John Lewis was one of the truest allies LGBTQ people ever had

John Lewis was not only one of the greatest Americans who ever lived, he was one of the truest allies ever LGBTQ people had. While he lies in state, I wanted to post a video of him speaking on behalf of our rights. And I didn't just find one. I found many videos encompassing many years of this man standing up for us - especially on the floors of Congress, encouraging us to speak for ourselves, and always reminding us that we are worthy of dignity.

Let's never forget him nor his words of encouragement and power.

'Family of gay officer who died of COVID-19 denied insurance benefits' & other Mon midday news briefs

Family of gay officer who died of COVID-19 denied insurance benefits - Even though the reason right now doesn't sound like homophobia, it's still some shady stuff that insurance agencies are stereotyped to do to keep from paying out claims.

Washington state may elect a progressive bisexual woman to Congress in November - That would be nice. More of us in Congress is always a good idea.

Incidents prompt outrage among rural central Pa’s LGBTQ community, advocates - We have a problem in Penn. 

Anti-LGBTQ+ Professor Found Dead at North Carolina Home - AWFUL man. I won't celebrate his death but he was an awful man.

In remembrance of the 150,000 Americans killed by Trump's incompetence

By the time you read this, 150,000 Americans will have already died from the COVID-19 pandemic. As the video above from last week shows, it didn't have to be this way.

The coronavirus pandemic should be the single most important issue of the 2020 election. Not only because there is no end in sight right now, but because it also underscores the failure of the Trump presidency. For three years, he was coasting on the successes of the Obama administration, bragging about the low unemployment rate, particularly in the black community, when it actually began under Obama. He bragged about the good economy, even though that also began under Obama. He even took credit for stuff which was passed under Obama.

And the mental drug pushers on Fox News, evangelical power hungry fools like Franklin Graham, and low-budget wannabe entrepreneurs wishing to copy his skill in making a fast buck mixed all of his lies together to create buckets of propaganda which Trump sprinkled to his supporters in rally after rally like a farmer feeds garbage to a hogs. In return, they gave him what he craved the most - undying adulation and respect which he used to feed his ego, making himself feel like a success. In reality, he was a low-budget wannabe dictator,  not even on the level of Hitler, but of Mussolini. The only thing missing which separated him from Il Duce was the macho physical posturing

Then came the coronavirus, which exposed it all. Being president is more than soaking in adulation and relying on entities with ulterior motives to place you on a pedestal. Sooner or later, you are going to have to do the work. And the work you do separates the people who were supposed to be in the Oval Office from the poseurs.

 I am probably preaching to the choir, but sometimes if you stop preaching, the choir forgets the words to the song it should be singing. And some of the words to this song was written by former First Lady Michelle Obama:

 "Being president doesn't change who you are, it reveals who you are."

We no longer have to guess who Trump is because we now have 150,000 answers. The question is do we really need to know more?

'LGBTQ groups team up to condemn mocking of trans physician' & other Fri midday news briefs

LGBTQ groups slap Bloomsburg Fair with "demand letter" over controversial Facebook post - As they should. It was an ugly attack on a trans physician who is helping with the COVID-19 response.

Pro boxer James Hawley dropped by management company after anti-LGBTQ video goes viral - You got canceled. Deal with it. 

Transgender man files discrimination suit after Maryland hospital cancels hysterectomy - Go for it! Handle yo' business! 

Donald Trump is trying to distract us from his deplorable coronavirus response - And that ain't gonna happen.

Podcaster Joe Rogan & right-wing author team up to equate trans people with a cult and 'demonic possession'

Joe Rogan should invite people with expertise on trans issues to his podcast.

In case you haven't been noticing, the anti-LGBTQ industry has new scapegoat. Spooking people about LGBTQ folks in general and rights such as marriage equality are still popular, but doesn't get as many hot and bothered reactions as spinning lies about the trans community.. And because of this, many on the right are seeking to add their voices to the cacophony of misinformation in hopes of notoriety and big bucks.

Media Matters spotlit once such example.

In an episode of his show uploaded to YouTube, podcast host Joe Rogan and his guest, Wall Street Journal writer Abigail Shrier, spent nearly two hours spreading misinformation about trans youth, including claiming that being transgender is a contagion comparable to having anorexia, “demonic possession,” and joining a cult. YouTube has policies banning content that claims groups of people are “mentally inferior, deficient, or diseased” and has taken down content similar to the interview in the past. 

Rogan is one of the most influential podcast hosts in the world. He recently signed an exclusive licensing agreement worth more than $100 million with Spotify, where his show The Joe Rogan Experience will begin streaming on September 1. In a press release, Spotify said the show “has long been the most-searched-for podcast on Spotify and is the leading show on practically every other podcasting platform.” It continued, “Bringing the JRE to Spotify will mean that the platform’s more than 286 million active users will have access to one of culture’s leading voices.”

During the July 16 interview, which has been viewed over 1.8 million times on YouTube at the time of publication, Shrier promoted her new anti-trans book Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughter and, alongside Rogan, encouraged parents to reject the identities of their trans kids. Rogan has previously used his podcast to oppose gender-affirming health care and to lead a crusade against trans mixed martial arts fighter Fallon Fox, including calling her a “fucking man.”

 Joe Rogan is a former actor whose podcast obviously exploits the talk radio technique - talk shit because you don't know shit. Just make your voice loud and ultra macho sounding and people think you're some type of expert. Abigail Shirer sounds like the latest dime-a-dozen predatory parasitic right-wing "writer" feeding off of an LGBTQ issue and counting on the extensive conservative network to buoy her on podcasts, talks shows, and other speaking engagements while buying bulk copies of her book to shoot her name up best seller lists.

'Awful joke about shooting gay men for holding hands rocks sheriff's race in Michigan' & other Thur midday news briefs

‘Where is my fricken gun?’: Homophobic texts rock Alpena County sheriff’s race - Not funny you jerk.

Transgender man named Michigan Teacher of the Year - I love it! Positive visibility for the community, particularly our transgender kids.

Police chief to retire over alleged remarks about gay deputy's COVID death - Bye!

North Dakota GOP approves anti-LGBT rhetoric in policy statements - WOW! This was crude.

Family Research Council eagerly supports Trump's 'surge' of federal agents to Chicago

By now, you have heard of Trump's latest attempt to divert attention away from how he screwed up the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and catch up to Democratic challenger Joe Biden in the polls.

Just in case you haven't -

President Trump is sending federal troops across the nation — but says it won't be another Portland-style siege. 

As federal agents arrested protesters in Portland, Oregon's streets, some for seemingly no reason, Trump warned he might send more agents to other cities if their protests against racism and police brutality continued. And on Wednesday, that threat became reality, with Trump announcing he was deploying "hundreds" of federal agents to Chicago and "other cities," including Albuquerque, New Mexico. 

"Murderers and violent criminals are breaking a wide range of federal laws," Trump said on Wednesday to justify his deployment of FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, DEA and ATF agents to Chicago. But Operation Legend won't be a "Portland-style deployment," Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Tuesday, citing what the Trump administration told her. These forces will apparently bolster current law enforcement efforts, not patrol the streets like they have been in Portland, Lightfoot said.

Justifiably, Trump's plan is being blasted because many rightfully see it for authoritarian hot mess which it is. Trump can't come up with a decent pandemic response, but we're supposed to believe that his sending federals agents to Chicago won't be a disaster?

One group supports him, though. Guess who?

In a tone of nonsensical hysteria it generally reserves for LGBTQ people, anti-LGBTQ hate group the Family Research Council organized and ran an ad in the Washington Times supporting Trump's latest nonsense.

I hope no one reading this is fooled. This has nothing to do with rioting or supposed lawlessness in American cities. It's about an incompetent bozo creating one disaster to take attention away from his first disaster. But no matter what incompetent junk Trump does, he can always count on support from the Family Research Council because the group cares more about the access he gives it than being a voice of morality.

If Trump were to urinate on himself in the middle of a press conference, the Family Research Council would credit him for watering the grass.