Analyzing and refuting the inaccuracies lodged against the lgbt community by religious conservative organizations. Lies in the name of God are still lies.
Marco Rubio's Top 10 Anti-Gay Statements - According to reports, Sen. Marco Rubio will soon announce that he is running for president. As if he is any different from Cruz or Santorum. Boy do I feel sorry for lgbt Republicans.
From the Texas Freedom Network comes the words from an anti-gay activist which gives an indication why folks like him are losing the fight against marriage equality. But as they are losing, their language is getting less guarded and more offensive:
Where to begin with Steven Hotze? The Houstonian and head of
Conservative Republicans of Texas last made headlines a few weeks ago
when he brought Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore to the Texas Capitol for
a rally in defense of this state’s ban on same-sex marriage.
Hotze was back in Austin on Wednesday to appear before the Texas House Committee on State Affairs to speak in support of House Bill 4105
by state Rep. Cecil Bell, R-Magnolia. HB 4105 would prohibit state or
local funds from being used to issue a same-sex marriage license or
acknowledge a same-sex marriage in any other way — regardless of whether
the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down the ban on those unions in Texas.
During his testimony, Hotze, one of the most vicious anti-gay
activists in all of Texas, got into a lengthy exchange with state Rep.
Sylvester Turner, D-Houston. Just in the four-minute clip you can hear
above, Hotze:
Portrays the freedom to marry for gay and lesbian couples as morally equivalent to the Nazi’s mass murder of Jews
Argues that Texans should actively subvert any U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down the state’s ban on same-sex marriage
And, for the extremist cherry on top, equates gay people to
alcoholics, murderers, adulterers, perverts, pornographers, rapists and
embezzlers. In that order.
In the 1980s, 90s, and even in the early years of this century, anti-gay activist Paul Cameron was the go-to guy for all sorts of anti-gay "research."
During that time, he was quoted in countless magazines, newspapers, and appeared on quite a few national programs such as Geraldo and Donahue. Even though organizations such as the Family Research Council and the
American Family Association, probably knew that he had been discredited and exposed (by organizations such as the American Psychological Association and the American Sociological Association) for his faulty research techniques and wild generalizations
about the lgbt community, they still cited his research or distorted other research in order to justify his negative
theories about the lgbt community.
But these days, things are different.Cameron's long record of shoddy work and lies against the lgbt community have made him somewhat of a pariah and a laughing stock.
While "true believers" such as Bryan Fischer, Peter LaBarbera, or Gordon Klingenschmitt have no problem with interviewing him or citing him by name, the more sophisticated anti-gay groups, such as the National Organization for Marriage, avoid him like the proverbial plague that he is.
Not that Cameron minds in any way, shape, or form. He still goes on whatever show will have him while pushing the same nauseatingly homophobic generalizations which made him popular over 30 years ago.
And based upon the above clip above, I mean any show. It is from January of this year on a radio talk show called The Doghouse with host JV and Elvis.
Gay men molest children at a high rate and are more likely to be serial killers,
Gay men stuff gerbils up their rectums,
Gays and lesbians in the military are more likely to rape their heterosexual counterparts.
So why is a Mike Huckabee "support group" teaming up with this group to submit a brief to SCOTUS against marriage equality? It's definitely yet another thing to put on the list to ask Huckabee should he start again with the "intolerant, radical gay" lie. Or better yet, if he should run for president.
From People for the American Way's Right Wing Watch comes proof that the anti-gay right is panicking over the possibility of the Supreme Court ruling for marriage equality later this year.
James Dobson, the founder of the Religious Right behemoth Focus on the Family, warned in a recent conference call with fellow anti-gay activists (Editor's note - according to Right Wing Watch, this call included Mat Staver of Liberty Counsel, Rick Scarborough of Vision America and Peter LaBarbera of Americans For Truth About Homosexuality) that a Supreme Court ruling in favor of marriage equality could lead to a full-blown civil war.
After Janet Porter, the creator of a new “documentary” about how the gay rights movement will outlaw Christianity, discussed her “restraining order” campaign to convince Congress to strip the Supreme Court of its authority to rule on marriage cases, Dobson said that his fellow activists “need to be realistic about what we’re up against here.”
It gets even better as Dobson goes through a one-man rambling, hand-wringing spiel, divulging all sorts of good information about the supposed fear of Congress to tackle the marriage equality issue and who is opposed to the idea of calling for a "constitutional convention" should marriage equality become legal via SCOTUS.
Basically what we are seeing here is a man who helped to orchestrate the 2004 backlash against marriage equality (a backlash which got Bush re-elected) bearing witness to the possible collapse of all of his efforts. It's sort of like that Greek play, Oedipus the King, in which the main character Oedipus realizes that the actions he took to prevent a situation actually caused the situation to take place
One wonders if Dobson has any shred of introspection to realize that his massive efforts to stamp out marriage equality in 2004 actually helped the issue to become more prominent and worth fighting for by the lgbt community.
I doubt it. Most anti-gay activists are totally incapable of introspection, They are so busy pointing out the faults of others or engaging in fear mongering that they don't have time to examine their own faults or fears.
From Buzzfeed comes an interesting video on what happens when you tell a stranger that you are transgender:
Some in the comments section have pointed out that transgender men can be seen to be more accepted than transgender women. Certainly that is a belief which we need to have more debate about. But still, this is a very interesting video.
Dear Tony Perkins, a BAD liar is of use to no one.
Editor's note - We all know that the anti-gay right are being highly deceptive when they whine about how marriage equality and lgbt equality in general will harm 'religious freedom.' As luck would have it, two present incidents not only call attention to how they use deception to push this idea, but also begs the question just how much do they believe in 'religious freedom' in the first place. The following news briefs illustrate my point: 1. The first incident has to do with a Colorado bakery being found not guilty by the the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies of violating a potential customer's rights by refusing to put anti-gay messages on a cake. The bakery still served the potential customer and offered to sell him the equipment so he could put the message on the cake.
Now in the eyes of the anti-gay right, this is equivalent of not serving a customer for being an lgbt, a so-called right of 'religious freedom':
Cake Wars the Sequel - HOWEVER, this doesn't prevent those on the right, such as the fake news site, Breitbart and anti-gay personalities like Todd Starnes and the so-called Alliance Defending Freedom from exploiting the case via a false narrative. In the eyes of these folks, repetition is a wonderful substitute for truth.
Stop. Lying. Tony. Perkins. - And of course where would this false narrative be without Tony Perkins and the Family Research Council? The lie he pushed in this tweet is simply SAD. Are you slipping, Tony.
2. Now the second incident is rather simple. For all of their talk about protecting the 'religious freedom' of folks who believe that homosexuality is a sin, one wonders how does the anti-gay right feel about protecting the 'religious freedom' of those who do NOT think that homosexuality is a sin?
Does one have to ask?:
Perkins: LGBT-Affirming Christians Committing 'Heresy' - Heresy? I haven't heard that word since last week when I watched the documentary on why Mary Tudor of England had over 280 people burned at the stake. Apparently they were "committing heresy."
The entire point of today's news briefs is this - We have to do more. I get constantly frustrated because it seems that the lgbt community waits for the anti-gay right to define the narrative. And when they are being blatantly hypocritical, we don't capitalize on it. The only reason why the anti-gay right gets away with a lot of the stuff they do is because we let them. It's not enough to KNOW that the anti-gay right is lying or being deceptive. We have to let people know. We have to aggressively educate people on what's really going on in this so-called culture war.
"Victory blindness is something we all succumb to at times. It's a term I
use to describe the phenomenon in which we focus on the wins, so
starved for validation, that we allow them to blind us to the continued
bigotry we face. We become enthralled, intoxicated -- spellbound by even
a little bit. The effect is that it obscures our reality -- literally
our vision -- and it makes us lose our gumption, not wanting to rock the
boat, fearful that we'll lose what we've gained and not get what little
bit we think we need, when in fact we need a lot and we should be
strong and confident knowing our allies will stay with us. In that
chapter I use a vivid example, in a section titled "A Story of Victory
Blindness," in which too many activists, claiming that we'd gotten a lot
and had a banner couple of years, asked us to accept a situation that
validated bigotry and urged us to be "magnanimous," fearful that the
right would portray us as going too far -- but in fact this only allowed
the backlash to grow because we seemed disjointed and that made us seem
weak. We were and are still hated and despised by many -- despite
having so many allies now -- and we have no rights in most states nor
federal protections. So this is victory blindness, and it can have the
terrible effect of actually allowing the backlash to grow because it
telegraphs that we will back down." - LGBT activist Michelangelo Signorile on why the lgbt community must not rest on our laurels if the Supreme Court rules in our favor on marriage equality later this year.
The Four Worst Anti-Gay Marriage Arguments Ever - If it were ever discovered that this huge push against marriage equality was secretly a push FOR marriage equality, I wouldn't be surprised. These arguments are so bad, Scalia is going to come after these folks with a switch. And he is AGAINST marriage equality.
The Polite Right’s Bryan Fischer Problem - I hate this piece because I wish I could write like this. Probably one of the best columns I have read when it comes to these "religious freedom" laws and the mindsets behind them.
Whenever Pat Robertson says something outrageous such as he did in the clip below, I like to remind folks that he was somewhat of a serious presidential candidate in the 1988 election. When they accuse me of lying, I say "it was for the Republican Party."
After over a little over two years and with two webpages, my booklet, How They See Us: Unmasking the Religious Right War on Gay America has the following stats:
Over 1.1 million views,
Downloaded, copies emailed personally by me, hard copies given out - 2,441
Thank you all for the support and please continue to support me as I attempt to get this booklet out to as many folks as possible. With the anti-gay right initiating false narratives about "religious liberty," it is important that the lgbt community and our allies educate the public on what's really going on.
I will give it to Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal. He is slightly slicker than Indiana Gov. Mike Pence when it comes to sidestepping and being long-winded.
But all of the slick talk in the world doesn't cover up the hypocrisy which he spews. Jindal supports businesses being able to discriminate against lgbts under the guise of "religious liberty," but he does NOT support giving lgbts any legal protection from any discrimination at all.
And this is the same man who wants to be our president. God help us, indeed:
What the anti-gay industry wants America to see us as.
The Fox News Campaign To Defend Indiana's Anti-Gay "Religious Freedom" Law - A prediction I made a long time ago is now official. Fox News is now the place where anti-gay organizations and leaders can go to repeat their homophobic propaganda without challenge. This is a problem because now we have entire network working against our equality.
Fellow liberals: Don’t harass the bigots, please - See the picture above. That and this post is dedicated to the misguided folks who netted a homophobic pizza parlor much unnecessary attention and over $500,000. Please know the difference between the pawns and the manipulators. And above all, DO NOT allow the manipulators to use the pawns in order to make you look like something you are not. Now that you know the anti-gay industry's game, PLEASE stop playing it.
Lawmakers in both Indiana and Arkansas today passed fixes to
their respective religious freedom bills. Indiana, of course, is the
state where this entire controversy burst forth from, after celebrities
and CEOs expressed their issues with the law over potential discrimination of gays and lesbians by business owners.
The article goes on to say that Pence will do the same with his bill, no doubt sending conservatives and the anti-gay right in an apoplectic mood. (Editor's note - Pence just signed the bill.)
However, don't even think of celebrating or high-fiving each other. This is only the first shot in what will probably be a long war punctuated by talking points, anecdotes, think-tank jargon, and the constant, constant repetition of lies.
If the Supreme Court rules for marriage equality later this year, expect things to go into overdrive. And I would sincerely hope that my lgbt brothers and sisters and our allies are going to be as engaged then as we were this week.
Because you just know the other side will be.
Even as I write this, I can imagine the Family Research Council, the National Organization for Marriage, the Heritage Foundation, and their friends at Fox News such as Todd Starnes and others (Bryan Fischer, Erik Erikson, etc) planning their next salvo. Or practicing the new horror story they will tell gullible folks about the so-called war on Christianity.
Just how can the lgbt community sufficiently enjoy victories over the Indiana and Arkansas anti-gay "religious liberty" bills without taking note of the flailing huffing and puffing by members of the religious right.
First on deck, Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association:
There is Mike Haggee:
Last but not least, Pat Robertson from The 700 Club who wins the booby prize:
Indiana Republicans Were Warned About Their Anti-Gay Bill - Another lie by Pence and company exposed. It turns out they SHOULD have expected the backlash because they were WARNED about their anti-gay "religious freedom" bill and refused amendments which would have strengthened lgbt protections. I am in the camp that Pence simply didn't care. Oh well, he does now.
Indiana law draws Republican White House hopefuls into the culture wars - This story reveals that while Pence was flailing in cow manure of his own making, anti-gay leaders nationwide were trying to give him a lifeboat by getting other Republican presidential candidates to publicly come to his aid. They were successful but the effort did NO good.
Meanwhile In Arkansas - While Pence is continuing to flail, let's look at Arkansas which has passed a similar bill and their governor, Asa Hutchinson, has said he would sign.
As Indiana Gov. Mike Pence and the state deals with the repercussions of that awful anti-gay "religious freedom" bill, Arkansas is poised to pass a similar one. And that's a good thing:
Arkansas is a penstroke away from having a “license to discriminate” law nearly identical to Indiana’s. HB 1228,
the Arkansas “Religious Freedom Restoration Act” (RFRA), already passed
both the House and the Senate, though it is awaiting a final consensus
vote in the House before advancing to Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s (R) desk for
his signature. Unlike the scramble now happening in Indiana, lawmakers
do not plan to include any clarification or carve-outs for
nondiscrimination protections and activists are already pressuring Hutchinson to veto.
The Arkansas RFRA shares all of the characteristics of the Indiana bill that distinguishes both
from other laws across the country with the same name. While other
RFRAs only apply to complaints against the government, a person could
cite the Arkansas RFRA as a defense against another citizen, claiming a
burden on their religious belief. And like in the Indiana law, those
religious beliefs are similarly broad, allowing for religious beliefs a
person might hold “whether or not the exercise is compulsory or central
to a larger system of religious beliefs.”
Whereas Indiana’s corporate backlash
didn’t happen until after the bill became law, several companies have
already spoken out in Arkansas. Walmart, which has its headquarters in
the state and is its biggest employer (after the government), spoke out against the bill last month, as did the Arkansas Municipal League.
. . . This is in addition to the nationwide opposition to such bills issued
by companies like Apple and Yelp in the wake of Indiana’s law passing.
Apple previously spoke out about Arkansas’ bill specifically, noting,
“Our employees in Little Rock have a right to equal treatment under the
law, as do their coworkers in Cupertino and around the world. We join
the many voices across Arkansas in opposing H.B. 1228 and we urge the
State’s legislators to vote against the bill.”
Tuesday afternoon, the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce came out against the bill in a statement posted on Facebook.
So why is this a good thing? In the case of Indiana, America saw the true face of the anti-gay industry. America saw hypocrites talk about morality and faith while, at the same time, deliberately lie and distort.
Now having been exposed, one would think members of anti-gay groups and their allies would regroup, but they can't. They are unable to because of their internal beliefs of entitlement and infallibility. They are incapable of admitting that they are wrong and acting accordingly. No matter how much these folks publicly shed their pretenses of morality and expose themselves as the liars they are, they will continue to go full-speed ahead.
Or in this case, they will continue to go straight down until they hit bottom.
People have been made aware of what these so-called "religious freedom" bills are actually for. They have objected in mass number and loud voices. Hopefully, the numbers will grow and the voices will become louder in opposition to these "religious freedom" bills no matter what state they may pop up. That being said, it is nice to note that any discussions or debates on these bills can only help the lgbt community.
America saw the face of the anti-gay industry that those of us in the
lgbt see every day. And just like us, they didn't like what
they saw.
Gov. Mike Pence and Indiana legislators aren't the only ones who was taken by surprise by the backlash to that awful anti-gay 'religious freedom' bill the state recently made into law.
Anti-gay groups and conservatives find themselves playing defense in a big hole in which they continue to dig. That's not to say that they don't get an 'A' for effort.
Ryan T. Anderson of the Heritage Foundation took part in a debate on the MSNBC show 'All In' with former RNC head Michael Steele and lgbt activist Dan Savage. It didn't go well for him. Since then, he has been on twitter pushing out right-wing articles supporting Indiana's bill and attacking those who have publicly spoken against it.
Meanwhile, some folks on Fox News have been doing their level best to either minimize or degrade the backlash. Megyn Kelly gave an absolutely abysmal defense of the law. The supreme irony is that her bad journalism was already undercut earlier in the day by her Fox colleague Brett Baier on his show.
Baier actually debunked Kelly's arguments hours before she went on. One has to wonder do these people on Fox News know the meaning of the word "coordination."
And let's not omit the Family Research Council and its president Tony Perkins. Besides being given free reign (i,e, not having to debate an opposing side) on Kelly's show, Perkins and FRC have been busy sending out muted, whiny statements:
Indiana Governor Mike Pence recently signed into law a Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) that protects people who live their daily lives according to their faith against government discrimination. This law reflects polling that shows 81% of Americans support the freedom to live out one's beliefs. The Indiana law is like the federal RFRA that was signed by President Bill Clinton in 1993, and RFRAs in 19 other states.
Now, a leftist-driven movement has spread misinformation about the law, threatened boycotts and fomented false rhetoric in the media and online. Even in our day, the price of freedom is steep, and Governor Pence is standing strong for freedom despite the cost. Efforts are about to pressure Governor Pence to support changing or amending the law to weaken it. All Americans who live according to their religious beliefs should be free from fear of government punishment. I stand with Governor Pence in his support of religious freedom as stated in the Indiana RFRA, and urge him to oppose all efforts to change the law.
Of course Perkins omits the fact the the polling in question was done in part by his own organization.
Meanwhile, nothing has abated the backlash against that Indiana law. Statewide and nationwide, major businesses and individuals are either voicing their concern or intense disagreement. This includes Tim Cook, the openly gay CEO of Apple as one of many. The state of Connecticut and cities such as San Fransisco and Seattle are banning state-funded travel to Indiana.
And let's not forget twitter. The tweet at the top of this post, created by twitter user @SeaMonkey237 isjust one of many which are going super viral (Editor's note - feel free to retweet. Let's see if we can hit over 1,000.)
The point here is clear. Indiana, anti-gay organizations, and conservatives never had a shot. And no matter how much they play catch-up, they are still going to be behind.
While Arkansas may still pass an awful "religious freedom" bill and North Carolina's Governor Pat McCrory coming out against one, it's important that we continue to hammer the lies told by Indiana Gov. Mike Pence with regards to that state's "religious freedom" law
This video by the Human Rights Campaign needs to go viral. It condenses Pence's 'This Week' interview to the eight times he refused to say whether or not Indiana's religious freedom law could be used to discriminate against lgbts.
To reiterate, Pence was asked this question eight times and every time, he wouldn't give a definite answer. Pence's sidestepping is an indictment against his character and that of these anti-gay "Christian conservatives" who claim to stand for God, morality, and values, but then would use underhanded tactics while hiding their motives.
They have been doing this sort of thing for decades, but now it is not only time for us to strike back, but also demand answers. If they want to engage in a debate regarding the positive existence of lgbts, we should demand that their anti-Christian lies and tactics be a part of the debate.
The video above outlines lgbt success in two ways. One - Chris Cuomo of CNN blisters the Family Research Council's Peter Sprig for attempting to defend Indiana's anti-gay "religious freedom" law. Secondly, and of specific interest to me, Cuomo mentions the picture of Indiana Gov. Mike Pence signing the law while being flanked by anti-gay lobbyists. This picture contradicts Pence's claim that the law wasn't meant to be a vehicle for anti-gay discrimination. See what we can accomplish when we work together to spread good information.
For more on this lovely beat down, including some background info on Sprigg's past dips into homophobia, check out Jeremy Hooper.
Opposition rallies to keep anti-gay bill dead - Don't think for a minute that folks aren't watching what's going on in Indiana. Georgia's "religious freedom" bill is just about dead. And many folks are doing to do what they can to keep it flatlined.
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence will have you to believe that the recent 'religious liberty' bill he signed into law isn't anti-gay. He claims that beliefs of the alleged anti-gay animus of this law is some sort of campaign of mis-education.
Don't believe Pence. He is lying. And the proof comes from the signing ceremony of the bill.
While the signing of the bill was private, this particular picture was released on Pence's twitter account. It shows the governor with priests, nuns, orthodox Jewish leaders, and lawmakers:
HOWEVER, this picture below shows the governor with a different group of folks, i.e. lobbyists who pushed for this bill. Thanks to GLAAD and Twitter user @SeaMonkey237, we know who these folks are. Their names and what they have to do with anti-gay activism are clearly described (click on pictures if you need to enlarge them.):
Just in case you need the links concerning the folks in the second picture and their history of vicious anti-gay activism: www.glaad.org/cap/micah-clark
In reviewing the interview of Indiana Gov. Mike Pence on Sunday's edition of 'This Week,' two adages come to mind:
"It's not always about what's said, but what's not said" and "give your enemy enough rope and he will hang himself."
No doubt, Pence thought he was going to cast the image of righteous defiance in supporting that awful anti-gay "religious freedom" law his state passed and he signed last week. His interview was part of his effort to somehow reclaim the narrative which was lost the moment he signed the bill. However, he failed on a monumental scale and this was chiefly because of his not answering interviewer George Stephanopoulos's direct question of whether the law allows anti-gay discrimination. And Stephanopoulos asked the question more than once.
Needless to say, Pence did nothing to quell the controversy started by this law and I think he significantly hurt his image . Don't be surprised is his interview only adds to the the constantly growing backlash:
Whether the following is a hoax or not, it just made the brush fire started by Indiana's new "religious freedom" law explode into a veritable firestorm. To say the religious right and other supporters of "religious freedom" laws have lost the narrative would be an extreme understatement:
An Indiana business owner went on a local radio station and said that
he had discriminated against gay or lesbian couples even before Gov.
Mike Pence (R) signed a law on Thursday protecting business owners who
decide to discriminate for “religious liberty” reasons. He then defended
the practice and suggested he would do it again.
The business owner, who would not give his name or the name of his
business, said he had told some LGBT “people” that equipment was broken
in his restaurant and he couldn’t serve them even though it wasn’t and
other people were already eating at the tables. “So, yes, I have
discriminated,” he told RadioNOW 100.9 hosts. The hosts were surprised the owner said he was okay with discriminating.
“Well, I feel okay with it because it’s my place of business, I pay
the rent, I’ve built it with all my money and my doing. It’s my place; I
can do whatever I want with it, “he said. “They can have their lifestyle and do their own thing in their own place or with people that want to be with them.”
As Indiana deals with an ugly backlash from businesses and celebrities such as Broadway's Audra McDonald, this audio only makes things worse.
The old adage of "being careful what you wish for" definitely comes to mind here.
How To Kill A Discriminatory ‘Religious Liberty’ Bill: Call The Bluff - One lesson we should learn from what happened yesterday in Georgia to possibly kill that state's "religious liberty" bill is a way to wreck other "religious liberty" bills which may be proposed in other states. And if the bills aren't destroyed, we would still win the narrative, which is equally important.
Gay Money Is No Good in Indiana - MEANWHILE, Indiana is learning a lesson regarding bigotry and the inanity of anti-gay propaganda. The religious right tells us that lgbts don't need protection from discrimination because we are in a high income bracket. So why are they proposing reasons for us to withhold ALL OF THAT MONEY we are supposed to be making.
Rand Paul Suggests Gay Marriage Is The Result Of A 'Moral Crisis' In America - My God, if I hear ANOTHER PERSON talk about how this country "needs a revival" or "great awakening," I am going to DO SOMETHING (and I seriously don't know it is yet, but it will be spectacular). They've been saying that junk for the longest time. Jerry Falwell said it decades ago. Jesse Helms said it decades ago. Perhaps those claiming how this country "needs a revival" would do well to see if THEY THEMSELVES need said revival before pointing fingers.
While Indiana is dealing with the consequences of passing their "religious freedom" bill, a bit of unexpected drama caused a similar bill in Georgia to be tabled by the folks who proposed it:
Last minute dramatics capped off a two-hour long meeting of the House
Judiciary Committee on Thursday, as an amendment adding protections
against discrimination passed, which led to a successful vote to table
the bill. If the bill would have passed in today's hearing, it likely
would have reached the House floor for a vote as soon as Friday. Now the
bill's future is in serious jeopardy as the days left in this year's
legislative session dwindle.
The amendment was proposed by Rep. Mike Jacobs (R-Brookhaven), who
stated that he was inundated with calls and emails from constituents
concerned about the bill's effects. After several minutes of debate and a
call to vote on the amendment, Rep. Barry Fleming (R-Harlem) gave a
stern warning to the committee that if the amendment passed and
anti-discrimination language was included in the final version of the
bill, he would vote no on it.
"This is the amendment that will gut this bill," he said emphatically.
The committee then voted 9 to 8 to pass the amendment. Joining Jacobs
and the six Democrats who voted in favor of the amendment were Rep. Jay
Powell (R-Camilla) and Rep. Beth Beskin (R-Atlanta). Beskin's vote is
notable in that she voted against a similar amendment in Wednesday
night's hearing, only to vote in favor a day later. Following passage of Jacobs' amendment, Fleming made a motion to table it, got a second and the bill was tabled.
If this bill does not pass, it would be a huge psychological defeat for the religious right. A situation in Atlanta involving that city's fire chief, Kelvin Cochran, supposedly being "dismissed for his faith" was used as a rallying point for supporters of these "religious freedom" bills in general.
Today we are canceling all programs that require our customers/employees to travel to Indiana to face discrimination. http://t.co/SvTwyCHxvE
— Marc Benioff (@Benioff) March 26, 2015
Sometimes, lessons have to be learned the hard way. The above tweet belongs to Marc Benioff, the CEO of Salesforce, a $4 billion software company.
Thanks to that awful "religious freedom" bill which Indiana legislators passed and Gov. Mike Pence just signed, Safeforce has canceled its programs in the state.
I hope it hurts like hell.
And I have a feeling that this will be only the beginning.
Breaking: Indiana Governor Mike Pence Has Signed 'Religious Freedom' Bill Into Law - Gov. Pence signed that awful bill into law, as everyone knew he would. Don't let what happened fool you. "Religious liberty" bills are a sad, desperate attempt from folks who can't stop marriage equality. And as the tweets in this article shows, no matter how much they crow about it, the anti-gay right has to know that these sort of bills will backfire. The next step for us is to get engaged, stay engaged, keep the conversation going on how these bill will allow discrimination, and wait for someone to "use" this bill. And shield ourselves as we maneuver the fireworks.
What Fundamentalists Are Missing About Religious Freedom Bills - The irony about these bills is that they are now moving us into the territory to discuss religious doctrine vs. public policy. This is no longer solely a conversation about lgbt equality, a tactical error on the part of those pushing these bills.
The following video below is radio talk show host and American Family Association director of governmental affairs Sandy Rios at a recent religious right event. She pushes the usual "bathroom fears" about the transgender community and other lies about marriage equality.
Then she says something which is supposed to be serious, but comes across as inane. She says folks should be ready for "martyrdom"
Martyrdom, or sacrificing your very life for a cause, be it your faith or whatever. Martyrdom because this is soooo much better for America?:
And this is so much worse?:
Apparently Ms. Rios has gotten it backwards.
Historically, it is for the cause of justice that people lost their lives, i.e. defending the little man, providing comfort and assistance to those in need, or just simply speaking out in the face of violent oppression.
Gays getting married and transgender males and females not being looked at as predators is simple justice overcoming injustice.
No one has EVER become martyrs for the cause of injustice. And that's not going to change. Period.
Okay, here is a secret about anti-gay groups which you probably already know.
It is almost impossible for them to admit that a course of action they have taken was wrong, misguided, or too extreme.
No matter how stupid it is, or how much criticism they receive, they won't back down. It's a somewhat admirable trait sometimes. But not all of the time. We are all human and, as such, tend to make mistakes. When we do make mistakes, we do need to acknowledge such.
So why am I saying all of this? Because of today's absolutely bat-crazy full-page ad in The Washington Post by the American Family Association. The ad implied a warning of damnation to the Supreme Court if it rules for marriage equality later this year:
The Supreme Court hasn't even heard the case as of yet and AFA is implying eternal damnation should it rule the so-called wrong way.
Real smart, guys. And the usage of the famous painting "The Creation of Adam" was almost a nice touch. We'll just forget the fact that the artist, Michelangelo, was reputed to be gay.
And like I hinted before, the AFA refuses to back down.. According to Right Wing Watch, its president, Tim Wildmon, issued a defiant (and scatterbrained) defense of this idiotic full-page ad:
Real nice guys. I hate to see what plans you think of to get your agenda across when you ARE using your brain.
We will probably be seeing and hearing more from Lambda Legal.
And the latest phase of lgbt equality begins:
In a landslide 63-31 vote, the Indiana House of Representatives
alarmed LGBT advocates Monday by passing a sweeping religious freedom
bill that allows private parties — including businesses open to the
public — to invoke a religious defense in legal cases.
The bill cleared Indiana’s senate in February.
Gov.
Mike Pence resisted calls to veto the bill Monday evening, issuing a
statement that said the measure “is about respecting and reassuring
Hoosiers that their religious freedoms are intact. I strongly support
the legislation and applaud the members of the General Assembly for
their work on this important issue. I look forward to signing the bill
when it reaches my desk.”
. . . The bill’s prime sponsor in the house, Republican Rep. Timothy Wesco . . . said the law is “modeled” after the federal Religious Freedom
Restoration Act. Passed by Congress in 1993, that law and others like it
at the state level prevent government from burdening a person’s
exercise of religion.
. . . However, the Indiana bill is broader than federal law. While the Indiana
bill says that a “governmental entity may not substantially burden a
person’s exercise of religion,” it also applies those rules to
businesses and interactions between private parties “regardless of
whether the state or any other government entity is party to the
proceeding.”
However, before any of you become angry, discouraged, or upset in any way, it's best to put this in perspective.
We've been here before. Before we could even fully celebrate the overturning of the sodomy laws at SCOTUS in 2003, the anti-gay right bombarded us with statewide anti-marriage equality bills. The irony was at that time, a lot of us (me included) didn't even conceive the idea of gays and lesbians getting married.
It took a while - quite a long while - but many of us got in engaged in the struggle for marriage equality and thanks to our perseverance and the tendency of our opposition to either go too far, underestimate us, or over overestimate themselves, we are looking at the possibility of a huge victory this year.
This is not to say that we should take these "religious freedom" bills lightly. They are certain to pass in several other states and we are going to have to dig down and fight against them.
It's just a matter of perspective. The late social reformer and civil rights activist Frederick Douglass once said "Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will."
