'UK right wing actor has to pay $225,000 for calling Drag Race contestant and LGBTQ activists 'pedophiles'' & other Thur/Fri news briefs

UK Right Wing Actor Must Pay $225,000 For Calling Drag Race Contestant And LGBTQ Activist “Pedophiles”​ - It would have been lovely for this to have happened in America. Nevertheless, give it up, turn it loose!

The queer community has long struggled with bisexual inclusivity. It’s even worse for bi elders. - We really need to do better when it comes to our bisexual brothers and sisters.

Four States Tell Schools To Ignore Biden's New Title IX Rules Protecting Trans Students - Ho boy here we go! We are going to be in for a fight. 

Colorado allows anti-LGBTQ+ group to pursue law outing trans students to parents - They are being allowed to collect signatures for a ballot measure which would force schools to out trans students to their parents. It doesn't sound appealing as to voters as it is. 

Meet the transgender minister representing LGBTQ+ rights in Georgia - Rev. Andi Woodworth is doing wonderful work.

Spreading lies about 2020 election leads to bankruptcy for anti-LGBTQ site The Gateway Pundit

 

Jim Hoft

Far be it from me to celebrate in someone's misfortune, but when an anti-LGBTQ publication is having serious problems, it's party time.

From Raw Story

In a message posted to the conspiracy theory-laden site that he founded, Jim Hoft announced that The Gateway Pundit has declared bankruptcy. “TGP Communications, the parent company of The Gateway Pundit, recently made the decision to seek protection under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code in the Southern District of Florida as a result of the progressive liberal lawfare attacks against our media outlet," Jim Hoft wrote in the post

. In December of 2021 Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Shaye Moss sued the site alleging that Hoft and his twin brother Joe Hoft used the site to engage in "a campaign of lies” that “instigated a deluge of intimidation, harassment, and threats that has forced them to change their phone numbers, delete their online accounts, and fear for their physical safety.” 

 The site grew to prominence and saw its traffic surge in 2020 by repeating false claims about mass voter fraud in that year's election -- claims that helped spark the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. As Mediaite points out, the site saw around 1.7 million unique readers in January of 2020 alone. A year later, that number dropped by around 50 percent. 

 “This is not an admission of fault or culpability. This is a common tool for reorganization and to consolidate litigation when attacks are coming from all sides. It allows TGP to consolidate this lawfare in one court for ultimate resolution," Hoft wrote in his statement. 

Well before 2020 and Trump's false claims about a rigged election, Hoft had a reputation of spreading conspiracy theories and outright lies. Media watchdog site Media Matters has an extensive file on Hoft while calling him "the dumbest man on the internet."

 Hoft, who came out as gay in 2016, has also targeted LGBTQ people. In 2009, he made several accusations against Dept. of Education official Kevin Jennings. His claims included accusing the openly gay appointee of "promoting fisting to 14-year olds" and personally pushing books which instructed kids to meet gay men at bars for sex

 I wrote extensively about the attempts to smear Jennings, including one of the above incidents (which at the time was referred to by some on the right as "Fistgate." In 2012, I was able to personally question Hoft on these accusations as well other lies he's told.  He wasn't as bold in defending the claims as he was in creating them.

Even now years after he's come out, Hoft's Gateway Pundit contains a plethora of articles whose only purpose is denigrating LGBTQ people.

All things considered, the next time you look up "karma" in the dictionary, don't be surprised if you see a picture of Hoft next to the definition.

'Blacks for Trump' make a rap video and it's the most bullsh!tiest bullsh!t of any bullsh!t you've ever seen.

Nothing says respect to Black voters like a half- naked female gyrating during a music video. At least in the eyes of Donald Trump supporters.

A while back, a prominent poll came out which inferred that Donald Trump was getting a good percentage of the Black vote. Of course, black folks disputed this on several credible grounds, but the media in general never listens to us anyway so they proceeded to push a "Joe Biden is losing Black voters" narrative. It's similar to the one they pushed before Biden was elected in 2020 and before the 2022 midterms. Hell, they even pushed an "Obama is losing Black voters" narrative during his presidency.

One would think that the media would at least conduct interviews or nuanced discussions with Black voters about this narrative, but no such luck. Our media (who has the uncanny ability to find Trump voters to interview whether it be on Atlantis, Mars, or even in the sewer visiting that clown from 'It') decided to limit their conversations to Black figures they appointed as our spokespeople, i.e. rappers and radio show hosts. And then these folks, with their limited knowledge, made arguments about "stimmy checks. Or asked rhetorical questions of "what has Biden done for us;" which could easily be answered if they amplified credible Black pundits instead of chasing nonsense about who is sleeping with whom or some ridiculous ho-tep ideas of Black masculinity and femininity.  

And that is partly the reason why we are stuck with mess like below. A small and obscure group calling itself Blacks for Trump and led by some wannabe rapper (who I refuse to mention) has put together a video claiming that Black voters are coming out in large volumes for Trump.

It's a video you simply have to see to believe. But not here.  There is no way in HELL I'm putting that mess on my blog. The following is a short, but highly nauseating snippet followed by screenshots of the full video, which should be enough to make the point that this is going to be a long election cycle.  

Lord Jesus, I'm gonna need a drink AND an edible to get through this sh!t.

Blacks for Trump release song, say Donald Trump is the first black President. They're behind him 500 percent. WATCH pic.twitter.com/8ofk4PnOLu

— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) April 22, 2024

And to the right is "Uncle Cleophas" with the bad perm which he thinks makes him a 'mack daddy'.

I guess she thinks she's the white girl at the end of MC Hammer's 'You Can't Touch This' video.

Oh look, it's Sexxy Redd's cousin - Stanky Greene.

I don't know who this man is, but you have to give him points for trying to keep up.

Editor's note - Top photo courtesy of Joe Jervis.

20 anti-LGBTQ bills fail as Iowa legislative session adjourns

The LGBTQ community received a wonderful bit of good news in Iowa and LGBTQ activists and journalists are hoping that it is the sign of a new trend.

From Bil Browning of LGBTQ Nation:

In state after state, GOP-dominated state legislatures are adjourning without passing anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. Now, Iowa has become the latest state to fail to pass any of the numerous bills introduced this session. 

 . . .Iowa Republicans saw bill after bill fall this session despite prioritizing them. A last-minute effort to push one through as an amendment to another bill also collapsed. More than 20 bills were introduced during this session. Some were introduced by the governor herself. 

 One bill tried to remove trans people from the state’s civil rights laws and declare them “disabled” instead. Another would have redefined the word “equal” in state law to specifically exclude trans people from the standard definition of “same” or “identical.” A third bill would have banned transgender from bathrooms that match their gender identity. 

One of the worst, known as the “pink triangle law,” would have required special markers on trans people’s birth certificates and driver’s licenses. The proposed change to Iowa’s civil rights law was so drastic and loathsome that even Republicans refused to entertain the idea. A crowd of hundreds erupted into cheers when the members of a subcommittee who had heard an hour of testimony against the bill announced they would not advance it any further. 

 Trans blogger and activist Erin Reed pointed out in The Washington Blade that though Iowa was the latest state legislature which failed to pass anti-LGBTQ bills this year, there is still work to be done.

 Iowa is not the only state to witness significant victories over anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-trans legislation this year. Earlier, all explicitly anti-LGBTQ+ bills—20 in total—were defeated in Florida, prompting a statement from local HRC advocates that “The tide is turning.”

 Similarly, over 20 bills failed in West Virginia, leading to celebrations. In Georgia, every anti-LGBTQ+ bill also failed, despite similar last-minute attempts to amend anti-LGBTQ+ legislation into entirely unrelated bills. 

 Although attacks on trans and queer individuals have encountered significant obstacles in Iowa and other states historically targeting LGBTQ+ people, some states are advancing with particularly severe legislation.  These states include Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, all of which have introduced bills that would ban transgender people from bathrooms, allow individuals with religious objections to adopt LGBTQ+ children, and more.

Meanwhile, Ohio is moving forward with a bathroom ban that could affect transgender adults in colleges, and Utah has already passed a sweeping bathroom and locker room ban this year. Additionally, the United States presidential election is already witnessing political attacks on transgender individuals, which may intensify in the coming months.

'Told you so' moment regarding book ban is latest embarrassment for 'culture warrior' Ron DeSantis

Florida Gov Ron DeSantis

While many eyes are on Donald Trump's trial, former presidential candidate FL Gov Ron DeSantis is facing another embarrassment which comes from laws he pushed while hyping himself up as a conservative culture warrior. DeSantis pushed for certain laws in an attempt to get the GOP presidential nomination. Now that the road to the White House has been cut off from him (at least for now), Mr. "Never Back Down" is actually backing down.  And with rapid speed.

From The Associated Press:

Two years ago, Democrats repeatedly and forcefully warned Republicans and Gov. Ron DeSantis that a new law making it easier to challenge schoolbooks was so broadly worded that it would create havoc across the state. 

Now they can say, “I told you so." 

 DeSantis backtracked on the 2022 law on Tuesday when he signed a bill narrowing its focus. He blamed liberal activists for abusing the law, not the citizens whose objections to certain books account for the majority of book removals from school libraries and classrooms. 

 “The idea that someone can use the parents' rights and the curriculum transparency to start objecting to every single book to try to make a mockery of this is just wrong,” DeSantis said the day before the bill signing. “That’s performative. That’s political.” 

 But the organization which has been fighting DeSantis over this book bans, PEN, told the Associated Press that it's actually conservative groups like Moms for Liberty who have been "abusing the law." 

 “The majority of books that we see being removed are books that talk about LBTQ+ identities, that include characters of color, that talk about race and racism, that include depictions of sexual experiences in the most broadest interpretation of that understanding,” said Kasey Meehan, Pen America's Freedom to Read program director.

Those challenges are being made by conservative individuals and groups such as Moms For Liberty, Meehan said. 

 According to the article, DeSantis's office provided one name as proof that the law was being abused by "liberal activists" - man by the name of Chaz Stevens who made challenges in several school districts claiming that the Bible iis obscene. However, Florida Democrat House leader Fentice Driskell disputed that claim. He told the Associated Press that DeSantis was warned in 2022 that the law would be abused. 

 “We told him so. The Florida House Democrats on the floor — in our debate, in our questioning — pointed out the vagueness in the original law and how it could be subject to abuse,” she said. “Chaz is not the problem. It's the folks who are taking liberties with the law who are the problem.”

DeSantis's backtracking on book banning is the second time he has backed away from a position he adopted in an attempt gain the GOP nomination.  In March, a lawsuit settlement practically gutted the centerpiece of his political narrative, i.e. the infamous "Don't Say Gay" law. DeSantis tried to claim that the settlement was a victory for the law, but others pointed out that it actually eliminated the law's most powerful element - it's vague wording.

According to The Tampa Bay Times:

DeSantis and others who backed the legislation insisted repeatedly that they had no intention of stopping discussions about LGBTQ+ issues in schools. Their goal, they said, was to eliminate what they called gender ideology. They did not provide clear definitions, though, nor did they offer detailed guidelines explaining what is and is not allowed in classrooms. 

Some claimed that not providing clear definitions or guidelines was a deliberate intent of the law. While it didn't offer clear instructions, but the penalties for breaking it were made very clear. This caused a lot of fear and confusion:

The critics claimed the result was a chilling effect that led teachers to stop talking about children’s families, remove books relating to LGBTQ+ characters and themes from their shelves, and to pull back support for LGBTQ+ students. As part of their defense, lawyers for the state pushed back against the allegations that the law lacked clarity. The settlement, announced by lawyers for the plaintiffs, took those arguments and made them real.

Trans youth and athletes win temporary but important court victories in West Virginia, Ohio, and New York

While the country's attention seems to be somewhere else (ugh), the trans community, particularly our trans kids and athletes, received three court victories on Tuesday. While they are temporary for now, each victory is of vital importance.

From The Advocate:

A federal appeals court has ruled that transgender students in West Virginia may play on sports teams that align with their gender identity. In a landmark decision on Tuesday, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against a West Virginia law that prohibited transgender girls from participating in girls’ sports teams, deeming it a violation of Title IX, which bars sex-based discrimination in education. The Associated Press reports that this ruling impacts the case of 13-year-old Becky Pepper Jackson, who has identified as a girl since the third grade and is undergoing puberty-blocking treatment. 

 According to the AP, in February 2023, an interim court decision prevented the state from barring Jackson from her middle school track and field team under this law. Judge Toby Heytens, in his ruling, emphasized that the so-called choice between not playing sports or playing on boys’ teams offered no genuine option. 

“B.P.J. has been recognized by her community and legally changed her name, and West Virginia has issued a birth certificate listing her sex as female,” Heytens wrote, supporting the view that denying her participation in girls’ teams was discriminatory.

 Lambda Legal, representing Becky, highlighted the discriminatory nature of the law. “West Virginia’s effort to ban one 13-year-old transgender girl from joining her teammates on the middle school cross country and track team was singling out Becky for disparate treatment because of her sex,” said Lambda Legal staff attorney Sruti Swaminathan. “That’s discrimination, pure and simple, and we applaud the court for arriving at this just decision,” she added.

 . . . The ruling reflects broader national debates and legal battles over transgender rights in sports, healthcare, and public accommodations. This decision aligns West Virginia with states like Arizona, Idaho, and Utah, where similar bans have been temporarily blocked, while states like Alabama and Texas continue to enforce such prohibitions. 

 The other victory has to do with a temporary block on Ohio's law banning gender-affirming care for trans kids. From USA Today: 

 An Ohio judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked an impending law that would restrict medical care for transgender minors in the Buckeye State. The decision came weeks after the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit challenging the state on behalf of two transgender girls and their families. The measure prevents doctors from prescribing hormones, puberty blockers, or gender reassignment surgery before patients turn 18. Attorneys contend the law violates the state Constitution, which gives Ohioans the right to choose their health care.

 “Today’s ruling is a victory for transgender Ohioans and their families,” said Harper Seldin, staff attorney for the ACLU. “Ohio’s ban is an openly discriminatory breach of the rights of transgender youth and their parents alike and presents a real danger to the same young people it claims to protect.” 

 The legislation was set to take effect on April 24 after House and Senate Republicans voted to override Gov. Mike DeWine’s veto. Proponents of the bill contend it will protect children, but critics say decisions about transition care should be left to families and their medical providers. 

And finally, a victory for trans athletes in New York. 

From LGBTQ Nation: 

 A federal judge has opened the door for New York State Attorney General Letitia James to challenge a Nassau County executive order barring trans girls from participating in girls’ sports in Nassau facilities. District Court Judge Nusrat J. Choudhury summarily dismissed a lawsuit against James from Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Republican official elected in 2021 and the architect behind the anti-trans policy. Blakeman’s suit attempted to stop James from being able to challenge the order. 

 “The law is perfectly clear: you cannot discriminate against a person because of their gender identity or expression. We have no room for hate or bigotry in New York,” James said in March. “This executive order is transphobic and blatantly illegal. Nassau County must immediately rescind the order, or we will not hesitate to take decisive legal action.” 

 The order doesn’t just affect trans girls. It also impacts over 100 athletic facilities throughout Nassau County, according to Newsday, since trans girls and women are now banned from participating on women’s teams at those sites. Groups looking for permission to use Nassau County facilities like swimming pools, football fields, and basketball courts must “expressly designate” the team members’ “biological sex at birth” as male, female, or coed.

Franklin Graham decries Nazi concentration camp, gets reminded about his anti-LGBTQ comments and support of Donald Trump

 Folks who follow this blog know how much I despise Franklin Graham. From his vile comments about the LGBTQ community to his basic hypocrisy in supporting Donald Trump, there are a plethora of reasons why I think he represents just how far Christianity in America has fallen.

And just like Trump, there is no bottom when it comes to stooping for Graham. Case in point is the following recent tweet:

Yesterday I visited Auschwitz, where 1.3 million people—mostly Jews—were tortured & killed. It is a chilling thought that something like this could ever happen again—but that evil is still in our world. The only solution is God’s transforming power through His Son, Jesus Christ. pic.twitter.com/0tTFYuSLYa

— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) April 12, 2024

Using the suffering of Jewish people to encourage folks to embrace Christianity doesn't seem to be in good taste. Since I am not Jewish, though, I don't think it's my place to decipher Graham's intent in that respect. 

However, the basic hypocrisy of Graham's comment stands out. Gays suffered persecution during the Holocaust, including at Auschwitz. And over the years, Graham made some rather awful comments about gays. He's even praised world leaders who have cracked down on gay people in their own countries. In 2015, Graham praised Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin for passing laws which strip Russian gays of their basic rights:

I have met (Obama) on several occasions. He’s a very nice person. But he supports and promotes policies that contradict the teachings of God. As a Christian I believe that abortion is murder, he supports it. Homosexuality and same-sex marriage — those are sins against God, and the president is promoting them. I’m not against homosexuals as people. But God commanded that marriage should be between a man and a woman. And I very much appreciate that President Putin is protecting Russian young people against homosexual propaganda. If only to give them the opportunity to grow up and make a decision for themselves. Again, homosexuals cannot have children, they can take other people’s children. I believe that President Obama (and I’ll repeat, he’s a very nice person) is leading America down the wrong road. He’s taking a stand against God.

This was pointed out to Graham by some of the folks responding to his tweet about Auschwitz:

Irony. I live in the US, where you, Franklin Graham, have tortured 20 million LGBTQ people with your words (sometimes killing them through making them feel hopeless or inciting your followers to violence). Yes, that evil is still in the world.

— Lynne Eldridge MD (@AboutLungCancer) April 13, 2024

Well, you could quit acting as if homosexuality is a worse sin than adultery so that evil you mention is still within you, Frankie. Stop doing photo ops instead of the work to transform your own heart.

— Susan P. ☮️ (@pagesturnedblog) April 12, 2024

The Pink Triangle was also invented for Auschwitz too.. But your hatred and bigotry ignores that @Franklin_Graham Right??

— JamesDPitch (@jamesdpitch) April 12, 2024

Other responses to Graham's tweet brought up his unwavering support of Donald Trump and convenient silence when Trump has lied, made bigoted comments about various groups of people, and implied desires of wanting to be a dictator:

Frankie never called out Trump for his anti-Semitic response.

Over 200 white supremacist, alt-right, neo-Nazi, and pro-Confederates marched shouting “you will not replace us,” “Jews will not replace us.”

Trump's response: there were “very fine people on both sides.” pic.twitter.com/esrpsp4SAY

— Philly Pub Alum 🇺🇸 🇺🇦 (@vegasexpats) April 12, 2024

And yet you play footsies with a guy who uses the exact same playbook the architect of the Holocaust used: Fear, nationalism, & scapegoating.

— Jim Drumheller🐾☮️ (@JimDrumheller) April 12, 2024

Yet you support a Hitlerite who complains, like Hitler, about migrants “poisoning the blood” of the country, lunches with anti-semites and Holocaust deniers like Fuentes and Kanye, and supported the guys chanting “Jews will not replace us”. Sit down, Franklin.

— Q van Rheede (@QRheede) April 12, 2024

Evil is here, led by a guy who wears orange makeup, won’t be photographed w/his “fat” daughter, has conned and is still conning millions, cheated on his wife, inc. w/ a pornstar, got caught taking money from a kids cancer charity and yet YOU still choose to look the other way.

— wbbpuregame (@boilerbruinlove) April 13, 2024

Do you understand when you demonize Muslims and LGBT people you are engaging in the same rhetorical methods of the people who caused the Holocaust, @franklingraham

— mark academic (@markdalhouse) April 12, 2024

Oh, I could see it happening again if Donald Trump gets elected I don’t know what is in your mind to support that fascist.

— Bruce L Hart 🟧 (@BruceLHart) April 12, 2024

Yeah, you might want to sit this one out, Frank.

— DrMamaBear (@tlz1956) April 12, 2024

Trump is filled with hate for the marginalized and yet you promote him...something is seriously wrong with you

— 5280 CO ✌❤ (@prettypup) April 13, 2024

Well Trump said he wants to be a dictator and you are will to put your support behind him.

— James Chiasson (@badasspapa4) April 12, 2024

When people whine about 'wokeism,' this is what they really mean

 It always amazes me when I hear some folks gripe about having to deal with racism, homophobia, transphobia, and basic other bigotries nowadays. I understand their exhaustion with it all, but it's still an incredibly naive opinion. 

Bigotry has been with us from the beginning and it's not going anywhere. It's simply human nature to feel fear and superiority against something you don't or won't understand. And it's relatively easy to be manipulated into believing that the unknown thing facing you is trying to hurt you.

The only thing society has progressed in when it comes to bigotry is developing new ways to disguise it. The cartoon strip below from the webpage The Devil's Panties illustrates this point rather well. 

When we hear people whine about wokeism, this is probably what they're actually disturbed about.

Federal judge blocks FL anti-trans law, Nebraska legislators turn against their own anti-trans bill & other Tue/Wed news briefs

Federal judge blocks teacher pronoun restriction in Florida, citing First Amendment - A federal judge on Tuesday blocked Florida education officials from enforcing a law requiring a transgender teacher to use pronouns that align with her sex assigned at birth, saying the law violated her First Amendment rights. 

Conservative co-sponsors abandon their own bill after gay politician’s powerful speech - This is why voting and representation matters: 

 Nebraska state Senator John Fredrickson is the first out gay man elected to the state legislature. Now, he has another feather in his cap. After an impassioned speech in opposition to a bill that targeted transgender youth, two of his colleagues changed their minds about the legislation that they had co-sponsored. The measure did not pass out of committee after they did. 

Elon Musk uses burner accounts on X, doesn’t fact-check: report - The quicker Elon Musk gets dragged down, the better the world and the online community will be.

Curt Schilling’s Red Sox teammates are thrilled the homophobic hurler won’t be attending World Series reunion - How to screw up your own legacy because you're full of hate. 

Iowa man tells Eighth Circuit he was fired because of his anti-LGBTQ views - Keep your eye on this one.

FDA plans to lift ban on gay, bisexual sperm donors - It's about time.

Right-wing social media 'influencer' mocked and proven to be a liar during failed attack on gender-neutral bathrooms

Morgonn McMichael is a right-wing social media 'influencer' who humiliated herself while trying to create a controversy about gender-neutral bathrooms.

Morgonn McMichael considers herself a "social media influencer" out to change the world and become famous while doing it. However, as a recent incident proves, she's nothing more than a desperate engagement-hungry ambulance chaser eager for attention, even if that attention includes widespread ridicule.

 From The Huffington Post:

A right-wing social media influencer was ridiculed and fact-checked after melting down over a gender-neutral bathroom at Kansas City International Airport. In a video posted on X, Morgonn McMichael filmed herself walking into the restroom, complaining that it was a “crazy” concept. “I hate this,” she says in the clip. “I have never seen an all-gender bathroom. I am not going in here.” 

 That would be this video right here:

Welcome to Kansas City where they have ALL GENDER bathrooms…I hate this. pic.twitter.com/yAgth3X9Xy

— MORGONN (@morgonnm) April 4, 2024

However, the HuffPost said, folks who answered her back weren't sympathetic to her:

 But as commenters noted, she had no need to use the bathroom if she didn’t want to. A reader context note was added to the bottom of McMichael’s post, pointing out that there are gender-specific bathrooms available in addition to the gender-neutral one. The bathrooms are in the new terminal of the airport, which opened in February last year. 

The facilities were built under a policy supported by the Kansas City LGBTQ Commission. Justice Horn, chair of that commission, replied to the post personally.

 “First, these are single stall, all gender bathrooms that allow for greater privacy. There are gender specific bathrooms down the hall too,” he wrote. “Finally, don’t use my community to create fake outrage―it’s sad.”

Hi, chair of the commission who helped craft this policy in Kansas City.

First, these are single stall, all gender bathrooms that allow for greater privacy. There are gender specific bathrooms down the hall too.

Finally, don’t use my community to create fake outrage—it’s sad. pic.twitter.com/LiSa6j3ai1

— Justice Horn (@JusticeHorn_) April 4, 2024

Horn was nice compared to other responses McMichael received. Aside from the Community Notes calling her out, other comments condemned her sad attempt at clickbait.

 

I think the camera spinning around your head is getting you confused.

At a minimum - in your house, the homes of your friends & in airplanes, you have always been using bathrooms that men & women share

So take down the camera, sit down and settle your mind & use common sense

— RiotWomenn (@riotwomennn) April 4, 2024

Step 1: Get blowout
Step 2: Prepare selfie stick
Step 3: Find something to be outraged about.

This is a performance not a problem.

— PoliticsGirl (@IAmPoliticsGirl) April 5, 2024

It's actually a crime to film in a public bathroom, would be a shame for someone to send this video to her local police and anywhere she posts videos or is affiliated... remember this is what got Dr Disrespect banned from Twitch.

— ☃️Jonathan (@dvduadotcom) April 5, 2024

Newsflash, bigot, you DON’T have to use it. Cry more

— 👣Jarett & 🐾Lilly vs EVERYTHING (@JLVsTW1) April 4, 2024

In her attempt to defend herself from the barrage of ridicule, McMichael later tweeted that she had never seen an all-gender restroom before.

 

I have never seen an all gender bathroom before…I was SHOOK! Not to mention it’s the FIRST restroom you see after security…

— MORGONN (@morgonnm) April 4, 2024

McMichael was lying. She had done the same stunt in San Francisco in October 2023. And folks pulled out the "receipts."

 

You are a liar https://t.co/9vCo6NBEZz

— George Slater (@JorgeGuapo22) April 5, 2024

Never huh? https://t.co/GkhnKQ2Ujk

— #BlackLivesMatter (@Richie59FIFTY) April 5, 2024

never? https://t.co/NJoHijJqb8

— Curtis Wenis (@CurtisWenis) April 5, 2024

As delightful as it is to mock McMichael, it's also a sad realization of how conservative operatives create chaos. They manufacture false hysterias by exploiting people's fears and ignorance. In this case, McMichael tried to simultaneously exploit people's ignorance and all-gender bathrooms and the false fear that trans women actually predators seeking to trap cis women and girls in intimate situations. She failed only because folks called out her out quickly and decisively. 

But unfortunately, McMichael isn't the only conservative doing this. There are many clout-hungry right-wing ghouls like McMichael attempting to replicate her action. And in an age when even proving yourself to be a fool gets you clicks, we are all going to have to fight much harder to stamp it out. Or at least contain it.

Media Matters: 'Expose' on trans healthcare organization filled with misinformation but amplified by media who didn't fact-check its errors

Media Matters just published an article regarding what appears to be an attempt to undermine gender-affirming healthcare on a large scale:

  

 Networks owned by the largest local TV station owners in the U.S., and mainstream outlets including The Washington Post and Newsweek, recently amplified a deeply flawed report by anti-trans activists. The outlets also failed to fact-check its misinformation or provide context for the extremists behind it. The report was covered widely by anti-trans figures and outlets, and some Republican state legislators are already using the report to call for expanding restrictions on gender-affirming care. 

 On March 4, anti-woke blogger and former California gubernatorial candidate Michael Shellenberger announced the release of “The WPATH Files,” a collection of leaked forum posts from an internal message board for members of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. The group is the leading body providing clinical guidance for medical professionals on gender-affirming care, and a frequent target of anti-trans activists.

The report included a loose collection of out-of-context clinical observations paired with inaccurate and editorialized commentary. An independent review from medical news outlet STAT described claims made in the report as false and oversimplified.

Specifically, as discussed by journalist and researcher Erin Reed, the report cites research that comes either from biased sources or is well over a decade old, with newer research refuting the claims. The report makes verifiably false claims about gender-affirming care and the commonality of detransition. Leaked material is inaccurately characterized throughout the report, and at other times, the content was presented without context, allowing readers to misinterpret what was said in the chat logs. 

The report was the product of behind-the-scenes collaboration between Shellenberger and Genspect, an anti-trans activist group that promotes conversion therapy and bans on transition care for adults. The report’s analysis was written by Mia Hughes, who has an extensive history as an anti-trans writer and acted as a spokesperson for an organization that supports conversion therapy for trans youth.

The article goes on to show how this expose gained traction in the news media who failed to adequately check its veracity. Feel free to read and share it. It underscores how war on the trans community and gender-affirming healthcare seems to be more intricate and deeper than the past attacks against the gay community but just as dishonest and deceptive. And unfortunately, members of the media became unintended co-conspirators.

Image above courtesy of Erin Reed.

'Right-wing publication retracts article about Biden and Easter, former anti-LGBTQ leader disbarred after Trump elector scheme' & other Tue/Wed news briefs

Former head of the National Organization for Marriage and now former attorney (unless he wins on appeal) John Eastman became the latest proof of whatever Trump touches always dies.

 Editor's note - As you may have noticed, I've dropped my daily news briefs from being a regular feature. However I have devoted posts to news briefs when there are days in which too much stuff is going to focus on one thing.  And today is such a day. From a right-wing wing publication retracting a false story about Biden and Easter, to a former head of an anti-LGBTQ group (the National Organization for Marriage) getting officially disbarred because his participation in Trump's fake electors schemes, to the passage of a bill in Tennessee which would be trouble to LGBTQ foster kids, to a huge victory against an anti-trans bill in Wisconsin.

Daily Caller Fully Retracts Article Claiming Biden Banned ‘Religious Easter Eggs’ From White House Contest - And let's start with what I call an Easter miracle - a far right publication retracting a smear job on President Biden: 

 The Daily Caller on Tuesday retracted an article claiming that the Biden White House banned “religious Easter eggs” from an art contest at the annual Easter Egg Roll over the weekend. The claim had spread through right-wing media, even though it was quickly and widely debunked by various fact-checkers and anyone familiar with the history of the event. 

 Related post - Right-wing media melt down over Easter and Trans Day of Visibility falling on the same day 

 John Eastman's law license yanked in California after judge recommends disbarment: report - Bye, bye, Johnny. Whatever Trump touches always dies. 

 A onetime attorney for former President Donald Trump cannot practice law in California after a judge's ruling recommended disbarment, according to state records and reports. A bold red message on the State Bar of California alerts viewers John Eastman is "Not Eligible to Practice Law," the progressive news site Democracy Docket was among the first to report Tuesday.  

The status update comes with a hefty consumer alert warning would-be clients that Eastman was been charged with a felony in Georgia, where Fulton County District Attorney Fani Wills has accused the lawyer, Trump and more than a dozen others with election racketeering. 

For those who are not aware, Eastman was the head of the National Organization for Marriage, the group behind the unsuccessful fight to stop marriage equality: 

 Eastman also has a long history of anti-LGBTQ+ activism. He became NOM’s board chairman in 2011 and compared marriage equality to slavery in 2014, saying that courts had “illegitimately” decided on the issue and that voters should decide instead. He also tried to get NOM to defend several states’ same-sex marriage bans in courts, though a federal judge ruled that NOM lacked the legal standing to do so. He has supported Uganda’s criminalization of homosexuality, called homosexuality an indicator of “barbarism,” has called same-sex marriage “evil” and “despotic,” and has claimed that the LGBTQ+ equality movement promotes pedophilia, according to Right Wing Watch. 

 In other news: 

Wisconsin Gov. Evers vetoes transgender high school athletics ban, decries "radical policies targeting LGBTQ" 

Tennessee Passes Bill Allowing Non-Accepting Parents To Adopt LGBTQ+ Kids

Biden Administration doesn't back down from Easter/Trans Day of Visibility 'controversy.' Calls out 'misinformation done on purpose'

Unless you've been hiding under a rock last weekend (and if you were, you really should be happy all things considered), then you've heard of the latest right-wing moral panic. To recap - Trans Day of Visibility has been commemorated on March 31 every year since 2009. This particular year, it fell on the same day as the Easter holiday. Easter changes dates every year, so it's never on the same calendar day.

However, when have the religious right, Republicans and various conservatives ever let a small detail like "truth" interfere with their rage farming stunts. And this one was a doozy. In what was implied to be to have been a coordinated attempt, various tweets from Republicans and conservative figures, various right-wing news articles, various right-wing blogs, and various far-right religious entities all attacked President Biden for supposedly making a mockery of "Easter." They claimed that he was deliberately insulting Christians.

Even Trump, demanded that Biden apologize. Unfortunately, in light of Trump's recent attempt to sell of $60 Bibles (and the fact that this is Donald Trump in general), the adage about someone being so brazen that lightning strikes them, thereby causing said person to fall into hell and "bust it wide open" didn't prove true. 

However, many of us on the left and mainstream (including various fact-checkers) didn't back down from calling out the lies about Easter and Trans Day of Visibility. Most important, neither did the Biden Administration. It issued no apologies. Instead, via White House Press Secretary Karine Jeane-Pierre, the Biden Administration called out the fake outrage.

From Mediaite:

“So, surprised by the misinformation that’s been out there around this and I want to be very clear,” Jean-Pierre said, “Every year for the past several years on March 31, Transgender Day of Visibility is marked. And, as we know, for folks who understand the calendar and how it works, Easter falls on different Sundays, right? Every year. And this year, it happens to coincide with Transgender Visibility Day.” 

She continued: We were, at first, I want to be very clear, confused on their coverage. We’re grateful that Fox agrees with President Biden on the importance of recognizing Trans Day of Visibility. And I’ll just quote something that Fox said back in 2021. They tweeted this: “Trans Day of Visibility is dedicated to celebrating transgender people. To all the transgender men, women and nonbinary folk, we see you and stand with you.” “A lot of misinformation done on purpose,” 

Jean-Pierre continued. “And, as a Christian who celebrates Easter with family, President Biden stands for bringing people together, and upholding the freedoms and dignity of every American.” She added, “It is dishonest what we have heard the past 24 hours. It is untrue what we heard over the weekend.” She called the misinformation “dividing.”

 

You can watch a video of her comments via Forbes Breaking News:

Let's hope this fighting spirit lasts. It's going to be a long electoral season and if Biden keeps this up, I'm personally here for it.

'Anti-woke,' anti-LGBTQ Ohio school board member removed after two-year reign of terror and harassment

Former Lakota (Ohio) school board member Darbi Boddy

I got this news from The Buckeye Flame, which is led by award-winning journalist Ken Schneck.  Both The Buckeye Flame and Schneck underscore the importance of reading and supporting LGBTQ-oriented news sources and blogs, "Mainstream" news sources never seem to do us justice.

While school board members are portrayed as generally at odds with each other, this particular school board in Lakota (Ohio) were all in agreement about one thing during a special March 20 meeting - fellow board member Darbi Boddy had to go. And except for one person who abstained, they voted unanimously (3-0) to dismiss her. The one who abstain probably did so for reasons not necessarily complimentary to Boddy. 

To hear the story, Boddy was responsible for a two-year reign of terror which left the school board and some members of the community completely exhausted and happy that she was dismissed.

From The Buckeye Flame (3/26/24):

Boddy was elected to the Lakota board, which covers the Cincinnati suburbs of West Liberty and Westchester townships, in November 2021. She ran on a platform of “teaching the greatness of America.” According to her campaign website, this greatness includes: 

 Ending the promotion of “racist ideologies to our students and faculty,” including “the 1619 Project, Critical Race Theory and Black Lives Matter.” 

The “honest teaching of American history.” America, she stated, has “given peasants the lifestyle of kings and more liberty and more wealth to minorities than any country in human history.” 

The “honest teaching of the sexes in our classrooms,” including “the fact that sex is determined at birth and cannot be changed” and the elimination of “boys’ competing in girls’ sports programs.” 

 

Boddy subsequently won a seat on the school board. That is when all hell broke loose with her holding the pitchfork: 

 In April 2021, only a few months after she was elected, Boddy was censured after she posted links to sexual content on Facebook. She claimed the links were a typo, but said they were representative of the pornography being taught in the schools. 

 At a November 2021 meeting, in front of a group of second graders being recognized for their civility and leadership, Boddy repeatedly kept yelling and disrupting the order of the meeting, all while her young daughter was crouched under the table. At that meeting, Boddy proposed banning trans students from athletics and forfeiting any athletic competitions against teams with trans students. That motion was defeated 4-1. 

Boddy further attempted to ban trans athletes and bathroom access for trans students at an April 2023 meeting. She again repeatedly yelled, interrupted her colleagues and was ruled out of order. An exasperated Casper called her a “petulant child.” (You can view moments from the explosive meeting here courtesy of Schneck) 

Between meetings, Boddy posted a slew of anti-LGBTQ+ and “anti-woke” articles and videos on her Facebook page. She has alleged that National Geographic is an activist publication that supports predators, that Pride flags represent exclusion, and that “there is no such thing as transgender.” 

She also reposted an unsigned letter alleging sexual assault in a Lakota school bathroom. There was no evidence or corroboration connected to the post.

 In addition, according to City Beat (8/9/23), Boddy began in a campaign of smears against Lakota School Superintendent Matt Miller; one that ended with him resigning:

Months later, during the start of the 2022-2023 school year, Boddy began zeroing in on Lakota Superintendent Matt Miller. Boddy claimed he was personally promoting CRT at Lakota Schools and that he engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct. Complaints from Boddy and community members led to an investigation from the Butler County Sheriff’s department, which found no probable cause for criminal charges against Miller, according to the board. 

The board conducted its own investigation, which also came up with nothing, but Boddy reportedly pressed the allegations further during school board meetings. Miller ultimately resigned as superintendent, directly blaming Boddy for creating a hostile working environment and alleging she’d promoted threats of violence against him and his family. 

Boddy's manic stridency finally got her into trouble when she began targeting fellow school board member Issac Adi. Adi was the one who abstained in the vote to dismiss her. One thinks that if he had voted to dismiss her, she would have been able to claim impropriety because she harassed him so badly that he filed a civil protection stalking order against her.

From The Buckeye Flame:

According to court documents, Boddy confronted Adi at an April 2023 conservative leadership conference in Florida, accosting him in front of witnesses. She claimed he wasn’t conservative enough. On June 22, Boddy posted a video to Facebook of her confronting Adi, claiming he said that her “brain was empty.” She filed an assault report after Adi was seen in the video pushing her camera away, but the Butler County Sheriff’s Office did not move forward with charges. 

 Adi filed a civil protection stalking order against Boddy in September 2023, but an exception was made for them to present at the same school board meetings pending Boddy’s appeal to the order. When that appeal was denied, she was issued a citation when she tried to enter a school board meeting in November. 

 Also, according to CityBeat (9/21/23):

The order details a months-long pattern of targeted harassment from Boddy towards Adi. "[Adi] contends that certain actions taken by [Boddy] have caused, and will continue to cause, him mental distress. He further contends that the mental distress caused by [Boddy] has resulted in hospitalization," the order reads. Adi testified that he was hospitalized for three days due to stress, and witnesses testified that Adi had indicated his health was declining as a result of interactions with Boddy.

 

This subsequently caused Boddy to miss school board meetings for over 90 days. That led to the board being able to dismiss her.

From The Buckeye Flame:

The resolution they passed dismissed Boddy pursuant to the Ohio Revised Code that states a seat shall be vacated when a board member is absent from board meetings for a period of 90 days, if the reason for the absence is declared insufficient by two-thirds of the Board. 

Immediately following the vote, Shaffer announced a vacancy on the board. Applause was heard as the meeting adjourned. Less than a day later, Boddy’s picture was removed from the board’s website.

One wonders if they all sang Ding, dong, the witch is dead. 

I certainly would have.

Washington becomes the seventh state to mandate LGBTQ-inclusive curriculum

From NBC News:

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, signed a law last week that includes a mandate for the state’s public schools to teach LGBTQ history, as red and blue states continue to diverge on whether schools should expose kids to gay and transgender identities. 

The new law, Senate Bill 5462, mandates that the state’s school districts adopt curricula that is as “culturally and experientially diverse as possible,” including the histories of LGBTQ people, people of color and people with disabilities. Schools will be required to institute the inclusive curricula by the 2025-26 school year. 

 “The governor was happy to sign legislation that aims to ensure students of all races and identities feel safe and welcome at school,” Mike Faulk, a spokesperson for Inslee, said in an email Monday. Faulk also referred NBC News to research published in the journal Sex Education that suggests LGBTQ-inclusive curricula can reduce rates of bullying and make children feel safer in school.

 . . . Washington is the seventh state to enact legislation mandating that public schools incorporate LGBTQ-inclusive curricula in some capacity, according to the Movement Advancement Project, an LGBTQ think tank. The other six are: California, New Jersey, Colorado, Oregon, Nevada and Illinois, states that have been won by Democrats in the last four presidential elections. The law also comes as conservative lawmakers introduce record numbers of anti-LGBTQ measures, including legislation to regulate how LGBTQ issues are taught in public schools.

First of all, this proves yet again that voting always matter. If LGBTQ people are to get positive outcomes, we must put in elected officials who will work for those positive outcomes. Voting matters. Always.

Secondly, in light of all of the nonsense the LGBTQ community is facing now, it's easy to think that this doesn't matter. But it does matter.  When I was growing up, I would never dream of something like this. Being gay, or LGBTQ in general, was something a lot of folks tried to make shameful. We were shuttered into the closets and other dark places like we were something vile and fetid. Our lives were crudely sliced and diced into salacious stereotypes of oversexed, disease-ridden societal outcasts who should be kept away from kids and decent folks. 

Granted, it's still happening due to people like Chaya Raichik and statewide legislation attacking our health and safety. But even in the face of that, our community is still progressing. We are still moving forward. All of the mad talk about "grooming," all of the lies about gender-affirming care - particularly for our trans kids - may have slowed us, but it hasn't stopped us. In seven states - and I hope more in the future - kids will learn about our lives and history. They will learn that LGBTQ people exist and aren't people to be ashamed of. They will see that we have contributed to society and will continue to do so. And LGBTQ kids will be especially helped by this. 

In the onslaught of hate and misinformation, it becomes easy to forget that LGBTQ people don't stop moving forward. We are in a better place than we were before and that's due to our tenacity. And as each day passes, we will continue to be in better places. We don't stop because we can't stop. 

Our victory is inevitable.

Video - Trump supporters think drag queens are more dangerous than guns

I wasn't going to post anything on Sunday and I apologize for presenting this video (because interviews with Trump voters are so damn annoying and jaded), but I feel that this video is necessary. It's not to attack any group for their beliefs, but one must call out basic ignorance, especially when it comes to the LGBTQ community and our culture. And the video above oozes with ignorance. 

 It practically reeks with it. OH MY GOD, where should I start? With the fact that these folks don't know the difference between drag queens and the trans community. The fact that they actually feel that drag queens are more dangerous than guns? Take your pick. But I will end with one sad fact - these people VOTE. And if we are going to defeat nonsense like this or at the very least contain it, we are going to have to stop getting distracted. We need to vote with as much energy as we waste laughing at these folks. 

'Victory - Over 40 anti-LGBTQ 'policy riders' removed from federal budget bill' & other Thur/Fri news briefs

Massive Defeat For Anti-Trans And Anti-LGBTQ+ Riders In Spending Bill As Dems Hold Firm​ - Fellow GLAAD award nominee Erin Reed is a one-woman wrecking crew when it comes to dismantling transphobia and basic bigotry. Support her work. 

 One policy rider proposed for the Food and Drug Administration would have defunded any hospital that “distributes, sells, or otherwise uses drugs that disrupt the onset of puberty or sexual development for those under 18,” a measure targeting not only transgender youth but also those experiencing precocious puberty. Another rider sought to bar any government funding toward “surgical procedures or hormone therapy for the purposes of gender-affirming care” in the Department of Health and Human Services. 

This move would have significantly impacted private and subsidized insurance in the Healthcare Marketplace. It also aimed to bar the enforcement of President Biden’s executive order titled “Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity,” which broadened anti-discrimination protections for transgender individuals. Additional riders included bans on funding for any organization that “promotes transgenderism,” Title IX protections for transgender youth, bans on legal challenges against states over anti-LGBTQ+ laws, book bans, DEI bans, and more. In total, over 40 riders were proposed and negotiated in the spending bills. None of these were found in the final bill. 

 Ultimately, the final spending bill released contained only a single anti-LGBTQ+ rider: a ban on pride flags being raised or displayed above foreign embassies. The policy, while certainly qualifying as anti-LGBTQ+ and a regression to Trump-era policies, notably does not bar personal displays of Pride flags by embassy workers. In the past, some embassies have gotten around such bans by not “flying a flag over the embassy” but rather, painting portions of the embassy in rainbow colors or draping flags on the side of buildings. 

White House Agrees To Ban Pride Flags At US Embassies In Spending Bill Deal - Unfortunately, this rider didn't slip by. I sincerely hope members of the community don't flip out over this. Compared to what could have been, this is very minor.

Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott donates over $30 million to LGBTQ+ non-profits​ - Great news. Goodness knows we need this. 

Alabama forces universities to implement trans bathroom ban while outlawing DEI - This right here is a hot mess. 

Florida tried to erase LGBTQ teachers. These educators refuse to go quietly - Keep fighting. 

Biden administration ties record for number of confirmed LGBTQ judges in federal courts - Voting matters.

Video - Four years ago, Donald Trump botched the COVID pandemic response. His campaign wants America to forget what he did.

Four years ago, Donald Trump botched the COVID pandemic response and refused to take responsibility for the carnage he was causing. Now his campaign is trying to gaslight America to forget all of it. Thank you Chris Hayes and MSNBC for the above reminder.

SCOTUS turns down appeal of parents who lost custody of trans teen

I am not a fan of the current Supreme Court because of how it seems to put religious beliefs on an undeserved pedestal.  However, in this particular case, SCOTUS made the right decision. In rejecting this appeal, the Court is saying, at least for now, that the religious beliefs of the parents don't supersede the health and well-being of their child.

 From USA Today:

The Supreme Court declined to decide Monday whether an Indiana couple who believe children should be raised based on their sex at birth should have lost custody of their teenager, a transgender girl. The court, without comment, rejected an appeal from the teen’s parents, who had warned that cases similar to theirs are likely to reoccur “due to developing conflicts between parents and their children concerning gender identity.” 

 “With increasing frequency, governments run roughshod over parents’ religious beliefs on gender identity, including removing children from parents, favoring certain beliefs in divorce custody disputes, and preventing adoptions,” lawyers for Mary and Jeremy Cox of Anderson, Indiana, told the court in their appeal. “These cases are sure to proliferate.” 

 The state said the parents, who are self-described devout Christians, lost custody not because of their views but because of the medical necessity of addressing the teen’s severe eating disorder. A provision of Indiana law that is similar to statutes in nearly every state allows government intervention in “a variety of situations in which even well-intentioned parent find themselves unable to prevent serious harm,” the state told the court. 

 Indiana also argued that the custody dispute is no longer relevant because the teen, who was 16 when removed from the home, is now an adult. 

 The LGBTQ news site Them also added several other details about the case:

 The case stretches back to 2019, when Mary and Jeremy Cox of Anderson, Indiana said their child — then 14 years old — came out to them as a trans girl. As PBS affiliate WFYI reported, the Coxes, both self-described devout Christians, refused to accept their child’s identity, a sustained conflict that lawyers for the Department of Child Services (DCS) say eventually led to the child developing a severe eating disorder and both parents losing custody in 2021. 

 The Indiana Court of Appeals in 2022 upheld the DCS decision to remove the child from her parents’ care, finding that her eating disorder was directly linked to emotional distress and lack of support at home. Mary Cox’s comments to her child included the statement that “[child’s preferred name] is the bitch that killed my son,” according to the ruling. 

The court determined that the custody order was necessary to protect the child’s physical and emotional health, and while the Coxes are free to express their religious beliefs, “they do not have the right to exercise them in a manner that causes physical or emotional harm to [their] Child.”