a lot of help from various media personalities at Fox News.  

Related post - A decade after screaming about nonexistent “death panels,” Fox News is downplaying the deaths of 200,000 Americans

'Kierra Johnson will become first black executive director of National LGBTQ Task Force' & other Thur midday news briefs

 

Kierra Johnson

Kierra Johnson will become the first Black executive director of the National LGBTQ Task Force - Not bad! Not bad at all! 

 Grenell defends progress in global initiative to decriminalize homosexuality - Whatever, fraud.

N. Dakota city temporarily bans flags after heated pride flag debate - For crying out loud, North Dakota!

It's Time To Talk About The Way We Portray Bisexuality On TV - I agree.

Trump supporting evangelicals prioritize Supreme Court vacancy over Americans harmed by coronavirus pandemic

 

Trump supporting evangelical pastor Robert Jeffress thinks the coronavirus pandemic is 'background noise' when compared to the new SCOTUS vacancy. The pandemic had claimed almost 200,000 lives at the time of his tweet. It has now claimed over 200,000 lives

On the same day Americans coronavirus deaths reached over 200,000, Franklin Graham put out this tweet. He did not ask that anyone pray for the families of those who died.  

If there is one positive consequence coming from a Trump Administration, it's that he took only four years to reveal something which I have been trying to do for 14 - the fact that the religious right/anti-LGBTQ industry is comprised of lying soul-sucking charlatans. And he did that by simply giving them what they wanted in terms of power.

On Tuesday, an ugly milestone was reached during the coronavirus pandemic. Over 200,000 Americans have died from the virus. And almost seven million have been infected. However, this wasn't important to the group of Trump loving evangelicals  Their minds were elsewhere, i.e .the fight over Ruth Bader Ginsburg's replacement on the Supreme Court.

According to Christian author John Fea:

For many American evangelicals, Christian witness in the political sphere comes down to overturning Roe v. Wade. This is why the court evangelicals are so gleeful about Trump getting another Supreme Court nomination. This is also why they say virtually nothing about the president’s mishandling of COVID-19 (nearly 200,000 dead), his separation of families at the Mexican border, his environmental policies that will one day make the planet incapable of sustaining life, and his racism. Look for yourself. The silence is deafening. 

Start your research with these names: Franklin Graham, James Robison, James Dobson, Jenetzen Franklin, Jack Graham, Paula White, Greg Laurie, John Hagee, Tony Perkins, Gary Bauer, Johnnie Moore, Ralph Reed, Robert Jeffress, Eric Metaxas, Jim Garlow, Jack Hibbs, Harry Jackson Jr., Luke Barnett, Richard Land, Jim Bakker, David Barton, Steve Strang, Samuel Rodriguez, Charlie Kirk, Lance Wallnau, and Jenna Ellis.

 I imagine (again, I only imagine) that some of these people were on a conference call the moment Ruth Bader Ginsburg died. They no doubt started the session with prayer for the Ginsburg’s family and perhaps even threw-out a prayer or two for those suffering through COVID-19. And then, when the pleasantries were done, they got down to strategizing about how to best support the president’s forthcoming Supreme Court nomination and the most effective ways of spinning their 2016 claims that President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee–Merrick Garland–did not deserve a hearing in the Senate because it was an election year.

Fea also points out that there was one Trump evangelical who did in fact say something about the coronavirus pandemic before the 200,000 milestone was reached:

Robert Jeffress said that COVID-19 is mere “background noise” now that Ruth Bader Ginsburg is dead and Trump can appoint another conservative justice. Background noise? Tell that to the families who lost lives from COVID. What kind of world do we live in where a Christian pastor can say that the loss of 200,000 lives is unimportant and get virtually no push-back from his followers, all men and women who name the name of Jesus Christ?

Fea's post is worth a read, if you can stomach reading instance after instance of supposed Christian leaders practically drooling over themselves as they ruminate over a SCOTUS seat while Americans suffer from a pandemic in the backdrop.

'Trump's likely SCOTUS choices may be bad news for LGBTQ Americans' & other Wed midday news briefs

Amy Coney Barrett

Trump’s likely choices for the Supreme Court are all very, very bad for LGBTQ people - Perhaps. But then let's not forget how Gorsuch turned out. At least thus far

HRC: SCOTUS Front-Runner Amy Coney Barrett Threatens LGBTQ+ Rights - Then again  . . .

Transgender scare tactics are back on the Republican agenda. Here's why they won't work. - Batten down the hatches. The war is here. 

 LGBTQ baseball fans on Facebook share their love of the game, from homers to hotties - Oh yeah, we love us some baseball. I used to play baseball . . . not that well.

Trump blows off questions about America reaching 200,000 coronavirus deaths

I have so many reasons why I hope Trump loses in November, but this exchange which just happened reaches number one:

Trump's message about the US hitting 200,000 coronavirus deaths is to try and pass blame to China pic.twitter.com/Z2OlvxG7dy

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 22, 2020

Right now, I know that so many of us are angry and galvanized about the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the eagerness of Trump and Republicans to put a hardline conservative on SCOTUS in her place. And of course we should be. But we cannot be distracted from his past and continued undermining of the fight against the COVID 19 pandemic. 

On Monday night during one of his "rallies," Trump said the coronavirus affects "virtually nobody."  I thought that was the worse thing he could have said about the pandemic, but the exchange today with the media tops it.  It proves that Trump didn't botch the response to the COVID 19 pandemic via incompetence alone. He simply didn't care. And he continues not to care.

The nearly seven million Americans who are infected and the over 200,000 Americans who have died  aren't nobodies. They were somebody's children, parents, grandparents, friends, neighbors, husbands, wives, etc.  Most of all, they were people who Trump swore to defend and protect when he took the oath of office. And he failed them. 

Deliberately. 

There should be no lie which any Trump supporter (including those in the media) can spin about the economy, Joe Biden's supposed dementia, conservative judges, political correctness, or anything else which should alter or mitigate in the least any contempt we should feel towards him for this pandemic disaster. Trump has blood on his hands. And if he's reelected, America is saying that we are okay with it.

'Group's leaked texts call for hanging gays 'in a loving way'' & other Tue midday news briefs

 

Christian group’s leaked texts call for hanging gays “in a loving way” - I'm not going to ask how to hang people "in a lovingly way." 

Vote like your life depends on it': Pete Buttigieg's message to LGBTQ youth - That goes for ALL of us.

Exclusive: New $1.5 million HRC ad buy blames Trump for empty queer bars - Whatever it takes. And it is an accurate ad. 

Antigay activist says his gay sex email to senator was blocked, thus proving homosexuality is a sin - Oh sit down and shut up.

'Evangelical' hate group trying to distract voters from Trump's COVID-19 incompetence by scaring them about transgender Americans

FRC head Tony Perkins

In between being conveniently silent about how Trump undermined efforts to beat down the coronavirus pandemic and hoping that he picks a conservative justice for SCOTUS, the Family Research Council has found time to spook its supporters about voting. I received the following via an email from the group and president, Tony Perkins:

It goes without saying that none of these hysterical attacks on the Equality Act or transgender men and women are true. One would think if FRC were actually concerned with faith and morality, it and Perkins would have at least commented  once about Trump undermining the pandemic.

However, for a group which places itself on a pedestal as an arbiter of faith and morality, FRC depends a lot on fear.   Why change a successful, albeit hypocritical, formula for a seemingly little thing like integrity?

'Will Mississippi elect its first black LGBTQ lawmaker?' & other Mon midday news briefs

Fabian Nelson

Fabian Nelson could be the LGBTQ lawmaker Mississippi needs - A black LGBTQ lawmaker in the Mississippi State House? I'll believe when I see it, but it has been a year for it. 

Discrimination against gay men who can't donate organs is arbitrary, archaic — and deadly - Like it or not, we are attached.

LGBTQ TikTok Users Fear Losing ‘Safe Space’ As Trump Bans Downloads - Even when it's not his prime intent, Trump simply can't stop harming LGBTQ people.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, champion of LGBTQ rights on the bench, dies at age 87 - Last but not least. We mourn but we also fight. We've can do both at once. God knows how many times we've had to in the past.

Biden burns Trump with new ad using his own promise from rally

While we are rightfully distracted as to how the future of the Supreme Court and our country in the wake of the passing of Justice Ruth Ginsburg, something interesting happened Saturday night. Trump held another one of those annoying rallies (with no masks or social distancing) where he makes a rambling fool of himself. During this one, he made a promise, which I hope he keeps. Apparently a lot of other people feels the same as I do because Biden burned him via an ad about his words. And it's already gotten over 10 million hits.  Sweet!

I’m Joe Biden and I approve this message. pic.twitter.com/TuRZXPE5xK

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) September 20, 2020

 

'Trump Administration trying to get around pro-LGBTQ Supreme Court ruling' & other Fri midday news briefs

 

How the Trump administration is getting around Bostock to allow anti-trans discrimination - You know Trump. He thinks he should be higher than SCOTUS.

 'This is about my safety': Trans Americans on November's high-stakes election - The above article is a good case in point.

15 Hilarious Gay Tweets From This Week - Yes we all need this.

20 Must-Sees for LGBTQ+ TV Viewers in Fall 2020 - Sweet!

Former Pence staffer - Trump once said maybe the coronavirus was a good thing because he wouldn't have to shake hands 'with these disgusting people'

 

 

Olivia Troye, former homeland security, counterterrorism and coronavirus adviser to VP Mike Pence, just came out with a video announcing that she is voting for Joe Biden and why.

To put it succinctly, girlfriend isn't simply spilling the tea. She is throwing it.  Troye said that her decision to vote for Biden came from seeing firsthand Trump's "disregard for human life." Central to that disregard, Troye claimed, is how Trump didn't take the pandemic serious and the following about the people he met.

From The Huffington Post:

Troye also condemned Trump in a video released by the group Republican Voters Against Trump, saying Trump once mused that the coronavirus was a good thing because he wouldn’t have to shake hands with as many people.“I don’t like shaking hands with people,” Troye recalled the president saying. “I don’t have to shake hands with these disgusting people.”

 Troye says in the video that she’s a lifelong Republican but would “come home at night and look myself in the mirror and say, ‘Are you really making a difference?’” “I am voting for Joe Biden because I truly believe we are at a time of constitutional crisis. At this point it’s country over party,” she concluded. Troye joins several other Trump administration officials to speak out against the president ahead of the election, including former national security adviser John Bolton and former defense secretary Jim Mattis. 

 The White House and Pence’s office both dismissed Troye as someone who was miffed over her ouster. She is “disgruntled that her detail was cut short because she was no longer capable of keeping up with her day-to-day duties,” Lt. General Keith Kellogg, Pence’s national security adviser, told the Post. But Troye told the Post she was was deeply involved in the coronavirus task force and helped organize and attend “every single meeting” it held from February until July.

Don't be blase or nonchalant about this. It's a huge crack in Trump's dome.

'Cable news stopped covering anti-trans violence after Pride Month' & other Thur midday news briefs

 

Cable news stopped covering anti-trans violence after Pride Month - But it's a year-round problem. 

 DL Hughley mocks Andrew Gillum for coming out “halfway” as bisexual - Longtime fan of yours, DL. But that was simply stupid to say.

Sarah McBride Poised To Become First Transgender U.S. State Senator - Wonderful! 

The more LGBTQ people in government, the better.Lifetime announces its first LGBTQ Christmas movie -  Are you going to watch it?

Trump subordinate - If Trump loses the election, 'the Left' will come after all of us, including your children

Charlie Kirk channels desperation

Longtime Trump subordinate - albeit not directly - Charlie Kirk took a page out of the religious right book of homophobia to make a prediction of what could happen should Trump lose his reelection campaign in November.

 And for those of you that say "Well, it really doesn't impact me, I don't care if Trump goes to prison." Well, first of all, you absolutely should care. Because if we lose, they're going to come after the churches, they're going to come after the organizations, they're going to come after the people, they're going to come after the social media accounts, they're going to come after the bank accounts, they're going to come after every single person that played any form and role into trying to defend President Trump. But social media banning, following in the streets, targeting in every form and fashion. If we lose, if the President loses, they will come for us all. They will come for your children. They will come for your schools. They will come in every fashion. And they won't stop. This idea that the left is all of sudden going to embrace the Christian ethic of forgiveness and moving on, is so short-sighted.

 

Kirk wasn't specifically pointing a finger at the LGBTQ community. He was speaking about "the left" in the deliberate way conservatives like himself tend to dehumanize Democrats and liberals by painting them as rabid hordes not unlike the zombies in the motion picture  World War Z.  It  would be rather naive for anyone to think that we aren't included in  his characterization.

The grand irony of Kirk's silly paranoid claim is that recently he and his group, Turning Point USA, was discovered to be recruiting teenagers to post disinformation online.

According to Raw Story:

On Tuesday, The Washington Post reported on a stealth “troll farm” by Turning Point USA, the right-wing youth group led up by Charlie Kirk, to recruit teenagers to post disinformation on social media — sometimes getting around policies that sites like Facebook and Twitter use to prevent the spread of false political information. “Teenagers, some of them minors, are being paid to pump out the messages at the direction of Turning Point Action, an affiliate of Turning Point USA, the prominent conservative youth organization based in Phoenix, according to four people with independent knowledge of the effort,” reported Isaac Stanley-Becker. “Their descriptions were confirmed by detailed notes from relatives of one of the teenagers who recorded conversations with him about the efforts.”

This latest incident is not the first time Kirk and Turning Point USA have made headline for nefarious behavior. Media Matters for America has an entire page devoted to several conspiracy theories and out-and-out lies pushed by Kirk. And Turning Point USA has gotten into trouble because various members of its leadership have been called out and dismissed for racist comments, postings and associations. This includes a former national field director who once texted:

“I HATE BLACK PEOPLE. Like fuck them all . . . I hate blacks. End of story.”

It sounds like America - and our children - would be safer in the hands of those opposing Kirk and company. And especially safer in the hands of those opposing Donald Trump.

''Former trans person' in political ad only identified as trans AFTER joining hate group' & other Wed midday news briefs

 

“Former trans person” in political attack ad only identified as trans after he joined a hate group - Good job, LGBTQNation. It is signficant because it looks like he was never trans at all. 

 Texas Board of Education rejects proposed LGBTQ lessons as part of sex education revision - Color ME surprised.

Facebook slaps fact check on ads stoking fears about transgender kids in girls sports - Group behind lie in first article just got caught in another one.

"10,000 Portraits of Queer America" Bring Joy and Sanity - yes it does. Thank you for this.

Every Donald Trump rally . . . in 74 seconds

 

My vision of hell without of doubt would involve being eternally trapped in a Donald Trump rally. I avoid watching them and to this day have never seen one. As the following tweet from the Lincoln Project demonstrates, they are pretty much all the same - an inept fool incoherently rambling while a bunch of mind-sucked sycophants hang on his every word as if it's the necessary ingredient for their survival. But the Lincoln Project added and subtracted a little something which breaks down this particularly rally, the one held recently in Nevada, tolerable and downright funny. If you ask me, it's more coherent than an actual Trump rally. Though you may feel it is 74 seconds too long.

Trump's Minden, NV speech in 74 seconds. pic.twitter.com/Jvo2CTDSj0

— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) September 14, 2020

'CA governor Gavin Newsom signs law equalizing punishment for gay & straight sex offenders' & other Tue midday news briefs

 

California governor Gavin Newsom

CA governor signs law to equalize punishments for gay & straight sex offenders - Conservatives have told all sorts of lies about this bill. Here is what it actually does. 

YouTube comedian Randy Rainbow breaks silence on past racist, transphobic jokes with awkward Donald Trump ‘interview’ - Works for me. No one is perfect and those truly apologetic over past behavior should be given slack. To a degree.

Marvel Just Revealed This Iconic X-Men Character Is Bisexual- Surprise! I was sure it would have been Wolverine.

LGBTQ: The letters Republicans didn’t utter - Preach!!

Religious right leader thinks that recent bad press proves conspiracy against Donald Trump

Gary Bauer thinks Trump's recent troubles prove that there is a conspiracy against him.

A recent news story about Donald Trump disparaging our troops by calling them "suckers" and
losers" and another one detailing how he misled America about the coronavirus should signal to the country how much of an incompetent and gigantic mistake he is as leader.

But to one religious right spokesperson, it only proves a conspiracy geared to destroy Trump:

OneNewsNow approached Gary Bauer, president of American Values, about these latest condemnations – but he points out the left has been relentless in its attacks since before Trump was even elected. "They saw Donald Trump as an existential threat to them," he states. "They tried to do everything they could in his campaign in 2016 to stop him. After he won, they then tried one fact scandal after another." 

 Turning to the more recent anti-Trump accusations, Bauer describes the Woodward book and the Atlantic article as attempts to sway the electorate. "Now here we are in the final 60 days [of the campaign] that will determine whether President Trump can continue to take the country down this new road of reform [through] all the things he's doing – and the left will stop at nothing . . .  I fully expect that literally every day there will be a new a line of attack to try to prevent the president from being re-elected."

Bear in mind that Bauer is the same dude who undermined the fight against the AIDS crisis when he worked in the Reagan Administration. Allegedly, he felt that AIDS was God's judgement and those who had it deserved what they got.

Bauer provides no proof of his claims which regards, which he probably sees as a minor concern when there is a juicy conspiracy theory to push. If there's one thing Bauer adores, it's implying that shadowy groups are in dark rooms spinning destructive plans against everything good and righteous. Or something like that. It's better than admitting that he and other religious right leaders pitched their wagons of support behind a con man whose house of cards is hopefully collapsing on his head with just enough cards left over to give them a couple of  well-deserved bonks.

Truth be told, if there is a conspiracy against Trump then he should look in the mirror to see the ringleader. More specifically, look in the mirror and then direct his eyes downward. To his mouth. 

'Trump allegedly called 'The Apprentice' contestant a 'black f**'' & other Mon midday news briefs

Former 'The Apprentice' contestant Kwame Jackson

Donald Trump allegedly called a contestant on The Apprentice a “Black f**” - And who should be surprised. Even so, it's still worth knowing.  I'm rather chomping at the bit to see how Fox News will defend this one.

Same-Sex Partners Win Right to Social Security Survivor Benefits - Good for them! 

Mike Pompeo Plans to Push His Anti-LGBTQ Commission at the UN - Such a "lovely" Secretary of State.

The attacks on gay candidates keep getting even more disgusting this election cycle - Y'all know it's going to get worse. But what's progress with no struggle?

How a gay producer Allan Car ruined his career in 11 minutes

 As we ease into this week, which promises to be as chaotic as last week, let's look at a slightly comedic, but highly cautionary tale about a backfire of camp.

Once upon a time, there was a successful and openly gay producer by the name of Allan Carr. He invested money in several successful Broadway productions such as La Cage aux Folles and motion pictures such as Grease. He even won a Tony award.  He also managed the marketing and ad campaigns for the motion pictures Tommy and Saturday Night Fever, which were also successful. In addition, he was known for his lavish and wild parties. All of that success meant that he could withstand a few failures, such as the motion picture disaster Can't Stop The Music.

Then came 61st Academy Awards, which he was hired to produce in 1989.  It was a disaster. To put it honestly, it was tacky as hell  The aftermath was like fire from the sky.  The show was viciously condemned, sued by Disney, and ended up generally wrecking Carr's career? the late actor Gregory Peck was allegedly so mad that he threatened to return his Oscar?  

But was it actually as bad as it was made out to be. I think so.  But you decide after seeing the 11 minute opening which was the center of a lot of condemnation, including Disney's lawsuit (which was later dropped.)

 

Carr's career never fully recovered. He spent the rest of his life in seclusion until his death in 1999. 

 If you want to read more on the situation (God help you) please read The Worst Oscars Ever or this brutal article in Marie Claire.

'Gay councilman calls on NYPD union leader to resign after 'homophobic' tweet' & other Fri midday news briefs

Gay councilman calls on NYPD union leader to resign after 'homophobic' tweet - Go for the jugular, my brotha.

Gay hotel forced to remove BLM banner after anonymous complaint to city - Unfair horsesh!t.

New Trump Rule Threatens Public Universities That Don’t Support Religious Clubs - More peanuts from Trump to his evangelical supporters.

Texas is revising its sex education standards, but they'll likely remain silent on LGBTQ issues - For now. But you can't keep us nor our children behind the door and in the closet forever.

Fox News ghouls care more about Donald Trump than the Americans harmed by his pandemic incompetence

I am glad someone put this together. Of all the things Fox News and its personalities have done over the years, this has to be the worst.

 On Wednesday, we learned that Donald Trump knew that the coronavirus pandemic was serious but still continued to undermine efforts to combat it. This is a grade A scandal which should be seen as comparative to or worse than Watergate - the scandal which led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon in the 1970s.

But Nixon didn't have what Trump has - an entire network working to undermine the righteous indignation people are feeling and rationalize all of his lies. I'm talking about Fox News and its personalities. The channel is probably the single reason why Trump has been hanging on by his fingernails even after all of his lies and basic incompetence. It is the number one news network in the country and it operates by over emphasizing Trump's few successes, hiding his many failures, and spinning his poor leadership to the point of inanity.

It's so bad that a lot of people are generally blase about Fox News and treat it like be splashed by a puddle or having bad day with the mindset being that it's simply one of those things which can't be helped so get over it.

But courtesy of the video above,  this time is different.

'Trump gives shortlist of anti-LGBTQ SCOTUS possibilities to distract from latest scandal' & other Thur midday news briefs

Trump’s SCOTUS Shortlist is Filled with Anti-LGBT and Extremist Judges - Yesterday, Trump tried to take attention away from the scandal involving his downplaying of the pandemic even while knowing how serious it is by revealing a list of judges he would appoint if reelected. Long story short, this list would lead to more hell for LGBTQ people.

Candace Owens: Affirming Transgender Children “Is Actually Satanic” -  Awww. Ms. Thing thinks she was doing something this weekend by picking on trans folks. Makes me especially glad that afterwards, she went after Cardi B and Ms. B handled her on Twitter. 

Department of Education sends mixed messages on transgender student protections - Betsy DeVos has gotta go.

'Transgender Black Marxists' seek to overthrow U.S., Trump backer Michele Bachmann says - Girl, what?!

Trump supporting evangelicals silent on revelation that he knew seriousness of pandemic while calling it a hoax

The group of evangelicals supporting Trump have been conveniently silent as his latest scandal tears the country apart.

 

Unless you've been hiding under a rock or in a cave with fingers in your ears, you've probably heard about the latest involving Donald Trump. It's another huge scandal

According to Raw Story:

Watergate reporter Bob Woodward’s new book is coming out next week — and the leaked excerpts in it contain multiple damaging bombshells for President Donald Trump. The new book, entitled “Rage,” contains multiple revelations on a wide variety of topics ranging from the president’s handling of the novel coronavirus to his relationship with the American military to his strange affection for North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. 

Raw Story outlined five shockers in this book, but the one which has virtually taken everyone's breath away is the following:

Trump said that he knew the coronavirus was five times more deadly than the seasonal flu — then admitted to playing it down in public.Audio recordings show that Trump told Woodward in early February that COVID-19 spread through the air and was much more deadly than the flu. Despite this, he continued to downplay its significance in multiple public statements. Just over a month after that, Trump admitted to Woodward that he deliberately downplayed the virus because he didn’t want to create a “panic.” “I wanted to always play it down,” Trump said on March 19th, shortly after he declared a national emergency. “I still like playing it down.” 

Trump lies so much that there is little doubt that he downplayed the pandemic - even when knowing how serious it was - to help only himself regardless of what he claims. The following video expresses it better than I can:

 

 The video captures just a small extent of the brutal tug of war Woodward's revelation has led to. There are some folks, especially the contributors and employees of Fox News, bending over backwards to defend Trump via talking points which induce more shock than agreement.

But I've noticed that one group has been conveniently silent - Trump supporting evangelicals.

'Feds capture man who detonated bomb in front of a gay gym' & other Wed midday news briefs

Feds capture man who detonated bomb in front of a gay gym - Something you haven't heard about on the  national news, no doubt.

HIV-Positive Service Members Get Their Day in Court Against Trump - Pluck that turkey! 

An all-Black version of The Golden Girls hits the internet today - Why not? Sounds like a good idea to me.

High schools must teach LGBTQ-inclusive sex education in England - Good.

Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters celebrates 14 years of calling out homophobic liars and keeping receipts

Sunday marked the 14th anniversary of this blog. It's been a bunch of wild, successful, and at times, very frustrating years.

I've had much success (waves to my 2017 GLAAD Media Award from across the room), lots of positive press (The Advocate, Newsweek, MSNBC), met lots of new friends and allies, and raised a little ruckus (blocked on Twitter by Tony Perkins, Bryan Fischer, 'Porno' Peter LaBarbera, Ryan T. Holmes, Matt Barber, multiple members of the Alliance Defending Freedom, Mass Resistance, and the Liberty Counsel. Blocked from commenting on Lifesite News and World Net Daily.)

I hope that I've succeeded in my original aim, which was to shine a bright spotlight on how religious right groups distort and cherry-pick science to denigrate LGBTQ people as unhealthy, diseased others out to 'recruit children,' 'wreck Christianity,' and cause general chaos.

So how long will I do this and what's my next move?

'Gay Trump official gets angry when called out for 'smoke and mirrors' initiative' & other Tue midday news briefs

Richard Grenell

Gay Trump official throws tantrum when asked about homosexuality initiative - No matter how much frosting and icing you coat on manure, it's still manure Richard.

WATCH: Homophobic street preacher has sermon interrupted by big gay dance party - We do what we do and we do it well.

For His Birthday, a Gay Atheist Is Raising Money for an LGBTQ-Inclusive Church - Wonderful story!

Texas Assistant AG Fired for Anti-LGBTQ+ and Other Outrageous Tweets - Bye fool. Felecia said "don't use my name."

Michael Cohen: Trump made fun of his evangelical supporters before winning the 2016 election

 

According to some reports, our fighting men and women of the military aren't the only group that Donald Trump has a low opinion of behind closed doors. 

Conservative evangelicals make up a gigantic amount of his base and led by folks like Franklin Graham and Robert Jeffress and groups like the Family Research Council, they have stuck by Trump in spite of every discovery of dishonesty, every lie, and every bit of chicanery learned about him.

And Trump definitely appreciates their support. In front of cameras, of course. But, if his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, is to be believed what you see in front the cameras isn't exactly true: 

 President Donald Trump spoke condescendingly about evangelical Christians after holding a meeting with religious leaders before the 2016 election, his former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen has said in a new book. Cohen, who broke with Trump to cooperate with the special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, is releasing a memoir Tuesday titled "Disloyal: A Memoir: The True Story of the Former Personal Attorney to President Donald J. Trump." The Washington Post, which obtained a copy of the book before its release, reported one passage in which Cohen details what he says happened after Trump met with prominent evangelical leaders at Trump Tower in 2016 before winning the presidency. After the meeting was over, Cohen says, Trump said: "Can you believe that bulls---? Can you believe people believe that bulls---?" 

"The cosmic joke was that Trump convinced a vast swathe of working-class white folks in the Midwest that he cared about their well-being," Cohen added, according to The Post. "The truth was that he couldn't care less." It's unclear what meeting Cohen was referring to, but Trump did meet with conservative Christian leaders in New York City in June 2016, according to NPR, which was allowed inside the private event.

Of course if this excerpt gains legs, expect evangelical leaders to engage in the usual rationalizations of their support of Trump. From "God chooses imperfect people" to "He was a baby Christian then. His faith is stronger," my guess is that their explanations will be epic and totally transparent. Cohen's revelation simply reveals the predatory relationship Trump and conservative evangelicals have. Most likely, Graham, Jeffress, and the rest know what Trump thinks about them. And while they can claim he has changed, they know he hasn't. One can easily measure Trump's behavior from the beginning of the 2016 campaign until now and easily come up with the the fact that Trump hasn't changed for the better. If anything, he's gotten worse.

If there has been any change since Trump took office, it's within the evangelical community. They no longer talk about values as much as they used to. They no longer pretend to look heavenward because their eyes are more on Trump than Jesus.  And in some ways, they are working to somehow mingle Trump with Jesus. And it's not working. They are so busy trying to point to the halo they claim exist over his head that they are totally oblivious to horns and tails which have appeared on their persons due to their close proximity to him.

But they don't care. As long as he gives them power and appoints judges they think will rule their way, particularly against LGBTQ equality and abortion, Trump could urinate publicly on the White House lawn and they would call it nectar from heaven.

'Georgia church splits from United Methodists over gay rights' & other Fri midday news briefs

21 Gay People And Couples That You May Or May Not Know Have Children - LGBTQ celebrities and their children. This is so cute! And it embraces how important visibility is. No matter what some fools try to tell us or mandate for us, we can have families. And we should have families if we want them. 

 Georgia church splits from United Methodists over gay rights - Faith and religious beliefs are two more things we should have regardless of what some people think because when it's all said and done, only God gets to judge us.

This Former Log Cabin Republican Is on a Mission to Stop Trump - Good for her!

The 100 Greatest Movie Insults - How many do you recognize?

 As I've said so many times during this awful pandemic, one can't allow himself to get so serious. While it's true that we have no idea if it will end any time soon, keeping ourselves from going insane with fear involves taking some time out from the seriousness of it all to laugh.

And while this blog mainly focuses on calling out the lies of the anti-LGBTQ industry, I also want people to come here for comfort as well as knowledge. With that in mind, the above video is embraces the gay stereotype of "scary bitchy." One hundred movie insults? Come on. You know there's a gay one in there somewhere.