Anti-LGBTQ site Libs of TikTok deletes tweet after attempt to smear teachers as 'groomers' backfire

Libs of TikTok ended up deleting this tweet after it failed to cause outrage.

Poor Libs of TikTok. 

The site's latest attempt to portray teachers and LGBTQ folks as 'groomers' of children backfired. Hard. People ended up praising the high school for its innovation and fun. It's getting harder and harder to push that outrage mojo.  And the tweet below is right. Sometimes the most annoying and dangerous people are the ones who see ugliness in everything. Especially in every facet of LGBTQ life.

Libs of Tik Tok deleted this video after people pointed out that this high school looks super fun. Imagine being so warped by hate that you see something sinister at work in this video https://t.co/a4KsPUHUx8 pic.twitter.com/uKl9gUbIF4

— Ari Drennen 🏳️‍🌈 (@AriDrennen) July 27, 2022

Hat tip to Ari Drennen, LGBTQ Program Director for Media Matters for America.

DeSantis claims that teachers are 'instructed' to tell kids that they may be transgender (but of course he doesn't back it up)

Ron DeSantis makes a claim about teachers which he doesn't back up

This is the thing with the constant attempt to create outrage. You get openly desperate and downright ludicrous. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has made a huge name for himself with the lie that LGBTQ people and drag queens are supposedly 'grooming' kids to be sexually active.

Now he has taken that nonsense a step farther. He definitely has presidential aspirations but with this new claim to his moral panic, DeSantis seems to be running out of juice.

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) claims elementary school workers are "instructed to tell" kids to switch genders:

"That is happening in our country. Anyone that tells you it's not happening is lying to you." pic.twitter.com/QSeBcYKL50

— The Recount (@therecount) July 27, 2022

From the New Civil Rights Movement: 

 Florida GOP Governor Ron DeSantis, continuing his months-long, fear-based attack on the LGBTQ community, appears to be claiming that elementary school teachers are “instructed” to tell children they they might be transgender, and insisting if anyone dares to disagree with him, they are “lying.” 

 . . . “This will be for elementary school kids, where they’re instructed to tell them, ‘You may have been born a boy, that may have been what you said, but maybe you’re really a girl.’ That’s wrong. That has no place in school – so that is happening in our country. Anyone that tells you it’s not happening is lying to you,” DeSantis, talking very fast, says in the video.

The New Civil Rights Movement went on to say that many folks have called DeSantis out, demanding that he prove his claim.  

Now y'all know damn well that he is not going to do that. I don't think his press secretary Christina Pushaw or the Libs of TikTok site can help him out either. Not saying that they won't try, though. I am sure that they will dig something up having nothing to do with DeSantis's claim as proof that his charges are real. And of course the propaganda right in the media and on Twitter will do their best to amplify it.

I actually want to see what they will attempt to come up with because this is slowly becoming entertaining. Granted, I still find the attacks on LGBTQ people and the accusations that we are 'grooming' kids to be false and disgusting. 

But it always somewhat interesting when the anti-LGBTQ lies get to this stage. Oh you didn't think this was new, did you? DeSantis's lie about teachers telling kids they may be trans mimics past lies about gays and children. And lies that gays have thousands of sex partners. And lies that gays have a short lifespan.   With these lies, there is always a point where the teller stretches them out until they can go no further. And they pop back, snapping the liar in the face.

DeSantis is long past due for his pop back.

'Group of attorney generals suing Biden Administration over LGBTQ school meal directive' & other Wed midday news briefs

Texas attorney general Ken Paxton

Ken Paxton Among AGs Suing USDA Over LGBTQ School Meal Directive - This is a heartless lawsuit. 

New HHS reg seeks non-discrimination in health care as monkeypox spreads - Pay attention folks. This is serious. 

Michaela Coel will play a queer character in Marvel’s new “Black Panther” film​ - Freakout in T-minus . . .

Some rugby players in Australia refuse to wear LGBTQ Pride jersey - So they don't and they sit out. We all know conservatives will brand them as the supposed new martyrs.

Florida families team up with Lambda Legal and SPLC for lawsuit against Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' law

Before it was passed in March, many people had serious problems with Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' law. Now, two lawsuits have been filed.

Now we are cooking.

From The Hill:

Civil rights groups, including Lambda Legal and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), in a lawsuit filed this week argued that a newly implemented Florida education law “silences and erases” LGBTQ+ students and families. 

 “The law, by design, chills speech and expression that have any connection, however remote, to sexual orientation or gender identity,” reads the lawsuit, filed Tuesday in federal court on behalf of 12 plaintiffs. The complaint is the latest challenge to Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law, dubbed by its critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” law. Plaintiffs in the suit are seeking to block the enforcement of the law within four Florida school districts. 

 Under the law, which was signed by the state’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in March and took effect early this month, public primary school teachers are barred from engaging in classroom instruction related to sexual orientation or gender identity. Public school educators through high school may not address either topic in a manner that is not “age appropriate or developmentally appropriate” for their students. The measure also empowers parents to directly sue a school district if they are dissatisfied with its implementation of the law, which legal scholars have said will likely chill the speech of teachers fearful of unintentionally violating the law. 

 “This vigilante enforcement mechanism, combined with the law’s intentionally vague and sweeping scope, invites parents who oppose any acknowledgment whatsoever of the existence of LGBTQ+ people to sue, resulting in schools acting aggressively to silence students, parents, and school personnel,” the lawsuit, also filed by the Southern Legal Counsel (SLC) and private counsel Baker McKenzie, reads. 

 According to NBC News, the lawsuit was filed on behalf of two Florida couples and their children; Florida high school student Will Larkins; and CenterLink, an international member-based association of LGBTQ centers. 

 Larkins, the founder and president of the school's Queer Student Union, testified against the Parental Rights in Education bill on the Florida Senate floor in February. Then, in March, Larkins taught their history class about the 1969 Stonewall uprising, a dayslong protest that began after a routine police raid at the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City's Greenwich Village neighborhood. Video of Larkins' presentation went viral. 

 Plaintiffs David Dinan and Vikranth Gongidi, a married same-sex couple, said they are "deeply concerned about the negative effect" that the law could have on their family. Their children, who are 8 and 9 years old, are also plaintiffs in the lawsuit. 

 . . .Parents Jennifer and Matthew Cousins said they are afraid the law will harm their four children, particularly S.C., who is 12 and a rising seventh grader. S.C. came out as nonbinary last year and uses they/them pronouns, according to the complaint. 

 The Hill also said:

 Another lawsuit filed against the law in March calls the measure a “blatantly unconstitutional” attempt to stigmatize and erase LGBTQ+ identities in Florida public schools. The complaint filed by Equality Florida, the National Center for Lesbian Rights and others names DeSantis, Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran and other education officials as defendants.

'Fox News attacked LGBTQ people on over 100 days in the first half of 2022' & other Tue midday news briefs

Fox News attacked LGBTQ people on over 100 days in the first half of 2022 — including nearly 90% of days during Pride Month​ - That's Fox News for ya. 

LGBTQ+ Protections Under Affordable Care Act to Be Expanded by Biden - Wonderful. Needs more attention though. 

Ted Cruz tries to mock queer people by announcing his new pronouns, looks like a complete idiot instead - 'Ted Cruz . . . looks like a complete idiot' is an evergreen statement. 

Record-setting college athlete says coming out as gay was the best thing he did for his career - Good for him. That's the point of it all. Feeling good about yourself and then excelling.

Ben Shapiro makes a fool of himself with latest attack on marriage equality

Ben Shapiro

When I read mess like this, I don't know WHY folks think of arch conservative Ben Shapiro as a brilliant mind. There are so many things wrong with his tweet. Can you guess what they are?

For one thing, if you took Shapiro's argument further, one could say that there is no Constitutional right to interracial marriage. And isn't it strange (or convenient) how people like SCOTUS Justice Clarence Thomas formulates that same argument to use against marriage equality but not interracial marriage.

Could it be because Thomas is in an interracial marriage. That is a point we shouldn't be afraid to continuously make and amplify.

But more to the point, I personally think the Founders wouldn't laugh at the idea of marriage equality. I don't think they would recover from seeing a black president, women voting, etc. etc.  It's rather an inane idea to actually talk about the intent of the Founders. Who cares what they would think? They are, for lack of a politer word, dead.  We shouldn't be ruled by the wishes of deceased men particularly when, in spite of their attributes, they lived in a world of open racism, sexism, and extreme xenophobia. 

Lastly, what's all of this nonsense about a sexual relationship. That's underscores the problem with people like Shapiro. No matter how many times LGBTQ people tell and demonstrate, folks like Shapiro are intent on reducing our relationships to that of carnality. It doesn't matter how long we stay together, how many children we raise, or our overall loving family situation. People like Shapiro see LGBTQ couples and they want to do is pigeonhole into matters of sexual intercourse.

They have every right to that opinion. What they do not have a right to do is impose it on us. Our relationships are also about love and commitment. No one has a right to minimize that. None of it.

''We failed.' Gay Republicans in Texas GOP see little progress' & other Mon midday news briefs

“We failed”: Gay Republicans who fought for acceptance in Texas GOP see little progress​ - My heart bleeds for y'all . . . no it doesn't. You can't get people who hate you to not hate you. 

New From AP: Use ‘Accurate, Sensitive, Unbiased Language’ To Cover Trans People - Thank you, Associated Press.

Australia, Europe & Asia host a vast array of LGBTQ leaders. Meet some of them now - Kick ass! 

Marriage Equality Bill Could Pass Senate Despite Some GOP Opposition - Chyle, I will believe when I see it.

Roger the Alien from 'American Dad' is the most sexually subversive character on television

Editor's note - I wanted to do a fun post to start the week on a comical note. For me especially

For all of the whining about how 'Hollywood is trying to sexualize' kids' and how LGBTQ folks are trying to 'groom' kids, I am surprised how the character of Roger the Alien from American Dad has escaped scrutiny. And not just from the right. There is definite offense which can be drawn from the other side of the political spectrum.  He can be easily seen as a high speed right-wing caricature of  a gay (mostly bisexual) man - shallow, extremely promiscuous, and selfish. But he's a cartoon alien, so there are things he can get away with saying and doing. That's why, as the video proves, he is the most sexually subversive character on television today.

Libs of TikTok - "Help! Drag queens are grooming kids to like math! Oh the horrors!"

The tweet below from my friend Zack Ford (Press Secretary for The Alliance of Justice)  illustrates the basic inanity of the anti-LGBTQ site Libs of TikTok. When your business model is creating rage generated by lies that LGBTQ people are sexually grooming kids, you become desperate in finding new items to exploit. Thusly you end up looking like a desperate fool.

Every once in a while I check in and it's clear this account cares nothing about accuracy.

1. The school's in Canada
2. The drag queen spoke to the GSA — the queer students!
3. @onlinekyne literally has a channel where she teaches mathematics. She literally encourages learning! pic.twitter.com/pDmOS0xITM

— Zack Ford (@ZackFord) July 21, 2022

'LGBTQ people, keep voting against anyone who votes against you' & other Thur midday news briefs

Column: LGBTQ people, keep voting against anyone who votes against you - PREACH!!

Schumer says he wants to bring same-sex marriage bill up for Senate vote - We'll see. 

Josh Hawley comes out against landmark Obergefell ruling as Senate considers marriage equality bill​ - Surprising no one. 

Republican war on queer comic books is dystopian and cruel - It's a part of their general war on everything we do and who we are. 

Catholic hospital chain escalates church war on LGBTQ+ workers - We TOLD you this was not about just bakeries or weddings.

Far-right distorts Dr. Rachel Levine's comments to claim she wants trans children to have 'sex reassignment surgery'

The far-right is attacking Dr. Rachel Levine (again)

Members of the anti-LGBTQ industry are twisting the words of Assistant Health Secretary Rachel Levine to claim that she is wanting children to harm themselves. Levine is the first trans person confirmed by the Senate to a federal post. Unfortunately a liability of this is that she is a target of every bigot and clout chaser spreading the lie that gender-affirming care is harmful to children. Recently they have been sharing 18 seconds of statements she made to MSNBC about allowing trans children to have gender-affirming care, while adding their own distorted spin: 

Biden’s Assistant Health Secretary: We want to “empower” children to go through sex reassignment surgery. pic.twitter.com/mALheDa5Ys

— Arthur Schwartz (@ArthurSchwartz) July 18, 2022

As you can see, she did not say anything about children having "sex reassignment surgery."

And this guy is not the only one distorting what she said, as various right-wing headlines show:

No Seriously, They Really Are After Your Kids

 SICK: Biden’s Transgender Assistant Secretary of Health Dr. Levine Says We Need to “Empower” Children to go On Puberty Blockers (VIDEO) 

VIDEO: Levine: We need to “empower” kids to go on puberty blockers and get sex reassignment surgery 

 The point is gender-affirming care for trans youth is a complex issue and it doesn't necessary always involve puberty blockers and it certainly doesn't involve far-right fear mongering about "sex reassignment surgery." 

There are numerous credible articles and resources out there which give an accurate view of gender-affirming care for trans youth and how this care actually saves their lives. It's not hard to find.

But the far-right fanatics don't want you to see any of it. They don't want you to even know any of it exists.

Just as in present cases of them accusing LGBTQ people of 'grooming' kids, far-right bigots and clout chasers aren't interested in educating about what's really going because they get more prominence and money from scaring people. They want to conjure anger and exploit general emotion by creating images of children being harmed, whether it be being sexually exploited or supposedly tricked or forced into make decisions about their bodies they will supposedly regret.

None of it is true but as long as they bombard the media with this mess, they think that the truth won't matter.

'Gender-affirming care improves mental health' & other Wed midday news briefs

Gender-Affirming Care Improves Mental Health—and May Save Lives - Repeat it for the folks in the back (again) 

Congress is debating marriage equality & LGBTQ legislators aren’t pulling any punches​ - The speeches from LGBTQ Congressional leaders prove that representation matters. 

Twitter Refuses to Remove Hateful Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Tweets - Simply a hot mess. 

Homophobia, harassment, and anti-mask tantrums: Meet OAN’s latest personality - Great, we got another one. Our media seems to breed them.

The House gives bipartisan approval to protect same-sex marriage. Openly gay Congressman gives definitive reason on why bill is needed.

By a vote of 267 - 157, the House of Representatives voted to codify same-sex marriage and interracial marriage into law. The need to do so came after the SCOTUS decision earlier this month which overturned Roe V Wade. In writing for that decision, Justice Clarence Thomas suggested that the court should revisit - i.e. - change its earlier decisions on several cases, including Obergefell vs. Hodges which legalized same-sex marriage. 

Conveniently (he's in an interracial marriage), Thomas didn't mention revisiting the SCOTUS decision which legalized interracial marriage.

Now the bill goes to the Senate where we will have to see what happens. What's interesting about the House vote is the fact while all of the no votes came from Republicans, 47 other Republicans voted for the bill, which makes it bipartisan. This underscores the fact Americans support same-sex marriage by a large number.

The speech of the hour should go to openly gay Congressman Mark Pocan (D-WI). As seen in the above video, it only took him 57 seconds break down why marriage is important to LGBTQ people. It's something we should remind folks of every opportunity we get.

'White supremacists who destroyed a Pride mural get caught by their own video' & other Tue midday news briefs

White supremacists destroyed a Pride mural. The video they made got them arrested. - Stupid white supremacists. That's a narrative I will never get tired of. 

Penguin Random House erects billboards displaying work from LGBTQ writers in response to recent book bans - Good for them! 

2022 is already a record year for state bills seeking to curtail LGBTQ rights, ACLU data shows - The fight for equality isn't supposed to be easy, but damn! '

Those people': French minister's LGBTQ remarks spark anger - The funny part of the entire thing? She was trying to defend herself from charges of being prejudiced. That certainly didn't work out.

Conservative columnist exploiting monkeypox to stigmatize LGBTQ community

They simply cannot help themselves. 

From The Advocate:

A conservative columnist is being taken to task for a stigmatizing tweet about monkeypox vaccines. Bethany S. Mandel, who has spoken out against COVID-19 mask mandates and other public health measures, tweeted Monday about people lined up for the MPV vaccine in Brooklyn, N.Y., saying the virus is transmitted only by “sex with strangers.” 

That’s not true. The following is from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: “The virus can spread from person-to-person through: direct contact with the infectious rash, scabs, or body fluids; respiratory secretions during prolonged, face-to-face contact, or during intimate physical contact, such as kissing, cuddling, or sex; touching items (such as clothing or linens) that previously touched the infectious rash or body fluids; pregnant people can spread the virus to their fetus through the placenta.”

The article also said

The current outbreak, which has resulted in 1,814 confirmed U.S. cases by the CDC’s latest count, has been concentrated among men who have sex with men, but public health authorities have stressed that MPV does not discriminate. “Infectious disease knows no boundaries,” Dr. Raj Panjabi, senior director for global health security at the White House, told The Advocate recently, noting that there should be no stigma attached to the virus.

 Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, director of the CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, made a similar point in an Advocate interview. “Unfortunately, the virus hit the social network of gay men first, but it will not stay confined to gay men if it spreads,” he said. “Anyone can get it, and anyone can get monkeypox through skin contact with sores, touching objects, and by respiratory. The virus does not discriminate and doesn’t care how or whose body it enters.”

Many in the LGBTQ community have pointed out how certain people and groups are attempting to exploit monkeypox to stigmatize our community in the same manner which happened during the AIDS crisis. Bethany Mandel seems to be doing her best to justify those fears. I doubt she will be the only one. And if others show themselves, they will get handled like she did in the thread.

'Controversial Log Cabin Republican state president resigns from VA LGBTQ+ Advisory Board' & other Mon midday news briefs

Casey Flores

Embattled Gay Va. LGBTQ+ Advisory Board Member Casey Flores Resigns​ - People like him we don't need, as the comments he made proves:

 “We’ve made it in America — gays have,” Flores said. “This is the greatest country in the world to be gay in. But maybe there are some things here and there that need to be ironed out.” “We owe a debt of gratitude to the gay left for fighting so hard for marriage, adoption rights, and not being able to be fired for being gay,” he said. “I really wish that they would enjoy the fruits of their labor, but a lot of people on the gay left act like they’re oppressed, and they’re doing it from the nicest condos in the nicest neighborhoods in the nicest cities, and they’re saying ‘it’s still a terrible place to live.’ That’s what’s confusing to me.” 

 In the words of Florence from 'The Jeffersons' - "How come we overcame but nobody told me." 

“I'm a furry animal”: How a Florida hearing on health care became a dangerous feedback loop for anti-trans hoaxes and hate - If DeSantis gets anywhere near the Oval Office, even hiding in closets won't protect us. 

Federal judge temporarily blocks Biden administration from protecting transgender students and workers in 20 states - Just in case you didn't hear about THIS particular travesty. 

Charles Barkley delivers a message to homophobes: ‘F-you!’ - Sometimes the simplest messages are the best.

Christofascism - get used to that word because you will be hearing a lot more about it

    America's future if certain people have their way.

People are starting to realize that attacks on the LGBTQ community all of these years was only the small part of a larger attempt to push America in a far-right conservative evangelical direction. Or in other words, towards the direction of  dominionist theology - a belief which states that America is a Christian nation which should be governed by a conservative evangelical interpretation of the Bible

It's a polite way of saying 'Christofascism.'  I would suggest that folks get used to that term because we will be hearing it a lot in the future. For one thing, people are questioning recent rulings of the Supreme Court in terms of how they could be weakening the wall between church and state.

And then there are these folks in the video below:

If this doesn’t scare you, I don’t know what will. Christofascist indoctrination ceremony: pic.twitter.com/gQZ9KdwsMU

— Nick Knudsen 🇺🇸 (@NickKnudsenUS) July 13, 2022

According to Newsweek: 

A video of a church event in Georgia has gone viral as it showed a congregation vow to save the United States and take the country "back" during a 4 minute-long declaration. The video, which has been viewed more than 1 million times on Twitter, was taken during a FlashPoint Live Church event on July 1 at the Gas South Arena in Duluth, Georgia. 

The speakers for the event included preacher Gene Bailey, evangelical leader Lance Wallnau, preacher Mario Murillo and pastor Hank Kunneman. In the video, a group of men on stage recite the "Watchman Decree" and the churchgoers eventually also join in. The decree states that believers have been given "legal power from heaven" to exercise their authority and declares "America's executive branch of government will honor God and defend the Constitution." It also adds that Congress will only write laws that are "righteous and constitutional."

This viral video comes at a time of growing Christian nationalism in the U.S. Politicians like Republican Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Lauren Boebert of Colorado have welcomed this trend. The declaration concludes with those reciting it proclaiming that the U.S. will be saved and that the country will be taken back.

 "We know this country was founded on Judeo-Christian principles," the group said in the final parts of the prayer declaration. "We know the truth; therefore we stand for truth and will NEVER be deceived. We will NEVER stop fighting! We will NEVER, EVER, EVER give up or give in. We WILL take our country back. We WILL honor the ONE TRUE GOD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! AMERICA SHALL BE SAVED!"

'Trump is going down and he is taking evangelicals with him' & other Fri midday news briefs

Trump Is Going Down and He Is Taking Evangelicals with Him​ - Mercy, if wishes were horses! 

These countries are perfectly happy to let LGBTQ discrimination happen even though they ban it - We are included on the list. 

Families With Trans Kids Are Fleeing Hostile States for Welcoming Ones - I hate that it's come to this, but as long as they are safe. 

A clear-eyed defense of pregnant trans men and nonbinary people became right-wing media's latest excuse to push intolerance - But of course. It's what they do.

Republicans have 'plans' for the LGBTQ - especially the transgender - community if they take over Congress

This ain't pretty but it's not meant to be a reason to declare defeat. We have two options -vote like mad and plan to fight just in case they do take over.

But declaring defeat should never be an option. 

From Reuters:

U.S. Republicans in Congress are lining up behind legislation that critics say would roll back protections for transgender people, setting a playbook for action on a divisive social issue should they take control of Congress this fall. The bills have no chance of becoming law this year, as Democrats narrowly control both chambers of Congress. 

But they are a sign that Republicans aim to elevate a battle over transgender rights that has so far largely played out at the state level. Republicans in the House of Representatives have introduced a bill that would block federal funding to colleges where transgender women are allowed to participate in sports with cisgender women. A separate bill would allow transgender people to sue medical personnel who helped them transition as minors. 

 And of course the rest of us shouldn't feel left out. The GOP is cooking something especially nasty for us in a federal approval of statewide 'Don't Say Gay' laws like the one in Florida: 

 Another bill would block funding to schools that disobey state laws regarding "materials harmful to minors," mimicking state laws that have been used to remove books discussing history around race and LGBT themes. The bills have support from key Republicans in the House and Senate. Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has promoted the sports bill at a press conference and in a conservative newspaper. It is backed by 127 of 211 House Republicans. 

 In the Senate, five Republicans have sponsored a version of the bill targeting medical providers, including Senators Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley and Marco Rubio. Republicans would be in a position to advance those bills next year if they win control of the House or the Senate in the Nov. 8 midterm elections, which analysts say is likely.

We are just going to have see what happens and particularly be prepared for anything. Personally I think all of this attention to extreme far-right positions on issues like LGBTQ rights and abortion is going to end up blowing up in their faces.

The scary thing to contemplate is how much damage will be done before that desired result takes place.

Related post - Yale researchers condemn Florida's misleading and flawed report used to deny gender-affirming care to Medicaid users

'Eight midterm races crucial for the future of LGBTQ+ Americans' & other Thur midday news briefs

8 Midterm Races Crucial for the Future of LGBTQ+ Americans - Pay attention and write it down. This is important.

GOP Congressman sued for implying opponent is gay in vile campaign mailers​ - Messy. 

Yale researchers condemn Florida's misleading and flawed report used to deny gender-affirming care to Medicaid users - My post from last night. Kind of important. 

Social media platforms aren't doing enough to keep LGBTQ people safe, group says - No they aren't.

Summer of love: LGBTQ people across sports tie the knot and get engaged - Awwww! This is sweet!

Yale researchers condemn Florida's misleading and flawed report used to deny gender-affirming care to Medicaid users

Due to the political desires of its governor, Ron DeSantis, Florida has been raging against the transgender community. It's latest goal is to deny gender affirming care for Medicaid users. On Friday of last week, a biased hearing was held on the matter 

According to the Sun Sentinel:

Friday’s meeting drew more than 150 people, with supporters of the proposed rule — many of them sporting “Let Kids Be Kids” decals and making biblical references — vastly outnumbering opponents. Speakers supporting the proposal included a Baptist minister, members of the Florida Citizens Alliance, the head of the Christian Family Coalition, the founder of the Florida Prayer Network, a representative of the Florida Federation of Republican Women and a man carrying a giant American flag on a pole.

It's the same as the marriage equality fight. If you will remember, opponents of marriage equality were very successful in rallying supporters and seizing headlines. But this success always withered away when facts by noted experts were brought in. Apparently this fight is no different.

Today, a group of researchers from Yale University announced their review of Florida's justification to deny gender affirming care to Medicaid users. And it was not pretty. 

As Florida policymakers pursue state-level restrictions on transgender care, legal and medical experts from Yale Law School, the Yale School of Medicine’s Child Study Center and Departments of Psychiatry and Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern, and University of Alabama at Birmingham have released a new report that identifies and refutes the many unscientific claims behind the effort. The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration’s (AHCA) June 2 Report alleges that nationally accepted standard medical care for gender dysphoria does not meet generally accepted medical standards for Medicaid coverage. A team of seven scientists and a law professor argue the State of Florida’s position is “thoroughly flawed and lacking scientific weight.” 

 The report, “A Critical Review of the June 2022 Florida Medicaid Report on the Medical Treatment of Gender Dysphoria,” represents the first comprehensive examination of Florida’s June 2 Report, which the authors contend is a misleading document intended to justify denying Florida Medicaid coverage for gender dysphoria treatment. Nothing in Florida’s June 2 Report calls into question the scientific foundations of standard medical care for gender dysphoria, according to the authors.

According to the Yale Law School press release, the researchers listed in the report and in a July 2 public letter four ways in which The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration’s (AHCA)'s report was inaccurate:

'Florida trying to ban gender affirming care for Medicaid users' & other Wed midday news briefs

Florida governor Ron DeSantis

Florida Pushes Forward to Ban Gender-Affirming Care for Medicaid Users​ - FL governor Ron DeSantis is attempting to get re-elected by making LGBTQ folks - particularly trans Floridians - as scapegoats. Pay attention because he is a GOP front runner for president and you can bet he will replicate mess like this. 

Florida school axes anti-LGBTQ bullying prevention measure because of Don’t Say Gay law - Second verse. Same as the first. 

Russian lawmakers propose extending ‘gay propaganda’ law to all adults - Some GOP lawmakers have been tiptoeing ever so slightly in Russia's direction when it comes to persecuting LGBTQ people. Pay attention. 

LGBTQ policy sparks protest at GR wedding venue - Venue doesn't want to host same-sex weddings, but they didn't want to inform anyone of the policy and won't refund anyone who wants to cancel because of their policy. Not exactly fair. If they are going to discriminate, they should be more open about it. If it's your values, then don't hide them.

'She's a phony' - Political ad knocks GOP candidate Kari Lake over her drag queen controversy

 

 Arizona GOP gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake used to claim to be a friend of the LGBTQ community and a fan of drag queens. But since announcing her candidacy, Ms. Lake has made a 90 degree turn, even so much as to amplify the lie that drag queens are trying to "indoctrinate" or "groom" children. 

That didn't go unanswered. Lake was called out by a former friend and a drag queen, Richard Stevens, who came with receipts. And this political ad courtesy of The American Focus PAC calls attention to Lake's particular hypocrisy in that area. As well as general changes in her political position. 

Editor's note - I don't know if the American Focus PAC is a left-wing or right-wing group. If it's right-wing, I say let them fight and enjoy it.

'Politico article claims religious right tried to influence three SCOTUS justices through meals & entertainment' & other Tue midday news briefs

Along with the late Antonin Scalia, the religious right have been engaging in an extensive program to influence two other SCOTUS justices through meals and entertainment. Guess who they are?

‘Operation Higher Court’: Inside the religious right’s efforts to wine and dine Supreme Court justices​ - We need to recognize that all of this stuff we've been doing over the years was merely preliminary. It was a prelude to this. The religious right wants to redo America in it's image. The battle over LGBTQ equality - which they have been losing - was only a small battle in a big war. THAT war is now here. 

Man sues library board over LGBTQ & antiracism books. He has the nuttiest argument possible. - And he hasn't read any of the books. But of course he hasn't. 

 14 LGBTQ+ Pride Celebrations Held in Rural or Small-Town America - Cause it's not just about the big cities, y'all. We are everywhere.

Is the word 'women' being erased from the abortion rights movement? - With all due respect, I hope that women don't buy that nonsense that they are being erased. It's not true. It's like a gender version of that racist replacement theory. 

Famed designer Jean Paul Gaultier’s advice to younger gay men on aging - It's good advice.

Family Research Council manipulates the IRS to have it declared a church while continuing to dip into politics

How's this for a kick in the teeth? According to the investigative journalism site ProPublica, anti-LGBTQ hate group the Family Research Council is now considered a church by the IRS: 

 The Family Research Council’s multimillion-dollar headquarters sit on G Street in Washington, D.C., just steps from the U.S. Capitol and the White House, a spot ideally situated for its work as a right-wing policy think tank and political pressure group. 

 From its perch at the heart of the nation’s capital, the FRC has pushed for legislation banning gender-affirming surgery; filed amicus briefs supporting the overturning of Roe v. Wade; and advocated for religious exemptions to civil rights laws. Its longtime head, a former state lawmaker and ordained minister named Tony Perkins, claims credit for pushing the Republican platform rightward over the past two decades. 

 What is the FRC? Its website sums up the answer to this question in 63 words: “A nonprofit research and educational organization dedicated to articulating and advancing a family-centered philosophy of public life. In addition to providing policy research and analysis for the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the federal government, FRC seeks to inform the news media, the academic community, business leaders, and the general public about family issues that affect the nation from a biblical worldview.”

 In the eyes of the Internal Revenue Service, though, it is also a church, with Perkins as its religious leader. 

 According to documents obtained via the Freedom of Information Act and given to ProPublica, the FRC filed an application to change its status to an “association of churches,” a designation commonly used by groups with member churches like the Southern Baptist Convention, in March 2020. The agency approved the change a few months later. The FRC is one of a growing list of activist groups to seek church status, a designation that comes with the ability for an organization to shield itself from financial scrutiny. Once the IRS blessed it as an association of churches, the FRC was no longer required to file a public tax return, known as a Form 990, revealing key staffer salaries, the names of board members and related organizations, large payments to independent contractors and grants the organization has made. 

The article goes on to point out how FRC and other groups (such at the Liberty Counsel and the American Family Association) manipulate the IRS rules to have themselves declared as churches so that they can hide their financial matters while also actually politicking such as announcing the event below:

You will notice that in the graphic above, FRC is careful to say that it doesn't sponsor the appearance of any candidate for public office or support any candidate. However, no one is stupid as to how this tilts.

On its webpage sponsoring the event, FRC says:

Join Family Research Council and FRC Action for our second annual Pray Vote Stand Summit! We will equip and encourage believers as we discuss current cultural issues impacting faith, family, and freedom and evaluate these through the lens of a biblical worldview. We will cover important topics like protecting the unborn, the importance of the nuclear family, domestic and international religious liberty, and our education system as well as ways we can act and influence these for the benefit of our families, churches, communities and nation. As we do this, the PVS Summit will encourage believers to embrace the true source of our strength, the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word. Join us as we pray, vote, and stand in these challenging days!

ProPublica's article also points out that complaints were made to the IRS about what FRC was doing, but they have been ignored. Nor did the IRS make any agents available for ProPublica when the site submitted questions to them.

But one portion of the article resonated with me and should resonate with the rest of us as we now see the unashamedly open way FRC and groups like it are expanding their power in the name of Christian nationalism:

The Southern Poverty Law Center classifies the FRC, Liberty Counsel and the American Family Association as hate groups for their anti-LGBTQ stances and advocacy. But (the Political Research Associates researcher Fred) Clarkson . . . said focusing on that designation misses the larger sphere of the FRC’s political influence. In recent years, he said, the FRC’s rhetoric and actions have influenced politics away from democracy and in a direction that is “distinctly theocratic.” 

 “Abortion and LGBT issues are not the war,” he said. “They’re battles in the war.”

'Canadian LGBTQ+ youth center attacked by extremist Libs of Tik Tok' & other Mon midday news briefs

Canadian LGBTQ+ youth centre attacked by extremist Libs of Tik-Tok​ - Just a mess. 

Trans woman sues Chick-fil-A after an employee sexually harassed & threatened to beat her up - I hope she wins.

U.N. Steps Up Efforts Against Anti-LGBTQ+ Violence and Discrimination - We will see. 

Most Texas, Florida voters say transgender youth should have access to gender-affirming care - I'm sure the right will push some lies to blunt that response. '

Haters tried. Haters failed. Paltry protestors doesn't stop popular TX drag show

 

Haters tried. Haters failed.

From MSN:

About 100 activists lined the sidewalk outside of Hamburger Mary's, an LGBTQ-friendly restaurant in downtown, Sunday to stand against a handful of anti-transgender protesters from North Texas who came to demonstrate outside a drag show at the restaurant. 

 The dozen or so protesters with Protect Texas Kids, a group that claims children are being “indoctrinated” by gay and transgender activists, were largely drowned out by boos and chants from the counter-protesters who vastly outnumbered them. “Stop the hate, stop the fear, everyone is welcome here,” the crowd chanted. Soon after the protest started, a small group of men, some of them wearing Nazi regalia, arrived to join the anti-trans protesters, shouting homophobic slurs and Nazi slogans across Prairie Street. 

 . . . Outside the restaurant on Sunday, the 100 or so counter protesters danced along to the disco and funk music booming from Hamburger Mary's, holding up large cloth banners to protect patrons from view and cheering when some of the performers came out to take pictures. The anti-trans demonstrators and counter-protesters lobbed insults at each other from across Praire Street, but the standoff never amounted to a physical confrontation. 

(Kelly) Neidert, a well-known conservative activist, said her group traveled from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, to denounce a performance that she acknowledged was taking place at a privately-owned business, but one that she said was “inherently sexual.” “I don’t think parents should be allowed to take their kids to these events, and I think that there should be a law banning it from happening,” Neidert said. 

 The anti-trans demonstrators left Hamburger Mary’s after about three hours, followed shortly after by the counter-protesters. For the counter-protesters, their large turnout, compared to the paltry showing from the anti-trans demonstrators, was proof that Houstonians would not abide hate.

'Far-right pushing lie that Highland Parker shooter is transgender' & other Fri midday news briefs

Far-right falsely says that the Highland Park shooter is transgender to stop gun control push​ - Here we go again. They did that the last time. And I am aware of how spooky it is for me to say 'the last time.'

Texas trans activist, 11, flees the state after years of advocacy - The family did what it had to do, but it's wrong that they have to go.

‘This is disgusting’: Display at Kansas City church defaced with anti-LGBTQ message - For crying out loud . . . 

Couple parted by the pandemic finally gets their happily ever after - This is soooo sweet! 

New anti-LGBTQ group has me 'GAG'ging with laughter - My post from last night because sometimes the best way to combat homophobia is to point out how ridiculous it is.

New anti-LGBTQ group has me 'GAG'ging with laughter

Have y'all heard of this new anti-LGBTQ group called 'Gays Against Groomers.' The group will have you to believe that it is a coalition of gays who think that the 'radical gays' are making us all look bad supposedly sexualizing and indoctrinating kids. It's the old "America would accept and tolerate LGBTQ people if we didn't try so hard to be outrageous' argument on steroids combined with the even older lie that LGBTQ people are 'recruiting' children.

We know nothing about this group except for how it conveniently sprang up on Twitter out of nowhere, appropriates right-wing lies against LGBTQ people, and that the conservative propaganda industry is trying hard to make it seem legitimate.

I say it's all astroturfed bullshit, probably from the same grimy political crevice which created and funds that droll Libs of TikTok. And like Libs of TikTok, 'Gays Against Groomers' uses the modus operandi of mischaracterizing tweets and slandering people as examples of LGBTQ people supposedly sexualizing children.

Or, as the tweet below shows, making up all sorts of nonsense about LGBTQ people, teachers, and drag queens which borders on parody.

Even the name is a joke. 'Gays Against Groomers' or 'GAG' for short? Does the group even know the irony of it all? It claims to be against sexualization while reeking of sexualization.

 If the group isn't legitimate, it wouldn't surprise me. Far right conservatives have a tract record of making fools of themselves when they attempt to portray themselves as  "appropriate gays." Of course if this group is in any small way legitimate, then it's obvious that its either telegraphing some serious internal homophobia or some serious carnal desires which I suggest its members need to take care of instead of pushing up on the rest of the LGBTQ community.

Hating on us ain't gonna get you laid.

'Facebook, Instagram allowing anti-LBTQ rhetoric to flourish on platforms' & other Thur midday news briefs

Facebook allowed dangerous anti-LGBTQ rhetoric to spread across the platform during Pride Month​ - Bombarding us with madness. 

Instagram is allowing accounts to spew hate at LGBTQ people, while also claiming to support the community - Ugh! On Instagram, too. 

How to Support Drag Queen Story Hour With Community-Led Safety - Don't back down an inch. 

Out pro wrestlers racked up titles during Pride month - Not bad. This is significant because it means that pro wrestling groups see LGBTQ wrestlers as money makers. That's why they booked them to win titles.

Rolling Stone article calls out possible ethical breach between SCOTUS justices and anti-LGBTQ hate group

 

SCOTUS Justice Clarence Thomas wants to revisit decisions favoring LGBTQ Americans. Rolling Stone magazine just pointed out a possible breach of ethics between him and an anti-LGBTQ hate group.

This article from Rolling Stone magazine needs more attention. It underscores just how brazen far right conservatives and some SCOTUS justices are:

At an evangelical victory party in front of the Supreme Court to celebrate the downfall of Roe v. Wade last week, a prominent Capitol Hill religious leader was caught on a hot mic making a bombshell claim: that she prays with sitting justices inside the high court. “We’re the only people who do that,” Peggy Nienaber said. 

 This disclosure was a serious matter on its own terms, but it also suggested a major conflict of interest. Nienaber’s ministry’s umbrella organization, Liberty Counsel, frequently brings lawsuits before the Supreme Court. In fact, the conservative majority in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, which ended nearly 50 years of federal abortion rights, cited an amicus brief authored by Liberty Counsel in its ruling. 

 In other words: Sitting Supreme Court justices have prayed together with evangelical leaders whose bosses were bringing cases and arguments before the high court. Nienaber is Liberty Counsel’s executive director of DC Ministry, as well as the vice president of Faith & Liberty, whose ministry offices sit directly behind the Supreme Court. She spoke to a livestreamer who goes by Connie IRL, seemingly unaware she was being recorded. 

“You actually pray with the Supreme Court justices?” the livestreamer asked. “I do,” Nienaber said. “They will pray with us, those that like us to pray with them.” She did not specify which justices prayed with her, but added with a chortle, “Some of them don’t!” The livestreamer then asked if Nienaber ministered to the justices in their homes or at her office. Neither, she said. “We actually go in there.”

Here's something which makes it worse. The Liberty Counsel has been called an anti-LGBTQ hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center:

With the expansion of equal rights for LGBT people, especially, the Liberty Counsel has come into their own, working to attempt to ensure that Christians can continue to engage in anti-LGBT discrimination in places of business under the guise of “religious liberty.” 

Through lawsuits and its annual Awakening conference in Orlando, the Counsel attempts to enforce the idea that Christian beliefs and law trump all other law. Staver has warned about homosexuality, abortion, and the consequences for Christians who oppose homosexuality and marriage equality, saying they will be targeted for their views. He even went so far as to call for a new revolutionary war as marriage equality advanced. In March of 2015, Staver stated that he would personally advocate disobedience to any U.S. Supreme Court ruling that favored marriage equality, and that “collectively, we cannot accept that as the rule of law.”

 During the 2015 brouhaha over Indiana’s religious freedom law, Staver likened “the homosexual lobby” to terrorists, claiming that “it’s hard to negotiate with people who are irrational and who are inventing things that simply don’t exist.” He has also supported the criminalization of homosexuality both in the U.S. and in other countries, stating in one instance that Malawi’s anti-homosexuality laws were in its “own best interests” after the U.S. reportedly withheld monetary aid to the country because of its efforts to outlaw homosexuality.

 In the Counsel’s amicus curiae brief in the 2003 Lawrence v. Texas lawsuit in which the Supreme Court decriminalized sodomy, the attorneys writing (including Staver) called for the court to uphold anti-sodomy laws, stating that “This Court again should decline to deprive states of the power to enact statutes that proscribe harmful and immoral conduct.” The Liberty Counsel went on to say that statistical evidence “demonstrates, however, that those who engage in homosexual conduct are at increased risk for numerous diseases as compared to heterosexuals.”

What the Liberty Counsel has done in the past to attack LGBTQ rights deserves special attention, particularly in light of recent comments by Justice Clarence Thomas that the court should revisit decisions made for LGBTQ people, including the outlawing of the sodomy laws. According to the Rolling Stone article, Thomas was as one of the justices the group prayed with. 

'Gay Missouri legislature candidate refuses to back down from homophobes' & other Wed midday news briefs

This gay Missouri legislature candidate refuses to back down from homophobes - Good for him!

Conservative Dominance of Talk Radio is a Threat to Democracy​ - Yep. And you just know they are manipulating the engine. 

Macy Gray goes on anti-transgender rant: Changing “your parts doesn’t make you a woman” - Just too damn simplistic. That's the problem. Folks don't want to listen because they are too busy trying to simplify a complex situation. 

SCOTUS ruling on abortion has LGBTQ families concerned about their rights - Somewhere that bitter old Clarence Thomas is wetting his pants in glee.

Ugliness of homophobia, transphobia must always be revealed

Every group has to deal with stereotypes created out of prejudices. And of course that includes LGBTQ people. 

I made a short list:

We are trying to recruit children

We like lots of sex, the unhealthiest the better

We are disease ridden individuals

We are criminals

We hate Christians 

It's same message Anita Bryant pushed in the 70s, the Moral Majority pushed in the 80s, the religious right pushed in the 90s, and the same message we are being bombarded with today by people like Ron DeSantis, Christopher Rufo, Seth Dillon, and the rest of that bunch.

And like in the past, it's being prettied up and disguised behind the veneer of parental rights, protecting the children, religious liberty or whatever boardroom concept conservatives have dreamed up. But as difficult as it is, we must never forget the rip off the mask every chance we get and expose just what we're dealing with.

When you rip away the disguise, below is what you see. Lies, lies, and more lies.

Links to comics are here. Trigger alert warning.