Show love to Fred Phelps's family instead of hatred

Self-described enemy of the lgbt community, Fred Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church died last night. Naturally, his passing has elicited many opinions in the lgbt community. A good online buddy of mine, Erica Cook, has a  good suggestion as a way to mark his passing and preserve the dignity of the lgbt community.  I personally like what she has to say:

I’m sending this message to you in hopes that you may send it on. I hope that as in other times a cooler mind may win out before others make a choice we, the LGBT community, won’t be able to take back. It has been reported today that Fred Phelps has died. It is safe to say that, given his attitude and his devotion to hate, those of us within, and around, the LGBT community will not mourn his end. He caused many families pain at a time when they were already hurting from the death of loved ones. However, this is his legacy, not ours.

The very post I saw his death reported also had a call to picket his funeral as he has done to so many. This was by a friend who has seen his hate, and understandably wants to exact revenge. But if the actions of his life have shown anything it is that the funeral is no place for revenge or the spirit of hate. We may not feel sorrow at his death. It may even be a day of relief. But this is the time to show why he was wrong to protest the funerals of our family.

This is the chance to show the world how we are better people. We aren’t people who make the death of a man the reason to celebrate, no matter who that man is. We are the better people. And no matter who he is to us, he was someone’s father, grandfather, brother, and uncle. We may still be fighting against them, but today they need the respect they didn’t have the capacity to give when it was us. If we act in any way other than respectful we become no better than them. In stooping to that we relinquish the right to call what they do wrong.

'15 experts TOTALLY destroy anti-transgender myths about bathrooms' and other Thursday midday news briefs

15 Experts Debunk Right-Wing Transgender Bathroom Myth - The headline alone is gold for the lgbt community. The article is an awesome rundown which should be repeated continuously. 

Debunking The Big Myth About Transgender-Inclusive Bathrooms - Equality Matters goes into more detail and it includes a incredible graphic which the organization should make as a stand alone graphic (hint, hint, hint).

Fred Phelps, former head of Westboro Baptist Church, died, family member says - R.I.P. to a very hateful man. He has to answer to God now for his behavior. And unlike some in the lgbt community, I refuse to give this mess more attention than it deserves. Our fight for equality goes on.  

Could Austin Ruse’s Violent Rhetoric Endanger C-FAM’s Status with the UN? - It's spooky to think how much pull this anti-gay group could have had in the UN had not Austin Ruse opened his big mouth.

Teacher Suspended For Comparing Gay-Straight Alliance To Drug-Users Club - Tacky comment from a teacher causes deserved suspension.

The difference between being persecuted and just plain whining

This visual, which I gleaned from an online friend, says it all:

Bryan Fischer HAS to be secretly working to advance gay equality

Bryan Fischer

It is not easy being a blogger, particularly the type which I am. On top of no pay and extra work comes the fear that I am falling into a rut. The entire purpose of my blog is to expose anti-gay propaganda and religious right lies pertaining to the lgbt community.

But sometimes I wonder if I tire my readers by presenting time after time after time in which anti-gay groups are lying and deceiving with their lies, cherry-picked science, and junk science. I wonder if I am making you all desensitized.

It gets tiring.

Then something happens or someone says something so outrageous that I'm off to the races again in order to get the information out. The following clip featuring your "favorite homophobe and mine," Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association is one of those times. I can't explain what Bryan Fischer is saying here. You just have to listen to him and I dare you to NOT come away with the feeling that Fischer is secretly working to ensure lgbt equality rather than prevent it:

'Family Research Council launches self-defeating campaign against marriage equality' and other Wednesday midday news briefs

FRC launches 'National Campaign in Defense of Marriage;' claims gay parents 'provide distorted values to innocent adopted kids' - The Family Research Council is attempting to raise money against marriage equality and the irony of it all? The organization advances arguments which have led to several losses for its side in the courts such as:

Guys, you may be able to raise money to pay your bills with that argument, but you won't be able to convince a judge to rule against marriage equality.  

Nearly 200 Congressional Democrats Call On Obama To Issue LGBT Workers’ Order - If President Obama did issue this order, I would only partially agree with it. On one hand, it would be a tremendously good thing for the lgbt community. But on the other hand, it would enable us from dealing with the facts about our fight for ENDA. Whether the lgbt community wants to admit it or not, ENDA is going to be a HUGE fight and the anti-gay right will pull all of their tactics  from "bathroom bill" memes to "religious liberty" talking points. And we should be ready for it. In fact we should not only be ready for it, we should play aggressively and begin refuting their points. In my eyes, the largest hurdle against ENDA are anti-gay groups, not President Obama. And how much energy are we devoting to pushing Obama instead of confronting the propaganda which we KNOW will be launched against any push for ENDA?  

Illinois Republicans Nominate Candidate Who Blames Gay Rights For Autism And Tornadoes - Oh good grief. But it's not all bad news. Republicans targeted because of their vote FOR marriage equality won their primaries.

 Obama Administration Pressed To Review U.S. Aid To Countries With Anti-LGBT Laws - And it's the Congressional Black Caucus doing the pushing. Remember that.  

John Kerry To Send Homosexuality 'Experts' To Tackle Uganda Anti-Gay Law - Based on the next news brief, Uganda is going to NEED these experts.

 Ugandan First Lady Doesn’t Know Any Gay Cows, So Homosexuality Must Not Exist - Nothing I can say will add any more snarkiness to this article.

Will South Carolina be sued over anti-gay budget cuts?

And the situation in South Carolina over the state legislature "punishing" two colleges for assigning gay-themed books just heated up. From the Huffington Post:

Ten groups that care about free speech sent a letter Tuesday to South Carolina state senators warning that a bill to cut public college funding based on legislators' objections to certain books could bring on First Amendment lawsuits.

The South Carolina House approved a budget last week penalizing two public colleges for assigning LGBT-themed books in campus-wide reading programs. Pushed by state Rep. Garry Smith (R-Simpsonville), legislators are considering $52,000 in cuts for the College of Charleston and $17,142 in cuts for the University of South Carolina Upstate to offset the costs of those programs.

"The proposed budget cuts undermine the fundamental mission of higher educational institutions, which is critical analysis and free and unfettered debate," the protest letter said. It added, "Legislative efforts to control discussion and debate in a university setting are ill-advised, both legally and educationally."

The 10 groups behind the letter were the ACLU of South Carolina, American Association of University Professors, American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, American Library Association, Association of American Publishers, Association of College and Research Librarians, Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, Modern Language Association, National Coalition Against Censorship and National Council of Teachers of English.

 Read the entire story here

Family Research Council runs story of 'religious persecution' even after claim is refuted by other anti-gay group

The Family Research Council is presently pushing a strange story of so-called religious persecution in its attempt to create a phony moral panic about the issue:

Cadets at the United States Air Force Academy should expect to be trained in dealing with fear -- fear of surface-to-air missiles, anti-aircraft fire, or falling into enemy hands. Unfortunately at today's Air Force Academy, cadets must also deal with fear of expressing their faith. Recently, a cadet wrote a Bible verse on the dry-erase board on the door to his dorm room. Apparently, the Apostle Paul's words to the Galatians that "I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me..." (Gal. 2:20) were a little too much for someone to tolerate, and the verse was removed after an anti-Christian activist group complained to the Superintendent of the Academy.

This incident reflects a culture of suppression that is being instilled among some of America's best young warriors. When religious expression is whitewashed because of the complaints of a hyper-sensitive few, the Academy develops a culture of fear when it should be developing warriors. If cadets are taught to be afraid of Bible verses, how will they respond against terrorists who are willing to die for their cause? Our U.S. Air Force Academy cadets should be taught how to intercept the enemy, not how to tiptoe around the hyper-sensitive complainants. Join me in standing against this culture of fear at the U.S. Air Force Academy and stand for the cadets by signing the petition to Superintendent Lt. Gen. Michelle Johnson to protect the religious expression of Air Force Academy cadets.

There's just one problem with that story.  It's not true and strangely enough, it's the American Family Association's One News Now which reveals the truth:

As reported Friday, attorneys with Liberty Institute flew to Colorado Springs following the news that an Air Force Academy cadet had removed a Bible verse from his whiteboard outside his dorm room, apparently after anti-Christian zealot Mikey Weinstein of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation complained about it. But Liberty Institute learned that the unidentified cadet had voluntarily removed the verse and it had nothing to do with Weinstein's complaint. 

In FRC's defense, the organization's story is dated on Friday, the same day in which the incident took place. However, the post continues to stay up today unchanged even after One News Now's correction.