Court ruling against HIV medications reveal pettiness of 'religious freedom' argument

On Wednesday, a Texas judge (who is infamous for prejudicial rulings) ruled that employers did not have to cover HIV medications if they felt such medications would 'encourage homosexual behavior.'

From The Huffington Post:

A federal judge in Texas ruled Wednesday that requiring employers to provide coverage for PrEP medications ― which prevent the transmission of HIV ― violates the religious rights of employers under federal law. U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor said that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act provides a religious exemption from purchasing health insurance that complies with the Department of Health and Human Services’ preventive care mandate under the Affordable Care Act, which requires PrEP coverage. 

 O’Connor said the government must provide this religious exemption to eight defendants ― six individuals and two businesses ― who claim that being required to provide such insurance coverage violates their “sincerely held” Christian and “non-religious” beliefs rejecting “homosexual behavior, intravenous drug use, and sexual activity outside of marriage between one man and one woman.” By requiring them to provide insurance that covers PrEP, as well as the HPV vaccine and sex education, the government “would make [them] complicit in those behaviors,” O’Connor concluded.

 It's a bunch of bull and hopefully be overturned on appeal. But far-right pundits, sensing blood in the water, have already exploited the ruling to pull the old, but steady "pervertedly promiscuous homosexual" card. Mark Joseph Stern, a very talented writer from The Slate, had to drag one of them on Twitter.

This is an outrageous lie. Just one example to refute it: The CDC is fervently encouraging PrEP uptake among heterosexual Black women, who remain disproportionately affected by HIV. PrEP is NOT just for "promiscuous homosexual men." What a disgusting and dangerous allegation. pic.twitter.com/o5GCwXrS3V

— Mark Joseph Stern (@mjs_DC) September 7, 2022

Michael Knowles is notorious for racists and anti-LGBTQ comments in pursuit of clout chasing, so I doubt this will be the last we will hear from him.

The homophobic basis of the anti-PrEP lawsuit and the vulgarity expressed by Knowles is akin to when then Reagan White House employee and now Trump supporter Gary L. Bauer undermined the fight against the AIDS crisis. According to the late Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, Bauer felt that AIDS was "God's punishment" on gays and that they deserved to die:

[In 1986] President Reagan asked the surgeon general to prepare a report on AIDS as the United States confirmed its ten-thousandth case. Leaders of the evangelical movement did not want Koop to write the report, nor did senior White House staffers who shared Koop’s evangelical convictions. As Dr. Koop related to me, “Gary Bauer [Reagan’s chief advisor on domestic policy] … was my nemesis in Washington because he kept me from the president. He kept me from the cabinet and he set up a wall of enmity between me and most of the people that surrounded Reagan because he believed that anybody who had AIDS ought to die with it. That was God’s punishment for them.”

Once again, far-right evangelicals are weaponizing religion as a tool for discrimination. But now they are also putting people's lives in danger. There is no justifiable reason for this lawsuit except for the desire to be downright petty.  This is not about freedom of religion. It's about simple hatred of LGBTQ people. Don't let anyone tell you differently because it would be a lie. This type of hatred is primal. No amount of religious covering can disguise it.

 But under the cover of religion seems to be where it is always hiding.

'Anti-LGBTQ GOP nominee accused of trying to crash car with entire family inside' & other Wed midday news briefs

Kristina Karamo

'Fuck It, I’ll Kill Us All': Kristina Karamo's Ex-Husband Accused Her of Trying to Crash Car with Entire Family Inside​ - Well she is a Trump supporter . . . 

MI GOP nominates Satan-obsessed homophobe for Secretary of State - And surprise, she's homophobic. Or may not such a surprise. She has the nerve to call US evil. 

Country star raises over $100,000 for trans youth after denouncing influencer’s transphobia - Thank you Maren Morris for turning a negative into a positive. 

Trans Boy Kept Off Boys' Soccer Team in Florida Gets Apology - This happened last week. I'm sorry that I didn't catch it. A perfect example of how screwed up these anti-trans sports laws are. He got an apology because the law is against transgender girls, not transgender boys. 

Meta is profiting off ads baselessly slandering LGBTQ people as “groomers,” despite the company’s ban on the slur - You need to get it together, Meta.

Religious right attack on PA Pride Festival is laughably boring

Attempting to take part in the far-right sparked hysteria about drag queens, pride parades, and children, the American Family Association posted an article (via its 'news site' American Family News) about a Pride event in Pennsylvania entitled 'Family-friendly' pride festival was anything but'

There was just one problem with the article. In fact, a big one as far as I'm concerned. See if you can guess what it is.

From American Family News:

The American Family Association (AFA) of Pennsylvania recently addressed outgoing Governor Tom Wolf's "misguided" executive order banning so-called "conversion therapy" from the state. And last month, he fully supported and even gave $10,000 to fund a homosexual pride event in the central part of the state. He wrote a letter, specifically expressing support for the Pride Festival of Central Pennsylvania, deeming it a time to "promote self-affirmation, dignity, and equality, and to minimize communities." 

 "As Governor, and on behalf of all the citizens of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, I am honored to offer my support for Pride Festival of Central Pennsylvania’s thirtieth anniversary," Wolf wrote.

 "This is actually the first year for the PA Pride Community Grant Program," reports Diane Gramley, president of the AFA of Pennsylvania. "Other pride organizations have been helped along, shall we say, with our taxpayer dollars through the Department of Community and Economic Development." 

 The viral video, posted by Libs of TikTok, depicts a shirtless man instructing a child — who appears to be a boy — wearing a rainbow tutu and headband. He is seen climbing a dance pole and then spinning around to the applause and cheers of onlookers. 

 There were 17 recipients of the PA Pride Community Grant program, which "supports Pride festivals and events throughout the commonwealth through September 2022." The Central PA Pride Festival, where this video is believed to have been taken, was among them.

 "As I've gone to some of these gay pride events, I've seen increasingly they have family zones, where they want to normalize their lifestyle, want to make it appear as if this is a family-friendly event," the conservative activist relays. "It's not, not at all. It's the exact opposite."

 Breitbart reports Carrie Fischer Lepore of the state Marketing, Tourism, and Film Department described the festival as an "uplifting" event that celebrated "belonging, accessibility, and inclusion" and sent the message that in Pennsylvania, "all are welcome to pursue their happiness."

Where is the salacious content? Where is the shocking footage?  Not even one picture?

All we have are two things. One is a video from a Libs of Tik Tok , a twitter address which just came off of suspension after spreading the lie that children's hospitals are giving trans kids hysterectomies. Libs of Tik Tok isn't exactly a bastion of truth.

And the other thing is a quote from Diane Gramley, an ancient right-wing pundit who sounds like if she did truly go to Pride events, she would hide under a bush because she'd be scared that a drag queen would use her body as a costume drape.

Is that it? Seriously? Nothing about a drag queen? I know somebody was passing around condoms or something.  At least one person had to be wearing leather, no matter how hot it probably was. A harness maybe?  Anything? Anything at all?

 Not even a one butt-cheek twerk? 

Oh well.

Little advice, Diane. The next Pride event you attend, instead of looking for things to condemn,  have a drink. In fact have a couple of drinks, grab some drag queens, and have a good time for a change. And if by chance you see a genuine stripper pole, hop on for a twirl. It would probably do you some good.

'Best selling novelist donates $50k to library defunded over books with LGBTQ content' & other Tue midday news briefs

Best selling novelist donates $50k to library defunded over books with LGBTQ content​ - Thank you, Nora Roberts!

Internet services company Cloudflare blocks fringe message board Kiwi Farms, citing 'targeted threats' - A horrible message board which scares even me has been shut down thanks to the hard work of several activists. Especially one in particular. 

5 things older gay men need to talk about more to survive and thrive - These discussion help. Tremendously. 

Over half of LGBTQ Southerners say their parents tried to change or repress their identity, report finds - I am not shocked at all about this.

Melbourne police shut down false story of sexual assault by trans student in school bathroom

 

I envision the DeSantis Administration getting angry that this incident was exposed as false before they could exploit it as yet another reason to undermine the state's LGBTQ community. Knowing them however, it wouldn't be a surprise if they used it anyway. 

From Florida Today via Yahoo News:

After a nearly three-week long investigation, Melbourne Police said in a report finalized on Friday that allegations of a transgender student assaulting a girl in the bathroom at Johnson Middle School were unfounded. Over the course of the investigation, police spoke to administrators at Johnson Middle School, the Brevard County Sheriff's Office, and the Department of Children and Families, all of whom said no reports regarding a sexual assaults at the school had been made. Rep. Randy Fine, R-Palm Bay, and the parents that police spoke with were unable to give specific information, saying that they had heard the story of the alleged assault from multiple sources, including other parents and an unnamed teacher who did not work at Johnson Middle School. 

 Brevard Public Schools vehemently denied that any incident occurred at the middle school after Fine publicly called for Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz to investigate a potential sexual assault at Johnson Middle School on Aug. 11. Fine did not have firsthand knowledge of any assault, but said parents had reached out to his office. He blamed BPS' practice of allowing transgender students to use bathrooms of the gender that they identify with for making such an incident possible. 

 . . . Police traced the story of the Johnson Middle School assault to a conversation between retired BPS teacher Karen Parrish and a teacher who did not work at Johnson, then closed the case as unfounded when Parrish did not provide the name of the current teacher and no witnesses came forward.

 

 If the story had turned out to be true, we would be hearing about it all over social media and in the cable news media. But since it turns out to not be true, the vultures who exploit stuff like this are slinking away, hoping that it will be forgotten.

Video - Me and Lucile Bluth for Labor Day

It's the start of the Labor Day weekend holiday, so I am not posting anything serious (although with my luck, I bet something good is going to happen and I will probably miss out).

Barring anything interesting happening, this will be my last post until Monday evening. Those who keep up with this blog will agree with me that I need a break. It's been a turbulent year highlighted by the death of my mother a month ago. In tribute to her and the gift of laughter, I am posting video of quotes from probably one of the worst, but funniest, mothers of all time - Lucille Bluth from  Arrested Development. Lucille is the EXACT opposite of what my mother was.  These clips recently made me laugh at moments when I needed something to lift me up. I hope they have that effect on you, also.

'25 LGBTQ+ Coming-of-Age Films' & other Thur midday news briefs

'Moonlight' is the only LGBTQ+ Coming-of-Age movie to win the Oscar for 'Best Picture'

25 LGBTQ+ Coming-of-Age Films​ - One even won an Oscar for 'Best Picture.' 

First monkeypox-related death reported in US - We got a situation. 

Carl Nassib met the media and most of the questions were about football, not being gay. Hooray for that. - Thank you!! 

U.S. sees progress on LGBTQ rights but equality is lacking, U.N. expert says - THIS is depressing.

As anti-LGBTQ legislation proliferates, some Iowans depart - As well as this.