Family Research Council undermines vaccinations while giving a passive-aggressive defense of Jan 6th insurrectionists

Tony Perkins and his group, the Family Research Council, are undermining Biden's efforts to curtail the COVID pandemic and defending the Jan 6 insurrectionists

When the Family Research Council is not demonizing LGBTQ people or scaring people specifically about transgender Americans, the hate group walks a fine line between undermining the fight against the COVID pandemic and, believe it or not, defending the Jan 6 insurrectionists.

Displaying the same accusatory verbiage it uses to portray LGBTQ people as evil outsiders attempting to put Christians in jail, 'recruit children,' and cause general chaos, FRC president Tony Perkins  pushes nonsense that somehow President Biden is exploiting the pandemic to attack individual freedoms:

Joe Biden isn't a doctor, and he's certainly not your doctor. But that hasn't stopped the president of the United States from making every Americans' health decisions for them. The "scare-monger in chief," as former Civil Rights Division leader Roger Severino calls him, has decided that when it comes to COVID, the facts, the law, and the science don't matter. You will be vaccinated, this Democratic leadership says -- and surrender every constitutional right to privacy, employment, personal safety, and free speech until you do.

But that's just the prelude. In the same Washington Update, Perkins gave  a passive-aggressive defense of those who attacked the nation's Capitol on Jan 6 seeking to overturn Biden's victory in the 2020 election:

If you think China and North Korea are the only countries with "political prisoners," think again. According to some conservatives in Congress, some of the January 6th rioters have been held in jail for months under what they consider abusive conditions. At a press conference earlier this week, Republicans warned about the possible mistreatment of some defendants and demanded that they be treated fairly. "If they're guilty, they need to be charged accordingly," 

Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) told the Washington Times, "but they need to be treated just like any other criminal." Stories continue to circulate that even the "nonviolent trespassers" have been put in solitary confinement for several hours a day. "Sadly, two systems of justice exist in America today," Congressman Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) (a former state judge) argued, "one for former President Trump along with those who support or don't hate him, and the other for everyone else." His colleague, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) agreed. "To my knowledge, none have been charged for insurrection, so I don't consider them insurrectionists."

Perkins seems to have no problem quoting members of Congress who went out of their way to minimize the damage or outright lie about what these insurrectionists did to our country with their violent attempt to overturn the 2020 election. Here are several facts he didn't mention about these lawmakers:

• Rep. Gohmert has downplayed the events of Jan 6th by inaccurately claiming that the insurrectionists were not armed. The fact of the matter is they were armed.

• Rep. Thomas Massie voted against legislation awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to officers who defended the Capitol because he objected to the incident being called an insurrection.

• Rep. Gosar has not only lied about the Jan 6 insurrection by calling the participants peaceful, he has also attempted to make one of them, Ashli Babbitt, into a martyr. Babbitt was shot and killed on that day as she attempted to crawl through a window at the entrance of the Speaker's Lobby. Gosar - and others - have falsely claimed that she was executed for murdered. 

If these legislators bent over backwards to either lie about the Jan 6 insurrection or undermine the damage it did, why should their complaints about the insurrectionists receive any credibility?  That's definitely a question one should ask Perkins. 

And on that same note, he should also be asked just whose side is his organization on with regards to COVID-19 and the Jan 6th insurrection.

Because it's damn sure not  America's side. 

'Christian adoption agency gets 'canceled' for serving LGBTQ people' & other Mon midday news briefs

Christian adoption agency gets canceled by fundamentalists for serving LGBTQ people - So "religious freedom" only counts if used against LGBTQ people. Who knew? 

This Family Is Leaving Texas Because of Anti-Trans Bills - This right here is simply wrong. And it's probably an intended result, though. 

How Lendale Johnson Is Changing Tennis for Black Gay Players - Oh? 

Lollapalooza music festival cancels DaBaby performance after homophobic remarks - Between u and me though, I don't like the idea of this festival in general in the middle of a pandemic. Making homophobic remarks may have actually benefitted DaBaby. Wouldn't that be . . . something.

Olympic silver medalist Raven Saunders wasn't protesting. She was celebrating.

Everyone (and we do mean EVERYONE) needs to hear this👇

Thank you, @GiveMe1Shot, for sharing such an emotional and POWERFUL message 👏👏👏#OlympicHERstory | #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/t5gxSrkHw3

— On Her Turf (@OnHerTurf) August 1, 2021

The 2021 Olympic games will be remembered for how many times LGBTQ athletes stood up, gave notice, and showed out. Here is one time really close to my heart because it touches so many levels which affects me personally:

Olympic silver medalist Raven Saunders celebrates her win with a shout out to the LGBTQ, African-American, and all other oppressed communities.

Team USA’s Raven Saunders used her second-place win in Tokyo to speak up for the “oppressed,” she said, likely violating Olympics rules on political protest during the games. Saunders, 25, raised her hands in an "X" formation above her head on Sunday during a photo op at the podium following the medal ceremony where she accepted the silver for the women’s shot put event. 

When asked what the symbol meant, she told the Associated Press, “it’s the intersection of where all people who are oppressed meet.” "Shout out to all my Black people. Shout out to all my LGBTQ community. Shout out to all my people dealing with mental health," Saunders said. She later spoke to reporters about how meaningful the win was for her, having struggled with financial hardship and depression.

 Saunders, a native of South Carolina and who is openly gay, said her win was about so much more than herself. “I feel amazing, because I know I'm going to inspire so many people,” Saunders said. “About to inspire so many young girls, so many young boys, so many LGBTQ people, people who have battled suicide. So many people would have almost given up...it's not, it's not just about me.”

Some folks, petty little children they are, may be whining about what she did but who cares. This time and this moment belongs to Saunders. She earned it. Saunders wasn't protesting. She was celebrating.

Related post - Raven Saunders: What the Olympian's X protest means to her

'Is rapper T.I. trying to use DaBaby controversy to settle grudge against LGBTQ community?' & other Fri midday news briefs

T.I. tries to defend DaBaby's homophobia.

T.I. Says Rappers Are Bullied by the Gay Community - Bullshit! 

 Related post from 2011 - Hey T.I., violence against gay children is NOT funny - T.I. just mad cause we called his ass out in 2011 when he defended comedian Tracy Morgan for making an ugly joke about stabbing his son if he found out he was gay. T.I. can kiss my a.s.s.

Stephanie Dolson is first out American athlete to win Olympic gold medal - Good for her!

Fight over trans student policies moves to Virginia’s school boards after lawsuit gets dismissed - Score another victory for the transgender community. 

BNT: Buck case highlights intersection of race & sexual orientation - This case depresses me but it needs to be spotlighted A gay rich older white man targeted younger black men down on their luck. He entices them with money to allow him to pump them full of drugs. Two ended up dying. He was put on trial and found guilty of their deaths, as he should have.

How Fox News & the TERF community turned an unverified story at a spa into a 'nightmare scenario' for the transgender community

Apparently the situation last month at WiSpa, the Los Angeles Korean spa where someone claimed that a naked trans woman exposed herself to a woman and a child, was uglier than we thought. Even though the alleged incident was unverified,  Fox News, the TERF community from places as far as Canada and Britain, and assorted conservative groups stoked the controversy until it led to two violent protests which saw people beaten, stabbed, and simply targeted for being transgender:

As The Guardian puts it:

The episode, experts said, offered a case study in how viral misinformation can result in violence, and provided clear evidence of the links between anti-trans and far-right movements, including QAnon conspiracy theorists, who believe that a cabal of elite pedophiles is manipulating the American government.

In a detailed article, A Nightmare Scenario: how an anti-trans Instagram post led to violence in the streets, The Guardian shows just how one unsubstantiated claim by a person with little credibility ballooned into chaos because of the prejudices and ulterior motives of the parties exploiting the claim:

On 24 June, an Instagram user with the name @CubanaAngel posted footage of herself inside the lobby of Wi Spa loudly confronting numerous staff members about a “man” who was naked in front of women and girls. In her video, an employee tried to explain that the spa cannot discriminate based on gender identity. A male customer walking by asked the woman filming if the customer she encountered was, in fact, a trans person. 

The woman filming, along with another woman complaining to staff, responded with transphobic language, denying that trans women exist, suggesting that the person was a “pervert”, and saying they would be defending women and girls “in Jesus’s name”. It is unclear whether a trans woman was actually present. There was no footage of anyone inside the changing room and no other witnesses have since spoken out to corroborate the account. A local LGBTQ+ paper reported that a spa employee said there were no trans patrons with appointments that day, leading some to question whether the incident was staged.

Nevertheless, some folks took the claim and ran with it: 

Cubana Angel’s original Wi Spa Instagram video quickly went viral on Twitter and Facebook, shared by accounts and pages with names such as “Conservative Update”, “Latino Exit From the Democratic Party” and “Women for Trump”, according to data from CrowdTangle, an analytics tool. Rightwing sites presented the woman’s claims as fact, and in several cases used a misleading screenshot of a male customer as a main photo, falsely implying he was the trans woman. 

 . . . In one week, Fox discussed Wi Spa in six segments, said Brennan Suen, LGBTQ program director at Media Matters, which tracks rightwing media. The host Tucker Carlson repeated, without evidence, that a “man” was naked in the “female kids section” of the spa. Another host warned that what happened at Wi Spa will occur “all across the land”.

 . . .The video was also shared by feminists who advocate against trans-inclusive policies – sometimes referred to as gender critical feminists, or trans-exclusionary radical feminists (Terfs). Moro documented a flurry of posts on Ovarit (a site for users banned from Reddit due to transphobia) and Mumsnet (a platform for UK mothers, which has attracted anti-trans feminists). An “LGB” group in Canada – part of a fringe movement of lesbian, gay and bisexual people who argue against trans rights – claimed with no evidence that the Wi Spa video raised concerns about pedophilia.  

What happen next was pure madness, including the targeting of a transgender activist after she was inaccurately accused of being the transgender woman in the middle of the controversy. There were also two protests in front of WiSpa between protestors and counter protesters with the police in the middle.

It went exactly how you think it would. The Guardian includes pictures of the battles and it's not pretty. And while it looks settled down at least for now, one thing was clear.

The tale of the transgender woman allegedly exposing herself to children and other women still has not been verified as truth.

You can read the entire article here. 

'Rapper DaBaby facing universal condemnation for homophobic comments' & other Thur midday news briefs

DaBaby

Celebrities, activists condemn rapper DaBaby’s homophobic comments - First of all, who the hell is this?

Rep. Katherine Clark leads bill to blunt discrimination against LGBTQ students at higher ed institutions - We'll see how it turns out. I'm highly cynical.

Lesbian Fox host says she wishes she could give back her COVID-19 vaccine - The LGBTQ community wishes we could give Tammy Bruce away. 

Illinois Decriminalizes HIV Exposure, Adds Gender-Neutral Birth Certificate Option And More As Pritzker Signs LGBTQ-Affirming Laws - Way to go, Illinois!

We need more Dorothy Zbornaks (from 'The Golden Girls') in America today

 

I interrupt my regularly scheduled beatdown of the anti-LGBTQ industry to let y'all know that I am burnt out and exhausted with the evil, corruption, and basic dishonesty in this country where people and groups are unfairly exploited for money and clout. Where idiots go online not to get educated, but suddenly think they are educated. Where any fool with a Twitter address anoints themselves as experts in subjects they can't even appropriately spell.  The solution? We need more Dorothy Zbornaks from The Golden Girls to lay the smack down on some people. Either that or I may be tempted to start grabbing more people by their hair and whipping them around like I'm Wonder Woman with her magic lasso.