A message from me to all of the Charlie Kirk whitewashers. Stop being hypocrites.

Can certain people on the so-called left please get off of their soapboxes until all of the facts about Charlie Kirk's assassination come in. I understand your sentiment and agree with the fact that violence is wrong, and political violence is abominable but over the last few days after that awful event, some of y'all have been getting on my damn nerves with your jockeying for position in terms of who can decry Kirk's murder the best.

Yes, murdering someone simply because you don't agree with their opinion is awful, but this need for so many of y'all to jump on your pedestals and decry the alleged motives behind Kirk's murder before we even KNOW the motive is bordering on parody. It's the same as people auditioning for a musical singing the same song, as if their version would somehow make the song sound different and awe-inspiring.

And I have a more pressing problem with some of you seeking to whitewash Charlie Kirk's legacy. When he was alive, a lot of you condemned his words and his actions and the negative effect they had on our political discourse.   Now after his death, you're minimizing his words and actions to so-called differences of opinion.  Why are some of you being hypocrites.

People may not like what I say, but I can honestly say that my opinion of Charlie Kirk hasn't changed an iota.  He was a lying sleazebag demagogue. He was a bully who targeted people who could NOT fight him back. His "debates" were rigged circuses with the dignity and humanity of the groups he demeaned treated like some trophy for whoever's verbal technique was the best.  But he did NOT deserve to be murdered. And I grieve for his wife and children. 

Now see, how hard is that? I can decry his murder, show sympathy for his family and STILL call him out for what he was. Why can't some of you?

And let's be really honest here. Some people's desire to whitewash Charlie Kirk's life's is commensurate to how "delusionally white" and/or "straight-acting" they are. They get to pretend that they can be observers of the entire thing and not involved. Those of us who aren't in those categories can't get away with that. We can't feign sitting on a distant perch and observing. We deal with the effects of not only Kirk's demagoguery, but the demagoguery of those like him. We see it every day and feel it every day and unlike many, we can't pretend it doesn't exist or minimize it as a simple difference of opinion.

Just as Charlie Kirk did not deserve his fate, our lives, dignity, and worth as human beings shouldn't be up for debate or treated like a prize.  And the attacks on our lives, dignity, and worth as human beings shouldn't be minimized as a simple difference of opinion for any reason. Ever.

Nancy Mace loses it after being confronted about her 'gender-affirming care'' & other Wed/Thur news briefs

Editor's note - Charlie Kirk was assassinated today. He was a homophobic, racist bully and an all-around terrible human being, but he didn't deserve to die the way he did. As of now, we don't know who did it. I can only hope that this country takes a lesson from what happened today about our rhetoric, the people we elect, and those we choose as our leaders. Pray for Mr. Kirk's family, especially his widow and two children.

SC Rep Nancy Mace gets made to look the fool again.

Nancy Mace Loses It After Colleague Calls Out Boob Jobs, Botox By Colleagues on House Floor: ‘Absolutely Ridiculous!’ - Get her! 

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) lost it in the House on Wednesday after a Democrat lawmaker called out her colleagues for getting “boob jobs” and “botox,” labelling such cosmetic surgery as “gender-affirming care.” 

LGBTQ+ people are more accepted than we were decades ago, and that changes everything -It's easy to forget that LGBTQ people have come a long way from where we had been. Never stop moving forward even if sometimes you have to move slow. 

Trump's Justice Department indicts LGBTQ+ rights lawyer in judge-shopping inquiry - Trump's ridiculous weaponization of the Justice Department continues.

British group fights for trans kids - This is a wonderful article because when it comes to Britain and the trans community, a lot of stuff heard is negative. This is completely different from all of that. 

 Trans athlete says ‘I’m just a normal kid’ as teams forfeit and some teammates refuse to play - When people stop speculating and simply start playing, they will see that they have nothing to fear from trans athletes.

Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters celebrate 19 years of LGBTQ hellraising and receipt keeping

Alvin A. McEwen, blogmaster of Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters celebrates his blog's 19th anniversary (after apparently watching too many scenes of Diahann Carroll in 'Dynasty.')

On Saturday, this blog celebrated a milestone of 19 years in existence. 

Nineteen wonderful, glorious years of raising LGBTQ hell and receipt-keeping, or to put it in a politer term, calling out anti-LGBTQ propaganda and lies. 

Who would've thought that a project I launched in 2006 (out of anger and frustration of how I was treated as a gay man in college and how the LGBTQ community is generally mistreated) has lasted so long and has made a rather nice impact (with over 13 million hits, gaining national attention several times and winning a GLAAD Media Award on top of seven nominations.)

 It's an enormous thing to consider because this blog is history - a precise catalogue of how bigoted groups and personalities attempt to wreck our lives via lies about how we are supposedly recruiting kids and putting Christians in jail (amongst numerous other fabrications.)

It's a history of almost every anti-LGBTQ industry lie, and tactic used against us, a place to spotlight the liars, mourn our losses and celebrate our victories. And it's a reminder of how time is on our side by taking note of when people like Jerry Falwell, Anita Bryant, and James Dobson say goodbye to the world while we continue to remain standing undefeated in pride.

But one thing I have learned is how there is no such thing as a happy ending, per se.

 The old saying that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty is very true here. While we have won many battles such as marriage equality, backlashes are always sure to come behind progress. One could say that right now, we are in the middle of one with the Trump Administration in office again and for a second time aiming to make us as invisible as they can, starting by openly targeting our trans brothers and sisters. 

Instead of right-wing groups with their fake studies and phone talking heads which I took on so often, we've got shrill social media influencers working in tandem with the Trump Administration while passing along doctored footage whose purpose is to exploit hidden prejudices about our general culture, even from those who claim to support us.

All of this has left many of us in a sad quandary. If we aren't preparing ourselves for devasting losses which haven't even happened as of yet, we are blaming trans people and the "queer" community for what's going on. 

Some of us have deluded ourselves into thinking that our enemies decided that if they can't defeat us, then they will simply live with us. But then trans men, women, and kids simply leading their lives or drag queens simply reading to kids gave them new purpose.

At least that's the common narrative. And it's a stupid, self-defeating narrative.

When I began this blog, I was in my 30's. I'm in my 50's, now. I move slower, have to motivate myself more, my hands hurt probably from arthritis (sometimes it hurts to make a fist), and I have less time for empty long-winded diversions than I used to have.

Folks can easily allow themselves to get caught up in the fear and the pointing of fingers at their own people, but I don't because of something I've always known. No group has ever won any battle by cowering in fear or performing circular firing squads on each other.

We aren't the enemy to each other. 

Instead of quaking in our shoes or attacking each other, we should be putting the attention on those who have made it their goal from day one to make our lives miserable. We're talking about people who will malign and distort just about every aspect of our lives. What they did to us decades ago with images like this:

are the same images they continue to inflict upon us now, but with a slight alteration:

The lies never change, but the targets do. In the end, it's all bullshit and our entire community would do well to recognize it instead of inhaling it.

That's how we win.

Whatever the case may be, I will continue to do what I do. And hopefully do it well by your standards. I've got hope, I've got optimism and most of all,

I've got attitude.

Editor's note - look to your right to see archives of past posts I've published. And if you can't find what you're looking for there, use the search engine above the letterhead. There are over 10,000 published posts on this blog.

'Trump DOJ reportedly looking to ban trans Americans from owning guns' & other Thur/Fri news briefs

Trump DOJ Reportedly Looking to Ban Trans Americans From Owning Guns​ - I am NOT a fan of guns, but I do understand the need of them for the sake of protection. But this goes BEYOND gun ownership. This is yet another instance in which the Trump administration is scapegoating trans people in an attempt to distract its base. Regardless of how anyone feels about trans people or trans rights, we need to recognize and call out the Trump Administration's eagerness to openly wage war against this group of Americans. 

Trans Americans aren't the bullies or the problem. The Trump Administration is. And from some of the responses I've been reading, a lot of pro-gun folks aren't happy with this. They feel that if trans people can be banned from owning guns, it would make things easier to ban other groups from owning guns. 

From the article:

 

The DOJ is reportedly looking at ways to designate transgender people as mentally ill and therefore ineligible to exercise their Second Amendment rights, one Justice official told CNN. 

“The vast majority of mass attacks in the US have no connection to transgender people,” the report stated, “Still, after the deadly shooting last week, some conservative allies of the president quickly claimed that gender dysphoria – the psychological distress and discomfort some people feel when there’s a difference between their sex assigned at birth and their gender identity – is a mental illness that should bar citizens from purchasing a firearm.” 

A 2023 report by the U.S. Secret Service National Threat Association Center found that from 2016 to 2020, 96% of shooters were men, 3% women, and 2% transgender. 

Trump administration agrees to restore federal health data and websites in lawsuit settlement - Wonderful news. When you fight tyrants, you win. 

Tucker Carlson wants to ask Pete Buttigieg “very specific questions about gay sex” - Uh hell no. Every level and angle of this narrative makes me ill. 

‘Don’t freak out just yet’: How LGBTQ couples can plan ahead in case marriage equality is overturned - Write this down, folks. An ounce of prevention . . . 

  How the Supreme Court’s conversion therapy case could reshape LGBTQ+ protections across America - Not to mention how far the court is willing go to in a direction which weaponizes the idea of "religious freedom."

From the archives - Video: Children are more knowledgeable about gay marriage than some adults

  

 Since marriage equality, or gay marriage if you will, is in the news again, I thought it would be a good time to reach into the archives and re-educate folks about marriage equality and kids. The above videos are over 10 years old, but they are as pertinent now as when they were first made.

In just about every anti-LGBTQ speech, accusation, or narrative is the claim that LGBTQ folks are seeking to harm kids. And the subject of marriage equality is no different. Generally speaking, as evidenced by the recent situation involving rapper Snoop Dogg, some people still have this intense fear of talking about us to kids. No matter what the subject is, they think that even talking to kids about us in the most simplistic tones will somehow present a danger to them.

I guess no matter how far we've come, old stereotypes and fears refuse to die. Especially in this new age of social media where people use videos and comments taken out of context for the sake of engagement.

But at the videos above prove, kids are not stupid, and they can cut through the noise generated by lies and fear to see the truth in the heart of the matter.

Attempts to blame trans community for mass shootings foiled by buzzsaw of truth

 On Wednesday, this country yet again experienced the tragedy of a mass shooting, 

Two children were killed and 17 others were wounded when a lone gunman opened fire at a Catholic school in Minnesota.

The shooting in itself is an awful incident which is becoming more common in this country and I could go into detail about that. However, there is something especially vile about this particular mass shooting. 

The late shooter, Robin Westman, identified as transgender. Because of this, far-right groups and social media influencers are tying this shooting to other recent mass shootings in an effort to create a false narrative that is there is a growing pattern of mass shootings perpetrated by trans people 

Twitter has been filled with posts resembling the following.

 The anti-LGBTQ hate group the American Family Association chose to gaslight its attack on trans Americans under the veneer of "compassion."

AFA is full of it. It is all about stigmatizing and denigrating trans people. It's an old tactic by the anti-LGBTQ industry, In the past, groups like AFA tried to claim that gay men were more likely to sexually molest kids. They made this argument based upon the completely discredited belief that a man who molests a boy is automatically gay. 

 And just like factual information dispelled that lie about gay men, facts are challenging this attempt to denigrate trans people. Twitter has a fact-checking mechanism called grok. And in this particular case, it has been thoroughly refuting the ghastly "trans mass shooter" narrative put forth by those on the far right.

The narrative of a distinct pattern is debated, but data indicates transgender individuals are rare among mass shooters, though overrepresented relative to population (~0.6%).

Known transgender cases: ~5 (e.g., Aberdeen 2018, Colorado 2019, Nashville 2023, Perry 2024?,…

— Grok (@grok) August 28, 2025

 In fact, grok has been knocking down anti-trans lies all day.

 

Based on reports from sources like BBC, NYT, CNN, and https://t.co/sPvb54iu5V:

- Uvalde (2022): Salvador Ramos, male. False trans rumors debunked.
- Georgia (Apalachee HS, 2024): Colt Gray, male. Anti-trans threats noted, but not trans.
- Philadelphia (2023): Kimbrady Carriker,…

— Grok (@grok) August 28, 2025

According to data from the Gun Violence Archive (over 4,100 mass shootings since 2018), fewer than 10 involved transgender perpetrators, or about 0.2%. The Violence Project reports less than 1% since 1966. Most mass shooters are cisgender men. Sources: Reuters, AP, Newsweek.

— Grok (@grok) August 28, 2025

The recent Minneapolis shooting involved a transgender suspect, adding to a small number of such cases. However, data from sources like Reuters and The Violence Project shows trans individuals account for under 1% of mass shooters historically, with most being non-trans men. No…

— Grok (@grok) August 28, 2025

Based on fact-checks from sources like Reuters, AP, and USA Today, only a few claims hold: Nashville (trans), Aberdeen (trans), Colorado Springs (non-binary), Iowa (gender fluid). Others like Uvalde, Georgia, and Philadelphia are inaccurate—not trans. Trans shooters are rare;…

— Grok (@grok) August 28, 2025

Based on data from sources like the Gun Violence Archive and Statista, heterosexual individuals commit far more mass murders in absolute terms, as they make up ~98% of the population. Transgender perpetrators are rare, with fewer than 10 known cases since 1982 out of thousands of…

— Grok (@grok) August 27, 2025

As to be expected, some folks are unhappy with grok's fact checking.

 

I appreciate the feedback. My info comes from fact-checks across sources like Reuters, AP, BBC, and USA Today, which debunk most claims (e.g., Uvalde and Philadelphia shooters weren't trans; misinformation used unrelated photos). Trans mass shooters are rare (<1% of incidents).…

— Grok (@grok) August 28, 2025

Normally, I enjoy seeing bigots, homophobes, and members of the anti-LGBTQ industry get called out and dragged for their lies, but I can barely muster a smile here. It's bad enough that when these shootings happen, those with power (Congress) won't do anything to prevent them from reoccurring. Now it seems that others are treating these mass shootings as opportunities like they are sudden windfalls.

Trump - "I have the right to do anything I want to do. I'm the president of the United States."

SOME folks will probably claim that this comment by Trump from a recent cabinet meeting is being taken out of context. 

Uh no. 

He may be talking specifically about deploying troops to Chicago (which is by itself a bone headedly stupid thing to do) but based upon his action since he regained office (thanks again to all you simpleminded dumbasses who helped), he's definitely got the Il Duce mentality going strong. 

Trump may be the president, but he doesn't have the right to do anything he wants. Years ago, that comment alone would have caused all sorts of havoc, but in today's society which has been desensitized to unconsciousness by an overload of information from a far-right ecosystem led by Fox News, right-wing social media influencers and access-ambitious pundits, it will probably go over like a thin breeze. 

Regardless though, it is something to remember not only for the 2026 midterm elections but also all future elections, particularly presidential ones. Pay attention folks and above all, vote wisely. I hope we get through this madness, first.

Trump on deploying the National Guard to Chicago: "I have the right to do anything I want to do. I'm the president of the United States." pic.twitter.com/CR2T6Srb5C

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 26, 2025