ENOUGH with the game of lies being played on the lgbt community

I. AM. FURIOUS.

Rather than go into detail about the one specific incident which set me off, allow me to post an excerpt from this wonderful piece from Five Thirty Eight. It gets to the center of my anger. The piece is called 'Religious Liberty' Has Replaced Gay Marriage in GOP Talking Points and it says that the GOP has, for the most part, given up on talking about gay marriage because much of their base isn't into that fight anymore. Instead, they are talking about "religious liberty":

Russell D. Moore, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, a unit of the Southern Baptist Convention that advocates Christian values to government leaders, acknowledges that the conversation has shifted.

Whatever their definition of marriage, he says, Americans should be concerned by the Supreme Court’s decisions, “both in terms of the power of the government” and “the reasons given for the redefinition.”

“I think that’s where the conversation is now,” he went on. “What sort of justices and judges would a president appoint, and how would they be restricted by a constitution itself?”

The shift from talking directly about same-sex marriage to more glancing references is also reflected in the GOP debate rhetoric. Mentions of “religious,” “religious liberty” and “religious freedom” appeared more than ever in this year’s debates when referring to the rights of business owners to refuse services to gay customers. It’s code, Dennard says, for “gay marriage.”

 
Talking about "religious liberty" is rather easy. It elevates the false idea of a person from persecution because of their religious beliefs. It makes folks who discriminate in secular business dealings seem like they are being "persecuted" for their religious beliefs, when in reality they are only being asked to treat all customers - whose taxes help with the safety and upkeep of their businesses - fairly.

One would never know that the phrase "religious liberty"  is yet another clever shift of semantics in the 30 year plus war on lgbts propagated by the religious right.

In the 70s, they said the children must be protected from "recruitment" since gays supposedly can't reproduce.

In the 80s, they exploited the ignorance regarding the AIDS crisis to make lgbts seem like deserving pariahs.

In the 90s. it was all about keeping us from receiving unfair "special rights."

And in the early 2000's, it was all about "protecting marriage."

So now we are in the middle of yet another con job propagated by slick verbiage, straw man arguments, junk science, and anecdotal stories taken out of context - i.e. "religious liberty."

And just like every other example above before it, the "religious liberty" argument puts  the lgbt community on the defensive as if we are the bad guys trying to corrupt all that is good and pure. Part of the reason for this is that hardly anyone has pointed out how "religious liberty" is a new bit of paint on the same old engine of homophobia and fear. Oh sure, some of us gave Sam Smith hell for his inaccurate statement about openly gay men winning Oscars, but very few of us have bothered to demonstrate that same degree of outrage when it comes to the connection between  "religious liberty," "protecting marriage," "special rights," and all other cutesy phrases used over the years to bamboozle us into playing catch up while the religious right channels "The Passion of Joan of Arc."

That's why I'm mad. Again, never mind the specific incident because the generalities are more important. After over 30 years of being branded and having to fight tooth and nail for our dignity, the lgbt community finds itself in the same situation again.

"Religious liberty" is not about protecting religious people from persecution anymore than "protecting marriage" was about safeguarding matrimony. It's about what it has always been about - homophobia and keeping lgbts under heel.

We rip open a door closed to us, but allow the opposition to control how quickly we can come through to the other side with their clever organization and deceptive phrases. We find ourselves hustled into having to explain why we should have the same right to come through the door at the same speed in which heterosexuals do, even though we shouldn't have to.

They tried to keep penalize our private sexual behavior. We beat them in the courts.

They tried to keep us from adopting. We beat them again.

They tried to brand simple talk of our families into that of sexual education. Again we beat them.

They tried to keep us from marrying. After a long battle, we annihilated them.

They are trying to demonize our transgender brothers and sisters. It's happening slowly but with our track record, I expect a victory.  But the point is after so many victories, why are we having to explain our right to be treated like everyone else?

Maybe it's time for the other side to explain why they feel we shouldn't.


Photo of Angela Bassett taken from the 'Waiting to Exhale.'

'Ted Cruz creates a 'Council of Homophobia'' other Wed. midday news briefs

Ryan Anderson, a member of Cruz's 'Council of Homophobia'

Presidential Candidates Cruz and Rubio Continue to Court Anti-LGBT Groups - Rubio is as good as dust right now, but with Trump scaring so many Republicans, a lot of them are "settling" for Cruz. And IF that happens, Cruz has definite plans to create a "religious liberty advisory council" or as I call it, a "council of homophobia" featuring some of the worst of the worst amongst anti-lgbt activists. It's something we shouldn't take lightly. 

Missouri Republicans Break Democrats’ 39-Hour Filibuster, Advancing Anti-Gay Bill - The filibuster is over, but NOT the battle.  

Federal Judge: No Marriage Equality In Puerto Rico - Well that sucks in a MAJOR way. 

 Texas Rep Still Thinks Gays Will Die Out If Put On A Desert Island - Louie Gohmert is a super moron.  

Rafael Cruz: Gay Marriage Will Destroy Society - Folks, if the thought of Ted Cruz as president doesn't scare you enough, imagine his father there also because you just KNOW he will take advantage . . .

This McDonalds commercial about coming out is EVERYTHING!

This McDonalds commercial from Taiwan featuring a young man coming out to his father nails it completely. In spite of nonsense thrown at lgbts, we are not freaks nor people embroiled in some ridiculous plot. We are just ordinary folks who, in the long run, would love the support of our family because coming out is no joke, so to speak:

This commercial is so good that naturally some folks in Taiwan are complaining about a supposed "sexual agenda."   It's always about sex with these anti-gay types. Geez!

'Missouri Democrats filibustering anti-lgbt amendment' & other Tue. midday news briefs

Missouri Democrats Wage Wendy Davis-Style Filibuster Against Anti-Gay Religious Amendment - These anti-lgbt "religious liberty" laws and amendments aren't being easy to pass as the religious right thought they would be. 

Boykin's Defense of 'Religious Freedom' Includes Violent Anti-Trans Rhetoric - You know they have to work a degree of transphobia in there.  

The caliber of homophobia in a Ted Cruz supporter - Reposting this from morning. The big joke of the 2016 presidential election may be that Republicans are fighting so hard against Donald Trump that they are hooking themselves on to an equal or bigger disaster with Ted Cruz. This post is a 2010 conversation I had with Gary Glenn, the present chair of Cruz's Michigan campaign when he defends his call to "outlaw" homosexuality. 

 Scott Walker’s Favorite Judge Was A Real Queer-Hatin’ Hoot In College - Food for thought about judges. And that apology ain't cutting it as far as I'm concerned. Girlfriend, I hope you know the entire score to "Hello Dolly."  

MISSISSIPPI: Ted Cruz Says He’s Too Sick To Attend Rally With Hate Group Crackpot Bryan Fischer - SPEAKING of Teddy, he averted one anti-gay crisis yesterday but being "too sick" to appear with Bryan Fischer at a rally.

The caliber of homophobia in a Ted Cruz supporter

It has been reported that Ted Cruz has made alliances with several religious right and anti-gay figures during his presidential campaign. The latest should be a real attention-getter:

From Right Wing Watch:

As we have noted before, people who hate gays sure do seem to love Ted Cruz, and that trend continues as his presidential campaign continues to rack up support and endorsements from a variety of extremist anti-gay activists. To this ever-growing list we can now add Michigan state lawmaker Gary Glenn, who has been tapped to serve as one of the campaign's state legislative co-chairs. Prior to winning his seat in the state legislature, Glenn served as president of the American Family Association of Michigan, the state arm of the anti-gay hate group the American Family Association, where he promoted a variety of anti-gay positions and even called for the criminalization of homosexuality:

 Gary Glenn, president of the American Family Association of Michigan, has added his voice to a growing chorus of American leaders calling for the re-criminalization of homosexuality in the U.S. In an e-mail to Michigan Messenger, here’s how Glenn responded when asked if he supported the criminalization move proposed by the Family Research Council’s Peter Sprigg’s comments last week on Hardball: “The short answer to your question is yes, we believe that states should be free to regulate and prohibit behavior that’s a violation of community standards and a proven threat to public health and safety — including, as most of the United States did throughout its history, homosexual behavior.”

Glenn made the statement  in 2010. I know this well because Glenn and I had a "discussion" on my blog - which he initiated - after I posted a story about his statement.  The following is a repost of that discussion and it should give you clue regarding the mentality of religious right supporters of Ted Cruz:

Study proves anti-gay laws have negative impact on businesses

One of my favorite sites, Unicorn Booty has posted some information regarding the negative effects of anti-gay laws on businesses and their employees. And it think it would do the community some good to drill this information constantly until we can repeat it by heart:

Right now, Georgia is eyeing two anti-LGBT “religious exemption” bills: the “Pastor Protection Act” ensuring that pastors won’t being sued for refusing to perform same-sex marriages, and the “First Amendment Defense Act” which would let religious nonprofits deny services to same-sex couples. In response, a group of more than 400 businesses calling themselves Georgia Prospers has come out against the bill reasoning it runs counter to Georgia’s friendly culture. But there’s another reason that people should oppose it: namely, such bills are financially harmful to everyone whether you’re a employed person, an LGBT-person or just an average citizen.

In January of 2016, The Center for Talent and Innovation — a project stemming from 80 global corporations and organizations representing nearly 6 million employees in 192 countries — published “Out in the World: Securing LGBT Rights in the Global Marketplace”, study of 1,964 LGBT professionals and 10,242 non-LGBT professionals in 10 countries around the world. The study revealed the negative impact that anti-LGBT laws can have on businesses, their employees and the world economy.

They also released an infographic about those harms, and also illustrated what businesses can do to help make countries more LGBT-friendly, benefitting employees and citizens both.

Here’s some of the study’s findings, as outlined in The Economist:

- One in five closeted LGBT employees said staying closeted at work “reduced their ambition and caused them to work less.

– Almost 30 percent of closeted employees said “hiding their identity kept them from speaking up or sharing innovative ideas at work.”

– Closeted employees are three times more likely to leave their companies in the next year, compared to their openly LGBT colleagues

– Forty-two percent of LGBT employees around the world reported that they had experienced discrimination in the last five years because of their identity.”

For more information, particularly the detailed infographic, see Unicorn Booty. 

'AL court twice smacked down by lgbt progress, equality' & other Mon. midday news briefs

Roy Moore can't stop the progress of lgbt equality

Supreme Court Slaps Down Anti-Gay Alabama Justices In Adoption Case - Alabama's anti-gay justices have to get over themselves for the second time in the face of progress. This time in an adoption case. 

Ala. Supreme Court dismisses petitions opposing same-sex marriage - This the first time and they WERE not happy about it, particularly Justice Roy Moore.

 S.D. anti-trans bill inspires mixed reaction at CPAC - The recent veto by South Dakota's governor of an anti-transgender bill did not provoke a uniformity of negative opinion at a recent Republican conference, CPAC. People tend to understand lgbt issues when they are personally involved. 

 Gay Fox News Contributor Guy Benson: Gay People Should Be More Tolerant of Discrimination - This article sticks in my craw and burns me for so many reasons. For one thing, the angle of these folks at CPAC is so full of crap. I will not tolerate the false right of someone to treat me like a second class citizen and I shouldn't. Secondly, while I have no problem with any coverage of Guy Benson, there are times when he invokes so much anger in me due to the fact that part of me thinks that he gets coverage because he is the typical twinkish looking, skinny gay white man who gets all sorts of coverage while the rest of us folks who don't fit the pattern get left out. Yes, he has a major role in conservative politics, but I know there are people of color out there who have leadership positions in organizations or are activists (HELLO!) who deserve as much or even more coverage and NOT just when the article talks about lgbts of coverage. African-American lgbt leaders and potential leaders have a say in the mainstream lgbt fight for equality. Don't mistake our desire to be heard as a way to box us up in a category. If you can focus (and in some cases) interview a skinny twinkish looking thing who is fighting against his community's own interest, you should invest as much energy in finding and focusing on lgbts of color who are fighting for our equality, and not just in an article talking about lgbts of color. Okay, enough of my rant.  I hope it made sense.

Anti-Gay Indiana Lawmakers Have Inspired Cities Across State to Add LGBT Protections - Classic case of when plans for evil backfire and create good.

  5 Gay And Lesbian Parenting Myths Debunked - MUCH NEEDED information.