You cannot fool us, Franklin Graham. We saw you sell out your 'faith' to Donald Trump

Spare us any of your criticism of Donald Trump, Franklin Graham. They are too little and much too late.

Now that Donald Trump is no longer president (Thank God!) certain people are trying to recast their fawning praise of him when he was polluting the Oval Office.  Certain people like Franklin Graham. 

According to the Huffington Post: 

Evangelical leader Franklin Graham, who has been one of Donald Trump’s biggest supporters among the religious right, hit the former president with a reality check over his 2024 election chances. “I think for him, everything will depend on his health at that time. If he still has energy and strength like he does. I don’t,” 

Graham told Axios, adding: “You know the guy does not eat well, you know, and it’s amazing the energy that he has.” Graham added that Trump seems to have lost 15 pounds. “So he might be in good health and in good shape,” he said. “I don’t know.” 

 And Graham apparently said more than that. Now he is being critical of Trump's demagogue-like behavior of smearing the press. In the same interview with Axios, according to The Wrap:

Rev. Franklin Graham admitted in a new interview that his pal, former President Donald Trump, shouldn’t have gone after the press the way he did. 

 “I would never have said that. I think it’s hurt him. I think it built a wall. I think it created animosity when it shouldn’t have. Just because somebody disagrees with you doesn’t mean they’re your enemy,” Graham said in a sit-down with Axios. 

 Mike Allen pressed the reverend, who has been a longtime supporter of Trump’s, on whether the one-term president’s attacks on the press were a mistake. “No question about it,” said Graham, the son of Christianity Today founder Billy Graham.

Oh Franklin, you two-faced, hypocritical bastard. 

I wish the interviewer would have pressed Graham on why he didn't take a public stand against Trump even though we probably already know the answer.  It's the same reason why Graham either defended Trump or remained silent during his Covid pandemic botching, his numerous lies, the teargassing of the protestors during his Bible-holding photo op, the storming of the Capital on Jan 6, his constant lies of a rigged election, etc, etc etc.

'College investigating after students try to break into LGBTQ home which used to be a frat house' & other Mon midday news briefs

 

A College Is Investigating After Students Allegedly Tried To Break Into An LGBTQ Home That Used To Be A Frat House - Oh my goodness! 

America Needs a Sane and Functioning Republican Party - I'll agree with this.

Biden names civil rights veteran to U.S. Education Dept. - We need more picks like this. 

NYC Pride parade bans police; Gay officers ‘disheartened’ - I have been arguing with folks all weekend about this. This is NOT a good idea. But it is this organization's right. However, I am totally against any denigrating generalization of any law enforcement officer in general. You can kiss my ass with that ACAB crap. 

Many countries still reject, torture and kill LGBT people - Depressing but true. The struggle is real and it is worldwide.

Student tries to play the 'religious persecution' card after getting kicked out of sorority for making fun of HHS trans official

A Louisiana student was kicked of out her sorority for making fun of Dr. Rachel Levine and is now attempting to play the 'religious persecution' card. Not today, girlfriend.

A Louisiana student recently got kicked out of her sorority for publicly making of  Dr. Rachel Levine, a transgender physician who Biden picked as assistant secretary for Health and Human Services. What the student is now doing to protest her dismissal should be considered infuriating.

From Pink News:

Emily Hines was dismissed from the Delta Tau chapter of Alpha Phi for a post which saw her dancing in front of a picture of Dr Levine. In the video, which has since been deleted, Hines pointed at Dr Levine’s face as she lip-synched the Bee Gees lyrics: “More than a woman, more than a woman to me."

There shouldn't be any argument that what Hines did was ignorant and she deserved the repercussions which stemmed from her actions. However, she is making a claim that she is being discriminated against because of her religious beliefs:

Hines was summoned judiciary board hearing where she was told her video was widely viewed as offensive. “They asked if I was remorseful at all, and I said I regret wearing the [Alpha Phi] sweatshirt but was not going to apologise for my beliefs,” she told Breitbart. 

 Shortly after, Hines received an email notifying her that she’d been terminated from the sorority. She was outraged by the decision which she blamed on “hypocrisy and one-sidedness”. “The way this situation unfolded has been absolutely ridiculous. My religious beliefs have been pushed under the rug because the social construct of gender has become such a big issue,” Hines told Young America’s Foundation.

As you can see via the links from Pink News, Hines talked to two conservative publications (Breitbart and Young America's Foundation) which both underplayed what she had done by implying that her actions were mere criticism.

Hines herself continued to figuratively clutch the cross:

“My faith teaches me that God made male and female in his image, and that one cannot become the other."

Her personal beliefs are besides the point. It is the manner which she expressed them which made her situation a problem. Her sorority deemed her "joke" - not beliefs - were demeaning and against its written rules.  To make it worse, she dragged her sorority into the mess by wearing her letters while doing her tacky act.

To me, it's rather disingenuous for her to even imply that there should be some religious defense for what she did. That's like a racist claiming that saying the 'n-word" should be considered religious.  Hines needs to take responsibility for her actions and not use her religion as an excuse for them. It definitely makes one see how little she regards her faith if she sees it as a excuse to ignore common decency and then not get punished for it.

But if girlfriend wants to become a "martyr," by all means please try. I personally hope that religious right groups do attempt to defend her. That would make it easier for us to prove how bogus their cries of "Christian persecution" and "religious freedom" are.

'Billy Porter and Zachary Quinto to play gay dads on Proud Family reboot' & other Fri midday news briefs

 

Billy Porter and Zachary Quinto to play gay dads on Proud Family reboot - I'm sold. And the possibility of the religious right getting angry about this is gravy.

Out lawmaker & marriage activist Mark Levine is running for Virginia Lieutenant Governor - More of this! Please! 

The LGBTQ community and African-Americans have one similarity - the same conservative groups undermining their rights - My post from last night. Both groups should fight the real enemy. 

Caitlyn Jenner Says She Didn’t Vote In 2020; Voting Records Say Otherwise - Caitlyn, girlfriend. Just sit down.

The LGBTQ community and African-Americans have one similarity - the same conservative groups undermining their rights

The next time that tiresome debate/argument about comparisons between the African-American and LGBTQ civil rights movements take place, I want folks to consider something:

From Taegan Goddard's Political Wire today:

In a leaked video of a private meeting with big-money donors, the head of a top conservative group “boasted that her outfit had crafted the new voter suppression law in Georgia and was doing the same with similar bills for Republican state legislators across the country,” Mother Jones reports. Said Jessica Anderson of Heritage Action: “In some cases, we actually draft them for them or we have a sentinel on our behalf give them the model legislation so it has that grassroots, from-the-bottom-up type of vibe.” She added: “Honestly, nobody even noticed. My team looked at each other and we’re like, ‘It can’t be that easy.'” 

According to the Mother Jones article in question:

The Georgia law had “eight key provisions that Heritage recommended,” Jessica Anderson, the executive director of Heritage Action for America, a sister organization of the Heritage Foundation, told the foundation’s donors at an April 22 gathering in Tucson, in a recording obtained by the watchdog group Documented and shared with Mother Jones. 

Those included policies severely restricting mail ballot drop boxes, preventing election officials from sending absentee ballot request forms to voters, making it easier for partisan workers to monitor the polls, preventing the collection of mail ballots, and restricting the ability of counties to accept donations from nonprofit groups seeking to aid in election administration. All of these recommendations came straight from Heritage’s list of “best practices” drafted in February. With Heritage’s help, Anderson said, Georgia became “the example for the rest of the country.”

These new voter restriction laws are the result of former president Donald Trump's whining that he was cheated out of a second term last year.

'Caitlyn Jenner's CA governor bid is crashing, according to poll' & other Thur midday news briefs

 

Caitlyn Jenner

Caitlyn Jenner's California Governor Bid Is Crashing, According to Poll - It's nice to know that all isn't totally awful in America. 

Procter & Gamble Partners With GLAAD To Advance LGBTQ Acceptance Through Advertising - Whatever helps.

Judge blocks requirement for ‘gay sex’ offender registration - Good. You shouldn't be thought of as a sex offender simply for having gay sex.

Va. GOP governor nominee opposes transgender-inclusive youth sports - Republican? Of course.

Family Research Council: Cancel culture is evil (but please forget when we tried to cancel Star Wars, the Girl Scouts, Apple Computers . . .)

Editor's note - apparently Roger Severino is not happy about my post from yesterday. He blocked me on Twitter. Like I actually care. I am only writing about it to boast and to point out that his action proves my point.

Recently, the Family Research Council published a post about 'cancel culture.' In part, this is what it says:

Over the past few years, the language of “cancel culture” has become ubiquitous in our society. Social media platforms are cluttered with hashtags and campaigns urging us to “cancel” someone or declare that they are “over.” Whether the context is politics, sports, entertainment, or business, no one seems safe from the reach of the so-called cancel culture movement. However, many people are increasingly becoming wary of it. When asked about cancel culture in a recent interview, comedian Dave Chappelle quipped, “I hope we all survive it.” Chappelle’s passing comment points to a growing awareness that a movement that might have begun with good intentions has taken on a life of its own, resulting in a variety of unintended consequences. What is cancel culture? How should Christians think about the notion of “canceling” people, institutions, or ideas?

First of all, "cancel culture" is nothing new. It's merely a cute new way to describe an old practice. In my day, 'cancel culture' was known, at the least, as basic criticism and, at the most, as boycotting. 

And that makes FRC's blog post ironic and highly hypocritical, seeing that organization has made a name for itself by attempting to cancel various businesses and entities which it felt was too LGBTQ supportive.

Let's make a list, shall we. Over the years, the Family Research Council attempted to cancel

Apple Computers when its CEO, Tim Cook, came out of the closet. 

Chick-Fil-A when it was discovered that the restaurant's owners donated money to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

A Star Wars video game for including gay characters.

The Girl Scouts and girl scout cookies for supporting the LGBTQ community. FRC even pushed a prayer alert against the group.

And last but not least, the LGBTQ community in general. FRC have been attempting to cancel us from day one.