'Lawsuit claims that school allowed anti-LGBTQ abuse of teen' & other Mon midday news briefs

School allowed anti-gay abuse of teen, lawsuit claims - Sue! Take it all! Folks need to learn the hard way. 

Coronavirus closed down colleges – now some LGBTQ students fear an abusive "war zone" at home - This ain't good. 

Baldwin endorses Biden: ‘He has always fought for bold, progressive change’ - Yep.

 Idaho’s Transgender Sports Ban Challenged In Federal Lawsuit - In case you didn't hear. . . 

Coronavirus pandemic villain - Pastor Tony Spell

This pandemic has brought the good in a lot of people and turned the spotlight on those professions which we needlessly take for granted. But I'm not here to talk about the good. Unfortunately, at the same time, some have chosen to exploit this critical situation to get paid, take advantage of the gullible, be selfishness or incompetent ,and basically show their verbal asses to the world.

First up on my list of the latter group is definitely Louisiana pastor Tony Spell of Life Tabernacle Church. He originally made a mockery of himself by refusing to abide by social distancing requirements for his church.   Believe it or not, he has compounded the embarrassment by urging those who receive stimulus checks to give them to either him or other churches. And he didn't even bother to be modest by asking for "some" or a "little." Not even the noted "10 percent" that is genuinely seen as customary tithing. He said give it all. To make matters worse, Spell has a disastrous interview Sunday morning on CNN.   As you can see via the above video, host Victor Blackwell didn't let him sneak by with a thing.

'Evangelical pastors using coronavirus pandemic for latest persecution lie' & other Fri midday news briefs

Evangelical Pastors Seize Political Opportunity in Coronavirus Crisis - Why am I not surprised.

Netflix’s ‘Circus Of Books’ Profiles Conservative Couple Behind Gay Porn Empire - Laaawd hammercy! 

 Americans Aren't Polarized on LGBTQ Equality, Survey Finds - That's right. There's broad support for our rights. 

 Anti-LGBT discrimination ballot drive moves to e-signatures - Meanwhile, things are hopping in Michigan.

Flash Gordon (1980) was intended to be campy romp

 

Flash Gordon, the story of a hero fighting a dictator, Ming the Merciless, of the distant planet Mongo, was a  comic strip created in 1934. Since that time, it has been the subject of many movies, television shows, and cartoons.

But I don't think any could top the 1980 movie in terms of abject campiness. From the dialogue to the characters, to the  cinematography,  the movie practically screeches ludicrous.  And notice I didn't even mention the costumes, which I can't begin to adequately describe. The phrase "extremely vivid" comes to mind. They look like they were made by a bunch of drunken drag drag queens. But that's not a bad thing. Lastly to top it off, the soundtrack was done by the legendary group Queen.

 And none of it was accidental. The makers intended for it to be this campy. I think they were attempting to capture the spirit of the original comic strip. It wasn't as if  they were treating it like a B-movie. Even though the star of the movie, Sam J. Jones, was basically unknown, other members of the cast - Topol, Brian Blessed, Max Von Sydow - were respected in the industry.  Flash Gordon was a minor hit and, as those who saw it can tell you, a sequel was in the works. However, disagreements during the making of the movie between Jones and the producer, Dino De Laurentiis, prevented it from happening.  

Now onto my favorite character. If there was one person who greatly typified just how wild and absurdly ludicrous the movie was, it had to be General Kala. Portrayed by Mariangela Melato, Kala can only described as perfectly too much in terms of scene stealing. Faye Dunaway as Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest wouldn't have been able to compete. Her black and gold outfit  and boots is something I would kill to wear. I would look fantastic in it.  And her accent provides the final perfect touch.

Hate group leader Tony Perkins claims that Franklin Graham is not a homophobe. And the word 'irony' loses all meaning

Due to a controversy regarding his organization helping to fight the coronavirus pandemic in New York, Franklin Graham appeared on Fox News to play the victim and claim that he is not homophobic. What ensued next was a lovely pulling out of receipts, i.e. the revelation of statements from Graham and videos starring Graham attacking LGBTQ people, families, and voicing support for Putin's violent repression of LGBTQ Russians. Yes, I was involved and it was wonderful. But some folks did come to Graham's defense. 

Most specifically, the Family Research Council and its president Tony Perkins, came to Graham's defense:

When Franklin Graham set up a 68-bed field hospital in the middle New York City's Central Park, he didn't hang a sign saying, "Christian Patients Only." But somehow, the state's extremists think it's okay to demand only pro-LGBT caregivers on his staff. Samaritan's Purse, liberals argue, isn't tolerant enough to treat the sick. In a tweet so offensive it's difficult to believe he holds public office, New York State Senator Brad Hoylman (D) said, "It's a shame that the federal government has left New York with no other choice but to accept charity from bigots."

 

What a luxury it must be to criticize people in the trenches, while you sit in the safety of your home. Samaritan's Purse is risking its volunteers' lives to be on the front lines, at great expense to the organization, treating whomever the hospital sends them. Do you think these patients, a lot of them in desperate need of help, care who their doctors voted for in the last election? No. They just want to survive -- like the other 110,000 people infected in New York City.

 

If Senator Hoylman is so worried about politically-correct care, then where is his relief effort? The truth is, the only reason he has time to attack Franklin's virus responders is because his colleagues aren't on the ground meeting New Yorkers' needs. But then, that's what we've come to expect from the far Left. These liberal activists are more concerned about their agenda than actual people. We've seen it in the adoption debate, the foster care debate, and now in the medical debate. If the choice is between a Christian organization helping someone or the person getting no help at all, we already know what they'd choose: children without homes and patients without care.

Perkins continues on this absurd narrative without mentioning that Graham's past  homophobic statements was what helped to give folks pause.  And on that same note, one would think that Perkins and FRC would have been wise to not dip into the situation with their attempt to defend Graham.  Because neither FRC nor Perkins have room to talk. 

Particularly when one of FRC's spokespeople, Peter Sprigg, once expressed a desire for gays to be kicked out of  the country:

And Perkins himself is no slouch when it comes to homophobic statements. In 2014, he made a Holocaust reference by implying that gays want to put Christians in boxcars and take them to "re-education camps."

Franklin Graham claims he is not homophobic. The paper and video trail exposes him as a liar

Hat tip to my friend Joe Sudbay who brought this to my attention.

Franklin Graham appeared on Fox News Tuesday night to claim that he is not homophobic. He has been getting a lot of negative attention due to his attempt to provide help in New York during the coronavirus pandemic. And adding catches to his help:

According to Religion News Services.

 On a group of LGBTQ activists stood several yards away from the Samaritan’s Purse field hospital on the East Meadow lawn and blasted city and state officials and Mount Sinai Hospital for partnering with the evangelical humanitarian relief organization treating overflow patients suffering from the coronavirus. 

 . . . The LGBTQ coalition is the latest in a series of barbs aimed at Samaritan’s Purse since it opened a 68-bed field hospital in Central Park two weeks ago. The conflict pits the country’s growing acceptance of LBGTQ rights with the conservative values of a premier evangelical relief organization. The hospital is staffed with Christian doctors and nurses experienced in treating infectious diseases. But Samaritan Purse's policies require most contractors and some full-time volunteers to sign a statement of faith that includes a declaration that “we believe that marriage is exclusively the union of one genetic male and one genetic female.”

So on the Ingraham Angle, Graham attempted to deflect the controversy via a soft interview with host Laura Ingraham:

Laura: Why are you being attacked for opening a field hospital?
Franklin Graham: We believe marriage is between a man and a woman... We have a statement of faith that we require our employees to sign and in that is a marriage is between a man and woman... I’m not homophobic pic.twitter.com/eE0fv4Ree6

— Acyn Torabi (@Acyn) April 15, 2020

'Fundamentalism kills' - A gay man speaks about the rejection from his Christian family

Daniel Lawson

A really good Facebook friend of mine, Daniel Lawson, just published a personal account of his coming out in a fundamentalist Christian, right-wing family and how it nearly killed him. It's not an easy read and I commend him for having the courage to publicly tell his story. It should serve to remind us that the fight for our equality isn't solely for us, but also for our kids. So many folks like Daniel have been in this environment and have suffered for it.  We can't ever get blase about this battle because it's about more than rights. It's about the ability to love oneself even though others tell us that we shouldn't. And unfortunately sometimes, those "others" are the folks who are close to us:

From Medium:

It doesn’t take great powers of deduction to ascertain which of the “sinner” or “good Christian” categories I was railroaded into after coming out to my family over that Thanksgiving break after the dumpster fire Baptist college semester. As I watched my entire family change toward me before my eyes, it slowly began to dawn on me that there was, in fact, no going back now. Their supposed “love” had changed overnight to hostility, fear, anger and aggression. Their lifelong abusive ways, which always lay dormant and ready to strike, now ratcheted up into high gear. I had gone from one bad situation at the Bible college to now confronting an even worse, uglier mix at home, with no time to process the rapid traumatic chain of events that were altering the course of my life. My parents called up the local chapter of Focus on the Family and sought out a team of quack doctors and therapists to try to rid me of my “wicked lifestyle.” With each successive forced visit to one of these charlatans, the situation continued to spiral downwards as my parents’ anger and impatience grew that their son was not immediately “cured.”

 . . .Things reached a climax one night when my mom started an argument with me and suddenly, she flew into an irrational, senseless fit of rage and started chasing me down the hallway! I ducked into the bathroom and slammed my body against the door, locking it just in time as she barreled down against the door, howling and shrieking like a banshee and trying to beat down the door, screaming the whole time, “YOU’VE GOT THE DEVIL INSIDE OF YOU! YOU’VE GOT THE DEVIL INSIDE OF YOU!”

You can read the rest of it here. It's worth your time.

' A message to LGBTQ parents during this difficult time' & other Tue midday news briefs

You don’t have to be the perfect “gay parent” right now. We’re all doing our best. - This piece is VERY appropriate right now. 

 Indigo Girls's fears for LGBTQ youth during pandemic: 'Praying people find their chosen family' - Thank you, ladies. 

 Paige Kreisman: Kicked Out of the Military, Now Running for Office - When faced with bigotry and hate, running for public office is a good way of combating it. 

 Four gay men with HIV released from ICE custody - Good.

Trump's meltdown at latest press briefing poses appropriate question - does America really want four more years of this sh!t?

Everyone hates Trump's press briefings. They were supposed to be about the coronavirus pandemic, but since Trump can't have any of his therapeutic "rallies,"he has decided to dominate the briefings. Monday's was especially awful. But it should serve notice to folks who claim to be "uninspired" by the prospect of a Joe Biden presidency.because it puts the appropriate question in front of them. And that question is:

Do you really want four more years of this shit?

Trump to @PaulaReidCBS, who asked him about the slow federal coronavirus response: "You are so disgraceful ... you know you're a fake." pic.twitter.com/6iKl6eyPX3

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 13, 2020

For anyone who was lucky to miss Trump's latest escapade, the above video is him lashing out at CBS reporter Paula Reed for asking him about his ignoring and lack of preparation for the pandemic - something he has been called out for on many occasions. I have to give it to Reed for maintaining her professionalism as he dodged her legitimate questions by insulting her. And as long as I'm giving out compliments, whoever was doing the chryon for CNN did NOT come to play:

 

But back to the appropriate question. Do you really want four more years of this shit?

'FL police chief suspended for suggesting deputy's COVID-19 death was linked to his being gay' & other Mon midday news briefs

Florida police chief suspended for suggesting deputy’s COVID-19 death was linked to his being gay: report - Mercy! Someone needs to get a complimentary kick in the ass.

Leftover fabric from the AIDS Quilt is being used to make face masks for healthcare workers - I think this is a good thing. But it still jabs my heart just a little bit.  

Franklin Graham says he 'shudders to think' where America would be if Trump weren't president during COVID-19 - My post from last night bears repeating.

Northam signs anti-discrimination act to protect LGBTQ community - Good things happen even in the midst of a crisis.

Franklin Graham says he 'shudders to think' where America would be if Trump weren't president during COVID-19

Franklin Graham stoops to new low in support of Trump

Last week, according to NBC News, Trump held a conference call with evangelicals and other religious leaders who have supported him. The purpose was to implore them to convince their supporters and followers to vote for him. You can read the article if you would like. For me, however, one part stood out in a terrible fashion:

Trump praised one of those leaders, evangelical leader Franklin Graham, for the work his group Samaritan Purse's work setting up a field hospital in Central Park.Graham has said previously that COVID-19 is happening because of sin and because mankind "turned its back on God." On the call Wednesday, he praised Trump and Pence for their handling of the crisis. "Mr. President, we want to thank you and the vice president for your leadership, our country would be in trouble," Graham said. "If you were not the president, I just shudder to think where we would be."

 

Bear in mind that while Graham made that statement, many other individuals have the opposite opinion. Trump has been almost universally blasted for his behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. From taking over press briefings about the pandemic with lies and conspiracy theories, to attacking governors trying to deal with it in their states, to downplaying the crisis for weeks and then lying about it by claiming he always knew how serious it was,  this entire situation is the disaster we were warned about during the 2016 election. The Russian investigation and the impeachment were only the preludes; the cocktails before the main dish, if you will.

And that's not even taking into account:

 the articles this weekend which confirmed that Trump ignored medical and security experts who tried to warn him about the coming pandemic,

the way he brazenly attacks reporters who ask him perfectly legitimate questions about his handling of the pandemic,

the accusations that he is showing unfair preference to GOP governors in giving out needed medical equipment,

 hinting that he wants to "reopen" America, ie. putting a halt to lockdown procedures which have helped stave off COVID-19 even though our country now leads the world in coronavirus deaths with over 20,000.

Graham said he shudders to think where the  country would be if Trump wasn't president during this pandemic. It's fair to say that the rest of us shudder to realize how many mistakes he made which helped to further the chaos and death. Willful mistakes, too.  Mistakes of someone who lacks the intellectual, emotional, and moral maturity to even lead an old lady across the street.

Someone should ask Graham a simple question. We know why he has supported Trump these past three years and continues to support him even now. But really, are conservative judges worth the lives of over 20,000 Americans?

Anti-LGBTQ leader claims LGBTQ groups trying to 'wrap their tentacles' around coronavirus stimulus money

Frank Schubert

On Thursday, the following article was published by hate group American Family Association's fake news site, One News Now:

A nonprofit organization with a mission to protect marriage and the faith communities that sustain it says LGBT groups may succeed in dominating the media and wrapping their tentacles around coronavirus stimulus funds. 

 

The Human Rights Campaign -- the largest, wealthiest, and most powerful pro-LGBT lobbying group in the U.S. – has written an open letter to the media, the government, and health officials demanding special consideration to their community, whose members are supposedly especially vulnerable to the virus. They are seeking financial resources and government coordinating with LGBT organizations. 

 

"This is a virus that affects every person in the country," responds Frank Schubert of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM). "Millions of people are out of work, trillions of dollars in economic loss has been wiped out, and here we have special interest groups from the LGBT community demanding that they be given special considerations."

 

While he finds the effort off-putting, he says the Human Rights Campaign may be able to pull it off.

 

"They may be in a position to affect that outcome because of their close allied relationship with Nancy Pelosi, who is as we speak busy writing the next coronavirus relief act," the NOM spokesman tells OneNewsNow. "She's made it clear to members of her Democratic Party that she intends to use that opportunity as a way to advance her hard-left agenda."

'LGBTQ celebrities who have come out in 2020 (so far)' & other Thur midday news briefs

LGBTQ Stars Who Have Come Out in 2020 (So Far)​ - Eh. Why not a little frivolity in a story to beat back the doldrums? 

LGBTQ rabbi who confronted AIDS crisis now faces coronavirus - Excellent article! 

 Outside of CNN's LGBTQ town hall, evening TV news spent under 20 minutes covering 2019's anti-trans violence - Discounted again . . .

L.A. Pride's 50th Anniversary Is Postponed — But Not Defeated - Good for them!

'The Curse of the Black Widow' - if it's not a camp classic, then it should be

Based on the popularity of last week's post on the motion picture, The Women, I'm thinking of posting a weekly bit on classic camp movies we can all watch while we are stuck at home during this pandemic. Tonight is one of my favorites.

The Curse of the Black Widow comes from 1977, a time before cable when television movies ruled the day. Just about several times a week, ABC, CBS or NBC would feature an original movie, which could be a comedy, drama, or horror. And a lot of actors made bank starring in those movies. Several of them will probably be featured here in the future. But very few should grab your attention like this movie, which was also known as Love Trap.

The summary is simply nuts. A detective (Anthony Franciosa) is investigating a bunch of mysterious murders in which the victims blood was drained and replaced with venom. He finds out that the murders center around fraternal twin heiresses (Patty Duke and Donna Mills). And here is the kicker (by the way, I will be including spoilers, but you really shouldn't watch these movies for the plot) - due to a incident when they were born, one of the twins has the power to transform into an indestructible giant black widow spider who can only be harmed by fire. Which twin is it? The one with the most acting range. Out of Duke and Mills, who has an Oscar and two Emmys? You figure it out.

'How three major LGBTQ centers are virtually keeping their communities alive' & other Wed midday news briefs

How 3 Major LGBTQ Centers Are Virtually Keeping Their Communities Alive - We need more good news like this. 

Campaign to Help LGBTQ Seniors Reminds Us Love Is Not Cancelled - Amen!

Coronavirus jeopardizes LGBTQ groups’ $22.6 million budget request - Well damn. This is not good. 

Mormon leaders address coronavirus pandemic, somehow manage to make it about ‘sinful’ gay sex - But don't they always?

Video montage proves how Fox News helped make the coronavirus and COVID-19 pandemic worse in America

I interrupt my usual banter because I feel that this is a video which needs to be seen and shared as much as possible. And it concerns all of us, including the LGBTQ community. Years ago, some folks said that Fox News was dangerous, not necessarily because of its right-wing conservative slant, but because of the lies and propaganda its personalities freely push in pursuit of that slant. These folks were pushed aside, laughed at, or generally ignored. Even when Fox News backed up Bush's "weapons of mass destruction" lie, undermined Obama at every turn, helped to transform Hillary Clinton into Satan's female twin in the eyes of many Americans, etc. etc., excuses were made for the network. 

And now we're here and no one is laughing. We rightfully blame Trump and his incompetence for how the coronavirus has negatively impacted this country. But let's not forget his helpers.At every turn, Fox News trivialized or made light of the pandemic. Instead of informing the country, its personalities bent over backwards to defend Trump or make excuses for him.   As the above video proves, Fox News should share equal blame for the lives lost in America during this COVID-19 pandemic. Everyone who works at Fox News - and I mean everyone - has blood on their hands. And I hope history never forgets.

'Children's cartoon DuckTales introduces gay dads. How long before religious right freak out?' & other Tue midday news briefs

DuckTales introduced gay dads as new characters & the web went quackers - Those were the positive comments. You just know the religious right isn't going to let this one slide. 

Hungary bill would ban transgender people from legally changing gender - Great. Hungary chooses to be a bastard of a country right now. 

 Log Cabin Wrongly Credits Trump With Easing Gay Blood Ban - Of course those jerks did. 

 Children's Author Jacqueline Wilson Comes Out at 74 - Better late than never.

Randy Rainbow salutes America's actual leader during the COVID-19 pandemic

As usual, Randy Rainbow astutely nails the point. To the tune of  'Sandy' from the musical Grease, he salutes the one person who has shown some semblance of leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic - New York governor Andrew Cuomo. Hilarious as always.  If Trump's smart, he will keep his mouth shut.

'How Trans and Nonbinary people are coping right now' & other Mon midday news briefs

How Trans And Nonbinary People Are Coping Right Now - It's a needed question. 

Coronavirus pandemic a perfect storm for LGBTQ homeless youth - Don't forget our kids.

 Trump says he had nothing to do with FDA easing gay blood ban - I can actually believe THAT. 

 Lawyer calls judge a “gay fat f*g” but claims he can’t be homophobic because he has a gay cousin - Oh the poor thing (eyeroll)

Franklin Graham points the finger at 'sin' for the coronavirus. Fails to see the three fingers pointing back at himself.

Franklin Graham

Franklin Graham on Saturday night talking with Jeanine Pirro on Fox:

. . .  Graham was asked to make sense of Covid-19’s worldwide devastation, and the Fox host wondered “How could God allow this thing to happen?” “Well, I don’t think it’s God’s plan for this to happen. It’s because of the sin that’s in the world,” Graham answered. “Man has turned his back on God, we have sinned against him, and we need to ask for God’s forgiveness and that’s what Easter’s all about.” After recalling the story of Easter, Graham continued to say “this pandemic, this is the result of a fallen world. A world that has turned its back on God.”

Also from Franklin Graham, but not last night when pontificating about sin. This was last year when he was defending Donald Trump (yet again):

“I don’t think the president is sitting there behind the desk trying to make up lies,” Graham said. “I don’t believe that for a second. Has he misspoken on something? Sure, all of us do that, you do it, I do it. So I think the president is trying to do the best that he can under very difficult circumstances,” the pastor added. 

 

At the time, Trump had been shown to have lied over 8,000 times. And then there are tweets from Graham about Trump like so:

It's the first time I have ever seen a supposed man of God calling out sin for the world's calamities while hoping that people forget how much sympathy he's shown for the devil.