Religious right salivating over possible havoc SCOTUS nominee Gorsuch could cause lgbt community

Gorsuch

According to People for the American Way's Right Wing Watch, religious right groups and figures are practically giddy over Trump's SCOTUS nominee Neil Gorsuch. In fact, it's downright disgusting how they are already celebrating the possible negative effect he may have on lgbt equality:

Family Research Council president, Tony Perkins . . . the Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins, who had been invited to Trump’s announcement of the Gorsuch nomination, noted (accurately) that “conservative groups like FRC are lining up behind Neil Gorsuch’s nomination” and wrote (inaccurately) that Democrats were “having trouble finding anything wrong with the Supreme Court nominee.” Perkins was among other Religious Right leaders putting stock in Gorsuch’s grounding in “natural law,” which they see providing a basis to reject reproductive choice and LGBTQ equality: 

"For so many Americans, who have watched as a handful of justices redefine thousands of years of tradition and natural law, listening to Gorsuch was like a breath of fresh air. Unlike so many judicial activists today, he understands his role. In a world where issues like same-sex marriage and abortion were suddenly discovered in the invisible ink of the Constitution, Gorsuch offered hope that he would not declare what he would “like the [law] to be” but “what it is.”

NOM -  . . .the National Organization for Marriage called Gorsuch “an intellectual giant and proven pro-family conservative who can help transform the Court” and who “has the potential of leading the Supreme Court in a conservative direction for a generation to come.” NOM specifically touted the potential for overturning the Court’s 2015 marriage equality decision: 

The clearest path to reversing that illegitimate decision is, thus, changing the makeup of the Supreme Court. The confirmation of Judge Gorsuch is the first step on that path. Then we need to make sure that the next vacancy on the Court is filled by an originalist judge in the mold of Justice Scalia, as Judge Gorsuch’s background and track record show him to be. 

 Gordon Klingenschmitt - . . .anti-gay activist and former Colorado state legislator Gordon Klingenschmitt slammed LGBTQ groups for raising concerns about Gorsuch’s ruling in Hobby Lobby: “Clearly the homosexual leftists hate religious freedom as much as they hate Neil Gorsuch.” Klingenschmitt posted a picture of Gorsuch fishing with the late Antonin Scalia, adding that Gorsuch “may actually be more conservative than Scalia on issues like de-regulation.”

And all of this is happening in the backdrop of allegations that Trump's people coordinated with Russia to influence last year's presidential elections. How many folks want to bet that there are certain prayers by certain parties asking that Gorsuch be confirmed before the Russia investigation continues 

'Trump Administration turns its back on elderly lgbts' & other Wed. midday news briefs

 

The Trump Administration just eliminated the voices of elderly lgbts from national survey.

Trump Administration Removes LGBTQ Questions From Elderly Survey - It's official and we need to be PISSED about it for a multitude of reasons. 

Trump administration erases LGBT people from survey of older adults - More information on this issue and why it is significant in a terrible way.  Is it too paranoid for me to smell the religious right tentacles in this decision?

 Don’t Be Fooled: Neil Gorsuch Is Having It Both Ways On Gay Marriage - Most likely the newest SCOTUS justice. A product of obstruction and folks refusing to pay attention.  

NOM & Global Culture Warriors Launch Anti-Trans Bus Tour - Doesn't this make you feel nauseous?

 This Gorgeous Photo Series Crushes Stereotypes About Black Masculinity - Destroying stereotypes about black masculinity is something which interests me A LOT.

Anti-lgbt hate group playing defense for Trump's false wiretapping claim

By now, I don't think I have to rehash the situation involving Trump's false claim that Obama had him wiretapped last year. Yesterday, FBI Director James Comey became the latest government official to refute it.

However, don't tell that to the anti-lgbt hate group American Family Association or its fake news site, One News Now. You would ruin the organization's attempt to provide credibility to Trump's continuously refuted claim via an article on its site, A quest to stump Trump, not dig for truth. 

The article says that disputing Trump's claim is a part of a conspiracy to harm his presidency (as if he needs the help). The pièce de résistance of this hot mess is the One News Now poll below:

One would think that a group which prides itself on morality wouldn't be so quick to defend the lies of a man who doesn't seem to know the meaning of the word "honesty." Perhaps the American Family Association has decided that until Trump gives up that "religious liberty" executive order, the group will kiss his butt and then brag about how it tastes like what was served during The Last Supper.
  

'How Trump transformed the religious right into lapdogs of the alt-right' & other Tue. midday news briefs

The religious right have deserted the guy on the right for the guy on the right.

Amazing Disgrace: How did Donald Trump—a thrice-married, biblically illiterate sexual predator—hijack the religious right? - Probably the best article you will ever read which explains Trump's appeal to the religious right. However, there is one error as far as I'm concerned. Trump didn't hijack the religious right. The way this article breaks this down, it is very appropriate that someone like Trump would become a religious right leader.  Under their  facade of piety was always an appeal to basic prejudice.

Religious Right Rallies ‘Round Trump’s Anti-LGBTQ UN Delegation - Trump appealed to the religious right's need for power.

  The Dangers Facing Trans Women Of Color In 2017 - Siiiigh! 

 Why Neil Gorsuch’s Idea of ‘Religious Liberty’ Is A Direct Threat to LGBTQ Rights - Pay attention. Signorile breaks it down again. 

 Georgia governor slams ‘religious liberty’ change to adoption bill - Trying to slip some evil "religious liberty" junk in GA bill.

Hate group: Pro-lgbtq ordinances means automatic anti-religious discrimination

It would seem that the anti-lgbt hate group Alliance Defending Freedom is taking the fight against pro- lgbt laws a step further. In the past, an incident would happen, such as the case of Melissa and Aaron Klein or Barronelle Stutzman, which would cause strife between pro-lgbt ordinances versus the so-called personally held beliefs of business owners to discriminate against lgbts. But now, ADF is trying to eliminate the "middle man," so to speak.

Via a case in Phoenix, the group is making the claim that pro-lgbt laws and ordinances automatically will lead to religious discrimination, therefore such laws and ordinances shouldn't exist in the first place.

According to the American Family Association's phony news site, One News Now:

Alliance Defending Freedom works to preserve and defend religious freedom, calling it "our most cherished birthright." Toward that end, ADF is representing Joanna Duka and Breanna Koski, owners of Brush & Nib Studio in Phoenix who specialize in hand-painting, hand-lettering, and calligraphy for weddings and other events. ADF filed suit on the artists' behalf against a local ordinance that forces the business owners to use their artistic talents to promote same-gender "wedding" ceremonies. 

 The ordinance also forbids them – under threat of fines and jail time – from publicly stating religious beliefs that might "imply" anyone would be "unwelcome" in their business because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. ADF attorney Jeremy Tedesco tells OneNewsNow the lawsuit is designed to temporarily block enforcement until a full hearing can be held on the ordinance, which could force Duka and Koski to violate their faith.

Duka and Koski filed their case in May of last year with the help of the ADF as sort of a first salvo. According to ThinkProgress, it didn't go well for them:

With support from the anti-LGBT Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), Joanna Duka and Breanna Koski, co-owners of the Brush & Nib calligraphy studio, filed suit in May challenging Phoenix’s ordinance prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in public accommodations. Though they have not yet been asked to provide invitations or other designs for a same-sex wedding, they want to overturn the law so that their eventual refusal to do so won’t be illegal. 

 . . .Judge Karen Mullins rejected the artists’ claim that being required to serve same-sex couples violated their freedoms of speech and religion. She denied them a preliminary injunction as the case proceeds, sending a not-so-subtle hint that their pro-discrimination claims aren’t going to get very far. ADF had argued that if Brush & Nib is forced to create products that are used in a same-sex wedding, it would constitute compelled speech. Mullins countered that “the only thing compelled by the ordinance is the sale of goods and services to persons regardless of their sexual orientation.” Duka and Koski are perfectly free to publicly state their religious views concerning same-sex marriage and same-sex sexual activity — so long as they don’t publicize an intention to discriminate in their business.

Since that time, religious and conservative publications have been pushing Duka and Koski as martyrs for their faith, making sure to emphasize the possibility that the two could go to jail, while pushing a false idea that the religious liberty argument is about "Christians" vs. lgbts.:

Christian Artists Threatened With Fines and Jail Time for Refusing to Make Gay Wedding Invitations

Christian Artists Could Be Fined, Jailed for Refusing to Make Same-Sex Wedding Invitations

The War On Wedding Vendors Is Ultimately A War On Free Thought

Christian Artists Face Prison for Refusing to Make Gay Wedding Invitations

 In reality, this "religious liberty" argument is about a group of people bogarting a religion and exploiting it to excuse their personal biases and false entitlements. Today's article in One News Now is simply more of that same bluster and balderdash. And bear in mind that neither woman is in any danger of going to jail. As far as it is known, to this day, no gay person has come to their business asking for wedding services.

Even so, the case is going in front of an Arizona appeals court, so we will be hearing about it again. It's cases like this which have religious right groups and personalities practically salivating when thinking of what type of judges Trump could appoint to the bench.

'Anti-transgender law being blamed for Duke's upset loss in NCAA tournament' & other Mon. midday news briefs

NC's anti-transgender law is being blame for Duke's NCCA upset loss.

Here’s Why Some Irate Duke Fans Blamed Team’s Upset Loss on North Carolina’s ‘Bathroom Law’ - Duke University was predicted to win the NCAA championship but got upset last night by the University of South Carolina. And some Duke fans are blaming NC's anti-transgender law, HB2. Well this is interesting. 

Duke Got Burned By North Carolina's HB2 Bathroom Law - Another article on the matter. This sounds like the making of an anti-HB2 argument. EXCELLENT!  

A roaring hit! Beauty And The Beast smashes U.S. weekend box office records with staggering $170m debut - So much for THAT religious right boycott.

 Trump Administration Proposes Eliminating LGBT Elders from Key Federal Survey - A press release on a vital danger to our lgbt elderly citizens. This cannot happen!  

North Texans Head To Austin To Rally For LGBTQ Rights - Wonderful, cause they are acting screwy in Texas. Big time.

  YouTube apologizes for hiding LGBTQ users’ videos in its Restricted Mode - Alright youtube, Don't be foolish.

This just in - 'transgender bathroom predators' is STILL a myth

The following graphic is courtesy of a Media Matters 2014 investigation. Though it is almost three years old, I'm secure in saying that it remains accurate. And a reminder about truth never hurts: