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.


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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.



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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:
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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.
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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. 




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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.)
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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.
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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.

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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.

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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. 



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Thursday, May 22, 2025

Trump's 'Big Bowl of Bullsh!t Bill' would ban Medicaid and Obamacare from funding trans healthcare care & wreak havoc on the poor

Editor's note - EARLY Thursday morning, the House of Representatives passed what Trump calls his "Big, Beautiful Bill" by one vote. What is should be called is the "Big Bowl of Bullshit Bill." Now it goes to the Senate and I suspect there will be major changes made. Regardless, this bill is a disaster on many levels and not just to the LGBTQ community. A lot of Americans are going to be hurt, while the wealthiest Americans are going to reap benefits. The news briefs below explain how this bill would generate a lot of pain for not only LGBTQ people but the country in general.

Trump’s ‘One, big, beautiful bill’ would ban care for transgender people on Medicaid and Obamacare - Federally funded gender-affirming care would be banned. And for all trans Americans, not just trans kids. I can just hear the nonsense about "It's not banning healthcare for trans people. it's simply saying that taxpayers shouldn't have to pay for it." That explanation only underscores the ignorance this country has when it comes to gender-affirming care, which is a legitimate medical issue and should be covered under Medicaid and Obamacare. Any attempt to undermine federal funding comes from a place of malice. 

Republicans pass ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ banning federally funded gender-affirming care for trans people - This article from the Advocate gives more details. It also includes the following:

 The bill would extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts and deliver billions in new spending for immigration enforcement and the Pentagon. But it does so at a steep human cost: The Congressional Budget Office estimates 13.7 million people will lose health coverage. LGBTQ+ people — especially those living with HIV, people of color, and low-income families — are among the hardest hit. 

And:

Below are articles which point out the overall chaos this bill would cause the country. Kamala Harris and so many others warned Americans last year about this, but they didn't listen. It sadly goes to show that you can warn people about disaster until you wear yourself out, but they won't listen until they get hit with the disaster. Then they expect someone else to save them from what they themselves could have prevented in the first place.
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Tuesday, May 20, 2025

' Trump said 'no more drag shows' at Kennedy Center, but there will be drag anyway' & other Tue/Wed news briefs

Trump claimed that because of his new board, there will be 'no more drag shows' at the Kennedy Center. But 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' a musical about a man who masquerades an elderly woman, and other shows featuring drag will be coming to Kennedy Center. Just write it down as yet another Trump misdirection.

Editor's note - It has been very clear to me that the news media won't do what they are supposed to be doing during Trump's second term. It could be that he is overwhelming them with all of his exploits. Or it could be, as seen by the emergence of that ridiculous book on Biden, that the pundits and the like covering Washington are more concerned with their careers than with giving the public sorely needed education and information. Whatever the case may be, it is crucial that LGBTQ bloggers and independent journalist work diligently to inform, educate, and rally our community during this crucial time iin history. 

Trump promised “NO MORE DRAG SHOWS” at Kennedy Center. Their new season is full of drag. -We shouldn't be surprised here. Trump misdirects and lies so much that it's like breathing to him.

WorldPride—a Massive LGBTQ Celebration—Is About to Collide With Donald Trump’s Washington - Bring it, you orange-faced bitch. 

Supreme Court backs Republican lawmaker in Maine who was punished for transgender athlete remarks - This woman targeted a trans high school student but suddenly SHE'S the victim? Please.

Gay Senate candidate Chris Pappas: The government shouldn’t limit trans people’s health care - From the article: " If U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas wins New Hampshire’s open Senate seat in 2026, he will become the first out gay man ever elected to the U.S. Senate and only the third LGBTQ+ person. But Pappas, a 44-year-old Democrat now in his third term in the House of Representatives, says his campaign isn’t about making history." 

Virginia Republican candidate for governor addresses grads at extremely anti-LGBTQ+ schools - It's a mess in Virginia. The extremely anti-LGBTQ Lt. Governor is running for governor. Meanwhile the Republican nominee for Lt Gov is an openly gay conservative who is embroiled in a scandal over pornographic pictures. Lawd, hammercy! 

Federal Judge Strikes Down LGBTQ Protections Against Workplace Discrimination - Keep your eyes open on this one. This judge has been a deliberate problem for us ever since he was picked.

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Monday, May 19, 2025

Video - Man claims to KNOW that LGBTQ people are trying to create a Marxist, genderless society



I don't know the exact scenario which created the moment below. But I do know that it typifies the idiocy of homophobes. LGBTQ people have been accused of so many things from the standard lie of recruiting kids to the outrageous lie of controlling the weather. 

But I don't think I've ever heard us being accused of wanting to create a Marxist, genderless society. 

The man in the video reminds me one of those pseudo-intellectual, self-righteous individuals in college who you wasted time arguing with for 10 minutes until you've forgotten how said argument began while quietly badgering yourself for wasting time to argue with him in the first place.

And to add to the stereotype, he is wrong about his facts even though he is so damn sure of them. For one thing, LGBTQ equality will not lead to people thinking that pedophilia is a legitimate sexual orientation. Secondly, Harry Hay did not start the gay rights movement. Our movement for equality began a long time before Hay was even on the scene. In fact, if you wanted to legitimately trace it, you should look up William Dorsey Swann, a former slave and the first person to self-identify as a "queen of drag."

Other than that, I don't know what else to say except for the embarrassing truth that I don't know what Marxism is. The most radical thing I probably want to do as a gay man is to have Anne Murray sing Can I Have This Dance at my wedding.

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Wednesday, May 14, 2025

Transphobic ad blitz fails (former) Omaha, Nebraska mayor in election


Omaha, Nebraska mayor Jean Stothert turned her back on the LGBTQ community and fully embraced transphobia with flyers (top picture) and television ads linking her opponent, John Ewing with the standard bigoted tropes. Ewing didn't distance himself from the trans community, while challenging Stothert's ad blitz head on (bottom picture). At the end of the campaign, Ewing easily won, becoming the city's first Black mayor.

A three-term incumbent mayor (now former mayor) in Omaha, Nebraska found out the hard way that scaring people about transgender Americans can only go so far.

From Queerty:

Jean Stothert governed as a moderate Republican during her tenure as the mayor of Omaha, Nebraska, even creating an LGBTQ+ advisory board to improve her relations with the community.

 But in the waning days of her most recent campaign, the three-term incumbent leaned into anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment. She ran a TV ad accusing her Democratic opponent, John Ewing Jr., of wanting “boys in girls’ bathrooms and sports,” tired transphobic lines that Republicans across the country have been trotting out for years. 

 When Omaha residents went to the polls Tuesday, they didn’t buy her fear-mongering. Ewing bested Stothert by more than 11,000 votes, becoming the first Black mayor in the city’s history. Though Omaha has more registered Democrats than Republicans, Stothert was popular and won by 27 points when she ran for re-election in 2021.

LGBTQ online publication THEM pointed out that the Ewing campaign met the ad blitz head on while not distancing itself from trans people and in one case, turning Stothert's ad blitz against her with a flyer of its own.

Stothert was generally favored going into Election Day, as a 12-year incumbent who won her last election with a whopping 64% of the vote. But in the final weeks of the campaign, Stothert and a conservative PAC blitzed Ewing and the Democrats with anti-trans ads similar to those seen in the 2024 presidential election. 

 One TV ad from the Stothert campaign claimed that Ewing “stands with radicals” in favor of “boys in girls’ bathrooms and sports,” according to the Omaha World-Herald. Separately, a mailer paid for by the newly-formed PAC Omaha Leadership Fund — itself funded by another right-wing, anti-abortion PAC called “Common Sense Nebraska” — claimed that Ewing wants to “transition minors without their parents’ consent” and is “backed by radicals who will allow men in girls’ sports and bathrooms,” as seen in what appears to be a photo of the mailer posted to the r/Omaha subreddit last week.

 Ewing’s campaign called Stothert’s claims “utterly false” and demanded that the TV ad be pulled, per the World-Herald. In a statement to the newspaper, Stothert said she had no knowledge of the mailer before it was released, but stood by the TV ad. The claims in that ad were not connected to any statements by Ewing himself, she said, but were instead based on his endorsements from the Nebraska Democratic Party and the Nebraska Stonewall Democrats, the party’s LGBTQ+ caucus. Stonewall Dems oppose LB89, a Republican bill in the state legislature that would ban trans students from using bathrooms or locker rooms, or competing on sports teams, that match their gender; legislators voted to advance the bill last month, after a similar version died as the result of a filibuster in 2024. 

 But though Ewing and the Nebraska Dems pushed back against the Stothert camp’s accusations, they also did not distance themselves from trans people . . .  On May 2, Ewing held a Q&A at Omaha gay bar Flixx hosted by local drag queen Jackie Oh Kennedy. And only a few days before the election, the Nebraska Dems posted an image to X declaring that “Jean is focused on potties,” featuring an edited image of Stothert’s face poking underneath a bathroom stall. (“Ultimately, Jean would rather focus on potties, while John focuses on fixing potholes,” Nebraska Democratic Party Executive Director Precious McKesson wrote in a May 8 press release.)
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Tuesday, May 13, 2025

Drag queens and Pride organizers win twice in court cases against Florida's state and city governments

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis

In court decisions on Monday and Tuesday, drag queens and Pride organizers won over Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, the state of Florida and a city in Florida.

From CBS News:

Describing the law as "substantially overbroad," a federal appeals court Tuesday upheld a preliminary injunction blocking a 2023 Florida law aimed at preventing children from attending drag shows. A panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 decision, backed the Central Florida venue Hamburger Mary's in a First Amendment challenge to the law. The state appealed in 2023 after U.S. District Judge Gregory Presnell issued a preliminary injunction. 

 Tuesday's majority opinion said that "by providing only vague guidance as to which performances it prohibits, the act (the law) wields a shotgun when the First Amendment allows a scalpel at most." "The Constitution demands specificity when the state restricts speech," said the 81-page majority opinion, written by Judge Robin Rosenbaum and joined by Judge Nancy Abudu.

 "Requiring clarity in speech regulations shields us from the whims of government censors. And the need for clarity is especially strong when the government takes the legally potent step of labeling speech 'obscene.' An 'I know it when I see it' test would unconstitutionally empower those who would limit speech to arbitrarily enforce the law. But the First Amendment empowers speakers instead. Yet Florida's Senate Bill 1438 (the law) takes an 'I know it when I see it' approach to regulating expression."

 . . . The law, dubbed by sponsors the "Protection of Children" bill, sought to prevent venues from admitting children to adult live performances. It defines adult live performances as "any show, exhibition, or other presentation that is performed in front of a live audience, which, in whole or in part, depicts or simulates nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement or specific sexual activities, … lewd conduct, or the lewd exposure of prosthetic or imitation genitals or breasts." It would allow regulators to suspend or revoke licenses of restaurants, bars and other venues that violate the law. Also, it would prohibit local governments from issuing public permits for events that could expose children to the targeted behavior. 

 While the law does not specifically mention drag shows, it came after Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration cracked down on venues in South Florida and Central Florida where children attended drag shows. It also came amid a series of controversial laws passed by Republicans in Florida and other states about transgender-related issues. 

 Tuesday's majority opinion focused, in part, on the use of the words "lewd conduct" in the law. It said the term is overbroad and that Rosenbaum and Abudu "understand the act's prohibition on depictions of lewd conduct to reach speech that is constitutionally protected, even as to minors."


And then, courtesy of LGBTQ Nation was a decision handed down on Monday against the efforts of a city in Florida, Naples, to limit open drag performances and charge Pride organizers a $36,000 security fee:

A federal judge has approved a preliminary injunction against the city of Naples, Florida, that will allow the annual Naples Pride event to host outdoor drag performances viewable by people of all ages. The judge also ruled that the city must re-evaluate the $36,000 security permit fee that it tried to charge the event to protect it from anti-transgender protestors. 

 Last month, organizers of Naples Pride sued the city government after the city tried to force the event to only admit adults over the age of 18 and tried to charge event organizers a $36,000 security fee. Organizers refused, stating that all drag performances will be family-friendly and that the security fee was much more than what’s required for similarly sized events or what Pride organizers were charged since the event started in 2017.

 . . .On Monday, Judge John E. Steele, a judge of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida appointed by President Bill Clinton, ruled that neither the city nor its police force can require the Pride event to move its drag show indoors.

 Steele also ruled that the city must reevaluate its $36,000 security permit fees. The judge wrote that the city’s demands “threatened injury to [the Pride organizers’] First Amendment rights,” which “outweighs the harm a preliminary injunction may cause to [the city or its government].”

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Monday, May 12, 2025

'Man burns 100 library books about Jewish and Black history, LGBTQ education' & other Mon/Tue news briefs



Man burns 100 Beachwood Public Library books on Jewish, African American, LGBTQ+ education: report - I wish I could be completely shocked, but a part of me isn't.  While this incident isn't solely about trans people or LGBTQ people in general, it's a reminder how those who use oppressive tactics against us have no problem using them against other groups. Folks need to remember that the next time they hear the Trump Administration slam trans people. 

Nation’s largest pediatric group slams Trump’s “inaccurate” anti-trans health report - The American Academy of Pediatrics stand on the side of trans Americans against the Trump Administration.

Speaking of Trump's inaccurate anti-trans health report - Roundup: Experts Condemn Trump Pseudoscientific Anti-Trans "Report" 


Most Americans support Donald Trump when it comes to trans issues - THIS is a major problem. It stems from general lack of knowledge about trans issues combined with the misinformation swarming with regards to gender-affirming care, trans athletes, etc.  We need more pro-trans visibility as well trans people and families with trans kids telling their story. One difficulty exists, however. There are LGB people working actively against the trans community without the common sense to know that whatever is used against trans people will be used against them.

Arkansas LGBTQ+ organizers crowdfund to make up for fewer Pride sponsors in time for June - Because of Trump Administration threats, some companies aren't sponsoring upcoming Pride events. It's actually a plus for the LGBTQ community because it provides the opportunity to raise funds in different manners. And to show that Pride has never been about corporate sponsors. I'm glad to say that this Pride in Arkansas is one of MANY which are rising to the challenge.
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Wednesday, May 07, 2025

Anti-trans Congresswoman Nancy Mace now waging war against single-stall unisex restrooms

Nancy Mace is feeling left out of the public spotlight, so she starts another inane attack on transgender Americans.

To say that SC Congresswoman Nancy Mace has a reputation for being rabidly publicity hungry is an understatement. I'm of the personal belief that she would rent out members of her family to the devil for 10 minutes on Fox News or a couple of thousand hits on Twitter.

Some would say that my statement was a bit harsh, but I stand by it. Especially after her latest exploit Tuesday:


For those who aren't aware, Mace has made a name for herself by dipping deep into anti-trans rhetoric and actions from causing a ridiculous ruckus about trans Congresswoman Sarah McBride using the ladies room to having a trans ally arrested for merely shaking her hand to highjacking Congressional committee meetings to whine about trans women to never missing an opportunity to publicly demean trans women. 

But, as hard as it is to believe, this one right here takes the award for "Best Brazen Attempt to Grab the Spotlight." As you can see by the Community Note (and by the comments below the tweet which you can read if you click on it), responses to her tweet aren't in her favor. 

But I doubt she cares. Besides being completely inane, Mace's tweet is deliberately dishonest. And she knows this. Nancy Mace is not a stupid woman. She knows exactly what she's doing by her ridiculous attack on a single stall, unisex bathroom - generating controversy and publicity. 

So why am I helping to amplify her? Because it would be dangerous to simply laugh at Mace or ignore her in hopes that she goes away. Congressional leaders like Mace don't go away by being ignored or laughed at. She represents the poison tainting this country's politics. Immersed between decent politicians are the ones like Mace - power hungry demagogues more concerned about how high they can go up the ladder than doing their jobs.  These are Congressional leaders who lack values or honesty but are heavy on bravado and cheap tactics designed to distract voters or trick them into playing the blame game against marginalized groups who can't fight back. 

Or to put it plainer - Nancy Mace is trash and folks need to recognize that. She is a low-grade dollar general store Margaret Thatcher/Eva Peron wannabe.  The only woman she cares about is herself and the only thing she cares about is her political future. The one thing she is correct about is that we do need to hold the line.  And raise hell when folks like her step over it.

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Monday, May 05, 2025

Video: Journalist David Shuster touches on needed conversation about Trump and dementia

 
While it's easy for folks to make jokes about the notion of Trump and dementia, journalist David Shuster actually brings up some good points here. 
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Friday, May 02, 2025

Settlement gives Maine a victory over Trump Administration in funding fight about trans athletes


In February, Maine Governor Janet Mills told Trump that she would see him in court if his administration tried to freeze federal funds from the state for noncompliance with his executive order against trans athletes.

Trump froze the funds.

Mills and the state of Maine sued. 

On Friday, Mills and the state of Maine won. 

From The Associated Press:

President Donald Trump’s administration on Friday agreed to halt all efforts to freeze funds intended for a Maine child nutrition program after initially suspending those dollars due to a disagreement between the state and Trump over transgender athletes.

 In response, the state will drop its lawsuit that had been filed against the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey announced. “It’s unfortunate that my office had to resort to federal court just to get USDA to comply with the law and its own regulations," Frey said in a statement. 

"But we are pleased that the lawsuit has now been resolved and that Maine will continue to receive funds as directed by Congress to feed children and vulnerable adults.” An email message seeking comment was sent Friday to the Agriculture Department.


In February during a meeting for the National Governors Association at the White House, Trump and Maine's governor, Janet Mills had a verbal altercation with regards to trans athletes.

During the 2024 election, Trump continuously decried the inclusion of trans athletes in women's sports. Since taking office, he has attempted to ban trans athletes from women's sports via an executive order. Many have pointed out that the executive order has no power, but Trump tied it to whether or not states will receive federal funding. 


 “The NCAA has complied immediately, by the way. That’s good. But I understand Maine – is Maine here? The governor of Maine?" Trump said. 

 “Yeah, I’m here,” responded Mills, a Democrat. Asked by Trump if she would abide by the executive order, Mills responded, “I’m going to comply with state and federal law.”

 “Well, we are the federal law,” the president retorted. “Well, you better do it. You better do it. Because you’re not gonna get any federal funding at all if you don’t.” 

 Trump then boasted about his performance in Maine in the 2024 election while serving a warning to Mills. “And, by the way, you’re population – even though it’s somewhat liberal, although I did very well there – it doesn’t want men playing in women’s sports," he said. “So, you better comply because otherwise you’re not getting any federal funding.” 

 Mills shot back: “See you in court.” 

Trump welcomed the opportunity. “Good, I’ll see you in court. I look forward to that. That should be a real easy one,” the president said, before claiming Mills’ position on trans issues doesn’t bode well for her political future.

Federal funds to Maine which were to go to a child nutrition programs were subsequently frozen. Maine subsequently sued.

 . . . the state's attorneys argued that the child nutrition program received or was due to receive more than $1.8 million for the current fiscal year. Prior year funds that were awarded but are currently inaccessible total more than $900,000, the lawsuit states. The lawsuit also said that the program was anticipating about $3 million that is typically awarded every July for summer meal program sponsor administration and meal reimbursement.

Last month, a federal judge handed Maine a temporary restraining order against the Trump Administration's actions:

A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to unfreeze funds intended for a Maine child nutrition program that were suspended amid a disagreement between the state and the president over transgender athletes. District Court Judge John Woodcock issued a temporary restraining order on Friday in a case brought by the state of Maine against the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

 . . . The court’s order came the same day Maine officials said the state would not comply with a ban on transgender athletes in high school sports in the wake of a Trump administration finding that the state violated antidiscrimination laws by allowing the students to participate. The U.S. Education Department said in March that an investigation concluded the Maine Department of Education violated the federal Title IX law by allowing transgender girls to participate on girls’ teams.

 That decision is probably what led the Trump Administration to settle and allow Maine access to the federal funding. 

Mills told The Associated Press in a statement:

“The state of Maine went to court and fought this unlawful attempt to freeze critical funding for our school lunch program – and we won. I applaud the work of Attorney General Frey and his staff in representing the state in this action against USDA, and preserving healthy school meals for 172,000 Maine school children.”

No doubt after the bravado he used to call out Mills in February, this has to be an embarrassing public loss to Trump and his administration. And we know how Trump hates being embarrassed, particularly in public.
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Wednesday, April 30, 2025

'Donald Trump humiliates his cabinet during meeting' & other Wed/Thur news briefs

This picture, while seemingly over the top, is the best way to describe what Trump made members of his cabinet do Wednesday.


12 Most Painfully Sycophantic Comments From Trump’s ‘Kim Jong Il-Style’ Cabinet Meeting - Unbelievably humiliating. Trump holds a cabinet meeting where each member of his cabinet poured praises on him. It just goes to show how low some people will stoop to attain and keep power. Dignity is luxury you have to surrender when you work for Donald Trump. 

For example, this is what Attorney General Pam Bondi said: 
 “President, your first 100 days has far exceeded that of ANY other presidency in this country. Ever. Ever. Never seen anything like it. Thank you.” 



Democrats reintroduce landmark LGBTQ nondiscrimination bill - It's a nice thought but with Republicans in charge, I fail to see the why and how. 

'Hetero Awesome Fest' planned for Idaho capitol during LGBTQ Pride Month - I'm curious to see just how awful and dull this will be. 

Canadian Transgender People Avoid Crackdowns With Liberal Election Victory - As Canada proved this week, elections matter. Folks need to remember that and not get distracted again.

Poll: Most Americans oppose trans women competing in female sports, including 2 of 3 in Gen Z - Notice how the poll mentions just trans women. Trans men seem to never be talked about with regards to this issue. That's the crux of it all and there needs to be lots of work done to educate people.
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Tuesday, April 29, 2025

Video: Donald Trump's 100 days of disaster. Americans get what they voted for whether they like it or not (they don't like it).

 
The first 100 days of Donald Trump's second term is over. To put it nicely, it's an epic disaster punctuated by rampant chaos, super ineptitude, disturbing levels of corruption no one could have ever imagined possible and lies so egregious that they would make Nixon rise from his grave to slap the shit out of somebody.

During Trump's first term, other countries laughed at us behind our back. After Trump's first 100 days of his second term, they now laugh in our faces.  And when they aren't doing that, they act like the best friend of a reality tv celebrity; the friend whose vocabulary is punctuated by squeals of "oooooh gurl!" while watching the mounting madness of said celebrity's life.

America was warned. Kamala Harris, Black Americans in general, and so many others told the voters that this would happen if Trump was put back in office. Hell, even Trump's first term should have been a warning. 

Too many people got lazy, angry stupid, or forgetful and here we are. 

Presently, Trump is holding a rally in Michigan where he is freely lying in front of an enthusiastic (and highly stupid) audience. But as the videos above and below show, all of the lies in the world can't cover up the truth. And that truth is America's in trouble and voters have no one to blame but themselves.

What the hell were they thinking?

     
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Monday, April 28, 2025

'Wolf in the sheep fold - Anti-LGBTQ activist now heads DOJ Civil Rights Division' & other Mon/Tue news briefs

Harmeet Dhillon, who now heads DOJ Civil Rights Division, has a long history of undermining LGBTQ civil rights.


Harmeet Dhillon’s civil rights record raises alarms for LGBTQ+ advocates​ - This is NOT good. It's like a wolf spending years terrorizing the sheep and then is chosen to guard the sheep. 


Investigation of Dr. Michael Brown Substantiates Reports of Misconduct - Anti-LGBTQ activist Michael Brown is in trouble for ugly sexual misconduct against two women. For the record, I sparred with Brown on more than one occasion about marriage equality. 


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Wednesday, April 23, 2025

Log Cabin Republicans group turns its back on LGBTQ families

It turns out that my burst of optimism regarding a recent case argued in front of SCOTUS could have been wrong.

In yesterdays' news briefs, I said that a case of parents demanding opt-out choices with regards to LGBTQ lessons in classrooms won't be a win for said parents because it could cause a lot of chaos. However, court watchers and reporters gave a different opinion. To them, it will probably be another decision in which SCOTUS stretches the definition of religious freedom, while giving us LGBTQ folks another back hand slap.

One national LGBTQ group is hoping that this will be the very outcome. And it's not difficult to guess who. None other than the "House Negroes" of the LGBTQ community - the Log Cabin Republicans





This entire case has to do with parents wanting to op-out their kids if lessons encompass LGBTQ people or books containing LGBTQ people are read. It sounds simple, but we all know that simple cases have wide implications. It's not farfetched to point out that an anti-LGBTQ ruling could be used to erase any mentions of LGBTQ people from classrooms, even if children in said classrooms are coming from same-sex households. 

With regard to the Log Cabin Republicans, I don't know what's worse - that the group is repeating the gaslighting phraseology - "forcing young children to be exposed to LGBT-centric curriculum" - or the implications behind the group publicly turning its back on LGBTQ families.

The entire narrative of Log Cabin Republicans is that they are supposedly the "normal gay folks." They like to cast themselves as supposedly being as regular as heterosexual folks while the rest of us in the community are the ones causing the problems by being loud, intolerant, and pushy.  According to them, the basic problem of our community doesn't lie with bigotry or homophobia per se, but with those of us trying so hard to stand out instead of trying to fit in or "assimilate."

But what's more assimilating than LGBTQ people trying to raise children in this society? What's more normal than children attending our schools and being vocal about their families regardless of if they come from a LGBTQ or heterosexual household? 

In the end, these are the ones who could be hurt the most by the latest attempt to gaslight this country into reducing the lives of LGBTQ people (and families) to lascivious caricatures. And they are the ones who the Log Cabin Republicans should be standing with.

Don't be fooled by the fake simplicity of this case or the naked pandering of the Log Cabin Republicans. This is just the latest example of how the conservative right weaponizes faith and Christianity against LGBTQ people. And let's not forget how they are now aided and abetted by a court slowly but steadily pushing the boundaries of religious freedom to the dark area of Christian nationalism, even if they have to misrepresent cases on occasion to accomplish this goal.

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