Explaining why the Family Research Council is an anti-LGBTQ hate group in less than two minutes

The Family Research Council (FRC) is listed as an anti-LGBTQ hate group by the SPLC for its demonizing rhetoric about the LGBTQ community. FRC portrays LGBTQ people as sick, evil, perverted, incestuous and a danger to the nation. It has linked being gay with pedophilia, an incendiary claim that pours fuel on the fires of hate – but one that has been thoroughly debunked by the American Psychological Association.  

Read more at www.SPLCenter.org/FRC 

The Southern Poverty Law Center just came out with this awesome less than two minute video which we should watch and share. It explains why anti-LGBTQ organization Family Research Council is a hate group. It is a reminder that it's not enough to call organizations like the Family Research Council hate groups. We need to say why. Lucky for us, they have a long paper trail of homophobic activity to shine the spotlight on.

Related post - 16 Reasons Why the Family Research Council is a Hate Group

'Trans women athletes deal with misconceptions, ignorance' & other Fri midday news briefs

'SPORTS ISSUE 2019: Trans women face many hurdles in quest to compete fairly - There are a lot of misconceptions when it comes to trans women athletes. We need more education on the issue.

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My redneck Lyft driver shocked me when I told him I’m gay. Now he’s going viral.  - This is a wonderful story.

Biden, Castro among 2020 hopefuls to attend Iowa LGBTQ forum - A presidential forum on LGBTQ issues is an idea which is long over do.

Family Research Council giddy over Trump plan to discriminate against LGBTQ taxpayers

As far as the Family Research Council is concerned, it doesn't matter if Trump is tanking our economy, causing people to be more violent against each other, and basically wrecking the integrity of our nation and the office of president. As long as he continues to do stuff like making it easier for federal contractors to fire or not hire unmarried pregnant women or members of the LGBTQ community, he's the Second Coming of Jesus as far as the group is concerned:

Mary Beth Waddell, Family Research Council’s Senior Legislative Assistant released the following statement in response to a proposed rule by the Department of Labor that protects religious employers from government discrimination: 

 “Given recent decisions by the United States Supreme Court protecting religious liberty, today the Department of Labor issued a proposed rule clarifying the rights of religious employers to contract with the Department without being forced to violate their conscience rights. This is in keeping with our nation’s history of respect for moral and religious beliefs. 

 “Family Research Council applauds the Department for taking steps to ensure that religious employers are free to operate according to their religious beliefs without fear of government punishment,” concluded Waddell.

 You'll notice what FRC conveniently failed to post. According to The Huffington Post:

U.S. businesses with federal government contracts would be allowed not to hire LGBT+ candidates on religious grounds under a proposed rule announced on Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Labor. The policy change would state that government contractors, including universities, hospitals and corporations, can claim religious exemptions in employment decisions if they can produce evidence of “religious purpose” in their organization.

The policy, overseen by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) which sets anti-discrimination rules for businesses working with the government, would weaken an LGBT+ nondiscrimination order by former U.S. President Barack Obama.

. . . About one in four workers is employed by a government contractor, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). 

Opponents expressed concern that the rule amounted to tax-funded discrimination against vulnerable populations, including single mothers and LGBT+ Americans.
They also criticized a potentially loose interpretation of what constitutes a religious contractor, saying that was both deliberate and dangerous. Government contractors would be able to site evidence of religious purpose through founding documents, articles of incorporation or other means under the new policy. 

“This proposal guts the executive order without having to take the step of removing it,” Ian Thompson, a senior legislative representative for the ACLU told the Thomson ReutersFoundation. 

“This is about religiously motivated discrimination.”

So not only does this rule allow federal contractors to discriminate and receive tax dollars from the folks they are discriminating against, but it also furthers the false narrative of LGBTQ rights vs. religious freedom. It is a narrative solely created by groups like FRC in retaliation to lose the fight against marriage equality.

So why am I am posting FRC's cloying press release? Strictly for the sake of guile and remembrance. When Trump's incompetence comes back to completely bite folks in the ass - and it will - just in case certain groups attempt to downplay their coziness to Trump . . . well there's a lot to be said about throwing things back in the faces of folks  who deserve it.

'LGBTQ creators sue YouTube for discrimination' & other Thur midday news briefs

LGBTQ Creators Are Suing YouTube For Discrimination - And I hope they win.

Bus driver leaves passengers stranded after deciding vehicle is gay and he is offended - What in gay hell . . .

IMDb announced that it will no longer deadname transgender celebrities - About time.

Proposed anti-LGBTQ Labor Department rule would let federal contractors discriminate - Oh no you don't, Trump. You KNOW you are going to get sued.

Anti-LGBTQ Congressman gives bizarre defense of rape and incest

Rep. Steve King

It always amazes me when folks accuse the LGBTQ community of all sorts of nasty things when more often than not, those who point the finger at us are the ones who should be watched.

Case in point,  Congressional Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa). He has never been a friend of the LGBTQ community.

In 2010, he said that if we weren't open about our sexual orientation or gender identity, we wouldn't have a problem with discrimination.

In 2014, he defended anti-LGBTQ legislation from Arizona by claiming that homosexuality is "self-professed" behavior.

In 2015, he participated in an absolutely horrid anti-LGBTQ documentary created by long time religious right personality Janet Porter.

And he has been known to make homophobic jokes, such as in 2018 when he said he was hoping that SCOTUS justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor elope to Cuba.  Lastly, at the same event, he attacked his own party for endorsing a gay candidate in CA.

In addition to all of this, Rep. King has a history of making racist remarks. Earlier this year, that particularly controversy came to a head when he made arguments sympathetic to white supremacy during an interview. It led him to be stripped of his committee assignments. In February, several members of the anti-LGBTQ industry, including Porter and James Dobson, teamed up to defend King in hopes of helping get his assignments back.

However, I doubt they will be defending him after what he said on Wednesday.

According to the Huffington Post:

Racist Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) said generations of people would not be here without rape and incest while making the case for anti-abortion legislation without exceptions for victims of those crimes. 

Speaking to members at the Westside Conservative Club on Wednesday, King argued that humanity would not have the population it does today if not for rape and incest, the Des Moines Register reported. 

“What if we went back through all the family trees and just pulled out anyone who was a product of rape or incest?” King said. “Would there be any population of the world left if we did that? Considering all the wars and all the rapes and pillages that happened throughout all these different nations, I know that I can’t say that I was not a part of a product of that.” 

More from the Des Moines Register: 

The Kiron Republican was discussing his defense of not allowing exceptions for rape and incest in the anti-abortion legislation he tried to pass in Congress. Republican leadership had prevented bills he sponsored on banning abortions from advancing through the House, despite GOP support for the measures, King said.

As you would expect, King has been condemned all around, with several folks- including GOP Congresswoman Liz Cheney - demanding that he resign.

Maybe Rep. King will be forced to resign because of this. However, if you ask me, I think he will be too stubborn to do the right thing and this entire incident will blow over until possibly election day 2020. Either way, this is yet another case of the LGBTQ community collectively sitting in our easy chairs and sipping our cups of tea while we observe yet another opposer of our equality pick up his cracked face from the ground.

'The New Hate Pastors' & other Wed midday news briefs

Steven Anderson

The New Hate Pastors - This is spookier and possibly more dangerous than mainstream religious right groups. If these pastors don't first self-destruct.

Christian conservative explains ‘deal with devil’ between Trump and evangelicals - You deal with you know who, you always get burned.

Republican official says the ‘sin’ of homosexuality kills gay men at age 42 - Just in case you didn't hear, anti-LGBTQ propaganda doesn't die so easily. 

Jake Shears on LGBTQ Acceptance in Music, Homophobia in the Industry and How Pop Is Changing - Well this is interesting. What do you think?

Family Research Council won't stop falsely implying that the LGBTQ community are a danger to children

A while back, anti-LGBTQ hate group the Family Research Council saw no problem with openly smearing transgender children as predators:

The group seems to have gotten the message sent by many folks -.myself included - just how ugly and vulgar this was. Not to the point that it would stop targeting transgender children, mind you because smearing the LGBTQ community is a cash cow for FRC.  Instead, the group made a pivot:

So the inference from FRC is "We aren't against anyone. We are simply attempting to protect women and girls." It reminds me of the pivot made by white supremacists, i.e. "We aren't anti-black. We're simply pro-white. We just want to protect our race."And like white supremacists attempting to flim-flam, the heart of FRC's message remains to be all about bigoted scapegoating.