Wednesday, December 18, 2024

The Daily Show gives 'No 1 book banner' wide room to make a fool of himself.

 

This took place earlier this month. I don't know how I missed it.
 

The Daily Show's Michael Kosta . . .  interviewed the "No. 1 book banner" in Florida, the state where books are banned from public schools more than any other state in the U.S. Gee, thanks for that, Gov. DeSantis. He hit the Floridians' central issues, like banning Maya Angelou's 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.' Imagine banning Maya Angelou's book. Holy shit. 

 Kosta spoke with Bruce Friedman, a conservative activist who is responsible for that. He admitted that he has filed more than 900 objections to books so far. Kosta used expletives throughout the interview since Friedman is against profanity. 

The interview is hilarious and pathetic at the same time. "You're the Michael Jordan of book banning," Kosta said. "Well, in the last two years, I've challenged more than one book every calendar day," Friedman said.
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Monday, December 16, 2024

'Pastor snuck anti-trans speech into school board meeting. Instantly got checked' & other Mon/Tues news briefs


Pastor snuck anti-trans speech into school board meeting. He was instantly shot down. - Nice try. Folks were not having it.


15 LGBTQ-Inclusive Winter Holiday Books for Kids - While cash is always good for me, these too are wonderful Christmas gifts. 

Democratic senators seek to ax transgender care ban from defense bill​ - Republicans in the House snuck anti-trans legislation in a must-pass defense bill. Democrats in the Senate are going to remove it. Hopefully. 

These iconic Disney stars came out as LGBTQ+ - Good article, BUT they omitted older stars like Dennis Day and Tommy Kirk.

Rep. Nancy Mace's position on LGBTQ community appears to have changed - You mean Nancy Mace is a lying fake? No kidding!
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Thursday, December 12, 2024

Nancy Mace becomes social media laughingstock after questionable claim of assault by 'pro-trans man'

South Carolina Congresswoman Nancy Mace is now being mocked on social media due to a recent incident in which she had a pro-trans advocate arrested for assault. 

She's being mocked for two reasons:

1. A witness contends the incident involved a simple handshake and that she blew it out of proportion.

2. Mace has a reputation on Capitol Hill for public actions and publicity stunts designed to grab attention and get her interviewed on cable news and podcasts. This alleged incident happened on the heels of a public campaign she began to bar Delaware Congresswoman Sarah McBride banned from using the women's restroom. McBride is the first trans woman ever to be elected to Congress.

While the truth of the incident remains murky, there are a lot of questions as to Mace's actions. According to court records, Mace did not allow a paramedic to examine her. If that's the case, why was she wearing a cast on her wrist and elbow the next day:


For the time being, a lot of folks (especially on Twitter) aren't cutting Mace any slack. On the contrary, they have been downright brutal in their skepticism:



The following is from a former staffer of hers, Natalie Johnson. And she makes a very interesting allegation about Mace's desire for public attention:

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Wednesday, December 11, 2024

Nancy Mace claims she was assaulted by a 'pro-trans man.' A witness says she's lying.

Nancy Mace on Capitol Hill a day after an alleged assault by a 'pro-trans man'. Mace's claim of assault has been disputed by a witness.

South Carolina Congresswoman Nancy Mace has been riding the publicity wave fueled by her attacks on Sarah McBride, the Delaware representative who recently became the first trans woman elected to the House of Representatives. An alleged incident Tuesday night will generate more publicity for her, although it may not all be in her favor.

 From Emily Brooks of The Hill:

A disputed handshake is at the center of a Tuesday incident involving Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) that resulted in an Illinois man’s arrest, according to a police report and a witness who spoke to The Hill. Mace, who has made headlines in recent weeks for advocating against transgender women being able to use Capitol facilities that match their gender identity, said on the social platform X that she was “physically accosted” by a “pro-tr*ns man.” 

Capitol Police confirmed that 33-year-old James McIntyre of Illinois was arrested Tuesday in connection with the incident, which took place at a foster care youth advocacy event. But witness Elliott Hinkle, who is transgender and has experience in foster care, disputed Mace’s characterization of the interaction. 

 . . . “As she went to leave the room, James met her by the door where people could see her and him to say, ‘Trans youth are in foster care and they need your support,’ and gave a handshake and then walked back to his seat and sat down,” Hinkle told The Hill, noting that 30 percent of youth in foster care are LGBTQ.

“It seemed a pretty normal interaction from those of us who witnessed it.” 

 A Mace staff member returned to ask McIntyre’s name and what he said to Mace, Hinkle said. Soon after, Hinkle said, Capitol Police showed up with an “overwhelming presence” and eventually arrested McIntyre. 

 John Kelly of The Imprint gave more details in his article: 

 Elliott Hinkle, a former foster youth and advocate for LGBTQ rights, said McIntyre shook her hand, and made a comment about how many transgender youth are in foster care, adding: “They need your support.” 

 “From what I saw, it was a normal handshake and interaction that I would expect any legislator to expect from anyone as a constituent,” said Hinkle, a consultant who has advised the federal government on issues affecting youth in foster care. 

 From Brooks is the police report: 

 A police report on the incident also documented Mace’s account of the handshake, which had a more aggressive interpretation.

 “The victim [Mace] offered their right hand to the individual to shake hands, and upon their hands coming together, the individual placed their other hand on top of the victim’s hand in a clasping manner so that the victim’s hand was between both of the subject’s hands. The victim stated that the subject began to aggressively and in an exaggerated manner shake her arm up and down in a hand shaking motion. The effect of the motion was described as her arm flailing for about 3-5 seconds,” the police report said of Mace’s accounting of the interaction.

 “The victim stated that she attempted to pull her hand away from the subject but was held in place by the subject,” the report continued. “During the shaking motion, the victim advised that the subject stated, ‘trans youth deserve advocacy.’”

 Mace told police she was experiencing pain in her wrists, arm, and armpit/shoulder after the incident, according to the police report. 

Brooks also wrote:

McIntyre was arrested Tuesday and charged with assaulting a government official, Capitol Police said. On Wednesday, McIntyre pleaded not guilty to the charge in D.C. Superior Court. 

 Asked to respond to Hinkle disputing Mace’s characterization of events, Mace spokesperson Gabrielle Lipsky told The Hill in a statement: “With an ongoing investigation, we’re limited in what we can share beyond what Capitol Police have already made public. The Congresswoman is in pain this morning, with her arm in a sling, but she’s otherwise doing well—just shaken up. What’s even more disheartening is watching the Left and their media allies deny this even happened, propping up misogyny instead of condemning violence.”

 Mace was spotted wearing a sling in the Capitol on Wednesday and posted on X that President-elect Trump had called her to check in on her.

While Mace has her defenders on Twitter (many of whom veered to her rhetoric about evil trans women invading women's spaces and assaulting other women who "stand up" to them,) a great number of others have voiced - in varying degrees of tones - that Mace is blowing the incident of out of proportion to stay on the publicity train. 

And that assumption wouldn't be farfetched. Mace has a reputation on Capitol Hill for public behavior and stunts geared to maximize attention and get her a spot on news programs such as Fox. Even before her crusade against McBride, fellow Republican legislators and former staff employees in her office have called her out for various stunts.

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Monday, December 09, 2024

Ohio schoolteacher sues district claiming that anti-LGBTQ book policy violates her moral and religious beliefs

Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea is one of the four books which initiated a lawsuit in Ohio.

An Ohio elementary school teacher is suing her school district for disciplining her because she had books in her classroom which contained LGBTQ+ characters. And in an interesting turn, she is using the argument conservatives have used against the LGBTQ+ - religious liberty.

From The Advocate:

Karen Cahall, who has worked at New Richmond Exempted Village School District for over 30 years as an elementary teacher, filed a lawsuit against the district last week after being subjected to "disciplinary proceedings" when a parent complained about four books she kept in her classroom – all age appropriate and not required reading – just because they had LGBTQ+ characters. 

 The lawsuit claims that Cahall was suspended three days without pay for "simply having in her possession in her classroom four books that had LGBTQ+ characters in the plot line, even though these particular books were intermingled among approximately one hundred other books, were not prominently displayed ... [Cahall] did not teach from those books as part of her instructional program, and did not require students to read those books."

 . . . The four books are Ana On The Edge by A.J. Sass, The Fabulous Zed Watson by Basil Sylvester, Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea by Ashley Herring Blake, and Too Bright to See by Kyle Lukoff. None of the books contain sexual content, but rather characters who "are coming to terms with feeling different and excluded," according to the lawsuit. 

 The district has “controversial issues” policy that does allow teachers to address issues "likely to arouse both support and opposition in the community" so long as they are related to instruction and do not "tend to indoctrinate or persuade students to a particular point of view." 

 Cahall's suit argues that the policy "is so vague and all-encompassing that it could extend to virtually any topic upon which any two random individuals or groups of individuals might find something to disagree about, and therefore fails to provide people of ordinary intelligence a reasonable opportunity to understand what is or is not a 'controversial issue.'" 

 

The suit also contends that Cahall's "sincerely held moral and religious beliefs" were violated. The article pointed out how her claim is "flipping the script" because of how many times conservative Christians have used the "religious liberty" argument to undermine LGBTQ+ equality:


"Cahall maintained these books in her classroom amongst over one hundred other books spanning a wide variety of subject matters in furtherance of her sincerely held moral and religious beliefs that that all children, including children who are LGBTQ+ or the children of parents who are LGBTQ+, deserve to be respected, accepted, and loved for who they are," the suit continues."

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Thursday, December 05, 2024

Trump's mass deportation plan is going to have an ugly crash with reality

I'm taking a small departure from my usual postings about LGBTQ issues. Indulge me, please.

One good thing may come out of Trump's nonsensical plan to mass deport undocumented immigrants is a realization of how much this country depends upon them. Whether folks want to admit it or not, there is very vital ecosystem of undocumented workers. They not only work at the jobs people in this country don't want to have, but their spending contributes greatly to our economy.

No matter how much they are attacked by wannabe social media influencers, vilified by opportunistic politicians, or resented in general, the fact of the matter is that they are as part of America as the rest of us. This country needs them just as much as they need us. Very few will say this out loud and even fewer wants to admit to it, but it's a fact.

As you can tell by the success of Trump's recent campaign, they also serve a convenient function as scapegoats, i.e. the proverbial monster in the dark closet. The only problem is when lights get switched on and the closet doors get flung open, are we going to be able to cope with the consequences of what Trump has in store for them? He has no thought-out plan of how he's going to accomplish this mass deportation, nor does he have no idea how much it would cost. He's simply riding an emotional wave built up by fear and jealousy. But what's going to happen when reality comes crashing into that wave?

I'm not alone in feeling this way. Articles from various news sources have been warning us. Some of us simply refuse to listen:

Undocumented immigrants have a substantial economic footprint in the US and Utah

US neighbors balk at Trump plan for deported migrants 

Expert: Mass deportation would have ‘devastating impact’ on Michigan agriculture industry 

‘Mass deportations would disrupt the food chain’: Californians warn of ripple effect of Trump threat

US farm groups want Trump to spare their workers from deportation 

Some upstate farmers worry about plan for migrant workers, deportation promise from Trump

Wisconsin Farmer Talks about Essential Role of Migrant Workers

Pa. farm industry braces for raids, deportations under proposed Trump policy 

  Even immigrants with lawful status brace for Trump's mass deportation 

  South Florida immigrants fear mass deportations amid Trump's return to office 

  Trump's deportation vow alarms Texas construction industry 

  Mass deportations could hinder US agriculture



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Monday, December 02, 2024

'Village People singer defends Trump's use of 'Y.M.C.A' by claiming song isn't a gay anthem' & other Mon/Tue news briefs

 

 “Y.M.C.A.” singer and co-writer Victor Willis of the band Village People defended President-elect Donald Trump’s use of the song Monday on Facebook. Willis denied that the disco tune was intended as a “gay anthem,” saying he “knew nothing about the Y being a hang out for gays” when he wrote the lyrics. 

 Willis said he wrote “Y.M.C.A.” based on what he knew about the worldwide youth organization at the time, particularly the YMCA branches in the urban areas of San Francisco. 

 “When I say, ‘hang out with all the boys’ that is simply 1970s black slang for black guys hanging-out together for sports, gambling or whatever. There’s nothing gay about that,” he said of one of the song’s most notable lines.

Seriously, Victor! Your group was comprised of members who costumed themselves in stereotypical gay macho attire. Your songs included "San Francisco," "Macho Man," and "In the Navy." YOUR FIRST ALBUM WAS ABOUT GAY LIFE!!!! Sorry but this is one bit of history y'all ain't gonna rewrite. EVER.


In other news:

Another trans military ban would cost the United States billions of dollars - Of course it will. Facts never seem to stop the Trumpies though. 

The war on woke: How a gay rights index once touted by Walmart and others became a conservative target - I personally question the entire thing. The man in the center - Robby Starbuck - is a wannabe right-wing activist. He's a posing low-budget version of Matt Walsh (who is pretty damn low-budget himself). I'm of the opinion that companies are using his threats as a convenient excuse to backtrack from the promises they made during the George Floyd protests. 

Caitlyn Jenner exposes MAGA hypocrisy with implication she uses the women’s bathroom at Mar-a-Lago - As much as I am not a fan of Caitlyn Jenner, to ignore this story would be wrong. It completely exposes so much hypocrisy with Trump and the MAGA movement. 

Texas DPS flooded with criticism, spam due to anti-LGBTQ order - Our community still have ways of fighting hate.
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Sunday, November 24, 2024

Trust Sarah McBride

Sarah McBride

Before she has even been sworn in as the first trans Congresswoman in American history, Sarah McBride finds herself in bad territory.

On one hand, there are people like South Carolina Rep Nancy Mace who have been exploiting fears about trans women to constantly degrade her. For almost a week, Mace has been tweeting and retweeting invectives misgendering McBride and exploiting her own unfortunate status as rape victim to imply that McBride will be a predator against cis women, particularly in the ladies restrooms. 

And when she's not doing that, Mace is filming videos and interviews or selling swag, all in hopes of reaping the benefits of her "crusade." Never mind that the issue is moot for a number of reasons including the fact that McBride poses no danger to anyone or that all Congressional leaders have private bathrooms because apparently that doesn't matter more than the large amount of publicity Mace getting.

On the other hand, are members of the trans community who feel "betrayed" that McBride isn't forcefully addressing these attacks. They feel that she is capitulating and allowing herself to be degraded. They feel that she's sending ugly message to the public and to trans people by supposedly standing down.

With all due respect to the trans community and absolutely no respect to that vile woman Nancy Mace, I think we should trust Sarah McBride. She is in a very tenuous position as the first trans woman in Congress. Suddenly she's thrust in the spotlight as the most visible trans woman in America today. Unfortunately, that makes her a pioneer and a target. What Nancy Mace is doing right now will mostly likely a prelude to the attention McBride will be receiving which the world will be watching.

 I think the road she has taken thus far is smart as she focuses on the task at hand while not allowing herself to be sidetracked as a item in the war against the trans community. It would no doubt be easier for her right now to engage with Mace, but to do so would undermine everything she's working for.

This is what McBride told The Advocate on Thursday:

 “I’m here to represent my constituents, including LGBTQ constituents, but I’m not here to make this about me,” McBride said. “That means fighting for them and not allowing a right-wing culture war machine to turn me into the issue.” She added, “I am continuing to work to guarantee that the Capitol complex is safe for all staff, interns, and visitors. I can deal with this; other people shouldn’t have to.” 

McBride is not stupid. She isn't naive about where she is right now, her place in history, or the folks who will exploit fears about her being a trans woman. She knows that Mace won't stop as long as it brings her media attention and engagement. And she knows that there are others practically drooling over their turn use her to inflame fears and anger. 

But for the present, McBride is drawing a line in the sand or setting down her stake, so to speak. I don't see her as avoiding the issue, I see her saying that she will not be controlled by someone else's desperate desire for attention. I see her saying that she will not react to someone attempting to sidetrack her into a wild tangent designed to put her on the defensive even before she has even been sworn in.

I don't see McBride as capitulating. I get the sense that McBride is saying that she knows that this issue isn't going away, but she will address this issue on her terms, and not on the terms of those who seek to make her defend her own existence.
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Wednesday, November 20, 2024

Nancy Mace gets angry at reporter for interrupting her transphobic publicity wave with questions about Boeing layoffs in South Carolina

South Carolina Congresswoman Nancy Mace has been riding the anti-trans train over the last 24 hours, doubling down on her targeting of trans Congresswoman Sarah McBride while constantly retweeting her attacks or appearing on news programs to pat herself on the back.

However, earlier on Wednesday, she was asked a question about an issue actually involving her constituents - the recent announcement of Boeing layoffs in South Carolina Over 200 people are scheduled to lose their jobs next year. 

Mace chose to verbally attack the reporter for asking the question. And then took credit for bringing money and resources to South Carolina when in reality, the money and resources came from a bill she actually voted against. 


During her tirade, Mace talks about the "tens of millions of dollars in resources" she supposedly brought to her district.. In truth, she voted against the bill which brought those resources to her district.

Charleston Congresswoman Nancy Mace called the nearly $26 million federal grant for the Shipwatch Square Transit and Workforce Center project with CARTA a win for the Lowcountry, touting it as “one of the largest grants for this kind of facility.” 

 However, it might not have been made possible had President Biden’s infrastructure bill not passed through congress. That was a bill that Representative Nancy Mace voted against. 

 “The optics of it? What do you want me to do? Turn my back on the Lowcountry when we can get funding for public transit? Absolutely not,” Rep. Mace said when questioned by reporters. 

 Democrat Jim Clyburn was the only South Carolinian House delegate to vote for the bill. He was not present for the conference but at a separate one in Orangeburg called his Republican peer, all but by name, out for trying to take credit. Secretary of Transportations Pete Buttigieg, who was with Clyburn, also weighed in. 

 “Welcome aboard! Look, this is good policy,” Buttigieg said. “We’re not going to hold it against the constituents of any member who was short-sighted to vote ‘no’.”


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Tuesday, November 19, 2024

Targeting of trans Congresswoman Sarah McBride is latest stunt of publicity-hungry Nancy Mace

Publicity-hungry Congresswoman Nancy Mace's newest stunt is targeting trans Congresswoman Sarah McBride.

When Sarah McBride was elected as the first trans woman in Congress, there was celebration in the LGBTQ community. However, with this celebration was some concern as to how she would be treated.

Our concern was justified.

From The Advocate:

U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, a Republican from South Carolina, introduced a resolution Monday that would bar transgender women from using women’s restrooms at the U.S. Capitol. The measure, widely seen as a direct attack on Democratic U.S. Rep.-elect Sarah McBride of Delaware, the first out transgender member of Congress, has been sharply criticized as discriminatory and politically motivated. 

 The text of the resolution uses the transphobic dog whistle “biological males” and states that allowing trans women into women’s spaces “jeopardizes the safety and dignity” of women in the Capitol and House office buildings. It tasks the House Sergeant-at-Arms with enforcing the ban. Trans women are women. 

 Mace defended the proposal, telling Fox News, “The sanctity of protecting women and standing up against the Left’s systematic erasure of biological women starts here in the nation’s Capitol.” 

 McBride has responded to Mace's resolution by saying the following:

 “This is a blatant attempt from far-right extremists to distract from the fact that they have no real solutions to what Americans are facing,” McBride told The Advocate. “We should be focused on bringing down the cost of housing, health care, and child care, not manufacturing culture wars. Delawareans sent me here to make the American dream more affordable and accessible, and that’s what I’m focused on.” 

It simply goes to show that Mace was probably celebrating McBride's election with the LGBTQ community but for completely different reasons. This issue is not about McBride, who poses no danger to anyone, especially when she uses the restroom. This is yet another attempt by Mace to grab headlines and attention. It's her brand.  While McBride seems to be devoted to serving her constituents, Mace has spent considerable time in Congress either flip flopping, betraying colleagues, engaging in stunts, or making questionable comments all designed to gain and maximize media amplification.

Such as

The time in October of last year when she wore a white t-shirt with a giant scarlet A on it (imitating the character of Hester Prynne in 'The Scarlet Letter') while claiming that she was being demonized for casting a vote against then Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy. Mace was accused of stabbing McCarthy in the back with her vote because he had helped her get elected to Congress.

The time in 2022 when she made a complete fool of herself by publicly going to Trump Towers and supplicating herself to him and MAGA after he endorsed opponent.  She apparently learned not to do it again. In 2024, she publicly supported him for president while no doubt hoping that the past statements she made against him were forgotten (Politico has a list of them). In supporting Trump, Mace was accused of betraying Nikki Haley, who also sought the GOP nomination and who had also campaigned for her against Trump's endorse candidate. In turning her back on Haley, Mace said some pretty ugly things about her.

The time in November 2021 when she went on Fox News and CNN giving two directly opposite messages about COVID. And on the same day, too. While on Fox, she praised "natural immunity" but on CNN, she spoke highly about vaccines.

 Even her own Republican colleagues have voiced anger at her constant flip-flopping of positions, calling her an "unserious person." And last by not least, she has had an ugly issue with staff turnover. According to Mediaite in February of this year:

Every single staffer working Rep. Nancy Mace’s (R-SC) congressional office on November 1 of last year has either quit or been fired, according to a stunning new report from The Daily Beast. In the three months since then, eight members of Mace’s staff have quit and one, her former chief of staff Dan Hanlon, has been fired. Hanlon is now challenging his old boss in the GOP primary in South Carolina’s first congressional district.

 . . . The Beast also collected several damning quotes from former Mace staffers who derided her as “abusive,” “delusional,” and “a walking teleprompter.” “All this is why pretty much every staffer and fellow member on the Hill thinks she’s a joke,” said one particularly scathing employee. “Also a big reason why she’s only able to hire former George Santos staffers right now.” “For Mace it was all about control. She didn’t see the staff as people but as property,” recalled another.

And a year before, Mediaite also spotlighted another Daily Beast article talking about how Mace is more concern with media appearances than her job as a Congresswoman:

If you’ve been seeing a lot of Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) lately, it’s not an accident, it’s actually her plan. Jake Lahut of The Daily Beast got his hands on Mace’s staff handbook, which reads more like a public relations campaign than a policy outline. In addition to perusing the staff handbook, Lahut spoke to three former staffers of the freshman representative. And their feedback was consistent — Nancy Mace is more about promoting Nancy Mace than making laws.

All in all, the only woman Mace seems to be concerned with is herself. Her supposed fear about McBride using the women's restroom looks like a tactic designed to get herself in front of the cameras. 

Mace is Congress's answer to the late author and publicity hound Jacqueline Susann, but with considerably less talent and embarrassingly more desperation. She's like one of those never-was models you see on the red carpets of movie premieres and awards shows wearing something outrageous in hopes of getting a bit of attention, however brief.  Then they disappear to plan their stunt for the next red carpet.

Unfortunately, Mace won't do anyone the pleasure of disappearing. Her being in Congress means we have to deal with her antics on a regular basis. And to me, that makes her more dangerous than any trans woman needing to use the restroom.

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Sunday, November 17, 2024

Black Trump supporter reminded by fellow MAGA member that he will never be accepted

Knowing how social media is, the video below could be something simply to gain engagement. But then again, what if it's genuine? I think it could be.

 To recap - a Black MAGA supporter just learned a lesson that so many folks are now learning after the election. They were used by Trump and his supporters and are now being discarded. And in his case, it's not even a polite discarding. From what he says, he was told straight up by a fellow Trump supporter that he was only accepted for his vote and now that Trump got his vote, he will never be accepted in MAGA because he's Black. Granted, it was allegedly just one person who told him this, but one person is enough. After all, the child in 'Emperor's New Clothes' was only one person.

Oh well. I wonder how my barbequed pork bellies turned out. 

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Wednesday, November 13, 2024

'More Democrats rebuke scapegoating trans people after election loss' & other Wed/Thur news briefs



Several Democratic Senators Rebuke Scapegoating Trans People After Election​ - Y'all really need to be reading Erin Reed's substack. She keeps up with the news we all need. And this item is definitely needed in the face of certain people trying to blame the trans community for Harris's election loss. 



Donald Trump names anti-LGBTQ+ Rep. Matt Gaetz as the next attorney general - This right here is an ugly main event. Luckily, no one is happy at about this, INCLUDING Republicans. At least for now. '

Wake-up call': LGBTQ crisis hotlines see surge of calls amid presidential election - Above all, we have to provide help for ourselves and our people after this election.
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Tuesday, November 12, 2024

Trans Congresswoman Sarah McBride pushes back against those scapegoating trans people for election loss

Newly elected Congresswoman Sarah McBride

People in the midst of their sorrow about last week's election are forgetting something very important. The first transgender Congresswoman was elected to public office. Her name is Sarah McBride, she's from Delaware, and she's hitting the ground running.

From Erin Reed:

In the aftermath of the 2024 election results, a handful of political pundits and two Democratic members of Congress have pointed fingers at transgender people, blaming them for Kamala Harris’s loss in the presidential race. While few voices are echoing these claims, prominent publications like The Atlantic and The New York Times have amplified these sentiments to millions of readers, despite limited evidence linking transgender issues to Democratic losses. Now, Sarah McBride, the first transgender Democratic congressperson in U.S. history, is pushing back.

 During a press conference held by the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which represents over 100 progressive members of Congress, caucus chair Pramila Jayapal was asked, “Some have blamed that voters in your party have leaned too far into culture war issues, transgender issues… how should your party respond to that?” In response, Jayapal turned to other caucus members present, prompting Sarah McBride to step forward and deliver a sharp rebuke of those claims. 

 “Let’s be clear,” McBride started. “The party that was focused on culture wars… the party that was focused on trans people… was the Republican Party. It was Donald Trump. It was the hundred million, two hundred million dollars they spent on television ads. But I want to be clear: I do not believe, from what I’ve seen from the voters in Delaware, that the voters in my state were responding to those attacks… We were seeing those ads that Donald Trump clearly prioritized… What I was hearing from voters across the state of Delaware was not the ads that Donald Trump was putting on the air. What I was hearing from folks was the need to build an economy for everyone… What I was hearing was that the American dream is increasingly unaffordable and inaccessible. What I was hearing was that we need to guarantee affordable healthcare, housing, and childcare for every person in this state and country.”

My thought is that Kamala Harris' loss in last week's election was about inflation and economics. As much as she tried, she simply could not untie herself to President Biden's low approval rating. And with people concerned about less money their pockets, Trump probably would have won the election even if he conducted a rally in the nude.

Perish the thought.

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Thursday, November 07, 2024

I was going to step down from Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters, but . . .


If Kamala Harris had won Tuesday's election, I would have announced I was stepping down from Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters and closing shop.

I'm sure some of you have noticed that I haven't been blogging as much as usual. Well, this blog is 18 years old. I began it when I was 35. Now I am 53 and things aren't moving along inside me as quickly as they were back then. Also, as some of you know, my dear mother passed away two years ago and it has still taken a lot out of me.

Furthermore, I think blogging is a little passe. This is the age of substacks, podcasts, and people looking to brand and market themselves. All I ever wanted was to educate folks on anti-gay lies. I think I've accomplished this on many levels. In addition, I got a bit of notoriety and a few awards out of it. I figured a Kamala Harris possible victory would allow me to go out on a high note.

But as we know, this didn't happen. I could still hang it all up, but I won't. For one, I ain't going out like this. I've spent too much time and effort on this blog to end it on such an awful note. I've got too much pride and, yes, ego to allow that to happen.

Secondly, Tuesday took me back to 2004 after another presidential election. George Bush was re-elected then and it was on the strength of several anti-marriage equality referendums which were also on ballots across the country. He even got assistance from Black pastors. As a black gay man, that vexed the hell out of me. So much in fact that I help to start one of Columbia, SC's first Black LGBTQ organizations called Palmetto Umoja.

The other thing I did was to begin working on a book about religious right lies. It was later self-published and wasn't exactly one of my best efforts. But a side project of my book effort was to create a blog to promote the book.

This blog right here 

Believe me when I say there is nothing like a reminder of one's origin to put things in proper perspective. 

Between the creation of this blog and today, I have seen and covered a lot of the times when my community have been found itself fearful for the future. From the passing of Prop 8 to several ballot initiatives passed via smearing us as pedophiles. I've also seen and covered a lot of victories from Obama's election to seeing marriage equality become legal via SCOTUS.

I am not going to attempt to predict the future because I don't know what's going to happen. I do know that unfortunately, things are going to get ugly before they get better. And we had better be prepared to fight and get at least as ugly as legally necessary.

As you can tell by the above picture, I have no problem with getting ugly (you can take that however you would like.)

But I can tell you that I intend to be here to educate you, get you angry, make you smile and laugh, and basically feel empowered.  I may not blog as much as I used to, but I will keep up. I will also keep you up on as much as I can. Lastly, I intend to extend what I cover. And definitely be more caustic. It's time to put that stereotype of being the "vicious queen" into effect. But only just a little.

The bottom line is as long as you're reading, you can count on me to continue writing. And I intend to raise some serious hell.





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Friday, November 01, 2024

Video: Donald Trump simulates graphic sex acts during Wisconsin campaign speech


This is exactly what it looks like.  You can see the video below.

During a campaign speech in Wisconsin, I guess Trump was expressing a displeasure with the microphone. I'm only explaining why you are seeing what you're seeing. And judging by the crowd's reaction, I guess the party which accuses LGBTQ people of 'sexually grooming' children has no problem with its presidential candidate pretending to masturbate and fellate a microphone in front of a crowd which includes children.

This right here is some straight up bullshit and if the media ignores this, then I don't know what to tell you. It doesn't matter if seeing this won't change the minds of his supporters. To hell with them if they still support him. We don't need trash like this in the White House. He should have never been elected the first time and every day, he continues to prove that point.

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Thursday, October 31, 2024

'J.D. Vance claims 'normal gay men' support Trump. Gay men say 'wanna bet?'' & other Thur /Fri news briefs

J.D. Vance

J.D. Vance claims 'normal gay guy' backs Trump after being chased from 'homophobic' Dems​ - Apparently Vance thinks the definition of a "normal gay guy" has to do with sadomasochism in that they will most likely vote for someone who is trying to take away their rights and punish them for being gay. In truth though, let's not fall for this gay version of the "paper bag" test. All of the LGBTQ community are in the same boat and Vance is a member of the group of bigots trying to drill holes in that boat.

'It’s gross': Gay men not thrilled to be classified as 'normal' by J.D. Vance - and gay men are stepping up to tell Vance that he must be out of his damn mind. 

Kamala Harris stands by trans Americans’ right to gender-affirming care in NBC interview - Good news because based upon the news brief below, the transgender community will definitely need this support. 

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Monday, October 28, 2024

Marjorie Taylor Greene drags the LGBTQ community into Trump's Madison Square Garden debacle

Marjorie Taylor Greene

 I recently made a comment regarding Trump's Madison Square Garden debacle that the only group the comedian in the center of it didn't slur was the LGBTQ community. Well like it or not, we have now been dragged in the middle of it anyway, thanks to very far right Republican Congressional Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene and her obsession with trans people and thinking that gay men are exposing our naughty bits to kids.

From LGBTQ Nation:

Anti-LGBTQ+ Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) spewed anti-LGBTQ+ talking points to defend a comedian who made numerous racist comments at the New York City rally for Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump, held last Sunday.

 During his speech, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage,” said Black people carve watermelons for Halloween, suggested Jews don’t like spending money, and that Latinos “love making babies” and do not “pull out.” Hinchcliffe said his critics “have no sense of humor,” and the Trump campaign said his comments about Puerto Rico “[do] not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.” 

 Following condemnation from Democrats and Republicans, Greene defended Hinchcliffe on X, writing, “The Democrats choose their outrage. They aren’t outraged over naked men exposing their genitals to children at Pride parades or biological men literally beating women in women’s sports or 325,000+ missing migrant children in America under Kamala Harris or Tim Walz putting tampons in boys bathrooms, actually Democrats support all of these vile things.”

“They don’t care about Puerto Rico and neither do Democrat activists in the media,” Greene added. “It took a comedian to force these issues to the forefront. Instead, Democrats and the complicit media are trying to cancel Tony Hinchcliffe as they continue on their communist agenda to destroy free speech instead of fixing anything. We must always fight against cancel culture and constantly defend free speech!

At this juncture in American politics, saying Marjorie Taylor Greene is full of shit is like saying that the sun is hot.

BUT, for those who have been missing out on this enormous scandal, below are the comments Hincliffe made (and apparently, he was one of many offensive speakers, including Trump himself.) Also, he was going to actually call Kamala Harris a "c-nt," but the Trump campaign made him take that part out.  It should spook folks to know what the Trump campaign did allow him to say.

One more thing before you view the video - in response the controversy, Trump's VP pick, J.D. Vance said that people need to stop getting offended.

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Saturday, October 26, 2024

Donald Trump becoming worn down by his own transphobic gaslighting

Donald Trump and the Republican Party is leaning heavily into transphobia in order to scare people the polls. Reports have said that the GOP is spending over $21 million on anti-trans ads which are running heavily in battleground states.

One of the top ads pushed by the Trump campaign this month attacked (Kamala) Harris for supporting "taxpayer-funded sex changes for prisoners," the ad stated. 

The goal seems to be turning election into a referendum on trans rights and backing Harris into some sort of corner over her support of the trans community. However, Harris and her campaign hasn't taken the bait. One thing probably helping her is that voters aren't really that interested in the issue. 

In fact, according to The Hill, voters may feel the opposite: 

 More than half of voters surveyed this month by Data For Progress said political attack ads targeting the trans community have gotten “out of hand” — including nearly a third of Republicans, whose candidates are largely responsible for the ads. Just more than 60 percent of surveyed voters, including a majority of independents and 41 percent of Republicans, said it is “sad and shameful” for GOP candidates to make anti-LGBTQ rhetoric a part of their campaigns, according to the poll, which was released Thursday. 

 Nevertheless, Trump continues to beat the drum of transphobia. One claim he has repeatedly made on the campaign trail and in interviews is that schools are actually performing surgeries on trans kids:

 “I want one person and a secretary to just make sure they’re teaching English,” he said of his intentions for the Department of Education. “Reading, writing and arithmetic. No transgender, no operations. You know, they take your kid. There are some places, your boy leaves for school, comes back a girl. Without parental consent. What’s that about?” 

This claim of course has been debunked and laughed at continuously, but Trump seems to have a psychological inability to admit when he's wrong. He repeats the lie because perhaps he thinks he can gaslight people into believing something, no matter how ludicrous it sounds or how many times it's been disproven. 

 But if you ask me, I think Trump's attempt is becoming comically undone. He's gaslighting so hard that he's tripping himself up. This clip from an interview he did with Joe Rogan on Friday illustrates just how much the repetition of the lie is breaking him down:


Transcript: 

The transgender operations where they are allowed to take your child when he goes to school and turn him into a male…into a female without parental consent. 

This right here is the bullshit we're up against and to paraphrase a very wise former president - "Don't boo. Don't laugh. VOTE." 
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Thursday, October 24, 2024

Gay Republicans recently held a Trump rally. And it was a d@mn embarrassment.


There was some type of "Gays for Trump" rally Tuesday in Charlotte, NC. It went about as you would think. 

From NBC Out:

A gathering of roughly 100 Donald Trump supporters on Tuesday evening was intended to woo LGBTQ voters. But among the few gay men in attendance, LGBTQ issues were not a top priority. “I’m not voting because of marriage equality, LGBTQ rights,” said Gage West, 23. “I’m voting because I want more money in my wallet. I want my community safe, and I want to be able to raise a family and know that they’re going to be safe in the future.” 

 In the half-empty hotel ballroom where the event took place, there were no rainbow flags, preferred pronouns were mocked and gay men were vastly outnumbered by their straight counterparts. The event was one of several similar gatherings held in swing states this month by LGBTQ conservative group the Log Cabin Republicans, dubbed the “Trump UNITY” tour.

 . . . Several LGBTQ attendees at the event, nearly all of whom were white gay men, told NBC News they were unbothered by LGBTQ issues being mentioned only briefly or not acknowledged at all by the evening’s speakers. Trump UNITY events have been held in the last two weeks in major cities of battleground states, including Georgia, Wisconsin and Michigan. 

The article goes on to say that while Lara Trump showed up at this rally and spun more lies about the 2020 election being rigged, Trump himself didn't show up. The article also said that Trump hasn't shown up at any of these rallies nor has plans to.

 But hey, there was dancing: 

 Trump fundraiser Bill White, who also spoke at the Charlotte event and is openly gay, pushed back on naysayers who question the former president’s commitment to the LGBTQ community. He challenged critics to attend one of Trump’s rallies, where Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.” frequently blasts out of the speakers.

 “What does the guy do at every rally?” White said at the Charlotte event. “He puts his hands in the air and does his dance moves to the unofficial gay national anthem for crying out loud.” 

 White then recorded the Charlotte audience dancing to the song, which he said he would later share with the former president. When asked what they hoped a second Trump presidency might accomplish for LGBTQ Americans, gay Trump supporters said they believed society and the government were already free of prejudice against the LGBTQ community.

 Lastly, and in a wonderful move, after the article quoted various attendees saying things as ridiculous as White did, it added the following: 

 As president, Trump banned transgender Americans from enlisting in the U.S. military. His administration also ended some discrimination protections for LGBTQ people in school and in health care settings. Both policies were reversed during the Biden administration. 

 If elected again, Trump has vowed to reinstate his former policy barring trans people from enlisting in the military, to abolish gender-affirming care for transgender minors — which he equated to “child abuse” and “child sexual mutilation” — and to roll back Title IX protections for transgender students “on Day One.” 

In recent weeks, he has also repeated false claims that students are undergoing transition-related surgeries during the school day. His campaign has aired ads in recent weeks slamming Vice President Kamala Harris’ prior support for inmates receiving transition-related medical care in federal prisons.

For those who have a strong stomach or a taste for events reminiscent of slow moving train crashes, feel free to read the entire article here. 

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Wednesday, October 23, 2024

'Election choices divides family members of late Rev Billy Graham' & other Wed/Thur news briefs

Franklin Graham's hypocrisy has been a hallmark of his supporting Donald Trump.

I'm Billy Graham's Granddaughter and I'm Voting for Kamala Harris - Good for her because her uncle has been bending over backwards to kiss Trump's ass. 

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Sunday, October 20, 2024

PICTURES: Famously Hot South Carolina Pride 2024 is latest success for Palmetto LGBTQ community

 For 34 years, Famously Hot South Carolina Pride has never failed to excite. Saturday was no exception in its streak of successful and wonderful Pride celebrations in Columbia, SC. I'm not a photographer, but still took the liberty of taking the following pictures. No commentary (okay maybe a little) is necessary to remind folks how empowering and necessary Pride events for all of us.

Maybe a word or two about these guys. No one knows where they came from, but as you can see, they didn't disrupt anything. I think it was the first Pride protestors I've seen in years. Folks laughed at them, music drowned them out, and basically very few people engaged with them. They were gone within the hour. No harm, no foul. Apparently, a multitude of LGBTQ people throwing shade in one place is a mutant power.



























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