Conservative hotline created to 'report' drag shows flooded with messages about predator pastors

 It's always wonderful when attempts to target LGBTQ people backfires. The above video is from The Humanist Report, leftist political news show on YouTube, Facebook & Twitch hosted by Mike Figueredo:

A conservative hotline in Texas was created for concerned citizens to "report" any and all drag shows happening in the state. Once LGBTQ allies learned about it, well, this hotline got a little bit more than it bargained for.

'DeSantis' 'culture wars' has cost FL taxpayers nearly $17 million' & other Wed midday news briefs

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis

DeSantis’ culture war isn’t just divisive, it’s also expensive​ - Anything to be president, right DeSantis.

DeSantis’ culture wars grabbed headlines — and legal challenges that cost $17 million - More on this issue, which should be garnering more attention. A war on LGBTQ people - amongst other things - does tend to get expensive. 

Tennis star Martina Navratilova is diagnosed with throat and breast cancer - Prognosis is good. I do not agree with her on some things, but still am praying for her.

George Santos to Face Reopened Fraud Case in Brazil - Good.

Newly Named LGBTQ+ Commission Chair Congratulated on Grindr, Goes Viral -  I ain't mad at him.

Gay journalist - George Santos' serial lying undercuts GOP attack on LGBTQ people

George Santos

For those who aren't paying attention, the GOP was supposed to officially take control of the House of Representatives on Tuesday. I say "supposed to" because they are presently sidetracked with a delightful internal fight which at present leaves them with no Speaker of the House.

Poor Kevin McCarthy. He bent over backwards, stooped lower than most, and handed off pieces of whatever little integrity he had for the job of Speaker and it still isn't enough to satisfy some of his own people.

Mind you though, this is simply one of the many problems the GOP has had stemming from last year's mid-terms. They were supposed to take over both Houses of Congress in what was called a "red wave." The "red wave" turned out to be a pink trickle which saw them barely taking over the House while actually losing a seat in the Senate.

However, lost in the story of the GOP in disarray is another one which we should pay close attention to.

 According to long-time LGBTQ journalist and good friend of mine (yes, I am name-dropping and clout- chasing) Michelangelo Signorile, this story has to do with recently elected and proven "liar-on-steroids" George Santos. 

To hear Signorile tell it, the LGBTQ community "dodged a bullet" in terms of the damage Santos could have done to the community as an openly gay Republican because his history of telling outrageous lies nukes his effectiveness as a possible mouthpiece for anti-LGBTQ legislation.

Signorile's column deserves a read and a share.

Excerpt:

None of us knows exactly what will happen next regarding fabulist grifter George Santos. But one thing is clear: As a House representative, he’s severely damaged goods, exposed beyond anyone’s wildest imagination as a less-than-talented Mr. Ripley. 

That is a great development for LGBTQ Americans as Republicans are set to push a federal “don’t say gay” bill through the House with the help of gay Republicans who psychotically believe they’ll be accepted by MAGA extremists immersed in QAnon conspiracies if they just throw some of their own under the bus. 

 Santos, who supported Ron DeSantis’s odious “don’t say gay” law, would have been front and center in this effort as the first non-incumbent gay Republican elected to the House. He’d surely have been the poster boy of self-hate, giving speeches on the floor and sitting on TV talk shows, pushing smears about gay teachers as “groomers,” and attacking drag queens and transgender people as dangerous to children.

 But now Santos will be too preoccupied with keeping his seat in Congress, let alone keeping himself out of an American, or perhaps Brazilian, prison. He’ll have to keep his head down as GOP leaders do everything they can to hide this deranged fabricator from the press. Nothing he says will have even a shred of credibility. 

 Only weeks ago the tiny band of gay MAGA in politics was exhilarated over having one of its own in the House. But after the scandal broke the joyous squealing fell more silent than a herd of feral pigs that suddenly keeled over.

'Gay couple awarded big settlement after severe bullying at restaurant where they worked' & other Tue midday news briefs

Couple awarded almost $150,000 after severe anti-gay bullying at the restaurant where they worked - Winning money while protecting your rights is always a good thing.

Pope Benedict, aka 'God’s Rottweiler,' Seethed at Queers - LGBTQ people outlived another one, y'all. 

2022: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugliest - You've been warned. 

U.S. appeals court upholds Florida high school's transgender bathroom ban - For now.

17 LGBTQ+ books we can’t wait to add to our shelves in 2023 - Cause you just know someone will attempt to ban them.

DeSantis picks another fight with drag queens while ignoring a huge child sex trafficking scandal in Florida's foster care system

Instead of handling a child sex trafficking scandal in Florida's foster care system, Ron DeSantis is picking another fight with drag queens and the LGBTQ community.

Implying that LGBTQ people and our culture are "sexually grooming" kids has gotten Fl Governor Ron DeSantis a lot of press, so naturally he is continuing to push that narrative. 

From LGBTQNation:

The administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) is investigating a performing arts venue for hosting a drag queen event. A right-wing online activist also recorded a video of himself being escorted out of the venue by security during the event after he stood up and yelled about kids being present. Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) is investigating the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale and other venues after receiving “multiple complaints” of a December 26 “A Drag Queen Christmas” event that was allegedly “sexually explicit” and “marketed to children,” The Hill reported. If the venues are found to have violated the DBPR’s licensing standards, they could have their business and liquor licenses revoked, essentially putting them out of business. The investigation could also be referred to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for “potential criminal liability.” 

 . . . In a letter addressed to the Orlando Philharmonic Plaza Foundation, the second-to-last stop on the show’s tour, and sent to Drag Fans, the event’s organizer, the DBPR wrote, “The Department has reason to believe that this drag show is of a sexual nature, involving the exposure or exhibition of sexual organs, similar sexual activity, and/or the sexualization of children’s stories. The Department has become aware that drag shows by Drag Fans have been marketed to and attended by minors, including young children.” In actuality, the show contains one reference to alcohol with neither no nudity nor sexual references. 

 . . .A spokesperson for the Broward Center told The Hill that the drag performance was limited to people 18 years or older, unless accompanied by a parent. However, the Center’s web page advertising the event on December 17 called the event “an all-ages show” that “may contain adult content.” The Broward Center also sent out a “Know Before You Go” message to ticket purchasers making them aware that the show contained adult themes and content.

Attacking drag shows by falsely claiming that they are deliberately and sexually marketing to kids has been a popular claim from conservative "activists" and politicians this year. Hysterical claims helped along by distorted and taken out of context videos have helped to fuel a false narrative which has led to threat of violence against not only drag queens but the LGBTQ community at large.

In this particular situation, however, there seems to be pushback against DeSantis. State Rep Carlos Guillermo Smith sent out a series of tweets claiming that DeSantis is more interested with picking fights with drag queens and pushing culture war tropes than actually dealing with a huge scandal involving child sex trafficking in the state's foster care system. 

Ron DeSantis state-run foster care program exposed teenage girls to sex trafficking. In fact, 21% of Florida’s 377 verified child human trafficking victims in 2021 were groomed and recruited from foster care. Why isn’t he investigating that? https://t.co/05WUClrKc6

— Carlos Guillermo Smith (@CarlosGSmith) December 29, 2022

Ron DeSantis refused to fine a single hotel after finding 14,279 violations of anti-human trafficking laws, even though 377 verified sex trafficking victims were Florida children.

Instead, @FloridaDBPR is aggressively and publicly threatening businesses for hosting drag shows. pic.twitter.com/mRmkAfL6Mx

— Carlos Guillermo Smith (@CarlosGSmith) December 28, 2022

In reference to Rep. Smith's second tweet, according to a November article in MSN:

An investigation published by the South Florida Sun Sentinel found that 6,669 hotels and other lodging establishments had received 14,279 citations since a 2019 sex trafficking law required them to make changes to protect victims. Under the anti-trafficking law, violators are supposed to receive fines of up to $2,000 a day. However, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation says not a single fine has been issued because the law allows hotels a 90-day period to fix violations, and so far all have done so.

So apparently Florida does have a problem with sex-trafficking. But the problem isn't with drag queens or any other members of the LGBTQ community. The problem lies with DeSantis who is attempting to build a road to the presidency on the backs of LGBTQ people he demonizes and the sexually abused children he is ignoring.

Editor's note - This will most likely be my last post of 2022. Happy New Year and hope to see you in 2023.

'Elon Musk continues to embarrass himself by sharing bigoted memes' & other Thur midday news briefs

Elon Musk

Elon Musk Slammed for Sharing Anti-LGBTQ+, Anti-Feminist Meme​ - Slowest self-immolation in history And I am enjoying it. 

The 20 most-read Outsports stories of 2022 - LGBTQ people and sports do mix. 

Defining ‘woman’ battle heads to states amid new wave of LGBTQ bills - And here we go. The GOP did not get the message from the midterm elections. People want to see reasonable things get done by Congress, not get sidetracked by cynical culture war battles. 

Queering the family farm: Despite obstacles, LGBTQ farmers find fertile ground in Midwest - Yet more proof of how awesome LGBTQ people are. We thrive when folks think we can't. 

18 LGBTQ+ Words added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2022 - Nice.

Video: Survivor of Pulse nightclub mass shooting calls out DeSantis, 'grifters,' & right-wing extremists for 'pouring gasoline on anti-LGBTQ hysteria'

2022 was an ugly year for LGBTQ Americans

. From bogus legislation targeting trans men, women, and children. to  elected officials exploiting us as a stepping stones to higher office, to wannabe internet personalities passing distorted videos about drag queens to further the lie that we want to 'sexuall groom' kids, violence - physical, psychological, and spiritual - increased against LGBTQ people at a level which I have never seen before.

And punctuating it all was the mass shooting at Club Q in Colorado which left five people dead and over 20 others injured.

Earlier this month, Congress held hearings about the violence against LGBTQ people. Testifying was Michael Anderson, James Slaugh and Matthew Haynes, three survivors of the Club Q shooting. And the man in the video above, Brandon Wolf who survived the 2016 mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. Years from now, his testimony will be remembered as one of the greatest speeches of our time.