Todd Starnes defusing anti-gay argument of 'religious liberty' with his numerous reporting errors

Todd Starnes

To be such a proponent of religious right bastardization of the term 'religious liberty,' Fox News personality Todd Starnes is making a litany of mistakes in his pursuit to give it credibility.

According to Media Matters, in writing about the recent case of the bakery in Oregon which got into trouble for refusing to bake a cake for a same-sex couple, Starnes made a huge error:

Fox News' Todd Starnes falsely reported that the Oregon bakers who refused to bake a wedding cake for a same-sex couple could face up to $200,000 in fines, badly misinterpreting local reports about the case, according to the state's Bureau of Labor and Industries.

On January 29, an administrative law judge in Oregon rejected a request from the lawyers representing Sweet Cakes by Melissa to dismiss a discrimination complaint filed against shop owners Aaron and Melissa Klein. The case has been ongoing since early 2013, when the bakers refused to provide a wedding cake for a same-sex couple in violation of the state's non-discrimination law. A March 10 hearing will determine what damages the couple is owed.

On February 3, Fox News reporter and serial misinformer Todd Starnes published his report on the Kleins' failed attempt to have the complaint dismissed, stating that the bakers could face $200,000 "in fines and damages"

Media Matters also points out that this led to a rebuke by Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) Communications Director Charlie Burr:

Todd Starnes is writing that the bakery owners face fines of up to $200,000 in damages. That's false. In fact, it's the Kleins who have asked for $200,000 in damages from our agency for our enforcement of the Equality Act. We rejected the request due to jurisdictional issues. The agency's prosecution unit is seeking up to $75,000 per person in damages, but no ruling on amounts has been made. [emphasis original]

Starnes has since corrected the error. However, in the same piece , he commits what can be debated to be a deliberate oversight.  The piece in question included is a listing of  how Christians are supposedly being persecuted for stances against marriage equality and the lgbt community. Of course Starnes includes the recent controversy involving former Atlanta fire chief Kelvin Cochran. Notice how he describes the situation:

Kelvin Cochran was fired from his job as the fire chief of Atlanta after he wrote a book that affirmed biblical morality. The book included references to homosexuality that angered the city’s LGBT community. The city’s mayor denied Cochran was let go because of his religious beliefs, but I believe the evidence seems to prove otherwise.

Starnes' description of the Cochran incident omitted a HUGE amount of information. Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed was very detailed as to why Cochran was let go and this was reported in numerous places.  As a matter of fact, Mayor Reed's office released an internal report which said:

Cochran did not have permission to publish his book..

Cochran freely exploited his capacity as Atlanta's fire chief in the book, when in the past he disciplined firefighters for speaking in support of Chick-Fil-A while in their capacity as firefighters during the controversy in which its founder, Dan Cathy, made anti-gay comments.

While no witness could point to any incident in which Cochran unfairly treated his employees because of his religious beliefs, there was a sentiment of "distrust and disgust" and many felt that the booklet eroded trust and have compromised the ability of the chief to provide leadership in the future.

The point is Starnes felt the need to omit these details because they would have interfered with his anti-Christian persecution narrative.


This isn't the first time Starnes has gotten into trouble, even amongst Christian writers, for his penchant of omitting details and generally getting the story wrong in order to fit his narrative.

And I doubt that it will be the last.
 

'Anti-gay groups, supporters not totally unified on marriage equality tactics' & other Wednesday midday news briefs

Inside The Last-Ditch Conservative Campaign To Target LGBT Americans - Marriage equality isn't a reality yet, so I'm not dancing but this article is very interesting. The unity amongst the religious right is falling apart. 

Anti-gay group NOM: 'To deprive a child of [a mother and a father] is akin to orphaning them' - Meanwhile there has been a steady, underground attack on same-sex families. The good thing is that it isn't happening under our noses. Many of us lgbt bloggers know what's going on and we are merely observing for now. 

 If Brittany Newmark Klein wants to be a player, she should spine up and use her real name - For those who are curious about the last news brief, this one gives more detail.

Leading UK Evangelical Leader Comes Out As A Lesbian - Yet more evidence that there are some folks who are falsely appropriating the term "Christian." Being a Christian and an lgbt are identities which can overlap WITHOUT guilt or shame but with pride. 

 Manhattan Declaration’s Eric Teetsel: God May Let LGBT Equality Destroy Society - Somehow, I DOUBT that is going to happen.

LGBT History is Black History. Black History is LGBT History

Even yours truly can take time out from blogging, truth telling, and religious right spanking to note special occasions.

February is Black History Month and I love all celebrations with regards to my racial heritage . . . except for the fact that lgbts of color who have made positive historical marks are always omitted from mainstream Black History Month mentions.

Therefore, from time to time this month, I will be presenting videos, old blog posts of note, and various other things which will remind folks that lgbts of color played a huge role in the survival and progression of African Americans:



Unfortunately, as the video above demonstrates, even marginalized groups of people can accidentally practice the tactics which led to their own omission. I am aware and saddened by the fact that the video includes no African-American transgender brothers and sisters. However, rather than apologize about it, I thought I would improvise and include a few myself. My apologies to folks I may omit and please note that those below are only a very small representation of the wide variety of talent, intellect, and dignity African-American transgender brothers and sisters have brought to America:

Lucy Hicks Anderson - marriage equality pioneer

Kylar Broadus - Activist, attorney, professor

Monica Roberts - journalist, activist, good friend (I call her Cleopatra Jones behind her back).

Miss Major Griffin Gracy - participant at Stonewall

Tiq Milan - Senior Media Strategist of National News, GLAAD

Kye Allums - NCAA Divison 1 basketball star

'Why Nancy Reagan turned down Rock Hudson's plea for help before he died' & other Tuesday midday news briefs

Nancy Reagan Turned Down Rock Hudson’s Plea For Help Nine Weeks Before He Died - Easily one of the best, saddest, and most thorough stories I have ever read. And know this - regardless of your opinion after reading it, this is only the beginning.  There will be more stories like this coming out.  Whether or not HIV/AIDS is cured (and I hope that it is), future generations will view it in the same light as racism - an ugly physical manifestation brought to life by our egos, religious exploitations and ignorance; a ghost which will never be fully exorcised; an undying ravenous minotaur in a labyrinth which can never be destroyed. And the actions of those who could have slayed the beast in its infancy, but chose not to, will be put in the spotlight .  

Eleventh Circuit won’t halt Alabama same-sex marriages - Roy Moore. You are not stopping this.

Churches in Mountain Home, Ark. refuse funeral for gay man - There will more on this story in the Dallas Voice on Friday. When I hear about things like this, I don't get angry. I get sad because these folks will answer to God for their judgment.  

Jon Stewart rips into Mike Huckabee’s outrageous remarks about same-sex marriage - Thank you Jon Stewart for doing what the media should have but DID NOT do. 

 Oregon Bakery Found Culpable For Anti-Gay Discrimination, Could Face $150,000 Fine - I posted about this last night but Zack Ford from Think Progress gives a much better analysis.

Montana pastor: Why not discriminate against gays. We discriminate against child molestation

Folks who claim that we lgbts are too pushy and or can't handle "disagreement" with our supposed lifestyle don't know what we know and they certainly don't hear what we hear.

And most of all, they don't take into account how certain things which are said affects our lgbt children.

What I am talking about is this awful video below from January in which a Montana pastor spoke to lawmakers in opposition of a non-discrimination bill:

Partial Transcript:

 “I am here primarily as representative of myself and my family, most specifically my children, and that wouldn’t change if one of my children were to come forward and announce themselves as homosexual,” Steve Boettger of the First Baptist Church of Cascade said at the hearing.

“I firmly believe I do not have to agree with someone’s behavior in order to continue loving them.” “We do, as a culture and as a people, discriminate against behavior, and whether it is voluntary, innate, in-born, a choice, it is really not relevant to the point that it is indeed behavior,” he explained.

“For instance, we discriminate against incest. We discriminate against child molestation. We discriminate against a long list of behaviors that have long been believed to be wrong.”

 “I don’t understand how it is we could possibly disagree with what thousands of years have said, that most people have agreed is wrong. I think it is easy to understand that every advancement of this agenda… comes at the expense of what our founders, who I believe were right, set forth as our first right, and that is the right of religious expression.”

Mr. Boettger seems to forget that historically, segregation and the second-class status of women was thought to be a part of correct "religious expression." As for  the rest of his speech, it always amazes me when folks reduce lgbts to their fevered sexual imaginations or compare us to pedophiles and then act all shocked when we take offense.

Saying you love someone before ripping away their humanity is merely a facade. It's no different than expressing love before you proceed to punch out of your partner.

Lgbts don't need nor do we want love like that and personally if I DID want love like that, I would pay my mother to pistol whip me (apologies to Suzanne Sugarbaker).

By the way,the bill was voted down 7-5 thanks to the Republicans who were against it.

Hat tip to Raw Story.

Anti-gay bakery & 'religious liberty' argument loses again

No matter how much they cried, moaned, and played the victim in front of a national audience, the owners of an Oregon bakery learned that the law is the law for everyone.

According to the Willamette Week newspaper:

The gears of justice grind slowly. But administrative law judge Alan McCullough made an interim determination that Gresham bakery Sweet Cakes by Melissa discriminated unlawfully when they refused to serve a lesbian couple in May 2013.

Sweet Cakes owner Aaron Klein denied a wedding cake to the couple in May of 2013, after learning that the cake would be eaten at a same-sex wedding. The couple filed a complaint, and in January 2014, the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries found "substantial evidence" that Sweet Cakes wasn't within their rights to deny service. 

A hearing on March 10 will determine whether the bakery owes the couple damages. Sweet Melissa owners Aaron and Melissa Klein filed for a summary dismissal of the complaint, citing religious freedoms. They also attempted to retrieve $200,000 in damages and legal fees from the couple. 

The Kleins have been the cause celebres of "religious freedom," or the right to refuse businesses to anyone on the grounds of "personal religious beliefs."

"Religious freedom" has been the calling card of retaliation for anti-gay groups in the wake losing several marriage equality cases in federal court. They claim that marriage equality would force businesses to serve same-sex couples in contradiction to the business owners' religious objections to marriage equality. The irony is that at the time of the incident, Oregon didn't allow gay couples to be legally married.

During a "Values Voters Summit" last year, Melissa Klein openly wept while claiming, without corroborating evidence, that the bakery was shut down and harassed.

Since then, several state legislatures have been pushing hard for "religious liberty" laws to be passed, including in Oklahoma, Texas and South Carolina.

While I am almost supportive for the Kleins, I am more supportive for the same-sex couples who would be negatively affected if any "religious freedom" bill or action became remotely close to law.

When you own a business, you do own a bit of power over people's lives. Who is to say in the future, if these bills became law, a group of businesses wouldn't unite to keep same-sex couples out of their area by denying food service, places to live via rental properties, or what have you?

And where would the anti-gay groups who championed these "religious liberty" laws be when all of this would be taking place?

Who do you think would be advising these businesses behind the scenes?

'Anti-gay lawmakers want revenge for losing marriage equality fights' & other Monday midday news briefs

Alabama Lawmaker: Same-Sex Couples Don’t Deserve Same Financial Benefits As Other Families - Which is why the opposition has such a hard time formulating an argument against marriage equality which is not religious and not full of lies. They come across as mean as a rattlesnake with an attitude.

Anti-Gay Lawmakers Seek Revenge With Dangerous New Laws - That's what it's all about. Revenge and intimidation and neither will work.  

The 5 Worst Fears About Coming Out As LGBT Later In Life - This article is VERY APPROPRIATE. Often times when we think of coming out, we think of young folks. Coming out crosses all age groups. 

 This Homophobic Lawmaker Is Still Trying Ban Same-Sex Marriage In Hawaii - Or what happens when a Peter LaBarbera-ish person gets a legislative seat.

 Steph Grant Talks About Life As A Photographer For LGBT Weddings - This is awesome!

What Mike Huckabee didn't say about gays during the CNN interview . . .

Possible presidential candidate Mike Huckabee was on CNN yesterday pulling his "who, me?" routine regarding his "disagreement" with marriage equality and lgbts in general.  He even pulled the "I've got gay friends" card. No doubt his performance will make headlines from coast to coast:

What a pity that people will remember the above rather than the below clip in 2012 when Huckabee implied that gays should be kept out of the boy scouts for the sake of protecting the boys from abuse:

Luckily for Huckabee, he was able to pull off his subterfuge last night. Lucky for him. Unlucky for the rest of us.

'Marriage equality expected to boost Florida's economy' & other Friday midday news briefs

ExxonMobil Adds LGBT Protections - Lesson learned here. It took 17 years for this to happen and it finally did. Never give up. 

Gay Marriage Expected to Boost Local Economy - Money, money, money, money. MONEY! Good news from Florida.
 
Breaking: Sally Kern Withdraws Anti-Gay 'License To Discriminate' Bill - Unfortunately her two other bills, and Kern herself, remains in the legislature.  

FRC prays for judges, governors, legislators to ignore marriage equality rulings - Cause apparently praying for an ending to war, poverty, and disease aren't as important . . .  

Nick Teich's Story From The Let Love Define Family Series - A camp which helps our transgender and gender nonconforming children will always get support from me.  

When Fox News Defended Bryan Fischer’s Anti-Gay Extremism - You really don't think that we would forget, did you?

Family Research Council supports punishing clerks who follow the law on gay marriage

When it comes to these "religious freedom" bills, particularly involving clerks and government employees with regards to legal gay marriages, the Family Research Council's change of semantics is very telling.

On one hand, the group claims that marriage equality is dangerous because it pits a person's employment and livelihood against their religious beliefs:

"As more states are forced to redefine marriage, contrary to nature and directly in conflict with the will of millions, more Americans will see and experience attacks on their religious freedom.   . . .  As more and more people lose their livelihoods because they refuse to not just tolerate but celebrate same-sex marriage, Americans will see the true goal, which is for activists to use the Court to impose a redefinition of natural marriage on the entire nation." - October 16, 2014.

Yet when it comes to what we are beginning to see now - state legislators introducing bills to actually punish clerks and government employees for legally issuing same-sex marriage licenses, FRC isn't so concerned by people's livelihoods (emphasis on important part of FRC's statement added by me):

Where's the resistance to same-sex "marriage?" A better question might be: where isn't it? While the Left is busy telling the media that Americans have "moved on" from marriage, conservatives everywhere are proving them wrong. In several states, the backlash to the courts' overreach on marriage is sprouting up in legislative committees faster than reporters can cover them. Even the New York Times is finally admitting that the wave of opposition isn't subsiding in states where out-of-control judges swung their gavels like sledgehammers against voter-approved marriage laws.

By large numbers, leaders are firing back with all kinds of legislation to stop the spread of court-imposed same-sex "marriage" at their borders, including some bills that take aim at officials who act against the will of the people.

In Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas, Republicans are moving quickly on measures that would penalize any government employee caught issuing same-sex "marriage" licenses -- regardless of the courts' orders. - January 30, 2015

Shouldn't FRC be as concerned for the freedom and livelihoods of employees who may actually want to issue same-sex marriage licenses in accordance to their beliefs or, at the very least, or want to follow the law.

Or perhaps this idea of "religious freedom" is yet another dodge perpetrated by FRC and other so-called morality groups. Perhaps this is about what it's always been about  - keeping the lgbt community under heel via the exploitation of fear and religious beliefs.

This idea of the preservation of "religious freedom" is merely the latest code phrase.

In the 70s, they claimed to stand against lgbt equality because they wanted to "protect the children."

In the 80s, it was all about exploiting the HIV/AIDS crisis.

In the 90s, they screamed about "special rights."

And in the years afterward, it was about "protecting the definition of marriage."

Now, it's all about religious freedom; the newest buzzword used to mask old prejudices.

This ado isn't about religious freedom any more than it was about "protecting the children" or stopping "special rights" or "saving marriage."

It's about the unfortunate special ability to wrap up old rotten prejudices in new clean packages and continue to sell them to America.

AFA retains Bryan Fischer and then sells him out . . . HARD

The "AFA's firing of Bryan Fischer" saga just took a strange turn today.

According to Right Wing Watch:

Bryan Fischer kicked off his radio program today by refuting reports that he had been fired by the American Family Association, explaining that he has simply given up his role as an official AFA spokesman while retaining his role as a daily radio host for AFA's radio outlet, American Family Radio. Fischer said that his designation as an AFA spokesman while he also served as a radio host was creating confusion and resulting in the personal opinions he expressed on the radio being unfairly attributed to the AFA. As such, Fischer will no longer serve as an official voice for AFA but will continue to spew his bigotry from the AFA's radio station

 But Fischer's explanation omits  a letter AFA sent to the Southern Poverty Law Center - a letter which will probably be forever known as the worst cover-your-ass letter in the history of mankind.

In this letter, AFA said in the name of "free speech," the organization allows Fischer to have a radio program on its network. And then the AFA proceeded to repudiate and rebuke several claims Fischer made, as well as any association to Fischer himself:

If the AFA thought this letter solved anything, the organization is sadly mistaken because not there are more questions the organizations need to answer. Most specifically, if AFA repudiates Fischer's statements, then why give him a platform to spew them in the first place?

Hat tip to Right Wing Watch and SPLC.

'Bryan Fischer has made AFA the 'Lady Macbeth' of the Religious Right' & other Thursday midday news briefs

Editor's note - Some who have been following the firing of AFA's Bryan Fischer have pointed out  that while he lost an official title with the group, he still retains his radio show, i.e. his platform where he spews the verbal venom which got him into trouble. This is true, but don't look at it as a negative. To me, it's like birthday cake with big scoop of ice cream. After years of denying and dodging, AFA has tacitly admitted the fact that Fischer's rhetoric is vile, HOWEVER  Fischer is too bullheaded and stupid to lessen up on it. In other words, the AFA and Fischer is caught in a hole and Fischer is insistent on digging that hole deeper. Works for me.

The AFA Cannot Wash Its Hands Of Bryan Fischer's Bigotry That Easily - You had better believe that, PARTICULARLY if any of us lgbt bloggers have anything to say about it. The American Family Association just become the Lady Macbeth (i.e. sleepwalking scene) of the Religious Right.

 Alabama Probate Judges Org. Backs Down, Advises Members To Issue Same-Sex Marriage Licenses If Stay Is Lifted - Glad to see that the group is getting smart.  

Ford employee says he was fired for anti-gay remarks: "Homosexual behavior leads to death" - And he has filed a federal lawsuit, too. Good. I want to see how this plays out.  

Houston Fox Affiliate Peddles Transphobic Attack On Equal Rights Ordinance - We are continuing to have this same problem with this same Houston television station pushing the same transphobic lies. I doubt it is a coincidence.  

Iowa Gallery Stops Hosting Weddings To Avoid Serving Same-Sex Couples - Sorry to those who disagree but we are winning the right to marry fair and square. Some folks are trying to make us seem mean and uncompromising, but I got two problems with that. One - lgbts are compromised from the day we are born and especially when we realize how we are different from other little boys and girls. Second - in all of these "religious freedom controversies," no one on the other side has given us a solution as to how our needs can be accommodated if clerks don't want to marry us and we are refused service. The "you can just go somewhere else" argument is just damn rude.

Bryan Fischer fired from the AFA!

Bryan Fischer

Rachel Maddow has just reported the following:

Bryan Fischer has been fired from the American Family Association!

Details are sketchy and we don't know what the firing entails, but it looks like the entire incident has to do with a trip to Israel which would have included 60 members of the Republican National Convention scheduled from Jan. 31 to Feb. 8. The trip was going to be paid for by the American Family Association.

And the trip probably would have flown under the radar except for the watchful eye of the Southern Poverty Law Center.

According to Media Edge Network:

In a letter dated January 14 to RNC offices across the country, SPLC President Richard Cohen reminded RNC members of the AFA's extremism and its demonizing attacks on minorities.

"Given the AFA's public statements - including the false contention that gay men were responsible for the Holocaust, an idea undoubtedly offensive to Israelis - political leaders should not lend the prestige of their office to this event or to this organization," Cohen wrote.
 
Cohen's letter goes on to outline several of Bryan Fischer's (director of issue analysis and spokesman for the hate group) more outrageous anti-LGBT and racist statements including his support of Uganda's "kill the gays" bill and his statement that African Americans "rut like rabbits."

"Given that the disease of anti-Semitism is flaring throughout the world, we certainly understand your desire to show your commitment to Israel at this time," Cohen wrote to RNC members. "But accepting funding from an extremist group like the AFA would make a mockery of that commitment and legitimize its extremism."

According to the Israeli news agency Haaretz , of the 168 RNC members invited, more than one-third accepted.

Haaretz also notes that Fischer and Tim Wildmom, president of the AFA, as well as the group's external public relations representative, did not reply to multiple requests for their response to SPLC's statements.

However, according to Maddow, AFA did respond today:

 Maddow quoted AFA President Tim Wildmon as dismissing Fischer as “just a talk show host” who is no longer associated with the AFA. When asked specifically what bothered him about Fischer, he cited “the soundbite quotes, you know, the Hitler and the homosexuality one… we reject that.”

That would be a bizarre explanation by Wildmon, seeing that Fischer was, before today, AFA's Director of Issues Analysis. And as for AFA's "rejection of Fischer's rhetoric, just when did that begin? Fischer has been saying wildly inane things ever since he was hired by the organization (see video below)

In 2010, SPLC  designated the AFA and several other religious right organizations as hate groups due to their dehumanizing and bigoted rhetoric against the lgbt community.

In the case of the AFA, SPLC has on several occasions pinpointed the rhetoric of Fischer as a main reason why it considered AFA to be a hate group:

Since joining the AFA as director of issue analysis for government and public policy, Fischer has used the group's website and its radio network to promote outrageous and false claims about LGBT people, Muslims, Native Americans and African Americans. Despite Fischer's extreme views – like blaming gay men for the Holocaust, calling for the criminalization of homosexuality, and calling for the banning of Muslim immigration to the U.S. – prominent conservatives continue to appear on Fischer's radio show.

In this particular case, it is beginning to sound as if  SPLC was able to get the media in Israel buzzing about AFA and Fischer before the trip began, thus creating a possibly huge embarrassing incident not only for  anti-gay group but also the Republican National Convention.  And that may have been the thing which cost Fischer his job.

Headlines in several Jewish and  Israeli newspapers read as such:

US NGO: 'Hate group' funding Republican National Committee trip to Israel
  
GOP Israel trip funded by 'hate group,' watchdog says

 'Hate Group' Funds Republican Trip to Israel

Anti-Gay Group Funds US Politicians Visit to Israel


As I said before, details are very sketchy but until the entire story comes out, let's all take a look at the rhetoric of  one Bryan Fischer when he WAS employed by the American Family Association:



UPDATE - According to The New Civil Rights Movement, Fischer's replacement isn't any better:

But, and there are many buts, there is much more involved in this story, including the fact that Fischer's de facto replacement is David Lane, the head of the American Renewal Project, which is housed in and funded by the American Family Association.

Lane is so toxic that an op-ed he wrote for World Net Daily, the same site that regularly claims President Barack Obama is gay, was so offensive it was actually removed from the site.

Will the lgbt or mainstream media seriously tackle anti-gay propaganda before I reach the social security age?

It is my hope that one day in the not so distant future, the overall lgbt and mainstream media will take a look at the anti-gay propaganda spewed out by so-called morality groups and their spokespeople (i.e. the Family Research Council, the American Family Association, the National Organization for Marriage, etc)

. It is also my hope that the overall lgbt and mainstream media analyzes how this propaganda plays a major part in exploiting religious beliefs and justifying any action which designates lgbts as second-class citizens

Propaganda like this for example:

Or this:

Or this:

No matter how blatantly or subtle it's put out there, ugly propaganda about the lgbt community plays a huge role in galvanizing folks against us.  And it's time the lgbt community demanded serious attention paid to it in a manner which would put those organizations and spokespeople who uses it on the defensive (for a change).

Until that time comes, enjoy another look at my free booklet, How They See Us: Unmasking the Religious Right's War on Gay America. At the very least, it's a start.

If you cannot download it via the embed from Scribd, feel free to download your copy from here or here.

How They See Us by Alvin A. McEwen

'Anti-gay legislator Sally Kern defends her attacks on lgbt equality' & other Wednesday midday news briefs

'I Don’t Hate Anybody': Rep. Sally Kern Defends Her Three Latest Anti-Gay Bills (Video) - Sally Kern, the notoriously anti-gay Oklahoma legislator attempts to defend her three latest anti-gay bills. Her defense leaves me with only three explanations with regards to her homophobia  Either she is a religious right fembot - you know like the kind who fought the Bionic Woman in the 1970s tv series. Or at some point in her life, someone tied her down, held open her eye,s and made her watch those God-awful anti-gay "documentaries" they used to show in the 80s for a 24 hr period until she became totally indoctrinated by them. Or the safe and rational explanation. Kern is representative of the dangers of anti-gay propaganda in the hands of anyone with any shred of power over people's lives.

Organizers Of Gov. Jindal's Prayer Rally Retroactively Try To Cover Up Cindy Jacobs' Endorsement - And with this very quiet backslide which they hope no one will notice, the organizers of Bobby Jindal's recent prayer rally suffers a huge embarrassment.

 Rafael Cruz warns Christians: ‘God will hold you accountable’ if transgender people use public toilets - You know, I don't want to talk about anyone's father even if it is Sen. Ted Cruz (who I really can't stand in the first place) but DAMN!!!!  

Why The Mormon Church Deserves No Credit For Supporting LGBT Protections (At Least Not Yet) - The Mormon Church's possible change of attitude has been talked about for the last two days, but as the article notes, let's not be so quick to trust it as of yet. 

 Joel Grey Comes Out: 'Cabaret' Star Says 'I'm A Gay Man' At Age 82 - FINALLY! My gay ray hits a target I've been after! (Call me, Joel!)

Family Research Council have become 'ambulance chasers for Jesus'

Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council

When I began this blog, I was big on catching anti-gay groups when they lied about studies or used junk science against the lgbt community.

I've noticed - and I hope you have too - that a lot of them don't rely on those falsehoods as much as they used to. I am hoping that future generations will credit this blog for spooking them out of that habit.

But anti-gay groups can still go for the false theatrics. Take the Family Research Council for example. The organization's president, Tony Perkins, sent out this hair-raising message:

Unelected judges and a handful of lawyers have been pushing state marriage amendments over like sleeping cows. Meanwhile, stunned Americans have struggled to make sense of a legal system that puts its own political agenda ahead of the expressed will of the people. Like most conservatives, FRC has watched in horror as the courts have robbed tens of millions of Americans of their voice on an issue of critical importance -- not just to our nation's stability, but to its very survival.

In spite of the Family Research Council's claim, Americans are not freaking out over the legalization of marriage equality. According to a Gallup poll from early last year, support for marriage equality reached 55 percent. Another poll completed earlier than the Gallup poll, but also from last year, found that most religious Americans, across denominational lines, support marriage equality Lastly, according to a poll announced later in 2014, support for marriage equality reached 52 percent.

So this idea that Americans are wringing their hands across the nation at the success of marriage equality is yet a lie in the Family Research Council's arsenal of deceptions and misdirections.

Another arsenal of FRC - and this isn't simply a weapon of FRC alone - is when they deliberately blow situations out of proportions to make it seem that marriage equality is creating a sort of last siege of the Alamo when it comes to the freedoms and rights of some evangelicals.

A wedding photographer breaks a contract because she finds out that the couple is gay and in FRC's hands, she is transformed into Joan of Arc three seconds before the first torch is added to the stake.

A cake decorator refuses to bake a cake for a gay couple even in a state where marriage equality is not yet legal, the Family Research Council parades her in front of a boardroom panel, where she sheds a few tears because of the situation which is clearly HER fault. Suddenly she becomes Mildred Pierce two seconds after her ungrateful, bratty daughter Veda slapped the color out of her cheeks.

And the worse is when the Family Research Council and their ilk create these new phrases  which bombard the airwaves.Phrases such as "religious freedom" or  "religious liberty."

Take out the essences of God and Jesus and the phrases and words become less palpable, but more familiar. They become words like "segregation," "discrimination," "homophobia," entitlement."

It's all a game created to play upon people's fears, religious beliefs, and self-righteousness which all  come from the belief that their religion places them squarely in God's favor above the so-called rabble.

The sad thing is that FRC is really good at playing the game. Worse than that, the folks they are exploiting practically beg to be taken advantage of.

Ambulance chasing for Jesus can be quite lucrative.

AL Chief Justice Roy Moore's anti-marriage equality statement more about bigotry and less about morality or ethics

Roy Moore

For all of the whining they do about alleged "activist judges," it looks like the religious right may have found one which will allow them to make an exception.

According to The New Civil Rights Movement:

 On Friday and Monday a federal judge struck down Alabama's ban on same-sex marriage in two separate cases, prompting state Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore to issue a three-page declaration promising he will not observe the rulings.

  . . . "As Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, I will continue to recognize the Alabama Constitution and the will of the people overwhelmingly expressed in the Sanctity of Marriage Amendment," Moore wrote. "If we are to preserve that 'reverent morality which is our source of all beneficent progress in social and political improvement,' then we must act to oppose such tyranny!" he added.

In his letter, addressed to Alabama Republican Governor Robert Bentley, Moore warned "the destruction of that institution is upon us by federal courts using specious pretexts based on the Equal Protection, Due Process and Full Faith and Credit Clauses of the United States Constitution."

"I would advise," Moore added, that any marriage licenses issued to same-sex couples "would be in defiance of the laws and Constitution of Alabama," and claimed that the State of Alabama is not bound by decisions of federal district or appellate courts.

Moore also quoted the bible in his letter, Mark 10:6-9, which begins, "But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’

Now before anyone begins spouting righteous outrage and talk about how Moore should lose his job, I should inform that he once did. In 2003, he was removed as chief justice of Alabama for his refusal to obey a federal court order and remove a  2.6 ton stone monument of the Ten Commandments he had placed at the courthouse. In 2012, he was voted back in as Alabama's chief justice.

But before that infamous incident, there were other incidents which strongly indicated that Moore was prejudiced against the lgbt community.

In 2002, Lambda Legal filed a formal complaint  with the Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission against Moore, claiming that he made "shockingly prejudiced statements against gay people in a recent legal opinion."

'Hearing over lgbt protections in Idaho become highly emotional' & other Tuesday midday news briefs

Push for gay protections in Idaho stirs emotional debate - Even as we speak, folks are having a huge debate regarding lgbt protections in Idaho complete with testimony given to lawmakers. Included amongst those giving testimony (and also tweeting about the event) is Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council. 

You know, THIS Peter Sprigg: 

 Ted Cruz To Introduce Federal Amendment Prohibiting Judges From Overturning Gay Marriage Bans - It's a ridiculous idea which won't work but always be careful of those willing to push inanely ridiculous ideas, particularly if they have the power of being a United States senator.

Bishops Freak Out After Catholic Hospitals Consider Giving Equal Rights To Gay People - Because freaking out over such things is what Jesus would do. #snark! 

 Former Atlanta fire chief files religious discrimination complaint against city - Good grief! Kelvin Cochran isn't giving up his on persecution angle but Mayor Kasim Reed isn't cutting ANY slack either.

Court Tosses Out Prostitution Conviction For Woman Who Was Just Walking Down The Street - Good! I swear I have never heard of such a ridiculous reason to arrest someone!

Bobby Jindal's prayer rally organizer: Gays encompass 'unvarnished energy of Satan'

Leave it to the American Family Association's Bryan Fischer to put an exclamation point on LA Gov. Bobby Jindal's transparent "prayer rally" held last weekend.

Why even bother to give reasons as to why Jindal was totally in wrong for holding this rally or allowing Fischer's organization, the  anti-gay hate group American Family Association, to play a lead role by footing the bill.

Why indeed, when you can let Fischer make the point for you:

'Politician wants to jail clerks for marrying same-sex couples' & other Monday midday news briefs

Politician Wants Arrests After Gays Marry - This is officially the deep end. After predicting that lgbt equality would lead to evangelicals to be arrested, an evangelical politician seem to be pressing for the same thing to happen to clerks who marry same-sex couples. 

Ben Carson Uses Poison Cake Example to Explain Why It's Okay to Discriminate Against Gays - Dear Lord, why is every prominent black conservative is crazy? 

 The Real Problems With Bobby Jindal And His Prayer Rally - Honey, I've a list a couple of miles long . . .

 Meet The U.S. Pastor Council, The Group Working To Repeal Texas's Non-Discrimination Laws - Education is power because I'm betting that a group like this is present in almost every state in the nation.

Bobby Jindal wants to change the Constitution to suit his religion

Jindal

Fresh from his all-day "prayer rally," Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal made another move to woo evangelicals to his side just in case he decides to run for president.

And it involved another slap in the face to the lgbt community. In an interview on the ABC Sunday news program This Week, Jindal told host George Stephanopoulos that he would support a constitutional amendment outlawing marriage equality if the court rules for it later this year.

 I don't know what disappoints me more - that Jindal would actually support enshrining discrimination in the Constitution or his reasons why he would:

 I believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. My faith teaches me that, my Christian faith teaches me that," Jindal responded. "If the Supreme Court were to throw out our law, our constitutional amendment -- I hope they wouldn't do that -- if they were to do that, I certainly will support Ted Cruz and others that are talking about making an amendment in the congress and D.C., a constitutional amendment to allow states to continue to define marriage."

What in the world should Jindal's faith have anything to do with it?   It should be downright embarrassing for him to say in public that he wants to make lgbt Americans second class citizens just so, at least in his mind, that God would give him a "gold star."

In reality, Jindal has been meandering pitifully ever since the news of his prayer rally. When challenged about the anti-gay, anti-Islamic nature of the American Family Association, the group who paid for the rally, Jindal played the "religious liberty" card. Now when asked about marriage equality and why should discrimination be enshrined in our Constitution, Jindal is playing the same card.

If you ask me, Jindal's shtick is getting old, not to mention annoyingly transparent.

'Anti-gay right pushing idea of 'payback' over possible SCOTUS marriage equality ruling' & other Friday midday news briefs

GOP State Rep. Sally Kern Announces Trifecta Of Anti-Gay Legislation - Folks, if you are sitting on your tuckus waiting for the Supreme Court's marriage equality ruling, I've got news for you. There are plans in several state legislatures to make us pay severely for that possible victory. I've talked about a few, but the one in Oklahoma sponsored by perennial anti-gay legislator Sally Kern is the worst. She is proposing three bills - one which would bar state employees from recognizing marriage equality. One which would give parents approval to abuse their children via the quackery of "ex-gay" therapy. And last but not least, one which would allow broad discrimination against lgbt citizens in businesses: 

An LGBT person could literally be shunned by their entire town, unable to purchase food, rent or buy a home, buy a car, gasoline, insurance, clothing, or even electricity. They could find no doctor in their town will provide medical attention. If an LGBT person were to have a heart attack, a private ambulance service or EMT could legally refuse to assist or take him or her to the hospital. That hospital, if private, could legally refuse them service under Kern's law. 

 What can be done about this? Well calling Kern ugly names online is not a thing to do. Get organized, keep a look out at your own state legislatures, meet various legislators, write letters to the editor. In other words - raise complete %$!@ 

North Carolina’s planned ‘religious freedom’ bills waste time, money on unfairness - Second verse. Same as the first.  

Fox News Darling: Do Whatever It Takes To Stop 'Evil' Gays From Marrying - Verse number three. It is getting scary. So what do you do? You have two choices. Go home and hide under your bed or stay and fight with dignity and resolution that you will win. My choice has already been made.

Staver: If People Accept A SCOTUS Ruling In Favor Of Gay Marriage 'Then America Is Gone' - You know, I would generally be spooked at Staver's comment but he has put America at death's door so much that the Grim Reaper has given us our own key.

 Major Iowa caucus player calls on next President to 'politely reject unjust SCOTUS opinions' - ANOTHER major religious right figure is calling for a pro-marriage equality ruling from the Supreme Court to be ignored. If there was the right amount of media on this, these statements would be a major story.  

Pro-LGBT Campaign One Million Kids Launches Ahead Of Supreme Court's Marriage Equality Ruling - In all of the negativity, something positive. I support this tremendously. 

 Bobby Jindal's Extremist Prayer Rally Brings Together Prophets, Bigots And Far-Right Activists - And let's not forget "baby." Bobby Jindal's prayer rally is this weekend. For those who are interested, here is a "line up" of the folks Jindal consider "Christians" who will help supposedly put America back on course.

'God's brats' should stop throwing tantrums over marriage equality losses

Somewhat disturbing incidents are taking place across America when it comes to marriage equality.

As the lgbt community win battle after battle, certain folks are showing their true faces, or in street vernacular, their behinds.

Possible presidential candidate Mike Huckabee is now claiming that states can ignore Supreme Court rulings on marriage equality if they  don't agree with them. Another possible presidential candidate Ben Carson is talking about removing judges who rule in favor of marriage equality. Both Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio have come out and said judges have no power to overturn marriage equality ban.

And several state legislatures are fluctuating between passing laws which would "protect" clerks from marrying same-sex couples if they don't agree with gay marriage to punishing them severely for marrying same-sex couples if in fact they do agree with gay marriage.

So what's going on here? What's with all of the madness. What's with the quiet, but nonetheless, bothersome rebellion of our system of governance.

No matter what these folks may say, what soundbites and talking points they may throw out, there is nothing noble about their behavior.

It basically comes down to them throwing a tantrum because they can't get their way. I mean really . . .  all of this stuff about "the will of the people," "unelected judges," and the rest of the vicious phrases they throw out is the equivalent of a little brat screaming and crying when their parents won't let them have a piece of candy.

They seem to wanting to blame lgbts for their shortsighted stupidity. When all of this "we have to protect marriage" mania got stoked up in 2004, it amazes me that no one seemed to think that the actions taken to supposedly protect marriage back then (i.e. the anti-gay marriage statewide laws) would be challenged. After all, it's generally what happens when folks feel that a law violates the Constitution.

And once these laws were challenged in court, where were these righteously indignant people? Where was Mike Huckabee or Ben Carson? For that matter, where were the religious right groups such as the Family Research Council and the National Organization for Marriage? For all of their talk about marriage "being the joining of two halves of humanity" or "marriage being ordained to be between a man and a woman by God," they never volunteered to take the stand, They never volunteered to testify.

Probably because it's easy to spook people into voting the way you want by spinning implied horror stories of "gay recruitment" or "anti-Christian persecution." Not so much when you are in a court of law.

When the time came for them to defend their positions, they couldn't because they didn't have any positions worthy of defending. They had nothing. Nada. Bupkiss.

How can their inability to defend their position translate into a so-called gay fiat on marriage?

It doesn't.

So to all of these folks throwing tantrums. The Mike Huckabees, the Ben Carsons, the Mark Rubios, etc, I have some advice.

Stop crying, wipe your eyes, fix your face, and above all, get over yourselves. You had every opportunity to defend these laws and you chose not to. Maybe because you knew you had no defense, Maybe because you didn't want to be questioned on the tactics you undertook to get these laws.

Whatever the case is, you lost and hopefully you will continue to lose. If you want to blame someone, have a good long look in the mirror.

#TBT - Anita Bryant was not funny

I heard a while back that someone is going to write about the infamous campaign Anita Bryant waged against the lgbt community in the 70s as a comedy.

That would be a slap in the face to lgbt history because Bryant was not funny. She was one of the first to create the vile mixture of Biblical beliefs and horror stories about lgbts. The things she said and the tactics she undertook are still used by the anti-gay right today.

Don't take my word for it. Check out this short interview from the 70s while she was in the midst of her power:

'Why are anti-gay hate groups held to a different standard of legitimacy' & other Thursday midday news briefs

Why Does The New York Times Give Equal Time to a Hate Group? - An excellent question and an excellent argument. However, allow me to throw in an opinion. Anti-gay hate groups are treated differently from religious and racial hate groups because I don't think the lgbt community has made a strong enough case to bring these groups out from the aura of legitimacy which they don't deserve. The Southern Poverty Law Center did the important groundwork.  However, that groundwork is not enough. It is up to the lgbt community via our blogs, our news sources, and our journalists to dig deep and bring a lot of things to light. The actions and tactics of groups like the Family Research Council, the American Family Association, etc. go back over 30 years. Subsequently, we are going to have to overturn every stone - the junk science studies, the false testimonies in front of congressional bodies, the distortion of legitimate research, the constant lie after lie which brazenly conjured up false images of gay men dragging innocent children into bathrooms or deliberately infecting folks with AIDS.  All of these things were done, said, or implied by these so-called morality groups, their spokespeople, and  their supporters.  But as long as our community allows this stuff to stay buried, we will never make the media hold these groups accountable.

Ted Cruz: Courts shouldn’t overturn gay marriage bans - Unbelievable. Why are people ignorant of the Constitution elected to public office? If you think the headline is bad, wait until you read what Cruz is going to attempt in order to "remedy" the situation. 

Starkville aldermen vote to rescind equality resolution - Pay attention to this madness, folks. As we slowly and steadily win the marriage equality fight, our opponents are going to attempt to strip us of basic rights.  

Sponsor Of Most Ridiculous Anti-Trans Legislation In America Tries To Justify It, Hilarity Ensues - I absolutely never thought I would be on the same side as that South Park television show on this issue.

Mike Huckabee & Jim Bakker: Christians Are Second Class Citizens In America - Excuse me but doesn't the majority of Americans consider themselves Christians? Doesn't the majority members of Congress consider themselves Christians? If, taking those two facts into account, Christians are "second class citizens" in America, it's obviously because they are a bunch of wimps.

Bobby Jindal wants you to pray with THIS MAN

Jindal

Louisiana Gov Bobby Jindal's little prayer thing is coming up this weekend, so I thought I would remind folks just who Jindal is teaming up with in this little venture of his.

I'm doing this particularly because according to Right Wing Watch, the conservative magazine National Review is deliberately distorting the situation when it comes to the sponsors of this event, the anti-gay hate group American Family Association:

The National Review’s Eliana Johnson has taken note of Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal’s hosting of this weekend’s “Response” prayer rally as well as the protests it has sparked on the campus of Louisiana State University. Johnson’s article accurately portrays the rally as part of presidential hopeful Jindal’s political outreach to evangelical voters, but it mischaracterizes the reason for the protests:

The event has already sparked controversy because the group underwriting it, the American Family Association, has organized boycotts against companies that do not use the word “Christmas” in their holiday advertising and communications as well as those that participate in gay-rights events or donate to gay-rights causes. That included a one-month boycott of PetSmart last November and a three-year boycott of Home Depot that ended in 2013. 

People aren’t protesting Jindal’s partnership with the American Family Association because it has organized boycotts. Boycotts are the least of the problems with the intensely anti-gay AFA, whose chief spokesperson Bryan Fischer is a font of broadcast bigotry and has argued that only Christians — and certainly not Muslims, Hindus or Mormons (whom he does not consider Christian) — are covered by the First Amendment’s religious liberty guarantees.

In other words, roll the video footage of Fischer's "greatest hits and while viewing it, ask yourself, "Would you pray with this man?"

Or better yet, "Would you want the person who sees nothing wrong with praying with this man anywhere near the White House?":

'Mike Huckabee - states can ignore SCOTUS on marriage equality' and other Wednesday midday news briefs

Mike Huckabee: States Can Ignore Supreme Court On Gay Marriage - Huckabee needs to check himself. The states CANNOT ignore the Supreme Court on marriage equality. And broadly speaking, Huckabee is a perfect reason why EVERY lgbt who is of the voting age should be registered and ready to cast their ballot. We are winning but people like him are going to make sure we can't secure what we win.

Wedding Planner Goes Out Of Her Way To Tell Couple She Does ‘Not Feel Comfortable’ Helping Them - The Family Research Council is trying to make this wedding planner seem like a victim. However, one should read the entire story, PARTICULARLY the part which details why the gay couple has no legal case against her. 

 Pennsylvania governor-elect names transgender woman as Physician General - Wonderful news indeed!

 In Wake Of Controversial 'Ex-Gay' Billboard Lawmakers Introduce Ban On Conversion Therapy - Sweeeet!

 Ben Carson: Congress Should Oust Judges Who Rule For Marriage Equality - Because . . . . I guess he doesn't need a reason. 

And finally . . . . 

Congratulations to everyone who was nominated for a 2015 GLAAD Media Award, including THIS BLOG in the category of Outstanding Blog. It was a delightful shock to wake up to the news that I received my second consecutive nomination and it is certainly an honor. I am in good company with The Art of Transliness, Autostraddle, Box Turtle Bulletin, and My Fabulous Disease. 

And allow me to be honest. I am hoping to win. However, even if I don't win, I am so overwhelmed by the honor and very thankful to everyone who have supported Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters over the years. 

You all are the best supporters anyone can have.

Obama leaving silly anti-gay right behind to wallow in self-righteous madness

Obama

Last night, President Obama's State of the Union speech was groundbreaking in so many ways, particularly when he praised marriage equality and pushed for the rights of the lgbt community in general. It was the first time our community had been directly mentioned in a State of the Union address:

"As Americans, we respect human dignity, even when we're threatened, which is why I've prohibited torture, and worked to make sure our use of new technology like drones is properly constrained," said Obama, adding, "That’s why we defend free speech, and advocate for political prisoners, and condemn the persecution of women, or religious minorities, or people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. We do these things not only because they're right, but because they make us safer."

Meanwhile, poor Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association sits in front of his lonely microphone and pretends that he is God's appointed judge in terms of who is or isn't a Christian:



Fischer is indicative of the anti-gay right - deliberately using semantics, talking points, and dodgy terms to avoid treating lgbts as human beings, something which Jesus would do.

Pathetic self-righteous trash, but so indicative of a group of people who can't seem to understand that they are losing the fight.

Conservative gay author has interesting story to tell about working with religious right

A very good friend of mine has just published a book which should be of much interest to us all:

Ever wonder what it is like to be a longtime member of the Christian Right and a married gay man? Ever believe that such a combo would make Ozzie & Harriet look like Oscar & Felix?

Joe Murray was a longtime cadet of the Christian Right and spent the early years of his life building a resume that might make Goldwater envious. He served as a member of Pat Buchanan's Presidential campaign staff in 1999 and was appointed to the Alliance Defending Freedom's prestigious Blackstone Fellowship for budding Christian attorneys in 2000. He spent a number years working on the front lines of the "Culture War" as a Staff Attorney for the American Family Association. He worked with the Pennsylvania Pastor's Network and was a columnist for the conservative Philadelphia Bulletin. Murray, a Conservative Catholic, also happens to be gay.

In his new book, Odd Man Out, Murray tackles the misconception that one's identity should predetermine one's politics. Murray's background has provided an excellent opportunity for a frank discussion on a number of social policy issues that are presently dividing the nation. Building upon his experiences working deep inside the Christian Right, Murray discusses how public interest politics has led to a perverse politics in which profit overtakes principle. He shines a light on some of the not-so-Christian events he witnessed while working for the Christian Right and he talks about some of the rivalries that existed (and continue to exist) on the Right. Murray uses his personal story to take the reader behind the scenes of Christian and gay politics and, in doing so, offers new insights on how to frame the controversial discussion.

Though a piece of political nonfiction, Murray's new book is also intimately personal. Murray shares a number of stories that have molded his life and shaped how he sees the world. He opens the door for readers to see how a Catholic, Libertarian-leaning, Irish-American, gay attorney is able to fully operate in society, despite the political perception that he is an ideological inconsistency. Murray uses his personal experiences to argue that people should use their identity to expand their ideas, not limit them.

You can buy a copy here or at Joe Murray Enterprises

'TV show will blow the lid off of homophobia in African-American community' & other Tuesday midday news briefs

Gay Couple, Second to Marry in Florida, to Attend Tonight's State of the Union Address - Sweeeet! 

Lee Daniels Is Using 'Empire' To 'Blow The Lid Off' Homophobia In The Black Community - Oh this is going to be gooooood! And it's a perfect example of why there needs to be some representation of the lgbt community when it comes to the television and movie industry. Do you really think a heterosexual white guy would be able to do this?

 Gay Marriage Foe Calls For Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elena Kagan To Quit Marriage Case - While I am not counting my chickens before they hatch with regards to how the Supreme Court will rule on marriage equality later this year, I must say that the smell of anti-gay desperation is mighty intoxicating.  

University bathroom posters claim transgender people ‘rape women every 9 minutes’ - Uh excuse the heck out of me!  

This Is What Transgender Locker Room Harassment Looks Like - The true story behind transgender locker room harassment. The wrong folks are being "protected." 

Finally, some great news. I have been tinkering with new ways to make it easier for folks to download or read my booklet How They See Us: Unmasking the Religious Right War on Gay America (even on their mobile phones) with much success. Clicking the link below will give you direct access to How They See Us as a google document when you can read, save, or download. Please take advantage. Let's educate and arm our community with knowledge because knowledge is the only thing which can defeat the religious right as well as their attempts at an oncoming backlash:

How They See Us: Unmasking the Religious Right War on Gay America