Trouble in MAGA paradise? FRC's Tony Perkins not happy with 'God made Trump' video

Family Research Council president Tony Perkins (top photo) is not happy with a video made by Trump enthusiast Brenden Dilley which implied that Trump was chosen by God to lead America. 

I guess there is a line Trump can cross when it comes to some conservative evangelicals. In the clip below courtesy of People for the American Way, Family Research Council president Tony Perkins criticized Trump's decision to share a recent video which implied that he was chosen by God.

Tony doesn't like it. 

Tony Perkins and David Closson of the religious-right Family Research Council fault Trump for embracing the "So God Made Trump" video: "I think this video is inappropriate ... I don't like it." https://t.co/8y0Bi3rIDR pic.twitter.com/oltGHHGI3k

— Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) January 18, 2024

What will happen next? Probably nothing. Both parties will ignore it and life will go on as usual, thereby signifying yet again how conservative evangelicals are willing to sacrifice their supposed integrity for a taste of power. But on the off chance that Trump does talk about the video, my guess is that he will offer excuses such as saying his campaign didn't make it (even though he shared it). 

Now should that happen, I bet the makers of the video won't be happy.

 According to Deseret News: 

The video was created by Dilley Meme Team, a group of online content creators independent from the Trump campaign, though they work in close contact with it. The group — which calls itself Trump’s Online War Machine — has faced controversy for its vulgar and sexist content.

Dilley Meme Team is the brainchild of Brenden Dilley and he is an "interesting character."

 According to the People for the American Way: 

 Last month, the New York Times profiled what it called the “troll army” that is attacking former President Trump’s enemies on social media as part of the campaign to get him elected to the White House in 2024. The leading figure behind this “army” is MAGA broadcaster and “life coach” Brenden Dilley, whose cultish devotion to Trump has gained him direct access not only to the Trump campaign, but to the candidate himself  . . .

. . . Right Wing Watch has been covering Dilley since 2018 and given that he has now established such close ties with Trump’s campaign, it is even more important to expose how overtly racist, unapologetically misogynistic, and gleefully amoral he is. The most important thing to know about Dilley is that he doesn’t “give a fuck about being factual” and will “make shit up” if doing so furthers Trump’s political agenda. Dilley openly admitted it in 2020:

 “I don’t give a fuck,” he continued. “My objective is to destroy Democrats, OK? To destroy liberals, liberalism as an idea, Democrats, and anything that opposes President Trump. That’s my goal. I’ve never made any bones about that.”

“You don’t have to fact check me because I don’t give a fuck,” Dilley added. “I fucking make up shit sometimes, from time to time. I don’t care. I don’t care. Democrats know it. Republicans know it. I don’t mind admitting it. I don’t give a shit … When I get a chance to shit on the left, I don’t mind making shit up. No, not at all.” 

As you can see in the above tweet, Dilley is already overjoyed that Trump shared his video.  Trump loves to lavish devotion. He calls it "loyalty." But what will happen if Dilley's excesses offend the senses of the evangelicals Trump needs to win the election. 

Good news day! Book ban blocked in TX, trans healthcare ban blocked in Idaho, & I receive my 7th GLAAD Media Award nomination.

Me in 2017 with friends celebrating my GLAAD Media award win.

There is so much good news to share right now, so I am going to make this a three-item post. First let's talk about two very important and wonderful recent happenings:

From The Hill:

A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that a Texas law banning “sexually explicit” books from public schools likely violates the Constitution, partially upholding a preliminary injunction issued by a lower court. The three-judge appeals panel issued a unanimous ruling that the plaintiffs — two Texas bookstores; three national trade associations representing booksellers, publishers and authors; and a legal defense fund — would likely succeed on their claims that Texas’s law violates their First Amendment right to free speech.  The Restricting Explicit and Adult-Designated Educational Resources Act (READER) requires vendors who want to do business with Texas public schools to give sexual-content ratings for all library material and flag any “sexually explicit” or “sexually relevant” material.

 . . .Texas has said the law aims to protect children and has pushed back on claims of free speech by the booksellers. The state also claimed there would be no irreparable harm, in arguing against the injunction. The court rejected those arguments, however, upholding the district court’s conclusion that the government-speech doctrine does not apply and that “the ratings are the vendor’s speech, not the government’s,” and therefore the law mandating the ratings violates freedom of speech. The court also argued that “compliance costs alone” could cause irreparable harm to the plaintiffs. And while the risk of irreparable injury must be weighed against the public interest, “neither [the State] nor the public has any interest in enforcing a regulation that violates federal law.”

In Idaho, the block on the ban against gender-affirming healthcare for trans youth remains blocked. According to KTV-TV Boise: 

 A federal judge will continue to enforce a block on Idaho’s law that bans transgender health care for minors. U.S. District Judge Lynn Winmill had put a temporary injunction on the ban on Dec. 26, meaning it hasn't yet gone into full effect while it's being challenged in court. Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador has appealed the decision to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

 . . . In his decision, Winmill wrote that the attorney general didn’t provide new evidence to persuade him that the state would likely prevail in its appeal. Labrador had argued in his motion that the judge had failed to consider the “conflicting evidence regarding the risks and benefits associated with gender-affirming care.” He said that the experts brought in by the plaintiffs currently provide gender-affirming care, and thus had a “direct financial stake in ensuring the continued availability of ‘gender-affirming care.’” 

 Winmill cited his earlier decision in which he acknowledged the conflicting evidence but found that “the risks associated with the treatments used in gender-affirming medical care are similar to risks associated with other types of healthcare families may seek for minors.” The judge also noted that the doctors who were brought in as experts don’t provide care in Idaho would thus not be affected by HB 71, so they don’t likely have a financial stake in the case. 

 Last but not least, nominations for the 2024 GLAAD Media Awards came out Wednesday morning and this little ole blog of mine received a nomination in the category of 'Outstanding Blog.' It is my third consecutive nomination and my seventh nomination overall. As seen by the photo above, I was blessed to have won the award in 2017.

 I can't begin to tell you how much this means to me. This blog, my 17-year-old baby, sprang out of the anger, misery, and pain I felt while attempting to come out during my college years. And especially the rage I felt at the forces who peddled and continue to peddle lies designed to undermine LGBTQ lives, health, and safety. Receiving a GLAAD Award nomination means credibility and love from the LGBTQ community - a community I love in return and will continue to fight for in my own way day after day. I'm honored and grateful for the ability to fight and to help create a more positive future for the LGBTQ community, and especially our children. 

If you are interested in the various topics regarding religious right lies I've covered throughout out the years, check out The Best of Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters listings on the right. Or feel free to use the search engine above to see if I covered any LGBTQ topic which interests you.

'Trans students win as SCOTUS leaves bathroom victory in place' & other Wed midday news briefs

Trans students win as Supreme Court leaves school bathroom victory in place​ - Yeah but knowing THIS Supreme Court . . . eh let's celebrate anyway. 

More than 275 bills targeting LGBTQ rights flood state legislatures - But briefly because there is a lot of work to do. 

Family sues school district over law that bans trans volleyball player from girls’ sports - Good for them. I hope the family wins. 

Meet the Florida drag queen advocating for safe spaces for LGBTQ+ youth - More of us need to be advocates for our kids.

The Christian Post claims religious right groups never demonized the LGBTQ community. The many 'receipts' tell a different story.

A conservative evangelical publication, The Christian Post, is angry that the Biden Administration is working with the Southern Poverty Law Center. Conservative evangelicals (publications, groups, and personalities) have had a beef with SPLC ever since the group began labeling certain religious right organizations (such as the Family Research Council and the Alliance Defending Freedom) as hate groups because of their constant verbal and legislative attacks on the LGBTQ community.

While defending these groups, Christian Post "reporter" Tyler O'Neil, in the piece Anti-Christian bias in the Biden White House, made this unbelievable statement.

The SPLC publishes a “hate map” that plots conservative Christian organizations like the Family Research Council and Alliance Defending Freedom alongside chapters of the Ku Klux Klan. The SPLC brands these groups “anti-LGBTQ hate groups,” claiming that they demonize people who identify as LGBTQ. Contrary to the SPLC’s claims, neither FRC nor ADF demonize people for their sexual orientation or gender identity. They do, however, advocate for religious freedom and the biblical view of sexuality and the family.

O'Neil is lying. We know this because SPLC, GLAAD, and others have documented the many times FRC and ADF have demonized the LGBTQ community. 

The Family Research Council

From SPLC 

"For years, LGBT activists wanted to keep the goal of luring children into sexual confusion under wraps. Now that they’ve hoodwinked a lot of the country on their agenda, these extremists no longer have to hide. In fact, they are increasingly bold–even boastful–about their real intentions of recruiting kids.” – Tony Perkins, “‘I Have a Girl Brain but a Boy Body’: Virginia Kindergartners Are Read Transgender Story,” posted at The Daily Signal, March 6, 2019 

Editor's note - Tony Perkins is the president of the Family Research Council.

 “Homosexual activists vehemently reject the evidence which suggests that homosexual men … are … relative to their numbers, more likely to engage in such actions [childhood sexual abuse] than are heterosexual men.” – Peter Sprigg, senior fellow for policy studies at FRC, on why the Boy Scouts should not allow LGBTQ scouts or leaders, FRC blog, Feb. 1, 2013 

 From GLAAD

  (FRC) baselessly claimed, in a document written by Robert Knight and Robert York titled “Homosexual Behavior and Pedophilia,” that “one of the primary goals of the homosexual rights movement is to abolish all age of consent laws and to eventually recognize pedophiles as the ‘prophets’ of a new sexual order.” The document also claimed that the “homosexual rights movement has tried to distance itself from pedophilia, but only for public relations purposes.” SPLC notes that the booklet has since disappeared from FRC’s website, but the organization has not withdrawn the claims it made. Former reality television star Josh Duggar, who directed FRC’s lobbying arm FRC Action, was sentenced to 12 years in prison in May 2022 after being convicted of child pornography possession that a Homeland Security investigator described as among the most abusive and horrific he had ever seen. Duggar was also charged with child molestation for abusing five underage girls, including four of his sisters. 

Also

(Tony Perkins also) claimed gay parents “provide distorted values to innocent adopted kids.” 

 

 And below is a video of Tony Perkins claiming that gays are the "pawns of the enemy" (i.e. Satan)

 

The Alliance Defending Freedom 

 According to O'Neill: 

 The SPLC claims that ADF has supported criminalizing LGBTQ identity, a claim ADF has repeatedly denied.

 But SPLC has the 'receipts,' so to speak. 

 ADF also has worked to keep LGBTQ sex criminalized. In 2003, the group filed an amicus brief in the landmark Lawrence v. Texas case, in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that various laws prohibiting private sexual acts between LGBTQ adults were unconstitutional. In the brief, page after page describes, in graphic detail, vaginal, oral and anal intercourse and various infections that may result from the latter. ADF argued that the Texas ban was in the interest of public health, because gay men and lesbians, the brief contended, engage in “risky” sexual behaviors that increase the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. “The issue under rational-basis review is not whether Texas should be concerned about opposite-sex sodomy,” it argued, “but whether it is reasonable to believe that same-sex sodomy is a distinct public health problem. It clearly is.” 

 In 2003,(former ADF President Michael) Farris, before joining ADF, also co-wrote a 2003 amicus brief with ADF attorneys Jordan Lorence and Joshua Carden in support of Texas’ criminalization of LGBTQ sex in Lawrence v. Texas. Farris listed his affiliation in the brief as the Center for the Original Intent of the Constitution, which was formed in 1998 by the HSLDA and then was moved under the auspices of Patrick Henry College. The brief argued that states should have the right to police and criminalize sexual behavior, stating: “Defining the criminality of certain forms of sexual conduct, such as same-sex sodomy, is a policy issue that has historically and properly been left to the state legislatures.”

 In addition, SPLC also has documented statements from ADF members which also contradict O'Neil's claim.

 “When given the same choice the Supreme Court of the United States had in Lawrence vs. Texas, the Indian Court did the right thing. India chose to protect society at large rather than give in to a vocal minority of homosexual advocates. … America needs to take note that a country of 1.2 billion people has rejected the road towards same-sex marriage, and understood that these kinds of bad decisions in the long run will harm society.” – Benjamin Bull, former executive director of ADF Global, on the recriminalization of consensual sex between adults of the same sex in India, 2013

In fact, according to SPLC, the ADF has worked internationally for laws to imprison LGBTQ people based upon their sexual orientation.

 ADF, which has argued that removing anti-LGBTQ laws from criminal codes will pave the way to marriage equality, has worked to keep those laws on the books, but mostly overseas since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down anti-sodomy laws in this country. The group has advised anti-LGBTQ organizations in countries like Belize that are trying to keep the law that criminalized LGBTQ sex on the books. That law was declared unconstitutional by the Belize Supreme Court in 2016. 

 . . .  Other ADF attorneys have publicly advocated retaining anti-sodomy laws. Jeffrey Ventrella and Piero Tozzi, two senior counsels for ADF at the time, spoke at a 2012 conference in Jamaica, with Tozzi defending the laws as a “bulwark” against an unspecified “agenda.” 

 And speaking of the demonization of LGBTQ people, SPLC has ADF statements to that effect: 

 “We mention the new promotion of pedophilia in the context of talking about the influence of homosexual behavior on college campuses, because, despite all objections to the contrary, the two are often intrinsically linked.” – Alan Sears and Craig Osten, The Homosexual Agenda: Exposing the Principal Threat to Religious Freedom Today, 2003

 According to GLAAD, the ADF committed the following deceptive acts against the LGBTQ community.

 Made false claims in filings against transgender students looking to participate in sports. A softball player testified in front of Arizona lawmakers in support of a ban on transgender athletes, but did not disclose she was the daughter of ADF’s general counsel, and her testimony included the false claim that her team lost a tournament to team with a transgender player. The player was not transgender; she had short hair. 

 For nearly a decade colluded with the American College of Pediatricians (ACP) to shore up anti-transgender policy efforts and legal arguments with junk science. The ACP uses anti-LGBTQ junk science to back up many of its discriminatory talking points and to provide medical justification for interpreting Title IX to exclude gender-identity protections. Because the ADF lacked scientific evidence to back up its claims that nondiscrimination protections put children at risk, the organization ordered custom white papers from ACP. The coordination also extended to ADF drafting legislation for many states to ban transgender healthcare; ACP members were recruited to testify in support of those bans in GA, AL, KY and OH. Despite testifying before state legislatures in support of the bills, ACP’s “experts” have been discredited as not qualified to be experts in court, including Dr. Quentin van Meter and Dr. Paul Hruz. 

 Apparently Christian evangelicals like O'Neil and others who read The Christian Post probably support Donald Trump because they have more in common with him than they would like to admit.

For one thing, they all lie like hell.

Trump shares a video declaring that God 'chose' him. Some pastors disturbed by it.

Trump shared a video which claimed that he was chosen by God. Some evangelicals voiced concern about it.

I wish this 'God Made Trump' video was a parody, but it's not. Trump shared it and now some evangelicals are very disturbed by it. 

For those who don't have the temperament to look at the video and stomach it's many lies:

The video describes Trump's supposed strengths, including his "arms strong enough to rustle the Deep State and yet gentle enough to deliver his own grandchild." It's not clear which of his grandchildren Trump is meant to have delivered. The video also describes Trump as a workaholic who worked all hours of the night while president. His work ethic was a source of debate during his time in office, particularly after his private schedules were leaked, showing that half of his scheduled time was unstructured. The video also claimed that Trump attended church services every Sunday despite no evidence of this.

I don't know why evangelicals are disturbed by it. They eagerly supported a bigoted demagogue with a huge ego and no sense of self-awareness or shame. What did they expect to happen? And if he is officially deemed as the front-runner, they'll still support him. Hell, some of them already do.

God made Trump...because he ran out of locusts. https://t.co/Tc2AJ2cDlo

— Tea Pain (@TeaPainUSA) January 14, 2024

South Carolina legislators ignore parents, trans kids, and medical professionals to pass anti-trans bill out of committee

 

 An anti-trans bill in South Carolina sailed through a house committee in spite of the fact that over 40 South Carolinians (parents, children, and medical professionals) present at the hearing spoke against it and only one person, an out-of-state lawyer affiliated with an anti-LGBTQ group appearing on video, spoke in favor of it.

From The Associated Press: 

 Pleas from transgender children’s pediatricians and parents to keep allowing such kids to receive hormone therapies failed to stop Republican lawmakers from advancing a ban on those treatments to the South Carolina House floor on Wednesday. The GOP-led Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs Committee voted to advance the bill within the first two days of the 2024 legislative session. 

At least 22 states have enacted similar restrictions amid recent Republican-led crackdowns on transgender medical care, bathroom usage and sports participation. The expediency underscores South Carolina House Republicans' prioritization of the conservative issue at the outset of an election year that will pit incumbents against primary challengers from the right. 

The bill would bar health professionals from performing gender transition surgery, prescribing puberty-blocking drugs and overseeing hormone therapy for anyone under 18 years old. It also prevents Medicaid from covering such care for anyone under the age of 26.

The committee hearing was held on Tuesday and demonstrated just how much coordinated nonsense the process was. For one thing, out of 50 speaking people testifying about the bill, 49 spoke against it. And they came with "receipts." 

According to journalist Erin Reed:

 Phillip Ford, who spoke in opposition to the bill, was representing multiple groups. He stated in his speech that the mere hearing of anti-trans bills would result in a negative mental health impact to 94% of queer youth in the state, and 42% of queer youth considering suicide, citing a Trevor project study. “I was one of those youths,” he said, “several years ago when they passed the amendment banning marriage equality.” 

 After Ford pointed out that that studies show that transgender care is medically necessary and lifesaving, he was questioned by Republican Representative Heath Sessions, who asked incredulously, “Can we ask when we have speakers citing studies, can we get that turned into the committee?” He responded, “I’ve got them all right here,” pulling out a comically large binder of studies with a smirk. 

Below are some of the others who spoke against the bill. The moment with Ford shows that SC Republicans are willing to ignore accurate medical information in pursuit of their transphobic agenda.

And the fact that they chose to pass the bill out of committee in spite of parents, medical professionals and trans kids imploring them not to proves that they don't give a damn about parental rights or protecting kids; except for when they can weaponize the concepts.

Now speaking is Jessika Spearman, mother of 4 (including one child who is trans), mental health professional, and wife of a combat veteran. "My child is alive and thriving because he receives this necessary care. Please vote no on #H4624." pic.twitter.com/OQHhvtmzQ6

— SC United for Justice & Equality (@SCUnited_LGBTQ) January 9, 2024

Speaking now is Emily Foster, who is the sister of a transgender boy who grew up in #SouthCarolina. She shared that when her brother Knox finally got the trans-related care he needed, he was so much more joyful, kinder, and comfortable with himself. #SupportTransYouthSC #H4624 pic.twitter.com/R3JbktRQxX

— SC United for Justice & Equality (@SCUnited_LGBTQ) January 9, 2024

"We have glaring problems for kids in South Carolina. Why are we spending the first day of the legislative session going after a couple of thousand kids and their medically necessary care?" asks Dr. Michael O'Brien @DrOBrienMD. #SupportTransYouthSC #H4624 pic.twitter.com/9uNzjFfU4Y

— SC United for Justice & Equality (@SCUnited_LGBTQ) January 9, 2024

Thank you, Lynn Teague of @LWV, for taking the time today to testify against #H4624. This bill is a shameful example of government overreach in #SouthCarolina for the sole purpose of harming transgender youth. pic.twitter.com/TUZm2MVHbQ

— SC United for Justice & Equality (@SCUnited_LGBTQ) January 9, 2024

Veteran, father of 4, and husband Eric Childs speaks out against #H4624: "I want each of you in favor of this bill to examine your credentials and think about it you have any experience treating patients like these. If the answer is no, you should vote no." #SupportTransYouthSC pic.twitter.com/u8lACehgl6

— SC United for Justice & Equality (@SCUnited_LGBTQ) January 9, 2024

"I'm here today because my granddaughter is transgender, and there is nothing in this bill that is good for her or for the other youth in our state. When you take away the one positive option that these kids have in our state, you leave them with some awful options." #H4624 pic.twitter.com/fhC9nkUx6S

— SC United for Justice & Equality (@SCUnited_LGBTQ) January 9, 2024

Speaking now is David Bell and his wife Rebecca, who share their story of supporting their transgender child – a story of joy and progress, and a story of how challenging it has already been to navigate anti-trans hostility & how #H4624 would make it worse. #SupportTransYouthSC pic.twitter.com/XDpojep3HC

— SC United for Justice & Equality (@SCUnited_LGBTQ) January 9, 2024

In spite of all of witnesses - parents, kids and medical professionals and all residents of South Carolina - the committee chose to take the word of this one witness from the Alliance Defending Freedom who isn't a resident of SC and didn't even bother to show up in person:

Surprise! The first (and so far only) person to testify in favor of #H4624 is a representative from @AllianceDefends, a far-right, extreme organization certified as a hate group by @splcenter. They tour the country pushing these bans against the will of actual South Carolinians. pic.twitter.com/cnifgkkO88

— SC United for Justice & Equality (@SCUnited_LGBTQ) January 9, 2024

According to WLTX News 19:

If the bill passes in the House, it will move to the Senate, which may be less eager to advance the issue. The bill is sponsored by House Majority Leader Davey Hiott and House Speaker Murrell Smith, joined by 27 other GOP co-sponsors. This collective sponsorship sends a clear signal that the legislation is a top priority for House Republicans.

 

Why 'Don't Say Gay' laws may not be such a bad idea after all . . . or something like that

 Based on this comic strip courtesy of Lefty Cartoons (which you can support with your dollars - a pledge of $1 or $2 or more), maybe the push for 'Don't Say Gay' laws isn't a bad idea. After all, won't someone PLEASE think of the children. 🤣🤣🤣🤣 

Video - Don't let Donald Trump lie to you about his disastrous response to the COVID pandemic

For now, there is a very strong chance that the upcoming 2024 presidential election will be a rematch of the 2020 election. Some people are bellyaching over it because they don't like either candidate. 

I say get over it. 

There is no surprise about who I'm supporting. President Biden has done a wonderful job as far as I' concerned, particularly in this ultra petty political climate where everyone - including pundits - care more enriching themselves than serving and educating the public.

Most specifically, Trump has always been a disaster. There aren't enough words in the English language which I can use to properly articulate how much I despise that man. As to why, there are so many reasons to choose from. If I had to pick one, it would be how he botched the COVID pandemic response and thus is responsible for the deaths of countless Americans. That's bad enough in itself but to make it even worse, Trump and his supporters are going to gaslight us about what he did.

I've already posted videos on how Trump botched the COVID pandemic response and how Fox News pundits tried to cover up for him. Consider the videos below as a continuation. 

The first video below features a timeline of Trump downplaying COVID even though he knew from the start how serious it was. The second video underscores that point because it is a timeline showing how the pandemic was growing and it includes Trump telling journalist Bob Woodward that he knew how serious COVID was from the beginning.

   

   

This video below shows how Trump denies the things he said about the pandemic with the footage of him making the statements that he claimed he didn't.  

 

Brought to you by Elon Musk's definition of 'free speech' - accusations that Hilary Clinton is a lesbian connected with Jeff Epstein

 This is indicative of the bull we have to deal with now that Elon Musk is running Twitter. Musk has a serious objection to trans people (including his trans daughter) but obviously has no problem with the platform amplifying ridiculous 'Hilary Clinton is secretly a lesbian and it's all connected to Jeffrey Epstein somehow' accusations.

For the benefit of those not knowledgeable about the purveyor of this nonsense (and I apologize for making you aware of him), this is Dom Lucre, a far-right Twitter personality with over 900,000 followers. As you can tell, he is very popular because of tweets like the one above.  And very inaccurate.

According to Forbes

Dom Lucre is the internet personality of Dominick McGee, according to a New York Times feature which profiled him as one of several right-wing social media users who became famous for sharing 2020 election denial posts. Lucre is known for his active Twitter presence, where he frequently posts misinformation.

 

In June, when Madonna suffered a bacterial infection, he suggested vaccines were the reason she was hospitalized, and he previously claimed “following the science oftentimes leads to a graveyard.” In June, he tweeted: “Adrenochrome is real and I can prove it,” referencing a conspiracy theory embraced by QAnon that promotes the idea the wealthy, Hollywood elite and Democrats harvest the blood of children for a chemical called adrenochrome that they ingest to stay young. The theory has been debunked by members of the scientific community who note the chemical does not have rejuvenating properties.

 Lucre also still posts claims that the 2020 election was stolen, alleging former President Donald Trump was the rightful winner. 

 Last year, he was suspended for posting a screenshot of a video depicting child sexual abuse supposedly connected to Peter Scully, an Australian man sentenced to life in prison for child sex abuse. After an outcry by many on the right, he was brought back:

 His suspension drew immediate outrage from his right-wing supporters, some of whom tweeted “Free Dom” to encourage his reinstatement. In a series of tweets Wednesday, Twitter owner Elon Musk said he was told the suspension was because Lucre posted child exploitation images connected to Scully, claiming only the people on Twitter’s child sexual exploitation team have seen the pictures and Twitter “will delete those posts and reinstate the account.”

Also, check out who demanded Lucre's reinstatement:

 

. . .Supporters of Lucre were quick to voice their outrage over his suspension on Twitter, including notable voices like Kari Lake, the 2022 Arizona Republican gubernatorial nominee who embraced election fraud conspiracy theories. Lake tweeted a screenshot of Lucre’s suspended account, stating: “When will the censorship end, @elonmusk?”

 Chaya Raichik, known for running the right-wing Libs of TikTok social media accounts, tweeted: “FREE DOM LUCRE @elonmusk @lindayacc,” tagging both Musk and Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino. The right-wing account “End Wokeness,” which has more than 1.4 million followers, tweeted its anger over Lucre’s suspension and helped to try and trend “FREE DOM” on the platform. 

 The irony of Raichik defending someone who posted a video depicting child sex abuse while at the same time accusing the LGBTQ community of child sex abuse (which she often does) shouldn't escape anyone's notice.

'Southern Baptist Convention settles sex abuse lawsuit (and not a drag queen in sight)' & other Wed midday news briefs

Southern Baptist Convention settles sex abuse lawsuit against former judge Paul Pressler​ - Not a drag queen in sight. Hmmmm.

Nine Moments in 2023 That Made LGBTQ+ History - We ruled last year - like we always do - in spite of some people's plots and plans. 

USA Boxing updates rulebook to include strict transgender athlete policy - And watch how the haters will hate.

For LGBTQ Catholics, new declaration on blessings is welcome — but complicated - Always complicated.

Anti-LGBTQ activist Kim Davis ordered to pay another judgement. Now owes over $300,000.

Kim Davis

Remember some years ago when Kim Davis was the talk of the conservative world because of her fight against marriage equality. Remember when she was heralded as an American hero and folks like Mike Huckabee and Ted Cruz swooped in to get their pictures taken with her?

Well, the bill for all her nonsense is due and one has to wonder where are all of her friends?

From Lexington WKYT:

Kim Davis now owes roughly $360,000 to two Rowan County men she denied a marriage license and their attorneys. In on order filed Thursday, U.S. District Judge David L. Bunning awarded $246,026.40 in attorneys’ fees and $14,058.30 in expenses to attorneys for David Ermold and David Moore. Those costs are in addition to the $100,000 total the former Rowan County clerk owes Ermold and Moore after a jury in September awarded damages to the men. Davis was previously found to have violated Ermold and Moore’s constitutional rights when she denied them a marriage license in 2015. 

 The plaintiffs’ attorneys are legally entitled to request reimbursement of their fees and expenses as the “prevailing party” in the suit. The judge granted the entire sum of fees and expenses they had requested. Davis’s legal team had objected to the total, saying it should be less than half of what the plaintiffs’ attorneys originally requested. 

 This was the final issue to be resolved in a more-than-eight-year-long legal battle that included “extensive discovery, multiple motions, dispositive and otherwise, four appeals to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, one petition for writ of certiorari to the United States Supreme Court and a three-day jury trial,” Judge Bunning noted.

 

I'm sure Davis will appeal, but the point remains. Are her friends such as Mike Huckabee and Ted Cruz going to help her pay the bill should she ultimately lose this case?

Libs of TikTok's Chaya Raichik says that George Floyd's murderer is a 'political prisoner.'

Can it be that aside from being a bloodcurdling homophobe, Libs of TikTok's Chaya Raichik is also a virulent racist? Based on her tweet below, what do you think?

Gee Chaya, maybe Chauvin being in prison has to do with the fact that he was found guilty of murdering George Floyd in 2020. Chauvin, a police officer at the time, kneeled on Floyd's neck for nine minutes while Floyd was handcuffed and laying face-down on the ground. He also ignored Floyd's cries that he couldn't breathe. It was a vicious case of police brutality, and the repercussions rocked the nation for months.

I'm sure Chaya is fully aware of this. But who knows? Maybe this is her way of pining for the days when white men freely lynched black people without any type of reprisal. I shudder to hear her thoughts about Emmett Till's murder.

Whatever the case may be, Chaya's tweet about Chauvin is yet another reminder to the African-American and LGBTQ community about our common enemies. Scratch a homophobic bigot hard enough and more often than not, you'll most likely find a racist. 

And vice versa.

'GOP Congressman gives support to Uganda's 'Kill the Gays' bill' & other Thur afternoon news briefs

Michigan Rep Tim Walberg is facing a backlash after speaking in favor of Uganda's 'Kill The Gays' bill.

Republican Faces Backlash for Praising Plan to Kill Gay People​ -The simple fact that this story isn't getting more coverage says it all about how the media doesn't give a damn about LGBTQ people. I thought it was bad when they glossed over Trump's ill treatment of us. This is worse:

"Though the rest of the world is pushing back on you...though there are other major countries that are trying to get into you and ultimately change you, stand firm. Stand firm," (Michigan Rep Tim) Walberg said about Uganda's anti-homosexuality law while delivering a speech at Uganda's National Prayer Breakfast.

LGBTQ+ groups band together to challenge school district over Don’t Say Gay policies - Good for them. 

Lawsuit challenging Alabama's trans care ban for minors will move forward, judge says - Wonderful! 

19 celebrities who came out as LGBTQ in 2023 - I LIVE for articles like this.

Citing 'parental rights,' federal judge temporarily blocks Idaho law banning gender-affirming care for trans kids

Here we go 'round the mulberry bush again.

 Another federal judge has temporarily blocked a bill banning gender-affirming care for trans kids just when it was about to become law. But this one is interesting. In blocking the bill, the judge cited 'parental rights, which is the argument used recently by conservatives to undermine LGBTQ rights and safety.

 From ABC News:

 A federal judge has preliminarily blocked an Idaho law banning gender-affirming healthcare treatments for transgender people under 18 years old. The law was set to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2024, and would have made it a felony to provide such care. 

District Court Judge Lynn Winmill ruled Wednesday that the law’s restrictions violate the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause under the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. 

 "Transgender children should receive equal treatment under the law," Winmill stated in his decision. "Parents should have the right to make the most fundamental decisions about how to care for their children." 

 He continued, "Time and again, these cases illustrate that the Fourteenth Amendment’s primary role is to protect disfavored minorities and preserve our fundamental rights from legislative overreach ... and it is no less true for transgender children and their parents in the 21st Century." 

 HB 71 was signed into law by Governor Brad Little in April. The law bans puberty blockers -- which allow children to explore their gender identity and pause the growth of permanent sex characteristics -- hormone therapies, as well as surgeries. Physicians interviewed by ABC News have said that surgeries on adolescents are rare and only considered on a case-by-case basis. The legislation provides an exception for children with "medically verifiable genetic disorder of sex development," also known as intersex.

 Any medical professional convicted of providing such care could be convicted of a felony and imprisoned in the state prison for up to 10 years, according to the law's text. 

 At least 20 states have implemented restrictions on access to gender-affirming care, many of which have faced legal challenges. The law in Arkansas, the first legislation of its kind in the U.S., was also ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge.

Federal judge says DeSantis pushed false information to justify trans healthcare ban

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis

A major situation took place before the Christmas holiday and it doesn't surprise any of us who've tracked the tactics of the anti-LGBTQ industry and their allies.

According to Trudy Ring from The Advocate on December 23:

A federal judge Thursday ripped into Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for spreading lies about gender-affirming care for transgender young people.

 U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle made the comments in court during closing arguments in the lawsuit challenging Florida’s ban on this treatment. DeSantis, who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination, has repeatedly said the ban has stopped the “mutilation” of young patients, but in reality, genital surgery is not generally performed on people under 18, and the effects of puberty blockers are reversible, while hormones’ effects are largely so. Under Florida's ban these treatments are banned for minors along with surgery.

 “When I’m analyzing the governor’s motivation, what should I make of these statements?” Hinkle asked the lawyer defending the ban, according to the Associated Press. “This seems to be more than just hyperbole.” 

 . . . Hinkle has blocked the law’s provisions affecting trans minors while he hears the suit, but he let the portions dealing with trans adults — banning their treatment by anyone other than a physician — go into effect because, he said, they would not be irreparably harmed. The law allows the treatments for young people who don’t wish to transition genders but have another condition necessitating them, such as early-onset puberty, injury to the genitals, or genital anomalies. 

 During the Thursday’s hearing, Hinkle raised the question of whether DeSantis’s support for the law and statements about it were politically motivated. “The governor just says, ‘I know it’s going to be in the headlines. I know it’s going to be popular. Let’s go for it,’” he said, according to the News Service of Florida. 

John Gallagher of LGBTQ Nation said the following:

Hinkle acknowledged that he can’t fully know what’s going on in DeSantis’ head. He wondered if the plaintiffs could prove DeSantis supported the law “because he hates transgender people.” The attorney for the families said that the law is unconstitutional as written, so DeSantis’ motives aren’t the deciding factor. 

 Hinkle said that he thinks the law isn’t about preventing mutilation but about preventing trans youth from getting health care. That’s a pretty strong signal that DeSantis is about to get handed a defeat by the court. 

 It’s also another sign that DeSantis built his campaign around a losing idea. He’s been betting heavily on using his anti-trans credentials to deliver a strong showing in the Iowa presidential caucus. Meantime, with Nikki Haley on the ascendant and DeSantis’ campaign in disarray, things are looking shaky for him in Iowa. All things considered, Ron may be sorry to see 2023 end, because 2024 may be a lot worse.

Franklin Graham commits 'sin of omission' while amplifying story of trans teen removed from her parents' home

Franklin Graham

There is a case brewing in Indiana regarding a trans teen and her parents and it may go before the Supreme Court.

From Yahoo News:

Mary and Jeremy Cox are devout Christians who believe children should be raised based on their sex at birth, and the use of pronouns or names inconsistent with their biological sex is both immoral and harmful. But the Anderson couple clashed with their teenager, who is a transgender girl. The family's dispute that started with the Indiana Department of Child Services over care of the teen is now the focus of a case that could go before the U.S. Supreme Court.

 At issue, according to the Coxes' petition asking the court to take their case, is whether they have the right to raise their children how they see fit — and whether a court order keeping them from talking to their children about their beliefs on sex and gender violates their free speech rights.

 The case touches on some of the most controversial issues in Indiana, where conservative lawmakers have passed legislation targeting transgender rights, and LGBTQ+ advocates have turned to the courts to challenge some of those laws. The issue of parental rights has also gained political momentum, particularly among Republicans over the last few years, focusing on issues such as vaccination requirements, school curricula and gender-affirming care for transgender youth. 

 Naturally a case like this is going to get the anti-LGBTQ industry hopping. Certain conservatives are already amplifying the situation via their channels. 

Conservatives such as Franklin Graham:

A Christian couple's son was removed from their home by CPS because they refused to affirm his gender confusion. Pray for Mary & Jeremy Cox as they fight to protect other families & the @IndianaFamily Institute as they support their legal battle. https://t.co/Ol2QkB69XF

— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) December 19, 2023

In his tweet, Graham omitted a very crucial part of the story. The teen was removed because the conflict between she and her parents caused her to have an eating disorder.

At the heart of the case is the rift between the Coxes and the teenage child over gender identity — and an Indiana court's decision to remove her from her parents' custody partly because of a severe eating disorder that could get worse if she's returned home, where she felt unsafe, according to court records. 

 

"A disagreement between parents and a child is not a reason to remove a child from the home," the Indiana Court of Appeals said in its 2022 ruling that kept in place a Madison County judge's decision to remove the teen, identified in court records as A.C., from her parents' home. 

But the appeals court added: "This is an extreme case where Child has reacted to a disagreement with the Parents by developing an eating disorder and self-isolating, which seriously endangers Child's physical, emotional, and mental well-being."

Graham is obviously more interested in scoring points in his culture war than giving the complete story and demonstrating genuine concern, particularly to the trans teen caught in the middle.

Hat tip to Assigned Media.

'Here is what the LGBTQ community won in 2023' & other Tue midday news briefs

For LGBTQ+ Rights, 2023 Was a Year of Fighting. Here’s What We Won​ - And we are still here and standing. 

From drag bans to sports restrictions, 75 anti-LGBTQ bills have become law in 2023 - But it was a hell of a year.

LGBTQ community reacts to Pope Francis saying priests can bless same sex unions - This is causing some huge shockwaves. 

LGBTQ+ Groups to North Carolina School District: State's 'Don't Say Gay' Law Is Discrimination - No kidding. 

Eviction, threats and suicidal thoughts: Uganda's LGBTQ community endures trying year - The struggle is universal.

Conservative Scrooges gin up the hatred for First Lady Jill Biden's Christmas video

The right-wing ecosystem feeds off of hate and resentment so why should Christmas be any different for them than any other time of the year? 

A bit of magic, wonder, and joy brought to you by the talented tappers of Dorrance Dance, performing their playful interpretation of The Nutcracker Suite.

Enjoy! 💕 pic.twitter.com/qXtCm4t37o

— Jill Biden (@FLOTUS) December 13, 2023

Personally, I liked the video. However, the usual suspects used it as another opportunity to attack President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.

From Media Matters:

Right-wing media immediately began attacking the Biden White House’s Christmas celebration after First Lady Jill Biden posted a video to social media showing a tap dance company performing among the White House decorations in costumes meant to represent the holiday classic The Nutcracker. Many of the objections from conservatives seemingly criticized the inclusion of Black performers as evidence of “wokeness” or diversity, equity, and inclusion programs undermining holiday tradition, or claimed that the dance company itself is “anti-white.” 

These bizarre attacks follow more than a decade of “War on Christmas” coverage from right-wing media, which claimed that Democrats would ban observances of the holiday and wove together isolated Christmas anecdotes to stoke outrage that they often covered over much more newsworthy events, including actual wars. 

Certain comments included:

Former Trump adviser Stephen Miller: “This is a crime against Christmas.” [Twitter/X, 12/14/23] 

 Newsmax host Eric Bolling said, “The Biden family has perverted just about every single one of our institutions. Christmas is inevitably on their list, too.” Bolling lamented that this interpretation of The Nutcracker is “garish, and replete with tasteless perversions,” calling it “avant-garde and beyond woke,” and saying: “Nothing is sacred. Nothing is normal.” [Newsmax, Eric Bolling The Balance, 12/14/23]

 . . . On Fox Business’ The Bottom Line, guest Monica Crowley attacked the Biden administration for choosing “a radical, left-wing, basically communist activist dance group to do this video for Christmas. …. Nothing screams ‘happy holidays’ like ‘defund the police.’” Co-host Dagen McDowell added, “We can assume, Monica, that Joe Biden and company agree with this group's platform. It has to be the reason they picked them.” [Fox Business, The Bottom Line with Dagen and Duffy, 12/14/23]

 

In all honesty, who are some of these folks to criticize any Christmas celebration for not being wholesome or being perverted. Bolling was fired from Fox News for sending unsolicited pictures of genitalia to several female co-workers and Crowley is probably still bitter because she didn't get a prime gig in the Trump Administration after it was discovered that she plagiarized a large number of passages for her Ph.D. dissertation. As for Miller, well he's so evil that he probably cried at the end of The Wizard of Oz because Dorothy successfully got home. Even members of his own family can't stand him.

None of these folks are exactly the type you'd want to invite over for holiday cheer. All they know how to do is rage farm, i.e. exploit the prejudices and grievances of supporters for engagement or social status.  

Amanda Marcotte of Salon magazine put it best.

Biden's haters dug up a statement of anti-racism from the troupe's leader, Michelle Dorrance, and held it out as some kind of gotcha. But they gotcha'd themselves, by dragging that subtext right into the daylight. Racism and homophobia are obviously what's fueling this tantrum. Getting outraged over an anti-racist statement is an unwitting admission of what they can't say out loud. (Well, most, anyway. There were a few MAGA types who flatly stated their objection: "This is gay as hell.") All the coded language about "weird" and "classless" and "smut" was just a thin veil over the real grievance: The people MAGA hates were up in the White House having a good time. 

Anti-LGBTQ activist Christopher Rufo latest conservative done in by 'receipts'

Christopher Rufo

Conservative activist Christopher Rufo recently threatened legal action against the Southern Poverty Center for a report it put out about junk science used against the LGBTQ community. 

According to The Advocate:

The comprehensive study, “Combating Anti-LGBTQ+ Pseudoscience Through Accessible Informative Narratives,” or Project CAPTAIN, revealed during a press conference on Tuesday, details the concerted efforts of these groups to undermine LGBTQ+ rights through the manipulation of scientific realities, particularly when it comes to gender-affirming care and the health care needs for transgender people. R.G. Cravens, lead editor and author of the report, highlighted the alarming trend of using pseudoscience to target these groups. 

 “The gender-affirming care model… represents a global medical consensus. But the attempts to undermine it that we detail in this report are manufactured,” Cravens explained. “If the pseudoscience goes unchallenged… it has real life and often life-threatening consequences for trans and nonbinary people.” The report identifies over 60 groups, including familiar names like the Alliance Defending Freedom and lesser-known entities such as the Society for Evidence-based Gender Medicine. It uncovers the connections between these groups and their strategies to influence public policy and opinion. 

 “This report is pretty groundbreaking in how we’re able to look at these connections and help expose all of the groups that are at the center of this moral panic that we’re seeing,” Emerson Hodges, a research analyst at SPLC, said. “This report was ultimately designed to help provide details on pseudoscience and has become a tool to help us map out the far-right and their attempts to manipulate public opinion and advance anti-LGBT policies.” 

 

It is a good report which I encourage folks to read and share. Rufo voiced anger about it in a tweet Wednesday.

As seen by this tweet exchange, Rufo got support from conservative colleagues and various right-wing tweeters as he went through his Joan of Arc act. But Rufo is playing petty game of 'exact wording.' New York Times contributor Ben Ryan called it out:

Christopher Rufo @realchrisrufo has threatened legal action against @SPLCenter for, he said, falsely claiming that he used the phrase "stop grooming our kids" in the context of gender identity. But Rufo has suggested that "schools are 'grooming' kids into gender ideology."

Rufo… pic.twitter.com/pmDnkNCR3Y

— Benjamin Ryan (@benryanwriter) December 14, 2023

And of course, I have to get a little piece of the action. 

In June of last year, I published a post revealing how Rufo encouraged supporters to claim that 'trans strippers' were coming into schools. The post included the following tweets.

While Rufo may not have called anyone a groomer, per se, he has more than once implied it. And when he agrees with the claim that he has never used groomer rhetoric, he is lying. As seen in the above examples, he has on more than one occasion dealt in false tropes and blatant mischaracterizations of LGBTQ culture to imply that we are 'grooming' kids. 

And just in case you missed it, here is another example:

' Massachusetts sues neo-nazis after they target Drag Queen Story Hours' & other Wed midday news briefs

Massachusetts Sues Neo-Nazis After They Target Drag Queen Story Hours​ - Good. Stick it to them.

Florida school board votes for Moms for Liberty co-founder Bridget Ziegler to resign - Don't get too happy. The vote is nonbinding. She doesn't have to resign if she doesn't want to. BUT it still doesn't look good for her. She has to face the public and her fellow board members at every meeting should she not resign. 

Hulu documentary follows Iowa natives who fled state after LGBTQ+ legislation - Very much needed.

OutKick host says cyclist who defended trans competitors “is an absolute disgrace, and she has nothing to be proud of” - Simply trashy attack. These people don't care about any athletes. It's all about fueling the outrage.