Gay Republicans are shocked that they are collateral damage in the DeSantis/Trump feud. What did they expect?

A recent conflict between FL Gov Ron DeSantis supporters and gay Republicans teaches an important lesson about those in our community who turn on their own. 

From Mediaite:

Log Cabin Republicans, the largest LGBT Republican organization in the U.S., condemned Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis after his campaign posted an ad attacking former President Donald Trump’s connections to the LGBT community. The bizarre ad, which was posted by the DeSantis War Room to Twitter on Friday, attacked Trump by playing a 2016 clip of him saying, “I will do everything in my power to protect our LGBTQ citizens.” 

 Trump made the comments following the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida, which left 49 people dead. The ad also showed clips of Trump with transgender Republican Caitlyn Jenner, before boastfully displaying a string of headlines that referenced DeSantis’ “draconian” and “evil” anti-LGBT policies.

“Today’s message from the DeSantis campaign War Room is divisive and desperate,” the Log Cabin Republicans said in a statement. “Republicans and other commonsense conservatives know Ron Desantis [sic] has alienated swing-state and younger voters.” The organization said that while “conservatives understand that we need to protect our kids, preserve women’s sports, safeguard women’s spaces and strengthen parental rights,” DeSantis’ “extreme rhetoric has just ventured into homophobic territory.”

 . . .Charles T. Moran, the national president of the group, also condemned DeSantis in his own post.“You could have gone after radical queers, @RonDeSantis – but instead you went after the ones who win the @GOP votes and get Republicans elected. People like me,” he wrote. “Wrong fight to pick, bud.”

The ad in question is below:

To wrap up “Pride Month,” let’s hear from the politician who did more than any other Republican to celebrate it…

pic.twitter.com/FT7LdW4vls

— DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) June 30, 2023

 

As you can probably guess, DeSantis's ad has opened up an online war between his people such as aide Christina Pushaw and gay Republicans such as former Trump official Richard Grenell. Below is just a snippet from Twitter:

They all go on and on like this and it's delicious. THIS particular part below caught my eye because it signifies the essence of the entire situation:

David Leatherwood is co-chair of a far-right group called Gays Against Groomers. According to The Advocate:

The founder of Gays Against Groomers, Jaimee Michell, and her partners are former ultra-MAGA Trump followers who spread anti-transgender propaganda with QAnon conspiracy theories and links to extremist militias, according to a Media Matters for America investigation published last week. In response to accusations that it spreads homophobia and transphobia, GAG claims that, as a “coalition of gay people,” it and its members cannot possibly spread anti-LGBTQ+ propaganda.

 Furthermore, they claim that any attack on the group is homophobic. However, GAG is not a grassroots initiative but a right-wing project seeking to gain political and financial advantage by using anti-trans rhetoric, according to the left-leaning media watchdog. GAG was formed last year “to protect the kids” from “sexualization, indoctrination, and medicalization,” Michell claims, and it has gained prestige in right-wing circles along with Chaiya Raichik’s Libs of TikTok, which also attacks the LGBTQ+ community. Both have promoted the use of the anti-LGBTQ+ slur “groomer.”

 . . . Leatherwood began receiving attention for right-wing troll behavior online. Like Michell, he has ties to the “Stop the Steal” movement. On December 14, 2020, he spoke at an event hosted by Roger Stone. Also like Michell, Leatherwood celebrated the January 6 insurrection, praising the violent rioters, according to Media Matters. 

Queerty describes Leatherwood as a "gay Trump superfan" and gave a few examples of his unhinged tweets attacking Black Lives Matters, giving out COVID misinformation, and the following, which is highly ironic:

So David Leatherwood and other gay Republicans are angry that the groomer narrative and other ugly stereotypes they helped conservatives cultivate against other LGBTQ people has been turned on them. 

 

You dumbasses. What the hell did you think was going to happen? What did you expect?  You helped bigots spread lies against your own people and now you are surprised that the bigots have turned the lies against you? Are you actually surprised that you've been tossed over so needlessly?

I'm not surprised. Well, that's not completely true. I'm surprised that it happened so soon. You all have deluded yourselves into thinking that you are the "proper gays" and that those of us who don't fit your rigid ideas are damaging the community. You all have deluded yourselves into thinking if it weren't for us, the community would be accepted by folks like DeSantis, Pushaw, and other conservatives.

But you are now learning a valuable lesson. They never liked you. You think that you are above the rest of us, but in the eyes of DeSantis and company, you are just like us - "f@ggots, weirdoes, child groomers, and freaks" or to be succinct, "radical queers." 

The difference between you and the rest of us is that they couldn't openly despise you. This made you think that they didn't see you negatively.   You thought you were special. But you were never special. You were simply useful like a piece of toilet paper. And just like that toilet paper, when you are no longer useful, you are discarded. 

They don't care about you. They never did. And us - the LGBTQ people who you have maligned - don't care about you either.

So now what are you going to do?

The Supreme Court's terrible 303 Creative v. Elenis ruling - what you need to know

 

Editor's note - Friday's Supreme Court ruling concerning 303 Creative v. Elenis was a travesty simply for the fact that it was not an actual situation and being so, the plaintiff had no standing to pursue a lawsuit.  But since we're at this point, the important thing is to get a clear view of where we stand. A lot of folks have been freaking out, so I am relying on Lambda Legal to give a clear view of what happened and where do we go from here. (I highlighted some points which I think folks NEED to know)  

The U.S. Supreme Court today ruled in favor of a Colorado website design business – 303 Creative – which claimed the owner’s business involves “expression” and is therefore entitled to an exemption from the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA) so that she can discriminate against same-sex couples when designing and selling wedding websites. In its ruling, the Court found this particular business engaged in “speech for pay” by creating customized websites for carefully vetted clients using the owner’s original artwork and language.  That uniquely creative expression is protected by the First Amendment from being “compelled” by state law when contrary to messages the artist wishes to express. 

 Lambda Legal Chief Legal Officer Jennifer C. Pizer issued the following statement:  

 “Unlike yesterday’s affirmative action travesty, today’s smug attack on civil rights law will have limited practical impact in the marketplace because few commercial services involve original artwork and pure speech offered as limited commissions.  But today’s narrow decision does continue the Court majority’s dangerous siren call to those trying to return the country to the social and legal norms of the Nineteenth Century because it jettisons without even acknowledging what was part of the legal test for decades.  

  “Although misguided, today’s decision depends on its limited, uncommon facts – this business owner takes specific commissions, unlike most commercial enterprises that solicit customers widely, and she creates unique artwork for those selected customers.  Importantly, the decision also confirms that all forms of discrimination forbidden by Colorado’s law are subjected to the same constitutional standard, and that such laws serve compelling public purposes.   

 “Still, it is impossible to overlook the fact that this extreme Court majority yet again has set aside decades of sensible precedent that previously required that objective observers of commercial conduct would need to understand that any message conveyed by a commercially available service was that of the business owner rather than that of the customer.  Given the uniquely creative service at issue here, the impact is likely to be minimal.  But the door has been opened for potential future cases to expand this limited carve-out.  We will be vigilant against that possibility.”   

So basically, this is the deal in my opinion.

 The ruling in this case is limited because of extenuating circumstances. Even though the court ruled in favor of the web designer, it confirmed the need and justification for anti-discrimination laws protecting LGBTQ Americans.

BUT . . .

1. The ruling opens the door for future cases looking to test laws favoring LGBTQ rights.

2. The fact that SCOTUS agreed to hear this case even though there was NO CASE to begin with raises huge questions about the court's integrity as a whole and the motivations of certain members. I think that in the future, this case will be mentioned as proof of why the Justice Roberts era of SCOTUS was of poor quality.

For now, we do what we always do when there is a loss - pick ourselves up and continue to fight like hell. Pride month in general this year was a rough one. But we not only got through it but pulled out some wins in court. And we looked fabulous in our celebrations, like always. No matter how the opposition tries to spin it, we won.   But we should be used to that. LGBTQ people know how to win the hard way because we've done it so many times.

And we are going to do it again.

'Ron DeSantis faces one setback after another in battle against LGBTQ rights' & other Fri midday news briefs

Ron DeSantis

Ron DeSantis faces one setback after another in battle against LGBTQ rights - And it couldn't be happening to a more deserving person. 

Kamala Harris slams lawmaking 'extremists' at LGBTQ Pride event - Yes, gurl!! 

Trans activist Dylan Mulvaney says Bud Light ghosted her after conservative boycott​ - That was wrong what they did to her. 

Drag Doesn't Kill People — Guns Do - Preach!! 

Joe Vogel is one of our next great gay political stars & he just raked up two huge endorsements - Keep your eye on this guy.

'Bigoted right-wing pounces on isolated chant at NYC Drag Parade' & other Thur midday news briefs

Right Wing Pounces on Isolated Chant at NYC Drag Parade​ - They are jackals. Any little thing they can pounce on to use to their advantage is what they want. 

Across the U.S., Pride symbols are being attacked in outbreak of vandalism - Cowards will be cowards. 

As Pride Month draws to a close, Joe Biden has one simple message- Always remember that voting matters. It's the difference between having a president who cares and one who will attempt to take our rights away. 

Amid anti-LGBTQ hate, online groups offer safe spaces for parents of LGBTQ kids - Thank you. 

North Carolina lawmakers give final OK to ban gender-affirming care for trans children - Another ban set to be knocked down like so many others.

Double boom! Anti-trans bills in Tennessee and Kentucky temporarily blocked by federal courts

I told folks a while back when these awful anti-trans bills were being passed that the courtroom is totally different from legislative chambers. In legislative chambers, the ending is mostly pre-determined. You can basically pass any type of junk. But the courtroom is still a place where you have to defend your sh!t. And it looks like those who pushed for these anti-trans bills are having a real problem in that area. 

First, there is Kentucky. 

From The Associated Press:

A federal judge temporarily blocked Kentucky’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youths on Wednesday, taking the action shortly before the measure was set to take effect. In issuing the preliminary injunction, U.S. District Judge David Hale sided with seven transgender minors and their parents, who sued the state officials responsible for enforcing the provisions banning the use of puberty blockers and hormones. “Justice is served today as the most egregious parts of Kentucky’s anti-trans law are struck down by a federal judge,” said Chris Hartman, executive director of the Fairness Campaign, a Kentucky-based LGBTQ+ advocacy group. 

 . . . In their lawsuit, the Kentucky plaintiffs claim that the prohibition interferes with parental rights to seek established medical treatment for their children. The plaintiffs requested a preliminary injunction to prevent the disputed portion of the law from taking effect on Thursday. In his order, Hale concluded that the plaintiffs showed “a strong likelihood of success on the merits” of their constitutional challenges to the contested portion of the measure. In his order, the judge said that if the disputed sections were allowed to take effect, they would “eliminate treatments that have already significantly benefited six of the seven minor plaintiffs and prevent other transgender children from accessing these beneficial treatments in the future.”

And while we were rejoicing over that, we got more good news from Tennessee. 

Brody Levesque from The Los Angeles Blade reported:

A federal judge has blocked enforcement of a Tennessee law banning gender-affirming healthcare care for trans youth up to age 18 while several families’ legal challenge against the law proceeds in court. United States District Court Judge Eli Richardson in his sixty-nine page ruling granted the request for a preliminary injunction against the law, SB1, in a lawsuit brought by Samantha and Brian Williams of Nashville and their 15-year-old daughter, as well as two other anonymous families and Dr. Susan N. Lacy. The law would prohibit medical providers from providing gender-affirming health care to transgender youth and would require trans youth currently receiving gender-affirming care to end that care within nine months of the law’s effective date of July 1, 2023, or by March 31, 2024. 

 Richardson wrote in his conclusion: “The Court realizes that today’s decision will likely stoke the already controversial fire regarding the rights of transgender individuals in American society on the one hand, and the countervailing power of states to control certain activities within their borders and to use that power to protect minors. The Court, however, does not stand alone in its decision. 

As repeatedly emphasized above, several federal courts across the country have been confronted with laws that mirror SB1 in material respects. To the Court’s knowledge, every court to consider preliminarily enjoining a ban on gender-affirming care for minors has found that such a ban is likely unconstitutional. And at least one federal court has found such a ban to be unconstitutional at final judgment.”

According to the ACLU:

Tennessee’s is the fourth ban on gender-affirming care blocked by a federal court following similar rulings in Arkansas, Alabama, and Florida, and Kentucky. The ACLU and the ACLU of Oklahoma secured a binding non-enforcement agreement with the Attorney General of Oklahoma preventing enforcement of that state’s ban in May 2023. On June 16, 2023, the ACLU and the ACLU of Indiana were granted a preliminary injunction in a legal challenge against Indiana’s ban on gender-affirming care. In June 2023, a federal judge in Arkansas struck down that state’s ban in a permanent injunction, the first court ruling on the merits regarding a ban on gender-affirming care.

'Outsports Power 100 honors the most power and influential LGBTQ people in sports' & other Wed midday news briefs

Outsports Power 100 honors the most powerful and influential LGBTQ people in sports - LGBTQ visibility in sports is very important. When I was a child, nothing like that would have ever happened. We've definitely come a long way.

Minnesota Senator Blames Pride for Mankind’s Impending Fiery Apocalypse -Wonderful.  We are being blamed for the 'coming Apocalypse.' Again.

Gender-affirming care for trans youth: Medical facts vs. misinformation​ - It took you long enough to get this going CBS but thank you for the primer. 

Kansas is going to change gender markers on trans people’s IDs back to their sex assigned at birth - Unbelievable mean-spirited nonsense. 

Florida Reverends, Rabbi Slam DeSantis, Anti-LGBTQ+ Laws - Don't let folks fool you into believing the LGBTQ community vs. religious community narrative.

'The big myth about the supposed 'anti-trans' backlash' & other Tue midday news briefs

The big myth about the supposed 'anti-trans' backlash​ - The media is always screwing up our issues. This is no different than the other times. 

Jesse Watters: A Primer on Fox News Star’s Racism, Transphobia - He was just given Tucker Carlson's former spot. This promises to be nauseating.

14 LGBTQ+ characters who deserved (or still deserve, in some cases) their own spinoffs - What do you think? 

Dr. Jill Biden partied with the gays all weekend at Pride & conservatives are losing their sh*t - They will have to get over it. 

Democrats introduce federal conversion therapy ban - Good Luck.