Kansas lawmakers fail to override veto of bill banning healthcare for trans kids, two anti-trans bills fail in Mississippi

It was a good Monday and Tuesday for the transgender community. 

Yesterday an hour after I posted about the victory in federal court, news came down that Kansas lawmakers failed to override Governor Laura Kelly's veto on an anti-trans healthcare bill. The bill would have banned gender-affirming are for trans minors. And central to the story is one Republican, who initially supported the bill, changing her vote.

From Michigan Live:

In a dramatic shift, the Kansas legislature failed to override Governor Laura Kelly’s veto of a bill banning gender-affirming healthcare for transgender minors. Two Republican lawmakers unexpectedly broke ranks, leading to a major victory for LGBTQ+ advocates and securing access to essential medical care for trans youth in the state.

 The legislation, Senate Bill 233, would have prohibited medical professionals from providing treatments like puberty blockers and hormone therapy to transgender youth. It also aimed to bar state employees from promoting social transitioning for children questioning their gender identity. 

 Governor Kelly vetoed the bill in March, citing its dangerous intrusion into the doctor-patient relationship and the well-being of transgender Kansans. The veto override seemed poised for success, until Representatives Susan Concannon and Jesse Borjon voted against the measure. 

 Rep. Concannon, previously a supporter of the bill, delivered a powerful speech: “We hear of bullying and ask authorities to make it stop. We hear about mental health, about suicide, and ask why. We’re not listening to the impacted youth. Government involvement is not the answer...These decisions belong between the team of professionals and the parents. The youth need our help, not government overreach. For all those who reached out, I hear you, and vote to sustain the governor’s veto.”

And just now as I was working on the above post, this news came from The Associated Press:

Mississippi's Republican-led Legislature will not take final votes on two bills that attempted to restrict legal recognition of transgender people. The bills died quietly when House and Senate leaders failed to agree on compromise versions before a Monday night deadline. Lawmakers were working on several other complex issues at the time.

 One bill would have restricted transgender people’s use of bathrooms and locker rooms in public buildings, including university dormitories. The other would have specified that sex is defined at birth, and that “there are only two sexes, and every individual is either male or female.” 

 SuperTalk- Mississippi Media added: 

 In an attempt to restrict transgender people’s use of bathrooms and locker rooms in public buildings, Republican Sen.Josh Harkins authored the Securing Areas for Females Effectively and Responsibly (SAFER) Act. The legislation deemed it necessary to provide male and female areas for each sex’s exclusive use. Lawmakers on the GOP side quickly voiced their support for the bill following an incident at a Planet Fitness gym in Alaska in which a transgender individual identifying as a woman was spotted on video shaving in the women’s locker room.

 . . . The SAFER Act became a national movement as it was backed by Paula Scanlan, a former University of Pennsylvania swimmer who has made waves along with fellow athlete Riley Gaines. Scanlan even made a trip to the Magnolia State to advocate for the bill to create “safe spaces” for women. Nonetheless, the bill, which received pushback from Democratic lawmakers, failed to survive Monday’s deadline and will not make it to the desk of Republican Gov. Tate Reeves.

Federal court rules that state healthcare plans can't deny gender-affirming care to trans individuals

A wonderful bit of news just came from the courts on Monday for the transgender community.

From MetroWeekly:

A federal appeals court ruled that states can’t deny insurance coverage for gender-affirming medical care to transgender individuals. The full panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of transgender plaintiffs in two cases from North Carolina and West Virginia, finding that existing insurance exclusions on gender-affirming care are discriminatory and unconstitutional. 

 Lawyers for the plaintiffs noted that this most recent ruling sets precedent, not only for North Carolina and West Virginia, but all other states within the 4th Circuit, including South Carolina, where state officials are considering a ban on gender-affirming care for minors — one of the few Southern states without a ban currently in place. 

 “The court’s decision sends a clear message that gender-affirming care is critical medical care for transgender people and that denying it is harmful and unlawful,” Omar Gonzalez-Pagan, counsel and health care strategist for Lambda Legal, said in a statement. The plaintiffs celebrated the appeals court’s ruling as a victory for transgender people.

 . . .In 2020, Lambda Legal, together with employment attorney firm Nichols Kaster, PLLP, and The Employment Law Center, PLLC, filed a lawsuit against West Virginia officials on behalf of a Medicaid participant, Christopher Fain, who was denied coverage for gender confirmation surgery. That same lawsuit also previously challenged a similar exclusion contained in West Virginia’s state employee health insurance plan on behalf of two state employees who could not obtain coverage for gender-affirming treatments, either for themselves or their dependents.

Lambda Legal subsequently added additional transgender plaintiffs to the case, including Shauntae Anderson. The state employee plaintiffs’ claims were eventually resolved by a 2022 settlement with The Health Plan of West Virginia, Inc., which removed its exclusion on gender-affirming care. The lawsuit subsequently resumed, challenging only the Medicaid exclusion.

'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.