Franklin Graham throws tantrum on the eve of Trump's televised impeachment hearings

On the eve of the televised impeachment hearings of Donald Trump and on the day that we found out that Trump may have lied to Robert Mueller during the Russia investigation, Franklin Graham has decided to throw yet another tantrum.

Graham, who has bent over backwards to defend and justify Trump's behavior and cajoled the nation to pray for Trump, is rather steamed over the entire situation. On his Facebook page, he gave a comically ridiculous rant on how there is a plot against Trump by the so-called "liberal media."  It's no different than what we've heard before, but it's always hilarious when Graham thinks that the rest of us are as clueless as his supporters and followers:

Long-time journalist Bill Moyers said Sunday that for the first time in his life, he fears for the nation’s survival. Why? “Society, a democracy, can die of too many lies…” I agree with him 100% on that—we just don’t agree on the source of the problem. For two years day after day, night after night, we heard Russian collusion—lie after lie, pushed by the liberal media. Then it was Ukraine and the whistleblower. Bill Moyers shares in the interview that his “hope” is that as citizens watch the impeachment hearings (which are totally partisan), they will “begin to doubt” in President Donald J. Trump so there can be a shift that would sway the 2020 election. It’s all about politics and winning the election, they don’t care about anything else. They are scared to death of conservative values and threatened because President Trump can’t be pushed around and intimidated politically or personally. The lies of the progressive left and the hyper-liberal media are what is a serious threat to the future of our nation. The Bible tells us, “The Lord detests lying lips…” (Proverbs 12:22).

It would be exhausting to point out all of Graham's distortions and lies in this piece but so I won't. Except for one. Isn't it ironic that Graham quotes the Bible saying "The Lord detests lying lips . . ." while defending a man who has lied over 10,000 times while in office (including Tuesday's lie that his daughter, Ivanka, created 14 million jobs.)

To me, it's not sad that Graham continues to debase himself.  I never trusted or liked him. But it is sad that so many people are falling for his lies. Don't ask why, but I took the time to post the following on his Facebook page. Forgive the bad grammar:

You are making a colossal fool of yourself. The only reason why you support Trump is because you think he will appoint judges who will overturn Roe v. Wade. You are so willing to overlook and explain away his incompetence and dishonest. You once unbelievably said Trump doesn't lie while ignoring the many documented times he lied. Now you make excuses for the impeachment mess he has gotten himself into via his own unscrupulous tactics. Mr. Graham, you may fool the majority of these sad paper Christians and simpering sycophants who affirmatively answer to your tirades and dip themselves elbow deep in the manure of hypocrisy you feed them and partake in, but you aren't fooling God. And just like all of us, you are going to have to answer to him. And you will answer for this vile blanket of lies you are ruining your witness by covering yourself in.

'What the battle over a seven-year-old trans girl could mean for families nationwide' & other Tue midday news briefs

What the battle over a 7-year-old trans girl could mean for families nationwide - EASILY one of, if not the best article I have read in 2019. How the anti-LGBTQ industry and their allies exploited a family and could possibly damage a seven-year-old trans girl in pursuit of their war against our community.

More than half of top US newspapers failed to cover Trump’s anti-LGBTQ foster care and adoption rule - THIS is unacceptable.

Fox News contributor Marc Thiessen says criticism of anti-LGBTQ positions is “anti-Catholic bigotry” - Typical of the lying "LGBTQ equality vs. religion" narrative.

VICTORY! Rhode Island Governor Signs Bill Restoring Benefits to LGBTQ Veterans Discharged Due to Sexual Orientation - Good for Rhode Island!

Trump's betrayal of the LGBTQ community is central to the dishonesty of his joke of a presidency

If one want to make a case for the laziness of the American media, one can easily point to how Donald Trump's betrayal of the LGBTQ community hasn't been spotlit as an issue as much as it should be.

Granted, the vast majority of us knew that he wasn't being truthful when he sent out tweets and statements claiming that he is an ally and would fight for us:

or when he showed his supposed support of our community by unfurling an LGBTQ flag during a 2016 rally; something which got him a good bit of positive press. 

Before and after the 2016 Republican convention,  some of the media gushed about him being an ally. The LGBTQ community chose not to believe Trump and did not support him in large numbers in the 2016 election. But that is irrelevant.  It doesn't give him an "out."  He was elected as "President of the United States," not "President of the United States except for the LGBTQ community." Whether we voted for him in a mass number or not, it is his duty and responsibility to own up to what he promised to do for us.

But from actions such as:

banning transgender men and women from serving in the military based upon false rationale,

pushing a bogus "conscience protection" rule via HHS which would have had detrimental effects on LGBTQ health, or

supporting a policy which would allow religious-based foster care and adoption agencies to discriminate against the LGBTQ community and still be allowed access to tax dollars,  Trump did a 90 degree turn and has become the most anti-LGBTQ president in history. He's embraced the anti-LGBTQ industry and opened up the doors of his Administration to them and their lies  and "coded language" about "freedom" and "religious liberty."

Because no one has pressed the issue, he has silently but successfully disavowed the LGBTQ community, as if he never promised to be an ally.  He doesn't even attempt to fake progress with us as he does with the African-American community.  Donald Trump's unashamedly open betrayal of the LGBTQ community is an issue central to the dishonesty of his joke of a presidency. And it's not the media's job to be nonchalant or blase about it.

He should be asked about it at least more than once.

Who faked the justification for Trump's anti-LGBTQ healthcare 'conscience' rule?

Roger Severino was behind the creation of the Trump Administration's anti-LGBTQ 'conscience' rule. Now that two courts have struck it down, he needs to be asked who faked the justification for the rule?

For the second consecutive day, a court has ruled against the Trump Administration's anti-LGBTQ healthcare 'conscience ' rule.

From The Hill:

A federal judge in Washington State on Thursday struck down a Trump administration rule intended to allow health providers to refuse to provide care based on moral or religious reasons. The latest ruling marks the second time in as many days that a judge has ruled against the administration's policy, and “provides an extra layer of protection against appeal” by the Trump administration, said Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson. Washington was one of a number of states, cities and advocacy groups — including New York, California, San Francisco, the American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood — that had sued over the rule, which was scheduled to go into effect Nov. 22.

Yesterday in Manhattan, U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer struck down the rule. In his comments, Engelmayer made a point which needs emphasis - The Trump Administration was not being truthful in justifying the need for the rule.

'99 LGBTQ candidates won elections on Tues' & other Thur midday news briefs

Editor's note - Tuesday's election was a bigger success for our community than I would have imagined. Enjoy the fruits of hard work and let's not rest on any laurels:

At Least 99 LGBTQ Candidates Win Elections as Rainbow Wave Continues

With last night’s election, a ‘rainbow wave’ of 144 LGBTQ candidates have won office this year

Transgender Candidates Won Big in Elections Last Night

Anti-LGBTQ Fairfax school board member loses re-election bid

Court strikes down Trump's anti-LGBTQ healthcare 'conscience' rule

An attack on the LGBTQ health by Trump just got struck down on Wednesday.

From LGBTQNation:

A federal court has struck down a Trump administration rule that allowed health care providers to refuse to treat patients if they cite a sincerely held religious belief. The ACLU and the NYCLU argued on behalf of two public health organizations that a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) rule violated federal law.

This past May, HHS issued a rule allowing health care workers to refuse to provide service if they cite their religious beliefs and punishing health care organizations that don’t allow their workers adequate “religious freedom.” LGBTQ organizations balked at the rule change since queer and transgender people are likely to be on the receiving end of religion-based discrimination. 

Reproductive freedom and public health organizations also sounded the alarm about the rule. Now Judge Paul Engelmayer of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York has ruled against HHS, saying that the department overstepped its authority in issuing the rule, which would’ve gone into effect on November 22. 

 The rule, he wrote, violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act because it would allow workplace discrimination and also violates the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, an anti-patient dumping law. Engelmayer also noted that HHS couldn’t show why the rule was needed to protect religious freedom, calling the rule “a classic solution in search of a problem.”

'Danica Roem cruises to easy re-election in VA' & other Wed midday news briefs

Roem defeats Republican challenger - And the best thing? It wasn't even close. Folks need to pay attention to how Roem ran. And never count anyone in our community out. We can run for office and we can win.

Danica Roem, First Trans State Representative, Dedicates Historic Victory to All the “Misfits” - Wonderful!

And apparently, Roem wasn't the only LGBTQ victor:

In other news:

A drug-resistant bacteria is spreading among gay & bisexual men - This a serious problem on two fronts - it endangers our community and gives the anti-LGBTQ an opening to label us again as "health hazards." Don't think they won't try.

Artist Honors Murdered Transgender Woman With Stunning Butterfly Wings - Wow! this is beautiful. 

The boos of October - Trump gets just a little of what he deserves.