'Glenn Beck wants to stop Texas county schools from banning anti-gay discrimination' & other Fri. midday news briefs

Glenn Beck

 
Glenn Beck wants to stop Texas county schools from banning anti-LGBT discrimination - Glenn Beck is making personal steps to stop Texas schools from protecting lgbts from discrimination and he is inviting his followers to join him. OH GOD!  

Priest tells kids: Gays having anal sex same as ‘cramming a bagel in your ear’ - If folks are concerned about children learning about sex too early, they should stop bothering gay folks and keep people like this priest away from children.  

Kentucky clerk's 'Christian' counsel was named anti-gay hate group - Post from this morning. Highly important. Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who is defying a judge's order to issue licenses to married couples is being represented by an anti-gay hate group. Religious liberty my tuckus!

Colorado appeals court backs gay couple in wedding cake dispute - Just in case you didn't hear, the false argument of "religious liberty" failed again. 

 STUDY: Houston Media Help Misrepresent Equal Rights Ordinance - Because talking about "men in women's restrooms" is a HOT angle no matter how false it is. 

 Dobson's Dire Warning: Gay Marriage Ruling Will Destroy Christianity And America - Yes, Mr. Dobson. Tell us for the one-trillionth time how marriage equality is a plot to recruit churches, put children into jail and destroy . . I mean recruit children, put Christians in jail, and destroy the church. It's not like you haven't said that SO MANY TIMES BEFORE.

Kentucky clerk's 'Christian' counsel was named anti-gay hate group

Tweet sent out by Liberty Counsel's Matt Barber

Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who defied a federal judge's order to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, and her defenders would have you to believe that her case is one of religious liberty, i.e. someone being forced to act in direct opposite of their religious beliefs.

However that is a lie on two counts. First of all, Davis is an elected official.  She has sworn to do her duties in accordance to the law. And the law says that gay couples can legally marry.

Secondly, when one looks at the organization defending her and advising her to defy the judge's orders, the Liberty Counsel, one can easily determine that this is not a case of religious liberty, but one of homophobia.  The Liberty Counsel claims to be an  "international nonprofit litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family . . ."

However,  the Southern Poverty Law Center  considers the Liberty Counsel to be an active anti-gay hate group because of the organization's history of denigrating the lgbt community via lies and distortions (such as the above tweet by Liberty Counsel employee Matt Barber).

SPLC also said:

The Counsel also has been active in battling same-sex marriage, saying it would destroy the “bedrock of society.” In 2005, the group’s blog said: “People who … support the radical homosexual agenda will not rest until marriage has become completely devalued. Children will suffer most from this debauchery.” A 2007 blog posting said same-sex marriage would “severely impact future generations.”

Mat Staver

The lgbt group GLAAD has tracked the Liberty Counsel and its employees, particularly it's chairman, Mat Staver. According to the group, Staver has made many eyebrow-raising statements about marriage equality and the lgbt community in general, including

claiming that LGBT advocates are doing "the bidding of the devil"

claiming that negotiating with what he calls 'homofascists' (i.e. advocacy groups like GLAAD) is 'almost like negotiating with terrorists

suggesting marriage equality should lead opponents to rise up and fight “another American Revolution.”

claiming that children with gay parents will end up “behind bars for committing violent crimes.” (0:00 - 0:56)

Matt Barber

GLAAD also called Matt Barber (who sent out the above tweet) one of the Liberty Counsel's most visible spokespeople.  Barber has:

said that gay male relationships constitute "one man violently cramming his penis into another man’s lower intestine and calling it ‘love’”

called same-sex marriage: "Fake 'gay marriage' is fake 'consummated' through squalid & feculent abuse of the reproductive & digestive systems"

has called President Barack Obama an "anti-American" "enemy" who is "determined to destroy America"

What's going on here is clear. Ms. Davis is allowing herself to be used by a group who has an absolute hatred for the lgbt community. This group (the Liberty Counsel) is advising her to continue to not follow a judge's order probably in hopes that she be found in contempt and jailed. They will then work  to make Davis into some sort of martyr of "religious freedom."

The sad truth is that Davis is not a martyr. She is a pawn, not just of the Liberty Counsel, but of her own hubris. She seems to be aware of the so-called Biblical verses against homosexuality, but she should really familiarize herself with the one about pride going before a fall.

Because she is heading for one and the Liberty Counsel's not there to cushion her blow. They are there to make the fall as hard as possible. The better for them to get more press, more money, and direct more animus towards the lgbt community.

America, God has divorced you for having a gay affair

According to anti-gay activist Rick Wiles, God is treating America like a man who forgives his wife for many heterosexual affairs, but finds himself unable to forgive her for having a gay affair. I kid you not.

 Transcript:

 "America has dealt treacherously with me as a treacherous wife. And He said, ‘She wants what’s beautiful and good and then she began to commit adultery with other men and I forgave her, and she did it again and I forgave her, and she did it again and I forgave her, and she did it again and I forgave her. But now she’s committing homosexual sex with another woman and I cannot look at her anymore. He said, ‘I can’t even look at her, she’s not my wife anymore. The divorce is final.’ He told me that on the day the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, God went to court too and he got a divorce.”

Well I really don't think I can add anything to that except one question - who gets the children?

'Kentucky clerk defies judge, refuses to give marriage license to gay couple' & other Thur midday news briefs

Kim Davis

Kentucky Clerk Defies Federal Judge's Order, Refuses To Issue Marriage License To Gay Couple - An update on yesterday's post. Rowan County clerk of court (Kentucky) Kim Davis is still refusing to issue marriage licenses to gay couples even after a judge's ruling. She is appealing yesterday's ruling and asking for a stay of the injunction. AND here comes to boom - just hours after a judge ordered her to issue marriage licenses to gay couples, her office turned away a gay couple asking for one. Apparently her counsel at the anti-gay Liberty Counsel is advising her to not comply. Word to the wise for the anti-gay right who may attempt to use Davis as a cause celebre. I've read many comment sections regarding this case and the vast majority of folks are not on Davis's side, simply because this is not a matter of victimization but a stubborn government official who wants to discriminate AND be paid for it. If the anti-gay right attempts to exploit this situation, it has the potential of wrecking their entire argument of "religious liberty." 

Kentucky High School Allegedly Omits Gay Basketball Player From The Yearbook - Kentucky is simply batting a 1,000 today. How dare the school treats a child like this!  

Chelsea Manning may face solitary confinement for having Jenner Vanity Fair issue - This is a big load of crap. So she is in jail, that doesn't mean she gets treated like an animal.

 Staver: Gay Juvenile Offenders Were Probably Sexually Abused, Which Is Why They Need Christian Counseling - Uh no. The Liberty Counsel seems to have all of its hands in icky pies. They won't win this one either. LGBT juvenile offenders do not need some fool coming in tell them that they are sinners.  

On Fox, Rev. Franklin Graham Calls For Boycott Of Target Over Removing Gender Labels From Some Children's Products - Franklin Graham is swiftly becoming a demagogic clone of his father, who was NO demagogue.

Judge - Kentucky clerk MUST do her job and issue marriage licenses to gay couples

Kim Davis

That gigantic boom you just heard were members of anti-gay groups running to their computers in order to fire up fundraising emails. Let them go ahead. We are ready:

From WXVU:

U. S. District Judge David Bunning has issued a preliminary injunction in the case involving a Rowan County, Kentucky Clerk who refused to grant marriage licenses to two same-sex couples and two opposite sex couples. Clerk Kim Davis must now issue marriage licenses to April Miller, Karen Roberts, Jody Fernandez, Kevin Holloway, Barry Spartman, Aaron Skaggs, Shantel Burke and Stephen Napier.

"IT IS ORDERED that Plaintiffs’ Motion for Preliminary Injunction (Doc. # 2) against Defendant Kim Davis, in her official capacity as Rowan County Clerk, is hereby granted.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Defendant Kim Davis, in her official capacity as Rowan County Clerk, is hereby preliminarily enjoined from applying her “no marriage licenses” policy to future marriage license requests submitted by Plaintiffs."

The ACLU called it "a victory for our clients and for all of Rowan County."

At a July court hearing Davis said she is an Apostolic Christian and believes that marriage is between one man and one woman. She says she prayed and fasted before making her decision. In court, she argued that by issuing licenses she is saying she approves of same-sex marriage.
 
 . . . However, Judge Bunning writes in his decision that Davis' religious freedoms are not being infringed.

"(Davis') religious convictions cannot excuse her from performing the duties that she took an oath to perform as Rowan County Clerk. The Court therefore concludes that Davis is unlikely to suffer a violation of her free exercise rights under Kentucky Constitution."

The big question is how long before she goes on the "Christians are in danger of losing their religious freedom" tour with NOM or the Family Research Council.

'Anti-gay activists using their false story of 'persecution' to shut lgbt equality' & other Wed midday news briefs

The Kleins are causing trouble for lgbt equality in Arkansas

ARKANSAS: Activists Booted From Anti-Gay Rights Rally Led By Martyred Oregon Bakers [VIDEO]- Serious trouble for the lgbt community in Fayetteville. Melissa and Aaron Klein, the Oregon bakers who FALSELY claimed they were persecuted by the lgbt community because their "Christian faith" forbade them to make a cake for a lesbian couple, are helping in attempts to kill an anti-discrimination bill in Arkansas. And it's getting ugly with people getting kicked out of meetings. 

Out candidates win big in Utah primaries - Lgbt candidates are winning in Utah. Sorry for those who "hate the system," but I believe that changes can also be made by working in that same system.  

Mississippi Ban on Adoptions by Same-Sex Couples Is Challenged - This is gonna get gooooood!  

Illegal robocalls attack gay Mississippi candidate’s family; Pickering denies involvement - Speaking of Mississippi . . .

This Kenyan pastor and his partner have become the first to publicly marry – and now they have to flee - My prayers go out to this very brave couple.

  It's Okay to Be Gay, So Long As You're White - Posted with two snaps up!

Sen. Ted Cruz, Christian voters, & 'gay Nazis'

What's wrong with American Christianity Part 1001, courtesy of Right Wing Watch:

As we noted yesterday, Sen. Ted Cruz was scheduled to stop by the headquarters of the American Family Association, an anti-gay hate group, during a campaign swing through Tupelo, Mississippi, this morning for an interview with AFA president Tim Wildmon. Cruz indeed stopped by and told Wildmon that the key to saving America was to mobilize conservative Christians to vote.

Transcript:

"Nothing is more important in the next 18 months than that the body of Christ rise up and that Christians stand up, that pastors stand up and lead," Cruz proclaimed. "In this last election, 54 million evangelical Christians stayed home ... If we can simply bring Christians to the polls — is it any wonder we have the government we have, we have the leaders we have if believers stay home and leave electing our leaders to unbelievers. We get exactly what we deserve and nothing is more important that having people of faith stand up and just vote our values, vote biblical values and that's how we turn the country around."

As a lot of us know, the American Family Association is considered by the Southern Poverty Law Center to be a hate group because of the nasty and inaccurate things it says about the lgbt community. Most specifically because some very ugly venom coming from the mouth of AFA employee Bryan Fischer, which you can read about here or at the tweet below which I took the liberty of creating to commemorate Ted Cruz's visit:

@SenTedCruz just talked about Biblical values with a group which employs THIS GUY http://t.co/ekhANAN85Q #LGBT #gay pic.twitter.com/XAmS2LK27z

— Holy Bullies (@holybullies) August 11, 2015

I think there is something seriously wrong with talking about "Biblical values" with a group known for bearing false witness and vicious lies. Of course I also think there is something wrong if Cruz gets away with it. And that is something the lgbt community should blame on ourselves.

Some of us are always talking about "taking to the streets,"  when it looks as if a situation has progressed to a "do-or-die" point. Has it ever occurred to us that if we get ahead of  said situation (like this one with Cruz waving his hypocrisy around like a white banner), we could get more progress out of it than we would if we waited until it created serious problems.