Wednesday, July 23, 2025

'Trump was told in May by DOJ that he was listed in the Epstein files: Wall Street Journal' & other Wed/Thur news briefs


DOJ told Trump in May he was among names in Epstein files: bombshell report - This doesn't mean that Trump is guility of any wrongdoing but with this Administration, nothing is for sure. There is one thing I am very sure of - there are a WHOLE LOT of drag queens drinking tea right now, while muttering "groomer, my ass" to each other.




Christian bookstore teams up with hate group to sue for the right to misgender people - It sounds like they are making up nonsense and shielding it with some "religious freedom" argument. A recent SCOTUS decision has brought out folks trying to weaponize their religion to remove pro-LGBTQ ordinances. 

I'm beginning to think that Candace Owens isn't "wrapped too tight:" 


Monday, July 21, 2025

'Hot Mess Nancy Mace makes a fool of herself (again)' & other Mon/Tue news briefs

Nancy Mace tries another social media stunt and makes a fool of herself again.

Nancy Mace’s epic meme fail on the viral Coldplay cheating moment has the internet in hysterics​ - Hot mess Nancy Mace makes a fool of herself again. Not necessarily an LGBTQ issue, but Mace is an equal opportunity fool. 

Federal judge temporarily blocks Mississippi’s new DEI ban - Temporary for now, but it looks good. 

Federal HR office sets deadline for government-wide purge of transgender and nonbinary inclusion - Ugh. Trump's war against trans people have now stretched to target non-binary folks.


Judge Orders Reinstatement of Counselor Fired for Discrimination Against LGBTQ Students - Believe or not, this one was lost on another technicality.  Folks, it's good to stand up for the LGBTQ community, but you gotta watch those loopholes.

Thursday, July 17, 2025

Simone Biles gets last laugh in 'feud' with anti-trans activist Riley Gaines during 2025 Espy Awards



While Simone Biles (top pic) shines and achieves, Riley Gaines (bottom pic) will continue to ride her fifth-place tie with trans athlete Lia Thomas for clout


In case some of you aren't aware, multiple Olympic gold medalist and the most awarded gymnast Simone Biles was in a recent feud with anti- trans activist Riley Gaines. 

Gaines is a former collegiate swimmer who has made a career in right-wing circles speaking out against trans athletes ever since she tied for fifth in a meet with a trans athlete, Lia Thomas. Four other woman who are not trans defeated Gaines, but that hasn't stopped her grift, I mean "crusade."

The feud between Biles and Gaines began when last month when Gaines took it upon herself to publicly call out a high school trans student on Twitter. Biles stood up for the teenager but found herself cast in the middle of an ugly brouhaha with publicity-hungry Gaines, who made the most of this opportunity by attacking Biles on Twitter and Fox News.  On Twitter, her followers also made attacks against Biles. Gaines herself even dug up Biles's sexual abuse by former USA doctor and convicted child predator Larry Nassar. 

 While Biles tried to divest herself from the situation (even by offering an apology), Gaines and her supporters - particularly female pundits on Fox News - declared Gaines as the "winner."

 However, at the Wednesday night's Espy Awards, folks - and I hope especially Gaines and her supporters - were reminded what a true winner looks like: 

 Simone Biles won two trophies at the ESPYS on Wednesday night, including the women’s best athlete award. The 11-time Olympic medalist claimed the night’s first award, best championship performance for her efforts at the Paris Games.

 She won three golds and a silver while helping the U.S. women’s gymnasts win their first team title since 2016. “That was very unexpected, especially in a category of all men,” Biles said after kissing husband, Chicago Bears safety Jonathan Owens. 

The comment Biles made is what folks are talking about because it is considered a dig at Gaines. But we shouldn't let her comment overshadow the fact that Biles continues to win and achieve, while Gaines will probably be looking for another opportunity to ride her coattails for more attention and appearances on Fox.  

One has to admire Gaines's skill of turning a fifth-place tie to a full fledge-media career, but we are still talking about a fifth-place tie.. There aren't any further chapters of the story in which Gaines trained herself to be better and managed to become the gold-medalist she mostly like dreamed of being as a child. Her sports story ends with a brazen grab for easy cash by blaming others for her own inability to successfully compete.  

Meanwhile Biles will continue to shine and add to her long list of achievements, thus proving that those who can generally do. Gaines, on the other hand proves that those who can't achieve will spend considerable time blaming others for their own mediocrity.

 It's easy to see who actually won this feud. It wasn't even close.

Tuesday, July 15, 2025

Chip and Joanna Gaines trigger conservative Christian rage by showing that religious freedom about gays go both ways

By casting a same-sex couple in their docuseries Back to the Frontier, HGTV personalities Chip and Joanna Gaines enrage conservative evangelicals and puts a much-needed spotlight on how the concept of religious freedom is distorted


 From Men's Journal:

Chip and Joanna Gaines, the popular HGTV personalities who created their own TV network and have a massive following from Evangelical Christians, are facing criticism over a casting decision for their new HBO Max docuseries, Back to the Frontier. 

 The new series, from the couple's Magnolia Network, features three couples living as 1800s homesteaders. Among the couples includes Jason and Joe Hanna-Riggs, a same-sex couple who have two sons. 

The decision to cast the Hanna-Riggs family cast drew immediate criticism from Chip and Joanna's own fan base. Preacher Franklin Graham notably went on X and voiced his dismay. 

"I hope this isn’t true, but I read today that Chip and Joanna Gaines are featuring a gay couple in their new series. If It is true, it is very disappointing. While we are to love people, we should love them enough to tell them the truth of God’s Word," he tweeted. "His Word is absolute truth. God loves us, and His design for marriage is between one man and one woman. Promoting something that God defines as sin is in itself sin."

 Ed Vitagliano, vice president of the American Family Association, called the casting disappointing. “We aren’t sure why the Gaines have reversed course, but we are sure of this: Back to the Frontier promotes an unbiblical view of human sexuality, marriage, and family," the organization tweeted. 

 After hearing the criticism, Chip swung back. "Talk, ask [questions], listen.. maybe even learn. Too much to ask of modern American Christian culture. Judge 1st, understand later/never," he tweeted. "It’s a sad Sunday when 'non believers' have never been confronted with hate or vitriol until they are introduced to a modern American Christian."

This controversy is an opportunity to look at the concept of religious freedom as it is used by conservative evangelicals.

Graham and other conservative evangelicals (that includes those on the Supreme Court) have weaponized the term as an excuse to not treat LGBTQ people fairly and in accordance with laws. To do so would jeopardize their "personally held religious beliefs,"   they tell us.

But religious freedom goes both ways.  Just as people have the religious freedom to condemn and castigate LGBTQ people, others have the religious freedom to affirm LGBTQ people or - in the case of the Gaines - welcome LGBTQ people in.

Graham knows this. And other conservative evangelicals (including those on the Supreme Court) know this. But to them, religious freedom is not about freedom to worship. It's not about respecting people's right to worship as they wish.

 It's a ploy for them to dictate policy in accordance with their fantasy that America is a Christian nation controlled and corralled by their definition of Scriptures. It's the method in which they try to take power - power which they delude themselves comes anointed by God when in reality, it comes from their own craven and greedy desires.

Their lapse of knowledge about religious freedom is not accidental. It's a cynical convenience and a hallmark of their barely hidden hypocrisy.  Just as easily as Franklin Graham can condemn LGBTQ people as sinners while simultaneously supporting the even more sinful and incredibly corrupt Trump Administration (which he does almost constantly), other conservative evangelicals can whine that their freedom to worship is being taken away while attempting silence others who they feel aren't obeying God according to their standards.

This controversy, if u want to call it that, merely lays it all bare.


Sunday, July 13, 2025

News brief special - MAGA anger at Trump over Epstein Files isn't dying down. It's heating up.

How the Trump Administration handled the Jeffrey Epstein situation (seen here with Trump in 1992) has created a huge rift between Donald Trump and his MAGA supporters.

Editor's note - This controversy involving the Trump Administration and the Epstein Files may not be LGBTQ specific, but it is deliciously ironic considering how accusations against LGBTQ people as predators and child groomers have been fueled by Trump supporters. Whatever the case may be, the reversal of the Trump Administration when it comes to conspiracy theories about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's death and alleged "list of contacts" after years of baiting MAGA about it is like watching slow moving train wreck.  And considering the stubbornness of MAGA and Trump, it's a train wreck which won't stop any time soon.

Trump Gets 'Ratioed' on Truth Social for First Time Amid Epstein Backlash









 And for those who have little to no idea what's going on, here is a timeline courtesy of Forbes: 



Related post - Transphobia takes a back seat as MAGA rages at AG Bondi over Epstein files debacle

Wednesday, July 09, 2025

Transphobia takes a back seat as MAGA rages at AG Bondi over Epstein files debacle

From Mediaite:

 Attorney General Pam Bondi can’t seem to escape those pesky calls to resign over this week’s joint FBI/DOJ report on Jeffrey Epstein, even as she tries to deliver on a major MAGA talking point. In a video posted to X Wednesday, Bondi was flanked by Education Secretary Linda McMahon as the two Trump administration officials announced a lawsuit against California for failing to enforce the White House ban on (trans women) competing in women’s sports. 

 . . . The lawsuit seeks to “enforce Title IX and protect California female student athletes from unfair competition and reckless endangerment by male participation on female high-school sports teams,” according to a statement from the Department of Justice. The video quickly racked up thousands of replies, but instead of cheering for the litigious action, most saw the opportunity to once again demand Bondi find another job.

For those not familiar with the Epstein situation (and in that regard should consider themselves both fortunate and far in between), allow me to add some background.

Ever since he committed suicide in his jail cell in 2019, accused sex trafficker and convicted sex offender Jeffey Epstein has been the center of MAGA conspiracy theories about his death (they think he was murdered) and an alleged list of high-profile names who he supposedly trafficked underaged females to. Bondi and several others in the present Trump Administratio egged on and amplified these conspiracy theories for months

Then came the released report earlier this week concluding that Epstein was not murdered and there was no list of clients. Needless to say, MAGA is furious about this conclusion. This has led to a strange outcome of watching MAGA devotees (anti-MAGA devotees who are just being downright mischievous) ignore Bondi's news of an anti-trans lawsuit and instead figuratively drag her all over Twitter. The following are merely a few:

I'd be lying if I said I'm not enjoying this. It's like watching the part of a horror movie in which the mad scientist's experiments turn on him and drag him into "The House of Pain."



Hat tip to Mediaite (in spite of the fact that it amplifies Megyn Kelly too much. Just saying)





Tuesday, July 08, 2025

'Georgia librarian fired after child picks a book with transgender character for a library display' & other Tue/Wed news briefs

'When Aidan Became A Brother' - the book which led to the firing of Georgia librarian Lavonnia Moore.


I swear, the way some Americans are acting makes me want to give those 'To Serve Man' aliens from The Twilight Zone some precise directions on where some of y'all live. And throw in a huge bag of seasoning.

Beloved Georgia librarian fired after child chooses book with transgender character for library display - Unbelievable! And the lies the bigots told on her is equally shameful. Under the facade of "protecting children," these folks are targeting people merely doing their job. Not to mention attempting to erase families the public view.

11th Circuit upholds Miami-Dade’s firing of former media aide over anti-LGBTQ column - Whoop! There it is! 

California defies federal order to ban trans women and girls from female sports - We will have to see how this turns out. California governor Gavin Newsom got some folks angry a while back via his negative comments about trans athletes. 

Wisconsin Supreme Court clears way for conversion therapy ban - Great news, but again we will see how this turns out with SCOTUS hearing a case on whether or not states can ban reparative therapy. 

Trans athletes can no longer play sports in Indiana starting this month - A perfect example of how these laws are ridiculous time wasters. According to the article, there aren't any trans athletes playing sports in Indiana.

 Supreme Court ruling wasn’t the final word, as debate on LGBTQ books opt-out goes on - You had better believe that it ain't over.

Wednesday, July 02, 2025

Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters going on hiatus until July 8

A photo of me and my GLAAD award (Outstanding Blog - 2017)


Unless something interesting happens (like Elon Musk and Stephen Miller getting caught getting busy while wearing bondage gear ...  you're welcome for the image), I am going on a break to recharge my batteries. 

 I shall return on Tuesday of next week hopefully full of fire and petty attitude (cause God knows we need it) to do what I have been doing for the community for the past 18 and a half years. 

 Until then, keep smiling, keep fighting, and never let anyone decide for you what you need to be doing for yourself. We will get through Trump's second term, just like we did his first.

So happy Fourth of July (maybe sooner if something big happens - cue image of Trump in master/slave leather gear with Lindsey Graham)

Monday, June 30, 2025

CBS News - the Trump Administration is playing 'divide and conquer' strategy against LGBTQ community

During his first term, Donald Trump pretended to like the LGBTQ community. During this, his second term, he's not bothering to play the game. Instead, according to CBS News, his Administration is pushing a divide and conquer strategy - specifically targeting the trans community, while the overall goal is a reduction of rights for the entire LGBTQ community.

According to CBS News:

From health care bans, to sports bans, bathroom bans, a military ban and attempts to erase non-binary gender pronouns from the federal system, Mr. Trump's most conspicuous threats to LGBTQ rights specifically target trans people, a pattern that has drawn accusations of scapegoating from his critics, given that trans people make up an estimated 1% or less of the U.S. population. LGBTQ advocates also see it as a tactic to sow division in the community. 

 "Donald Trump ran for president on an age-old platform of divide and conquer," said Brandon Wolf, the national press secretary at the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ advocacy organization. "Inside the LGBTQ+ community, Donald Trump ran his campaign saying, I'm not targeting all LGBTQ+ people, just the trans people, and if you sacrifice that community, perhaps you will be spared." 

While polling data showed most LGBTQ voters didn't choose to elect him, Mr. Trump has gained increasingly loud support from a faction of gay conservatives who disavow the "radical LGBT left" and insist his policies aren't at odds with their personal freedoms. 

 When the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration announced the upcoming termination of part of its 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline dedicated to helping LGBTQ youth, the gay conservative group Log Cabin Republicans called related media coverage "fake news." 
 
While some of the Trump Administration's actions exploit whatever divide exists between the trans and LGBQ communities, other actions have targeted the community in general.  The goal seems to be making the overall LGBTQ community weak and unable to fight back.

 . . .Mr. Trump and those in his orbit have repeatedly cast LGBTQ people and activities in a negative light. While announcing leadership shifts at the Kennedy Center in February, the president penned a social media post that pledged, in capital letters, to ensure the arts forum would no longer host drag shows "or other anti-American propaganda." His press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, later said the country needs "less LGBTQ graduate majors" in an interview on Fox News criticizing Harvard University. 

 According to advocates and academics, the administration frequently relies on political strategies to marginalize trans people that have been used against other groups in the past. The term "groomers," for example, is a historically anti-gay trope, and "gender ideology" originally demonized feminism. 

 There were also notable moments of silence from the Trump administration, which did not acknowledge Pride Month, even as a global Pride festival took place for several weeks between May and June in Washington, D.C. LGBTQ people say that wasn't necessarily a surprise after watching their visibility decline in national forums this year, starting with mentions of "lesbian," "bisexual," "gay," "transgender," "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" being scrubbed from the White House website the day after Mr. Trump's inauguration, in a flashback to his first term.


You can read the entire CBS News article by clicking on this link. 


Thursday, June 26, 2025

'Senate parliamentarian order removal of gender-affirming care ban from Trump's 'big, beautiful bill'' & other Thur/Fri news briefs



Senate parliamentarian orders removal of gender-affirming care ban from GOP reconciliation bill​ - I'm personally opposed to the bill in general being passed, but this is still a huge and positive development:

Restrictions on the use of federal funds for gender-affirming care will be stripped from the Republican-led Senate reconciliation bill, following a ruling by the Senate parliamentarian on Tuesday that struck down a number of health related provisions. The legislation banned coverage for transgender medical care through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, language that was also included in the House version of the bill passed on May 22 with a vote of 215-214.

 . . . Amid calls to override Tuesday’s ruling from Republicans like U.S. Rep. Greg Steube (Fla.), GOP Senate Majority Leader John Thune (S.D.) told reporters “That would not be a good outcome for getting a bill done.” 


A decade after the U.S. legalized gay marriage, Jim Obergefell says the fight isn't over - So true. Unfortunately, the desire to be complacent is a huge problem in our community. Notice that I said "desire." Instead of realizing that those who oppose our equality will use every means, some of us have taken to blaming the trans community with the bad narrative being that they supposedly "went too far" when America was "accepting" us. Yeah, it's a STUPID notion.

Transgender representation in public office has skyrocketed - This right here is the right idea. Not just the trans community but more in the overall LGBTQ community should seek public office.

Pride Month marches on, despite frustration and worry from LGBTQ community over government actions - Because no one can stop our Pride. So many groups and individuals this year rose to the challenge in spite of all of the madness and corporate sponsors dropping us. It has been a testament to our community.

Tuesday, June 24, 2025

From my archives - How They See Us: Unmasking The Religious Right War on Gay America

The place card for 'How They See Us.'

In 2013, with the help of a few wonderful friends, I published the online booklet How They See Us: Unmasking The Religious Right War on Gay America. It was a short expose on how religious right groups demonize LGBTQ people via bad science, false accusations, and outright lies.

This what I wrote in the post announcing the booklet:

This booklet is free to anyone who wants to read, download, or link it to their blog. By all means, please do so. And above all, please "like " it on Facebook, twitter, and other forms of social media. In spite of the claims of the religious right, our goal is not to silence them, but to demand an answer from them regarding their tactics. Lies told in the name of God are still lies.

I received little to no mainstream attention (not even from LGBTQ groups) regarding this booklet, but I like to think of it as an underground success (with one million views and over 800 downloads on Scribd).

Things have change over the course of 12 years though. Social media influencers are now doing much of the work of that groups such as the American Family Association and the Family Research Council once did. And their reach is unfortunately enormous. One picture or video deliberately taken of context to portray LGBTQ people as predators of kids can be shared over a million times before it's proven to be false.

So, we are definitely dealing with a different landscape than in 2013. The one thing which will never change however, is the fact that accusations thrown at the LGBTQ community (we are sexually grooming kids, we want to put Christians in jail, we want to destroy America) are lies and these lies can always be defeated if folks fight hard enough to expose them. 

With that in mind, I encourage folks to do now what I encouraged them to do 12 years ago - read, download, and share.

How They See Us by Alvin A. McEwen

Sunday, June 22, 2025

'Hetero Awesome Festival' flops hard, attracting only dozens

Hetero Awesome Festival, an Idaho event created to pushback against June being designated as LGBTQ Pride Month, took place on Friday and Saturday of last week. 

According to an article in The Idaho Dispatch last month:

Hetero Awesome, a non-profit group founded by Mark Fitzpatrick, will hold a “Hetero Awesomeness Festival” at Cecil Andrus Park across from the Idaho Capitol Building this June.

. . . . Fitzpatrick told Idaho Dispatch about the event, “We’re launching the Heterosexual Awesomeness Fest 2025 at Cecil D. Andrus Park to boldly celebrate traditional family values in a nation that’s shifting politically at seemingly lightning speed. Idaho’s lawmakers just passed fierce new laws to protect our freedoms and shut down divisive, racist programs like DEI. With the Capitol building as our backdrop, we’re calling everyone to join us June 20-21 for music, food, and talks that unite us in strengthening the family unit and championing Heterosexual Awesomeness!” 

According to the Hetero Awesome website, the event will, “This ain’t your limp-wristed woke fest; it’s a full-on celebration of family values with guts. We’re bringing the heat with killer food, ice-cold beer, and bold wines, plus live music to crank the vibe. Expect riveting speeches that’ll wake the dead, booths from family-owned businesses and rock-solid supporters, all standing tall for our Battle Lines.”

So, how did the event go?  It flopped on cosmically . . . nay, Biblical proportions.

According to Latter Gay Stories, a Facebook page:

Local media, including Idaho News 6, reported that turnout was negligible, with one observer noting the festival “probably could have been an email.” Social media reactions highlighted the event’s poor naming and execution, with one commenter stating, “Look at how much of a waste of time and money hatred is.” 

 The festival struggled to secure sponsorships, raising only half the needed funds despite support from United Rentals and a headline performance by Michael Austin. Reports suggest the event was attended by fewer than 100 people. 

 In contrast, Boise’s LGBTQ+ community responded with a satirical counter-event at The Balcony Club titled “But, What About Straight Pride?” Held on June 20, the show drew significant attendance and support, underscoring the city’s embrace of inclusivity. 

The flop of Fitzpatrick’s Hetero Fest, juxtaposed with the success of the counter-event, reinforced Boise’s shifting cultural landscape, where messages of acceptance resonated more strongly than division. Queer people are part of our communities, and they always will be . . . Supporters of the Festival have now turned to social media asking for money to cover expenses including security costs—exceeding $18,000, money they expected to raise from the attendees that never showed up

 

Folks on Twitter posted snippets from the festival, eagerly pointing out its failure to draw participants:


Thursday, June 19, 2025

Trump Administration shutting down LGBTQ youth suicide hotline by July. Move called 'incomprehensible' and 'wrong.'

When running for president in 2016, Trump pretended to be an LGBTQ ally. When he was elected, he continued the pretense even as his administration tried to curtail our rights and safety. With moves such as shutting down an LGBTQ youth suicide hotline, Trump has obviously abandoned his pro-LGBTQ subterfuge in his second term.

It's no secret that Trump is no longer pretending to support or even like the LGBTQ community this time like he did during his first time (even as his administration tried to pushed ordinances and legislation which would have jeopardizes our equality and health.)

This time around, the Trump's administration has practically declared open war on transgender Americans with executive orders designed to reduce their rights and create a climate of fear.

And now the administration's animus is targeting our LGBTQ kids.

From The Huffington Post:

President Donald Trump’s administration is shutting down the national suicide prevention hotline’s LGBTQ youth-specific care starting on July 17. “On July 17, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline will no longer silo LGB+ youth services, also known as the ‘Press 3 option,’ to focus on serving all help seekers, including those previously served through the Press 3 option,” a news release from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA, reads. 

 The suicide hotline added the Press 3 option in 2022 in a contract with the Trevor Project, a suicide prevention nonprofit for LGBTQ+ youth. People could call the suicide hotline at 988 and then press 3 to be directed to a trained counselor who would help people who identify as LGBTQ+. SAMHSA, an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, said in a news release that anyone who contacts 988 will continue to receive “compassion and help.”

 From Politico

 “This is devastating, to say the least,” Trevor Project CEO Jaymes Black said in a statement Wednesday. “Suicide prevention is about people, not politics. The administration’s decision to remove a bipartisan, evidence-based service that has effectively supported a high-risk group of young people through their darkest moments is incomprehensible.”

 “The fact that this news comes to us halfway through Pride Month is callous — as is the administration’s choice to remove the ‘T’ from the acronym ‘LGBTQ+’ in their announcement. Transgender people can never, and will never, be erased,” Black said. 

 A 2024 survey from the Trevor Project found that nearly 40 percent of LGBTQ+ young people had “seriously considered” suicide in the past year. And half of the survey’s respondents who reported wanting mental health care in the previous year had not been able to access it. The LGBTQ+ hotline has received roughly 1.3 million calls since its pilot program in 2022.   

The decision to cut off this hotline has already gotten bipartisan opposition. In addition to LGBTQ organizations and many LGBTQ Americans and their allies, Republican Congressman Mike Lawler (NY) said:

 “This is wrong. According to studies, LGBTQ+ young people have an elevated risk of suicide and are more likely than their peers to attempt it. We should ensure they have the resources necessary to get help,” Lawler said in a post on social platform X.

 “The 988 hotline has been a lifesaver. This decision should be reversed,” he added.


Tuesday, June 17, 2025

'Trump Administration hit with two major court losses in attacks against trans community and DEI' & other Tue/Wed news briefs



Judge blocks Trump anti-trans passport policy - The trans community gets a major win in court against the Trump Administration.

Judge deems Trump's cuts to National Institutes of Health illegal - Trump's war on DEI also suffers a major loss in court. 

Columbia City Council votes to repeal conversion therapy ban after weeks of debate - But the Columbia, SC LGBTQ community suffer a loss after a long fight. SC Attorney General Alan Wilson strong-armed the city council by threatening a lawsuit while state Republican legislators threatened to withhold millions of dollars if they didn't. Wilson did this because he's running for governor. 

Trump anti-trans EO could deny health care to Democrats, unmarried vets - Yet another example of how exploiting transphobia to pass rules is not only dangerous to the trans community, but a lot of other communities, too.



Sunday, June 15, 2025

'Could have used some drag queens' - Trump's military parade is epic disaster and social media goes for the jugular.

Editor's note - It is with regret that I inform you that there will be no pictures posted from Outfest. The heat of the afternoon during the event put me in a bad physical state and therefore I was unable to take what I feel would be suitable pictures. Still, Outfest was a huge success and South Caroline Pride should be commended for all of its hard work.

In that same respect, whenever a door is closed, God creates an open window. Other events on Saturday included nationwide No Kings protests opposing Donald Trump's bad policies and Trump's controversial military pride.

The No Kings protests were also a huge success. In contrast, Trump's military parade flopped. Badly. And social media was bloodthirsty in cataloguing it. Below are just a few the MANY ways social media documented Trump's failure.  Seeing these examples are a perfect way of reminding ourselves in the coming days, weeks, month, and (ew!) years of Trump's time in office of just how much of an egotistical disaster this man is and how we will slowly but surely overcome him and the shameful level of bullshit he has brought to our country. There will be good days like this and bad days, but trash like Donald Trump and his sycophants won't ever win if we fight hard and nonstop. 

Since this my blog, I get the first smacks:


Then there were the other tweets, just as merciless:

And the articles about the parade are BRUTAL:







Finally, the cherry on top of this stale cake is Fox News pundit Rebekah Koffler appearing to be highly intoxicated (drunk off of her ass) while trying to praise Trump's parade:

Wednesday, June 11, 2025

'MAGA pastor wants God to break gay men's wrists' & other Wed/Thur news briefs

Editor's note - There is so much going on that I'm posting more news briefs. Mostly though, I am busy getting some things settled and Outfest, the LGBTQ block party in Columbia SC and precursor to South Carolina Pride in October, is happening this weekend. Since many of you voiced enjoyment of my pictures of last year's event, I'm going to be busy with the camera again this year

 MAGA pastor John Amanchukwu

MAGA hate pastor says drama programs cause “perversion” & asks God to break gay men’s wrists - You can see the clip below. While we should never take anything these idiots say lightly, when I hear his nonsense, I take satisfaction in knowing that people like him have failed to destroy us in the past. And they will continue to fail. And his comments are ridiculous. God not only created drama programs specifically for gay men, but He also made our wrists flexibly unbreakable. So there.


In other news: 

Wanda Sykes on why LGBTQ+ people must support the trans community: “It’s the ‘T’ that’s getting all the hate right now” - Yep. Some of our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters want to desert trans people. Don't be so dumb that you forget where you came from. There is not LGB without the T and Q. You may want to think the anti-LGBTQ industry will leave u alone because they are supposedly so busy attacking trans people, but don't be so stupid. They got us all in the same boat and are drilling holes in the bottom. 

Southern Baptist delegates at national meeting overwhelmingly call for banning same-sex marriage - This isn't news. Those hypocritical SOBs live for trying to give us hell. If you want to really shock people, write an article about them extending fellowship to LGBTQ people.


Trump wants to cut LGBTQ crisis hotline. NJ counselors say it will have fatal consequences - Trump isn't even trying to pretend that he likes us, unlike his first term.

Monday, June 09, 2025

'Republicans slip in an anti-LGBTQ 'religious freedom' clause into funding bill' & other Mon/Tue news briefs




Republicans quietly slip 'religious freedom' clause into funding bill - Always with the bullshit from the GOP: 

House Republicans have inserted anti-LGBTQ language into a $66 billion must-pass funding bill for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, effectively granting civil immunity under federal law to individuals and organizations that discriminate against same-sex couples—by citing a religious or moral belief that marriage should be limited to one man and one woman. It also bans the federal government from taking a range of actions against those who hold and act on anti-same-sex marriage beliefs. 




Thursday, June 05, 2025

Video - Gay Coded Movie Villains from Golden Age Hollywood

 
I wasn't going to post anything but when I saw this video, I couldn't resist. Those who followed my long-running, now defunct Friday feature Know Your LGBT History are aware of my passion for old films and television shows which showed positive (and negative) portrayals of LGBTQ people. The above video falls into that category.

From the YouTube site Golden Age History:

In the glimmering shadows of Golden Age Hollywood, where the glitz of the silver screen often masked darker truths, a surprising number of villains emerged with a complex, coded identity. These characters, shrouded in ambiguity and subtext, offered a glimpse into a world where queerness was hinted at but rarely acknowledged, leaving audiences to decipher the hidden meanings behind their chilling performances. Today, we’ll explore the gayest villains of Golden Age Hollywood films, unearthing the layers of repression and desire that fueled their menacing personas. From Hitchcock’s psychological thrillers to the sharp wit of noir classics, these characters not only challenged societal norms but also created a legacy that resonates with modern viewers. Prepare to uncover the secrets behind these iconic antagonists and the subtext that made them unforgettable.

 I've only got one complaint. The video spotlights Addison DeWitt from the movie All About Eve as a coded gay character. However, Eve Harrington (one of the movie's leading characters) would have been a better choice. Several hints were given about her being lesbian (the scene with her roommate and another scene at the end featuring the young lady who snuck into her hotel room.)

Tuesday, June 03, 2025

Hate group claims that LGBTQ people have billions of dollars devoted to recruiting children.

 I don't mean to sound jaded, but I bristle whenever I hear one of my LGBTQ folks say something like "It's 2025! I can't believe people say or believe (choose your anti-LGBTQ claim or slur) anymore. I thought we were over that."

As appealing as it is to dream of a world where certain ugly smears aren't believed or certain ugly slurs aren't said, that dream isn't ever going to be a reality. Hatred motivated by fear and ignorance will always be with us. It's never going away and nothing we can do or say will change that.

For example, this is what the bigots were saying about LGBTQ people - specifically gay men - in the 1980s:



Fast forward to 2025 and read this email which I received from anti-LGBTQ hate group the American Family Association:


The pro-homosexual, pro-transgender mafia won’t stop coming after America’s kids and grandkids. 

 Ten years ago this month, the Obergefell Supreme Court decision unleashed a satanic breakout in the sexual war against America and Christianity. 

 Five judicial tyrants in Washington, D.C., forced homosexual marriage on every square inch of America. The effect has been a national nightmare—and we can’t seem to wake up.

 The Obergefell decision led to the Bostock decision, which elevated the mental disorder of transgenderism to the status of a civil right. If you “discriminate” against a man who thinks he is a woman, radical lawyers and prosecutors can come after you! 

 But the ultimate target has been children. 

 The cultural explosion led to the spread of Drag Queen Story Hour . . . men in girls’ sports and bathrooms . . . the pharmaceutical and surgical sexual mutilation of children . . . and an epidemic of sex crimes.

The nightmare is still happening. Yes, the Trump administration is pushing back. Praise God! But candidly, it won’t be enough without grassroots action.

 As I write this, schools near San Diego are zealously enforcing a California state law that mandates tampons in boys’ restrooms in every elementary school. The tampons in grade school boys’ bathrooms are required by the “Menstrual Equity for All Act of 2021.”

 Parents are crying out . . . to no avail. These could be your kids or grandkids! This insanity is damaging the minds of children as young as kindergarten, mentally molesting them. 

 The larger goal is to hijack their bodies for sexual perversion by creating a culture with no sexual boundaries.

 In Texas, with five million students, a massive school district is calling a girl a “boy”—against the parents’ explicit desire. 

 LGBTQ radicals won’t stop. They are spiritually driven. Plus, they have billions of dollars and influence in the media. Rogue judges in local, state, and federal courts favor their cause. And they have declared, “We want your children!”

Lawd! That's a big ole ball of crazy right there. A lot of this doesn't need refuting because:

A. It rightfully comes across as completely insane to folks with good sense.
B. The folks who would believe this madness obviously don't have good sense, so attempting to refute it for their benefit is a waste of time.

But there is one thing I would like to touch on because it's nagging the hell out of me.

 Just when did the LGBTQ community get billions of dollars? AFA didn't say "thousands" or "millions" or even "one billion." According to the AFA, we've got BILLIONS and all devoted to "recruiting children." Well, that's not practical, particularly when I thought we are also jailing Christians and whatever else AFA and groups like it accuse us of doing. 

My point is as much as we wish it were so, homophobia, transphobia, and all other types of hatred aren't going away. Hatred always changes by adapting to suit whatever fear or resentment is out there. AFA used to smear just gay men. Now it has widened its net of nuttiness to rope in trans people, while still claiming that our pursuit of equality is a conspiracy to snare children - a conspiracy it also claims involves courts and judges.

But while we can't make hatred go away, we can hinder it as much as we can by calling it out, not letting it stop us from getting our hearts desire, and in this case - laughing at the inanity it entails.

Monday, June 02, 2025

Short film gives simple and exact understanding about what Pride is all about

 Pride Month 2025 is here, and I expect it to be a busy month for both good and reasons. I could go into a blog post about LGBTQ American history or remind folks that this particular Pride Month will probably be difficult times because the enemies of our equality feel empowered by the Trump Administration.

We've got plenty of time for that. 

Right now, I am posting the above video as a reminder of why not only Pride Month but the LGBTQ struggle for equality, health, and self-determination are important. I've posted the video before and will probably do so many times in the future because it's one of my favorites.

It makes the point better than any commentary I could write. Two young boys are going on a date to a school dance. Just like heterosexual couples do. Nothing spooky or sexual, just two young kids enjoying a school function in each other's company. 

And there isn't a thing wrong with it. Granted, there will be some folks who will screech about "sexualizing" or "grooming" even though there is nothing resembling any of these things in this video. But when you ignore the screeching and just pay attention to the message of the film, you get a simple but exact understanding about what Pride is all about.

It's about the right to function without any fears of having to deal reprisals from ignorant people, whether that function is getting married, obtaining employment, building a family and raising kids, or even simply going to a school dance with someone you like.

Hell, it's about being able to walk down any street in America without being hassled or physically attacked because someone doesn't like to see you holding hands with your partner, or the way you walk or what you're wearing.

It's about the right to be. To exist on your terms and not the religious or stereotypical terms of other people, the vast majority not even knowing you and not caring to either. It's about going through the scary rites of life without your fears being compounded by someone who can't stand your existence. Basically, it's about the ability to decide what you will do in your life and not someone else deciding for you.

 It's about being a human being.

Thursday, May 29, 2025

Trans man gets detained after using women's restroom, proving insanity of 'bathroom bills'


Luca Strobel

GLAAD award-winning substacker Erin Reed is exactly who I am talking about when I say that our community need to support independent LGBTQ journalists.

 As a gay black man, I am doubly aware of how this country's mainstream media ignores our communities while pandering to what they call "the mainstream America." They won't ever admit it, but most often than not, their definition of "mainstream America" are white heterosexuals.

As such, incidents like the one below get ignored. Luca Strobel, a 25-year-old trans man in South Carolina, was using the bathroom based upon his assigned at birth gender (which some states have laws demanding that trans people do) in Charleston, SC. He ended up being accosted and detained because of his appearance as a man.


 “They're looking over the top of the stall at me without my clothes on,” Strobel said in the video. “They can fully see me naked other than me having my shirt on, and they just start screaming that there's ‘a man’ in here.”

 He said the owner and employee ejected him and his friend from the bar—grabbing and pushing them out as they reportedly called Strobel anti-trans slurs. The police were waiting at the door, Strobel said. The officer cuffed him “so tight that I can't even feel my fingers,” Strobel said. “I still have a bruise on my knuckle.” 

Meanwhile, his arresting officer allegedly kept calling him a “little girl.” “We didn't get booked, but we did get cuffed, and when we got to the station, we were asking a bunch of questions that they refused to answer,” Strobel said. “They just kept saying, ‘Take it up in court, take it up in court, take it up in court.’” 

. . . There is no state law in South Carolina preventing a trans man (or any man) from using the women’s room in public accommodations, such as a bar. However, there has been an avalanche of anti-trans bills nationwide seeking such mandates, including in South Carolina, where lawmakers enacted a version of this policy targeting schools in 2024, and re-introduced it in 2025. 

 In other words, Strobel was using the bathroom that many conservative lawmakers and anti-trans pundits want to force him to use—and he got arrested anyway, seemingly because of the panic surrounding gendered bathrooms. This kind of harassment is no stranger to trans and gender nonconforming people—in April, a trans girl in Florida was arrested for using the women’s bathroom in an act of protest against that state’s anti-trans bathroom bill. She washed her hands in the sink before being escorted out by police. 

In February, cisgender lesbian in Arizona made headlines after documenting her own experience having police interrogate her gender while she was using a women’s restroom.


Go to Erin Reed's substack, Erin in the Morning, for the full story and information on how you can support her work.

When these bathroom bills were passed while hysteria about trans people using public bathrooms spread, there were warnings that an added consequence would be people getting verbally and physically accosted simply because they don't fit physical stereotypes of what men and women are supposed to look like. 

And now here we are.

Tuesday, May 27, 2025

'SCOTUS rejects appeal of student wanting to wear 'only two genders' t-shirt at school' & other Tue/Wed news briefs

Supreme Court rejects appeal of Massachusetts student who wanted to wear ‘only two genders’ T-shirt  - "On Tuesday, the justices left in place a federal appeals court ruling that said it would not second-guess the decision of educators in Middleborough, Massachusetts, to not allow the T-shirt to be worn in a school environment because of a negative impact on transgender and gender-nonconforming students."   Let's be clear.  The t-shirt was a way of baiting trans students and the case itself was pushed to chip away at LGBTQ rights and safety. Both attempts failed.

Right-wing justices decry limits to speech — that they 'helped make possible' - Both Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented in the above case. The irony is how they ruled in the past against student speech put down the groundwork for how the court decided in this case. Way to go, guys. I thank you and . . . well actually I don't. 

 Donald Trump's anti-LGBTQ+ cabinet: An in-depth look - They do NOT like us.

Today we must honor the trans troops who are fighting a war waged by their own country - Hell yeah!

Utah Republicans ignore study supporting gender-affirming care for trans youth. It's research they demanded - One guess why. 

EU countries ‘alarmed’ over Hungary’s worsening anti-LGBTQ crackdown - Every country should be. The crackdown in itself is bad. But there are some folks here in America who have express support for it.