'Mike Huckabee learns a well-deserved lesson about his homophobia - LGBTQs never forget or forgive' & other Fri midday news briefs

Mike Huckabee

Aside from the general items, today's news briefs is a special dedication to Mike Huckabee and his supporters. Yesterday, Huckabee was forced to resign from Country Music Association Board less than a day after he was appointed. It had to do with all of the homophobic junk he has done and said over the years. Like they always do, Huckabee and his supporters are whining how the LGBTQ community is being intolerant towards religious beliefs with which we do not agree with. Sorry, Mikey. but it's not about religious beliefs and even if it were, that doesn't excuse your words or actions. You have attacked us and our families too many times over the years for us to simply let it go by without voicing anger. It's inconceivable to me that people actually expect the LGBTQ community to accept attacks and ill-treatment without saying a word. Consider the following link  from 2011 as the "receipt:"
  

Huckabee Uses Role At Fox News To Launch Anti-Gay Attacks: 

Huckabee Made Virulent Anti-Gay Comments As A Public Official As A Public Official, Huckabee Called Homosexuality An "Aberration" And Condemned The Government For Supporting It Along With Pedophilia, Sadomasochism, And Necrophilia. In a 2007 appearance on Meet the Press, Tim Russert asked Huckabee about his assertion in a 1998 book claiming "it is now difficult to keep track of the vast array of publicly endorsed and institutionally supported aberrations -- from homosexuality and pedophilia to sadomasochism and necrophilia." Huckabee responded that "all of these are deviations from what has been considered the traditional concept of sexual behavior." Russert also asked Huckabee about his assertion in 1992 that "I feel homosexuality is an aberrant, unnatural and sinful lifestyle." Huckabee responded that "all of us are sinners." [Towelroad.com, 1/2/08]

In other news:

Alliance Defending Freedom is working to keep LGBTQ people from adopting children - Meanwhile, the LGBTQ community has to deal with this hate group pretending to stand for values when it is actually attempting to wreck our equality.  Organizations with mindsets like Mike Huckabee, thinking they can say and do any negative thing they want to the LGBTQ community while justifying it with religion.

There’s Nothing ‘Pro-Life’ About Georgia’s Anti-Gay Adoption Bill - And I bet serious money that the Alliance Defending Freedom is behind this Georgia bill. 

We’re Suing Two Federal Agencies To Release Information On Secret LGBTQ Policy - People for the American Way is suing two agencies under the Trump Administration to gain information on their changes in federal policy towards the LGBTQ community.

OMG! If gays get married, they are going to have butt secs!!

Now that marriage equality is legal (and let's hope it stays that way), we should take a look back at the struggle to attain the right. Most specifically, let's look at how some folks chose to voice opposition to marriage equality.

In 2013, the Minnesota legislature was considering the approval of marriage equality. The state House Civil Law Committee was taking testimony from witnesses. In walked a self-described concerned father and husband Mike Frey to speak against the proposal. His testimony - not about marriage equality, but anal sex - was . .  well you just have to watch it. And then watch how the Huff Post Live just took it apart:

'Anti-LGBTQ group rages against clinic treating transgender children' & other Thur midday news briefs

Group: Cincinnati Children's Hospital transgender clinic should 'stop experimenting on our children' - Don't be fooled by this bad headline. It's a bunch of junk about a recent case I've spotlighted on this blog. A Ohio judge recently gave custody of a 17-year-old transgender boy to his grandparents so that he could continue his hormone therapy. His parents wanted to retain custody even though doing so would put the child in danger. The religious right have tried to distort the story by claiming that gays are taking children away from their parents. However, since they can't obscure the fact that the child's grandparents asked for custody in support of the child's hormone therapy, they are now going after the clinic treating the child. Even though everything the clinic is doing is backed by science and by-the-book, the local anti-LGBTQ group and enterprising political office seekers are exploiting the situation to its hilt.

Judge paves way for transgender teen to get hormone therapy at Cincinnati Children's Hospital - The story fueling the nonsensical attack on those who help our trans kids.

Over 50% Of LGBTQ Youths Struggle With Eating Disorders, Survey Finds - More work to be done . . .

  WA House of Representatives Passes Bill to Protect LGBTQ Youth from Dangerous “Conversion Therapy” - And this is one step in the right direction.

  Report: Media Largely Ignored Unprecedented Anti-LGBTQ Violence of 2017 - Ugh! This is NOT good!

LGBTQ characters in Comic Books

It's not all 'activism' on my blog. There are days when I feel extremely frivolous. This is one of those days:

If you doubt the veracity of some of these folks, feel free to google them. Although I really didn't need to regarding Catwoman and Harley Quinn. I knew they both got busy with Poison Ivy.

'When 'religious liberty' is used to humiliate the LGBTQ community' & other Wed midday news briefs

When Religion Becomes an Excuse to Discriminate - I continue to be alarmed by folks who think that gays can simply "go somewhere else" if denied service for any reason, including religion. Aside from the fact that if you make excuses to "go somewhere else" soon there will be no where else to go, there is such a thing as simple dignity and respect as the video above proves. The LGBTQ community has every right to demand these things. Being subjected to humiliation and trauma need not be the price we have to pay. We are human beings and our lives have value. We have every right to demand to be treated as such. Period.

Kim Davis Writes About ‘Fist-Pounding Homosexuals’ In New Book - And taking a public and aggressive stand against people like Kim Davis is a part of it all. Instead of being nonchalant and blase, don't forget what her controversy is all about. She makes us look like mean-spirited outsiders, but that's a lie. Gay tax dollars pays her salary and we have every right to yell, scream, and pound our fists at her and anyone who thinks they have a right to our tax dollars without respecting us.

Olympian Gus Kenworthy shared some of his worst hate mail and made a powerful point. - Oh God, this is AWFUL. 

Rapper Le1f shares disgustingly racist Grindr screenshots - But here is terror of the same type in our OWN community. When LGBTQs of color talk about the problems we face with the "I don't date black people. It's just my preference" crowd, we generally get called out. Here is what we LGBTQs of color have been talking about.

Family Research Council exploits religion, homophobia to side with the NRA against Delta Airlines

The Family Research Council is exploiting religion & LGBTQ community to attack Delta Airlines.

Yesterday, I wrote about how the American Family Association is pushing an inane solution to the problem of gun violence in schools. Today, I am sad to report, the Family Research Council has sunk even lower. The hate group is attacking an organization attempting to lessen the violence and has involved the LGBTQ community in its attack.

Delta Airlines is in the middle of a huge controversy because recently it announced that it was ending a discount program for National Rifle Association (NRA) members. This action was done because of the recent Florida school shooting and activism by the survivors of that tragedy pushing for gun control laws. The NRA has vehemently opposes this, therefore it and its supporters have been pushing back rather aggressively.  Due to this, Delta and other companies have announced that they are breaking ties with the NRA.

But Delta seems to be getting a large part of the backlash for this announcement, particularly in Georgia. The Lt. Governor of that state, Casey Cagle, threatened to kill legislation giving Delta tax breaks unless it reinstate ties with the NRA.

While there is a serious back-and-forth going on about the legality and ethics of this threat, the Family Research Council has stepped in to attack Delta, making it seem as if the company is bullying Georgia and the NRA by throwing in a little homophobia and "religious liberty."

'Georgia faces danger of Hollywood boycott if anti-gay adoption bill becomes law' & other Tue midday news briefs

Hollywood Stars, Producers Call For Georgia Boycott If Anti-LGBTQ Law Passes - I like the idea of Hollywood boycotting Georgia if this awful bill becomes law. But I wish the media would focus on others who are also calling for a boycott because the religious right will definitely push the "Hollywood weirdos vs. normal folks" angle. This would take away from the real point of the matter which is saying that adoption agencies who use LGBTQ tax dollars shouldn't have the right to discriminate against LGBTQs for any reason. And that there is nothing wrong with a child growing up in a same-sex household.

Why LGBT rights groups are worried about Georgia's Keep Faith in Adoption and Foster Care Act - More about the awful bill in the above news briefs, plus this little point not mentioned in the article - regardless or not this bill is successful, one has to wonder if it's the start of a religious right tactic of keeping our community from fostering and adopting. If this is so, let's call it for what it is. Our opponents would claim that these bills are for the children, but we know that's a lie. It's all about discrimination. The facts are on our side and if this becomes a huge fight, we need to get the narrative on our side, too. 

In a first, openly transgender recruit signs contract for U.S. military - Another reminder that Trump's attempted trans ban is bupkiss. If transgender men and women want to serve in the military, let them.

Hawaii court rules ‘Christian B&B’ can’t use religion as a weapon against gay couples - Another wonderful ruling by the courts. 

What are the challenges for getting gay men at risk of HIV to take PrEP? - One problem is fear of "slut shaming." "Slut shaming" is an awful thing to do because there is nothing wrong with a healthy sexual appetite. Hell, my problem is that I don't get any.