''Lifelong conservative Republican' fired after announcing transition' & other Fri midday news briefs

“Lifelong conservative Republican” fired from job after announcing transition - Just goes to show that LGBTQ issues, particularly trans issues, goes across all spectrums.

Melania Trump Is a Perfectly Manicured Hypocrite - Sit down, Melania. We don't like you. 

Matthew Shepard Honored With Plaque At Washington National Cathedral - Wonderful! 

World of Weddings: Israeli same-sex couples find legal loophole for marriage - Good for them!

LGBTQ characters in 'Star Wars' & black women in James Bond movies has former Trump official in silly outrage

The possibility of LGBTQ characters in the upcoming 'Star Wars' movie has former Trump official Seb Gorka upset. 

I've never been a fan of Star Wars movies (shut up), but the upcoming chapter of the series, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, has people excited by a number of reasons including the following from the New York Daily News:

J.J. Abrams’ latest “Star Wars” offering may have finally adapted to modern times. During an interview promoting the upcoming film, “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” on Tuesday, the filmmaker teased that there will be LGBT+ representation. While some fans have hoped for a gay romance between Finn and Poe (played by John Boyega and Oscar Isaac) , nothing has quite materialized as of yet. But Abrams, who said that he’s always tried to find a cast that “looked more the way the world looks than not,” isn’t ruling out the possibilities. “In the case of the LGBTQ community, it was important to me that people who go to see this movie feel that they’re being represented in the film,” he said.

Knowing how conservatives and the anti-LGBTQ industry are, I'm sure that they will be milking the fake outrage teat for all its worth. Remember how they flipped out over a gay character in Beauty and the Beast?

And apparently one has started early with this probably soon-to-be overblown drama.

'Judge refuses to perform gay marriages because she doesn't want to 'offend God'' & other Thur midday news briefs

Judge refuses to perform gay marriages because she doesn’t want “to offend” God - New cause celebre of the anti-LGBTQ industry no doubt.

WV Senate president tentatively backs LGBTQ anti-discrimination bill - We'll see how this turns out.

Boy's relative abandoned him on the side of the road because he thought the boy was gay: Police - Disgusting. Put his ass UNDER the jail. 

The UK used to be LGBTQ-friendly. What happened? - TERFS, etc.

Which Celebrity Caused Your 'Gay Awakening?'

 After a day like today - particularly with the impeachment hearing and the GOP fakery that came with it - I'm exhausted. So forgive this happy LGBTQ warrior and proud member of the Rainbow Mafia (it's a religious right slur, but damn it's still cool) for presenting something frivolous right now. I invite you all to tell me who was your first LGBTQ crush, i.e. the celebrity who awakened the gay in you.

To answer your question - I didn't come to grips with being gay until in college. Still, I had a childhood fascination (which turned out to be unofficial crushes) on the following:

 Jackie Earle Haley, Stephen Geoffreys, Lance Kerwin, Ike Eisenmann, River Phoenix (I had it for him REAL BAD), Meeno Pelucee (woof! woof!), Matthew Laborteaux, Billy Jacoby, and Chris Makepeace.

And those are the ones I can think of for now.

'Group flips out over Christmas drag show' & other Wed midday news briefs

Christian group goes ballistic over a Christmas drag show: “An insult to the birth of Christ” - They'll have to get over it.

Christian higher ed can't win the LGBTQ debate unless it transforms - Truer words were never spoken. 

Free PrEP program unveiled under Trump’s HIV initiative - Knowing Trump's affinity with the anti-LGBTQ industry, count the days before this is rescinded. 

Rep. Pramila Jayapal wants transgender people in Congress - I would love to see that, too.

Hate groups - 'Curse those dastardly homosexuals!'

To hear or read anti-LGBTQ hate groups like the Family Research Council or the American Family Association tell it, our community shouldn't be worried about Donald Trump. Apparently we are too busy raising hell.

First there is this "tasteful" image courtesy of FRC:

And when FRC says "the left," you just know that we are front and center. And locking up the Bible in chains it appears. I thought we saved the chains for each other via sexual play. At least that's what FRC and the others used to accuse us of doing.

 But when it comes to spinning itemized hysteria, FRC takes a back seat to the American Family Association.  AFA has a list of the havoc we have allegedly accomplished. And even though you should take AFA's rendition of these events with a grain of salt, it still makes me feel rather butch to be a part of a large group who can supposedly cause this much ruckus:

In the past three decades, LGBTQ activists have demanded the embrace of homosexuality by society and the church. This LGBTQ demand for “equality” has gone viral, and its stormtroopers take no prisoners.

They don’t allow Christians to take a “hate the sin, love the sinner” approach. No, they would say that by not affirming homosexuals, we are fostering what they call “hate.” And they desire to outlaw hate and punish those who preach it.

Many Christians don’t know how to stand firm when criticized on this issue. They understand what the Bible teaches on this topic, but the idea of being called a “hater” is mortifying to them, so they try to straddle the proverbial fence. It happens a lot. Here are some examples: 

The Boy Scouts of America: While not an explicitly Christian organization, the BSA upheld Christian values to millions of young boys for decades. In recent years, they have completely sold out to the homosexual cause. 

Tim Tebow: What a great example for boys across America this man has been. Yet, when the LGBTQ groups applied pressure on him, he canceled a speaking engagement at First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, because the church teaches that homosexuality is a sin and he wanted to avoid controversy. 

Louie Giglio: The founder of the Passion youth gatherings, Giglio was one of my favorite Bible teachers. He was asked to pray at President Obama’s second inauguration, but when a 20-year-old sermon surfaced in which Giglio warned against the rise of homosexual activism in America, he was severely criticized by the LGBTQ community. Giglio sheepishly withdrew from the event and then would not even reaffirm his own sermon.

'NBA's Dwayne Wade defends his son from anti-LGBTQ trolls' & other Tue midday news briefs

NBA player Dwayne Wade, his wife actress Gabrielle Union and their family.

NBA player Dwyane Wade forced to defend his preteen son from anti-LGBTQ trolls - Now THIS is a true black man to stand up for his son. Not one of those annoying ho-teps.

Legal reckoning: New abuse suits could cost church over $4B - It seems to me that children are safer being read a book by a drag queen than attending the Catholic Church. Just saying.

Why the LDS Church Joined LGBTQ Advocates in Supporting Utah's Conversion Therapy Ban - Let me sit down for this one.

I Was Harassed After Being Outed By My Students. Then Something Amazing Happened. - An awful story, but with a happy ending. Just another bit of proof of how our community turns adversity into an asset.