'Obama stands up for Kenyan lgbts, how you can help defeat 'religious liberty' lie' & other Mon. midday news briefs

Obama stands up for Kenyan lgbts

Obama Defends Gay Rights on Kenya Trip - I have objected tremendously to some of the headlines and spin of this story. Obama did NOT lecture anyone regardless of what some headlines say. Nor was he smacked down. After being warned not to, Obama simply took a stand for gay Kenyans who are being brutalized and persecuted in their own country.

 Welcome To Lesbian History Week - I feel embarrassed about not knowing about this. But now that I do, it's a wonderful idea for education.

The Texas Supreme Court Just Upended Houston’s LGBT Protections - What happened Friday was some bull#@!%. Even though there are clearly not enough signatures because of irregularities, read what the court said. It will get you furious.

Lawsuit Claims That People Who Want LGBT Americans Treated Equally Are The Real Bigots - This lawsuit could have a NASTY effect on lgbt equality. I would like to say that this clerk won't win, but I don't want to jinx it.

For Transgender Americans, Legal Battles Over Restrooms - An ugly battle which our transgender brothers and sisters DID NOT start but we will ALL finish it with them.

 Last but not least:

I know some folks didn't get to see this morning's post. If you want to read it, go here. However to make matters simple, I announced a twitter campaign to remind folks about the reality behind the "religious liberty" argument. I developed a series of tweets featuring the words and lies of  groups and personalities behind this "religious liberty nonsense. The purpose is to educate and remind people that the "religious liberty" is merely homophobia with a soft touch propagated by folks with a long history of demonizing the lgbt community. If you don't want to read the article, then just retweet the following. They are the first in a series. Trust me when I say that they are mere "cocktail canape" when compared to future tweets I have developed:

#LGBT Before pushing #religiousliberty laws, the #GOP needs 2 disavow THIS MAN - http://t.co/ekhANAN85Q pic.twitter.com/9DAh6idSGX

— Holy Bullies (@holybullies) July 27, 2015

#gay Anti-gay orgs. distort science 2 attack gays & now they want #religiousliberty laws. http://t.co/ekhANB4Juq pic.twitter.com/6lkkTBgnAU

— Holy Bullies (@holybullies) July 27, 2015

Anti-gay groups distort #science . What do you think they will do 2 #religiousliberty laws - http://t.co/i1S3JePf2D pic.twitter.com/3ugpHdEqmd

— Holy Bullies (@holybullies) July 26, 2015

THIS is how we defeat the 'religious liberty' lie

One thing missing from this conversation about "religious liberty" are the facts about the groups behind it. While the media and our community focuses on the clerks, bakers, and other businesses who are suddenly claiming a "God exemption" to not treat us as regular taxpayers or take our business, very few people seem to be talking about the groups and personalities who have successfully made the phrase "religious liberty" one we are all repeating.

In other words, it's a crock masterminded by anti-gay groups behind the push against marriage equality and the push against lgbt non-discrimination ordinances before that and the push against gay adoption or gays teaching in schools before that. I think you get the picture here.

"Religious liberty" has nothing to do with protecting people's religious beliefs.  It's merely ugly, stale homophobia in a new package. Rip that package off and you will find the same mindset of bigotry propagated by the same anti-gay groups and personalities who make their living off of exploiting that bigotry.

Last weekend, I developed a few tweets which focuses on questionable words and actions of the people and groups behind the "religious liberty" argument. The tweets also question WHY would the national GOP want to work with these individuals and groups to create a sort of federal religious liberty law.  Included is a link to my booklet where people can read more info about how these groups spread anti-gay propaganda.

By all means, please "favorite" and retweet the following below. And remember that it's only the first batch. I am presently working on the second batch and they are doozies:

#LGBT Before pushing #religiousliberty laws, the #GOP needs 2 disavow THIS MAN - http://t.co/ekhANAN85Q pic.twitter.com/9DAh6idSGX

— Holy Bullies (@holybullies) July 27, 2015

#gay Anti-gay orgs. distort science 2 attack gays & now they want #religiousliberty laws. http://t.co/ekhANB4Juq pic.twitter.com/6lkkTBgnAU

— Holy Bullies (@holybullies) July 27, 2015

#lgbt Anti-gay groups distort #science. U think they won't do it 2 #religiousliberty laws? - http://t.co/ekhANAN85Q pic.twitter.com/vBzP8Z6PNO

— Holy Bullies (@holybullies) July 26, 2015

'Anti-marriage equality book condemned for being weak, unoriginal' & other Fri midday news briefs

Ryan T. Anderson's latest anti-marriage equality book blasted for being weak, unoriginal.

Ryan T. Anderson Accidentally Highlights The Weakness Of The Lost Fight Against Marriage Equality - Ryan T. Anderson of the Heritage Foundation is supposed to be the new, more intellectual voice of the anti-marriage equality movement. However, you wouldn't know that from his newest book. With fallacies galore, anti-gay dog whistles, and ridiculous arguments which ignore reality, Anderson AND his book serves as a metaphor to why the anti-marriage equality movement lost at SCOTUS. With his wonderfully vicious, but true review of Anderson's book, Zack Ford of Think Progress shows that a pound of sugar sprinkled on stale food doesn't obscure the simple fact that it's still stale food. And rumor control has it that Anderson is FURIOUS at Zack for his review so you KNOW what Zack wrote was good.

Lesbian couple breaks silence: We filed complaint against Oregon bakery to ‘stop being bullied’ - Yet again how we lose when anti-gay groups bombard the press with their anecdotal lies of "gay bullies." We are just NOW hearing the other side of the story regarding the anti-gay Oregon bakery.  

The GOP Plan to Stoke Anti-Gay Bigotry in 2016 - Michelangelo Signorile hits ANOTHER home run. We have GOT to stop underestimating anti-gay groups and their power. While we are celebrating marriage equality, they are recalibrating their message and there is NO excuse for us to be in a situation to again play catch-up.  

Ted Cruz’s Hearing on Supreme Court’s Marriage Equality ‘Tyranny’ - Ted Cruz will NEVER be president, but I don't envision him leaving the Senate any time soon. He makes me ALMOST miss Jesse Helms.  

Obama Ignores African Leaders’ Calls to Keep Quiet on Gay Rights - Just to be clear, that's MY president who did that (two snaps up!)

Video: How Fox News helps the anti-gay right push false 'religious liberty' talking point

As this video demonstrates, the pivot from attempting to stop marriage equality to the false talking point of "protecting religious liberty" is rather easy for the anti-gay right, particularly when they have an entire propaganda network (under the guise of "covering the news) helping them marshal the technique. I sincerely hope that years from now, people will look back at Fox News with the same disgust as the majority of us now look at McCarthyism.

'Maddow schools Santorum, Disney is aiding in the 'gay agenda'' & other Thur midday news briefs

Rachel Maddow

“You’re fundamentally wrong on civics”: Rachel Maddow schools Rick Santorum on the Constitution - Maddow had more restraint than me. I would have gone for the jugular, figuratively of course. 

AP, Florida Media Call Transgender Homicide Victim A "Man Dressed As A Woman" - It wouldn't hurt these folks to show respect to the young lady. I want to say other stuff, but young lgbts read this blog.

 GOP Outrage With Roberts Court Over 'Judicial Tyranny' Reaches Fever Pitch - In which we learn that the term "judicial tyranny" is merely a catchphrase used by the losers of court cases to cover up the fact that they did a slack job defending their point of view, such as in the case of marriage equality.  

Here's The Next Major Fight For The LGBT Community - Oh this is gonna be good!

 Some LGBT advocates not on board with Equality Act  - . . . as soon as we iron out some things. 

 Kerry raises LGBT rights with Nigerian president - Good! Lgbt equality and safety is a worldwide issue. Let's never forget that.  

BarbWire Pundit: Kids Are 'Being Seduced And Devoured By The Disney Demoniacs' - Oh come on. I had just a LITTLE crazy to the news briefs.

Attacks on Planned Parenthood, gays only harms Christianity

"Dr. King said that the end has to be pre-existing in the means. In other words, there's no right way to do the wrong thing. The fact that there are no ethics, there are no scruples, in people who claim to hold the moral high ground and who seek to indict others for offering compassionate care that is accepted in general by the public, it is the ultimate irony. It is the ultimate paradox that you will deceive to bring about truth. I don't understand how that works."

This wonderful passage was a part of a piece recently published by Cosmopolitan magazine and written by Dr. Willie Parker. Parker was defending Planned Parenthood senior director of medical research, Dr. Deborah Nucatola, who was recently victimized in a supposed video expose which purported to imply that her organization was making profit off of selling aborted fetuses.

It sounds disgusting, but video was distorted and edited to cast Nucatola as a villain as well as deliberately give the false impression that Planned Parenthood was marketing human tissue from abortions. The organization behind it is one of those right-wing groups dedicated to eliminating a woman's right to an abortion because they feel that abortion is murder and a sin and therefore it is their Christian duty to stop it.

And right on cue, folks such as Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback are demanding investigations into the workings of Planned Parenthood. Across twitter, nasty comments and ugly hashtags against Planned Parenthood are spread by people who claim to be Christians, even though it has been shown to them that the videos in questions are distorted.

And I keep telling myself that I've seen this scenario before - i.e.  supposed Christian groups deliberately lying in the name of God  but this time by either the spread of junk science or the distortion of legitimate science in order to prove a supposed Biblical belief about a group of people along with "Christian" elected officials who create policy based upon these lies.

I should know it well. I've spent eight and a half years fighting it on this blog. It's when so-called Christian groups target the lgbt community with lies to prove the false idea that homosexuality is  a "dangerous lifestyle."

And why? Because according to their religious beliefs, homosexuality is a sin.

But in both cases - the one involving distorted videos of Planned Parenthood and the other involving junk science and distorted studies to defame lgbts -  I have to ask do the groups and individuals creating these false images really think God approves of their actions? Do they think that a lie told in the name of God is somehow a good thing? Does lying in the name of God suddenly make that lie into truth?

I doubt that these individuals will seriously harm Planned Parenthood in the long run and thanks to a lot of intrepid bloggers (myself included), the lies they tell about lgbts don't have as much power as they once did.


However, it saddens me to think how they hurt  Christianity. These deliberately false attacks on Planned Parenthood in the name of God are similar to the ones perpetrated against gays in the name of God. And both attacks will do nothing but depict Christianity as a weapon of lies.

God doesn't like ugly, even when it's supposedly done in His name.

'Writer says 'Christian persecution complex' is embarrassing fraud' & other Wed. midday news briefs

Writer Barry Dixon nails the message of this cartoon in his column.

Please Stop With The Christian Persecution Complex. You’re Embarrassing The Faith - This is one of those column which makes me jealous because it's so good I wish I had written it. 

This Dad Can’t Bring His 6-Month-Old Daughter Home Because He’s Gay - Excuse the hell out of me?!!  

Harrisonburg’s Eastern Mennonite University expands non-discrimination policy to include married LGBTQs - Wonderful!!  

Pastor Asks Governor Haley For The Right To Exclude LGBT People - This madness is the result of journalists who get paid handsomely to educate people NOT doing their jobs. One more time folks - CHURCHES ARE NOT REQUIRED TO MARRY GAY PEOPLE!!!!  

A Golden Girl’s Legacy Brings Hope To LGBT Youth - I always liked the late actress Bea Arthur. What she did for lgbt youth during her life and after she passed only cements my feelings about her.

Liberty Counsel's homophobia, vicious animus on display with attorney's callous attitude

Gannam

There are times when anti-gay groups and spokespeople are their own worst enemies. Just give them a platform and watch them undercut their claimed beliefs in morality and fairness.

Take for example, the court case in Kentucky involving Kim Davis, the clerk who says she will not give out marriage licenses to same-sex couples because of her religious beliefs. The judge is expected to rule in August but that didn't keep her attorney, Roger Gannam from the Liberty Counsel, from speaking to the American Family Association's fake news site, One News Now.

And his words about the gay couple seeking to marry does wonders to illustrate the animus which led anti-gay groups and their supporters to lose in their fight against marriage equality:

"We were able to see through her testimony that this case, more and more, is really about the plaintiffs wanting to force Kim Davis to issue a marriage license despite her sincerely held religious beliefs," the attorney explains. "It's not about the plaintiffs' desire to get married."

Kentucky law stipulates that marriage license applicants can get a license in any county – so the plaintiffs could have driven a short distance to obtain the license elsewhere. As Gannam points out, they were certainly willing to put out extra effort to go to court Monday.

"They drove two hours to a county where they could have gotten a license if they wanted one," he notes. "They drove an hour last week to court to a county where they could've gotten a license if they wanted one. And they could've gotten a license in just about every county in between that they passed through if they had wanted one."

Gannam argues that the case is about "crushing dissent" and forcing Christians out of public office.

And there we go again with the ridiculous notion that our desire to marry is actually a part of a nefarious plan (which by the way, I have yet to get the memo about) to silence people against marriage equality and keep "Christians" out of public office.

I could say a lot about Gannam's ridiculous conspiracy theory and how his appropriation of the term "Christian" (as if to say that lgbts cannot be Christians) insults me.

But I would rather talk about his callous comments regarding the same-sex couple.

'American religious right attempting to create global backlash to lgbt equality' & other Tues midday news briefs

The Global Backlash To America's Gay Rights Triumph - This makes me sicker than words can express. American anti-gay groups and figures know that they have lost the so-called culture war in THIS COUNTRY  so, like bullies, they peddle their crap overseas to victimize the religious beliefs and ignorance of other countries, thereby leading these countries to terrorize their own lgbt citizens. What's the solution? Knowledge. Yes. I am peddling my free booklet here but I want to express more than that. We are a slack community in demanding accountability from our journalists, newspapers, and magazines. We yawn and make jokes while the lazy folks in the Beltway media copy and paste talking points about anti-gay groups supposedly protecting "religious liberties" and we don't demand something more when the latest faux journalist or think tank  publish another collection of  deliberate and badly researched trash masquerading as a book pushing the false notion that progressive folks are "intolerant" to those supporting supposed "evangelical beliefs." We do nothing even we know that they are lying. We don't demand better accountability even when we know that they are lying. We don't demand truth even though we know that they are attempting to omit their extensive history of scapegoating our community. Why? Because we think we are winning. Mythology tells us that in the Trojan War, the Trojans were defeated because they let their guard down when they thought they had won. What we do as the American religious right instigates persecution against our brothers and sisters overseas is OUR Trojan War moment. 

Sweeping Federal LGBT Rights Bill Will Be Introduced This Week - Now this is good news. It may not pass, but that's not the point. We are showing that we are at the gate and we won't leave until the door is open, whether it is opened peacefully or we push it in.  

This Woman Is Stuck In An Iowa Jail Simply Because She Is Transgender - I read the story. It is accurate and IT IS A HOT MESS! 

 After Losing On Same-Sex Marriage, Conservative Christians Find A New Enemy - Guess what. The religious right's support for "religious freedom" only means the freedom to believe what THEY believe.  

Pat Robertson: Gay Marriage To Legalize 'Love Affairs Between Men And Animals,' Pedophilia - You just KNEW someone would tie those bogus anti-Planned Parenthood "expose videos" to the lgbt community.  

Gay Priest Fired From Chaplain Job Asks Pope To Meet LGBT Catholics In U.S. - One of my new heroes.

Rick Perry, do you really want to tangle again with the gay community?

According to Think Progress, former Texas Governor and presidential candidate Rick Perry made a statement against allowing gay scoutmasters in the Boy Scouts:

Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry expanded on his beliefs on gay Boy Scout leaders Sunday, saying on Meet the Press that he didn’t think openly gay Scout leaders belonged in the Boy Scouts.

Meet the Press’ Chuck Todd asked Perry, who served as the governor of Texas from 2000 – 2015, whether his views on openly gay scout leaders had changed since 2008, when he wrote that “openly active gays, particularly advocates, present a problem. Because gay activism is central to their lives, it would unavoidably be a topic of conversation within a Scout troop. This would distract from the mission of Scouting; character building, not sex education.”

Perry said he still stood by that statement.

“I believe that scouting would be better off if they didn’t have openly gay Scout masters,” he said.

Perry also said that he would oppose a new Boy Scouts policy of allowing openly gay Scout leaders — something the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) looks poised to adopt.

Does Perry really want to go another round with the lgbt community after the last time.  For those who can't recall, when Perry ran for president in 2012 elections, he ran this anti-gay commercial decrying gays serving openly in the military:



The repercussions were immediate and unrelentingly negative. The ad was seen as either so homophobic or so inane that it not only divided his staff, but made him a laughing stock (the parodies were practically endless). Folks even noticed that the jacket he wore was also worn by the late Heath Ledger in the classic gay-themed movie Brokeback Mountain and that the background music was inspired by Aaron Copland, a gay composer.

The ad, along with a couple of other gaffes, reduced Perry's campaign to shambles.

So Perry, if you didn't learn not to mess with us last time, "you gon learn today."

'Where does Huckabee stand on the 'religious liberty' of hospitals?' & other Mon. midday news briefs

Does Huckabee think hospitals should be able to use religion to turn people away?

Mike Huckabee: Gay Marriage 'Violates Nature And Nature's God' - Chalk it up to either Mike Huckabee getting carried away when being interviewed by a friendly source when it comes to his ignoring SCOTUS on its marriage equality decision or me being paranoid, but in the context of marriage equality and lgbt rights in general, why is he mentioning hospitals when it comes so-called religious liberty? I'm curious to know where does Huckabee stand when it comes to hospitals possibly denying potential patients and using "religious liberty" as an excuse.  We seriously need some clarification here:

" . . .You can reverse the executive orders as it relates to how the president has said you’re going to make this a mandatory issue throughout federal government but you also instruct the attorney general to defend religious liberty and the rights of people of faith and conscience whether they’re business owners acting as individuals, whether they’re hospitals, churches, schools, adoption agencies. It doesn’t matter what it is. That no one’s religious liberty will be trampled upon because they refuse to bow to something that violates nature and nature’s God. Words, that by the way, I borrowed right out of the Declaration of Independence. . ."

Republicans In Iowa Compare The Fight Against Slavery To The Fight Against Gay Marriage - There they go again. Republicans are incredibly skilled at the use of language to influence the populace. However, I really don't think the slavery connotation is going to help them here.

Indiana-Style Bill Promoting Anti-Gay Discrimination Gains Steam In Congress - It's called the First Amendment Defense Act and it's a load of junk.  

Veterans Kicked Out Of The Military Because They Are Gay May Get Help From Democrats' New Bill - Now THIS bill is a wonderful idea as opposed the one above. 

 Former Pastor Suggests Christians Should Fight Gay Rights With Guns - He's a fool but pay attention to his reasons why he holds his positions. The anecdotal stories didn't come from him. They came from anti-gay groups like the Family Research Council and right-wing organizations such as the Heritage Foundation. It only takes one fool to be emboldened by one lie . . .

Marriage equality opponent embroiled in HUGE gay scandal

Nienstedt

At one time, former Minnesota Archbishop John Nienstedt was one of the most powerful and vocal opponents against marriage equality.

Now however, his reputation is in disgrace after resigning due to allegations of sex abuse coverups. To make matters worse, he is embroiled in a personal scandal which may serve to make him the latest stereotype of the adage that those who decry homosexuality the loudest are actually gay themselves.

From The Star Tribune:

Former Archbishop John Nienstedt said he remains “dumbfounded” by the allegations of personal misconduct that emerged last year during an internal church investigation of his behavior — a report that the archdiocese now is considering making public.

 . . . Commissioned by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the probe looked into claims that Nienstedt had engaged in behavior that was inappropriate for a priest. The Star Tribune has learned that investigators collected affidavits from priests, former seminarians and a former priest alleging actions, some dating to the Detroit area in the early 1980s, that range from inappropriate touching to visiting a gay nightclub.

 . . .  In one affidavit, a priest in Harrison Township, Mich., reported seeing Nienstedt at a gay nightclub in Windsor, Ontario, just across the border from Detroit in the 1980s. “I recall seeing John — and there is no doubt in my mind that it was him based on my prior interactions with him — at the Happy Tap,” the Rev. Lawrence Ventline wrote in his affidavit. “He appeared to wave me off as I was coming — and I backed off because I did not want impose on him.”

Another affidavit from a Michigan priest said that Nienstedt pulled up to his car in an area frequented by gay men one December in the early 1980s and asked him if he had any “poppers,” an inhalant used by gay men to enhance sexual pleasure. When he got into Nienstedt’s car, and Nienstedt recognized him as a former student, he changed the subject, the priest told the Star Tribune.

 . . .  Nienstedt denied all the allegations, point by point and in general. He also stressed that none of the people who filed affidavits claimed that he “ever abused any minor, had a sexual relationship with any individual, or committed any crime.”

'Gay parents still having to fight for families to be legally recognized' & other Fri midday news briefs

Gay couples are still fighting for legal family recognition.

Sexual Orientation Discrimination Is Barred By Existing Law, Federal Commission Rules - A wonderful victory for the lgbt community. 

Even After SCOTUS Gay Couples Having To Fight To Be Legally Recognized As Parents Of Their Children - This doesn't make any sense at all! And it's an ugly shame.

 I confess: I hate going to church - How the church pushes lgbts away from God is a subject which needs more discussion. 

 Jeb Bush Says LGBT Non-Discrimination Should Be A States’ Rights Issue - Didn't folks say the same thing about segregation?

 Local Newspaper Bans Gay Wedding Announcements, Tells Employees To Not Voice Any Opinion – Or Quit - Surely you didn't think all of today's news briefs would be "sunshine and lollipops," did you?

Republican presidential candidates aren't supporting lgbt equality

The upcoming 2016 presidential election is crucial when determining whether the lgbt community will continue our march to equality or will we be hit with an ugly backlash.

With that in mind, the Human Rights Campaign has created several short videos of the Republican candidates for president and where they stand on lgbt equality.

And it doesn't look good. Still, it is necessary that our community know these facts:

Public officials to Ohio judge - DO THE JOB YOU ARE BEING PAID TO DO!

McConnell

Kudos to Equality Toledo for this. It is called striking back at those who would deny the lgbt community our constitutional rights:

Nearly 30 public officials signed a petition, released today, calling on Toledo Municipal Court Judge. C. Allen McConnell to “fulfill the duty of his elected position” after he refused to marry a same-sex couple last week.

The signatures, collected by Equality Toledo, include several Toledo City Council members, all three Lucas County Commissioners, and former Mayor Mike Bell. Equality Toledo plans to post the petition on social media.

“We are disappointed that Judge Allen McConnell has refused to fulfill the duty of his elected position,” the statement reads in part. “If he does not agree with the laws of the United States of America, he is free to work to change them — either as a citizen or as a member of a legislative body. But as judge, he has absolutely no discretion — he must apply and follow the law, including the ones with which he does not agree.”

 . . .  Judge McConnell refused to marry a same-sex couple July 6 when the two came to his duties court. He released a statement the next day saying his “personal and Christian beliefs” prevented him from performing the marriage. The Toledo women were married by Toledo Municipal Court Judge William Connelly, Jr. later that afternoon. 

The irony of the entire situation is that the Family Research Council added in its two cents before the petition, exploiting the fact that the judge is an African-American as if to imply racism on behalf of those wanting McConnell to do his job:

 The African American judge, who says the civil rights struggle is what "inspired his career," explained, "On Monday, July 6, I declined to marry a non-traditional couple during my duties assignment. The declination was based upon my personal and Christian beliefs established over many years. I apologize to the couple for the delay they experienced and wish them the best." As Alliance Defending Freedom pointed out, "The ability of the couple to find someone to solemnize their ceremony in 45 minutes illustrates that there is no substantial government interest in forcing this judge to violate his sincerely held beliefs." Yet, liberal activists -- the same ones who insisted the country could find common ground between marriage and religious liberty -- will accept nothing less than complete capitulation on faith. If that means trampling a man's sincerely-held beliefs, so be it.

Whatever. Since when does the Family Research Council actually give a #@^!# about issues affecting the African-American community?  Just like Mike Huckabee, FRC only supposedly plays "defense" for black people when they want to pit them against the lgbt community.

'Anti-gay groups still planning, hubris knocks out the Duggar family' & other Thur. midday news briefs

Hubris smacks down the Duggar family.

Inside The Conservative Plan To Continue The Fight Against LGBT Equality - If you even THINK that the anti-gay right will give up simply because we won the right to marry, you are living on another planet. Kudos to Carlos Maza for this report and pay special attention to this part:

 In a presentation titled "Dealing With Media," conservative author and right-wing activist Jason Mattera suggested that the key to winning public opinion was to invert the dominant media narrative about LGBT equality by decrying LGBT activists as intolerant bullies while painting religious conservatives as the real victims in the culture war. Leftists are "the most intolerant, bigoted people on the planet. And that is, they want Christianity purged from the public square," Mattera declared. He urged his audience to portray the fight for LGBT equality as intolerant when talking to reporters or appearing on TV: "Why do they hate diversity? Why do they hate tolerance? I'm for a multiplicity of viewpoints. Isn't that what America is about? Why does that person want to compel me to do something I don't want? What is it about fascism that appeals to them?" That "flip the script" tactic -- essentially calling LGBT activists bullies -- has been widely successful in influencing conservative media coverage of the fight for LGBT equality in recent years. Stories about anti-gay bakers and florists who are fined for refusing service to gay customers have helped motivate the recent wave of "religious freedom" laws and gin up opposition to non-discrimination efforts that protect LGBT people. 

TLC officially cancels ’19 Kids and Counting’ after Josh Duggar admits to molesting girls as a teen - Everyone KNEW this would be the end result. The Greeks had a word this entire scandal - hubris.

The Past Repeats: Christian Right Turns to Nullification to Counter Marriage Equality - IF the anti-gay right attempts this, they are going to be marching straight down the road to self-destruction. But the question is how much havoc will they cause before the end comes.  

How Obamacare Is Helping Protect Trans People’s Right To Health Care - Wonderful news part 1.

 Judge rules Utah should put 2 moms on baby's birth certificate - Wonderful news part 2  

How Scott Walker's Gay-Bashing Blew Up in His Face - Take a big ole bite, Scotty.

Caitlyn Jenner steals the show at the ESPYs with eloquence and courage

If you missed Caitlyn Jenner receiving the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPYs last night, you missed an awesome moment. It was wonderful how she used her moment to talk about the problems the transgender community faces, particularly the plight of transgender children.

We should never forget the damage caused by anti-gay propaganda

From Right Wing Watch:

James David Manning, the anti-gay Harlem pastor who has struck up an alliance with the anti-government group Oath Keepers, took to his “Manning Report” YouTube program yesterday to explain his theory of how people become gay. Just as various diseases are spread through sexual intercourse and saliva, Manning explained, so too is the “sodomite demon.” If you have had sex with or even kissed or been at the same restaurant as someone who has such “demons in their blood,” he warned, you may have been “introduced to these demons in your life, sodomy, when you had no defense.”

Some of you are no doubt laughing yourselves silly and you should. Idiocy like this is waaaay out of the mainstream.

But if your laughter leads you to forget, perhaps you need a lesson in history. There was a time when junk like this was endorsed by individuals seemingly in the mainstream. There are these images for example, which throw out pretty much the same vile connotation:

 

'Scott Walker implies that gays are pedophiles' & other Wed midday news briefs

Scott Walker

Scott Walker’s Offensive Claim About Gay Men And Children - I personally think that Walker will be the Republican nominee for president and if he wins, he will backdoor workers nationwide with as much zeal as he did those in Wisconsin. His implied comments about gays just underlines the fact that this man shouldn't be elected as dogcatcher.

Few School Districts Have Anti-Bullying Policies Protecting LGBT Students - THIS is a consummate disgrace.

 Heroic Texas Librarian Helps Save LGBT-Themed Books Targeted By Anti-Gay Residents – VIDEO - Wonderful lady!  

Tolerance wins in Texas! Watch Christians storm county meeting to censor LGBT books — and fail - More on the above insanity. Based on the stories I read as a child (Little Red Riding Hood getting eaten by the wolf, Rapunzel becoming pregnant by the visits of the prince to her tower (how the heck did you think the witch found out), Jack climbing the beanstalk and stealing the giant's treasures (that was before the sanitized version of the story which claimed that the giant had originally murdered Jack's father), a book showcasing lgbt lives seems rather tame.

 LGBT Elder Americans Act Introduced in Senate - Our community doesn't talk about the problems and issues of elder lgbts and it's high time that we do. 

 5,000 men and women to go naked to teach Obama a lesson about gays - You just KNOW this will not have the intended effect.

Anti-gay leader claims gay parents will lead their children to hell

It was bound to happen. Anti-gay personalities and spokespeople are so upset over 50-state marriage equality that they are now making ugly comments about children in same-sex households.

From Right Wing Watch:

Last night, Vision America's Rick Scarborough spoke at St. Andrew Baptist Church in Panama City, Florida, as part of the church's weekly "Spiritual Revolution - Reclaiming America" series, where he declared that the Supreme Court's gay marriage decision will kill this nation and warned that children will now be adopted by gay parents and wind up in Hell.

I guess Scarborough fails to realize how such rhetoric serves to alienate everyone except for the those truly converted to his rancor. And this isn't a large group. Even so, folks like Scarborough can call us anything they want. But they should really leave out kids out of their tantrums.

No matter because the gay community still have the right to marry, no matter what Scarborough or anyone else can drudge up by way of a scream. Comments like his should only make us stronger and more resolved to get everything we need besides marriage equality.

'Franklin Graham puts his two cents in about Caitlyn Jenner, moves into Kanye West territory' & other Tues midday news briefs

Franklin Graham - the white, evangelical version of Kanye West.

Franklin Graham says he finds it ‘hard to swallow’ that Caitlyn Jenner got Courage Award - Okay, I get the entire freedom of speech thing, but when a public figures feels the need to comment negatively on almost every lgbt public event, we are moving into demagogue territory here. And it doesn't matter that lgbts are ignoring Graham. His words are emboldening a bunch of ignorant folks. 

Anti-Gay Clerk: Following The Law Is A Violation Of My Rights - I present Exhibit A of the point of the above brief. One saving grace about this nut is that he is very vocal of the fact that he does not want to give ANY marriage license to ANY gay couple even though he knows its discrimination. And he will NOT resign either. He moved way past integrity a while back and is now deeply entrenched into ego. By all means, please proceed, sir.

  God V. Gays Is a False Narrative - Yes it is! And it's about time we started calling it out as such. Lgbts are people faith and we know how to pray and trust in God. Just because certain individuals now bogart the narrative doesn't mean that their view of religion is the only one which matters.  

Poll Finds Most Small Business Owners Oppose Anti-LGBT ‘Religious Freedom’ Laws - I bet you didn't even know THAT. 

 Ford Worker Fired For Anti-Gay Comment Sues For Religious Discrimination - Important case to watch. The notice he was responding to contained NOTHING about sex or the like. He posted a viciously nasty retort and is now claiming that he did so because of his faith. If he wins, then I guess folks can say all sorts of ugly things about lgbts and hide behind their religion.  

Pentagon Confirms Plans To Lift Ban On Transgender Military Service - And that would be awesome!

NOM makes awful attempt to distort marriage equality poll

Brian Brown, NOM tries to manipulate data.

Poor National Organization for Marriage. The organization is so delirious over its loss at SCOTUS that it is now attempting to convince supporters that there is now momentum against marriage equality:

 The evidence that the country is not embracing this ruling mounts every day. A nationwide survey of voters conducted by Reuters found that only 51% of Americans support same-sex 'marriage' following the Supreme Court ruling — a considerably smaller percentage than many national polls found prior to the ruling — and nearly two thirds of Republicans oppose the Supreme Court decision. Reuters noted that this will likely ensure that opposition to the Supreme Court ruling will be a pivotal issue in the selection of the Republican presidential nominee. 

The article in question by Reuters did say that a large number of Republicans  do not agree with the recent SCOTUS decision. And it the article also said that 51 percent of Americans in general support marriage equality after the ruling.

But NOM conveniently omitted to mention how many Americans in general do not support marriage equality. That number and what it means for Republican candidates who are publicly opposed to marriage equality reveal a totally different story than the one NOM is attempting to peddle :

When asked in general whether they support allowing same-sex couples to marry, 51 percent of Americans say they do, while 35 percent oppose it. Forty-eight percent of independent voters back gay marriage, making it difficult for a conservative Republican to win general election votes on the issue.  

Seems to me that NOM is still in the hole it was in before the ruling, i.e. more Americans support marriage equality while the anti-gay group finds outself outside the mainstream. And the more the NOM tries to dig out of that hole, the filthier it gets.

I do adore watching pigs rut in their natural habitat.

'Anti-gay judge wants gay couples to sign waiver before he marries them' & other Mon. midday news briefs

Todd Starnes - Christianity's worst nightmare.

Texas judge will perform same-sex weddings — but only if couples acknowledge his anti-LGBT beliefs - Someone must be out of his mind. I have NEVER heard of such a thing!  

Watch Fox host deliver unhinged anti-LGBT sermon: Chick-fil-A ‘is the official chicken of Jesus’ - When people ask me why does American Christianity get such a bad rap, I generally say two words - "Todd Starnes." 

Todd Starnes Delivers Ignorance-Packed Sermon About the “War on Religious Liberty” - More about Starnes' crazy weekend activities. I know he works for Fox but even THAT network should have standards. 

 Fox News' Special Report Demeans Transgender Teens As Impressionable Children With A Mental Disorder - Then again . . .  

The international war on LGBT people - About that lie that lgbts are attempting to persecute folks. . . .   

Huckabee: Christians Must Be 'Willing To Suffer' For Disobeying Gay Marriage Ruling - Yeah, yeah, yeah. You first, Huckabee. And we all KNOW that neither you nor the rest doing the talking about persecution will lose anything, ESPECIALLY those fat bank accounts.

 'Rumplepimple,' Children's Book, Wants To Normalize Same-Sex Relationships For Children - Because it needs to happen. The ignorant will think we are talking about sex, but to hell with them because we aren't.

The real story behind lgbt equality struggle is being ignored

For over three decades, anti-gay groups created this false image of the gay community.

Last night, I made the discovery that my work was used in a letter to the editor in the Grand Forks Herald:

The Huffington Post's Alvin McEwan characterizes the ACP as "a sham group camouflaging religious right distortion as legitimate research" and cites University of Minnesota professor Greg Remafedi, who claims the group has "distorted his work." And in fact, the list of scientists whose research has been distorted to support the religious right's bigotry against the LGBT community is staggering.

It was pretty cool to be cited and obviously the young lady read my online booklet, How They See Us, because she cited info from page 10 regarding the list of researchers whose work have been distorted by the anti-gay right.

But then the euphoria faded and I got a bit angry. Not at her, mind you, but the situation in general.

On two pages, I listed at least 12 examples over a number of years in which anti-gay groups and personalities have been caught lying about or distorting research.  How in the world did the media, including ours, miss this?

Do journalists dig for information anymore? While we busy ourselves with esoteric terms, while those who claim to be our allies (i.e. Kirsten Powers) write sloppy books hoping to follow the trend of fake pity for anti-gay groups and organizations who finally themselves out of the mainstream, and while those same anti-gay groups and organizations (and their allies at places such as Fox News) spin false stories of anti-Christian persecution at places such as bakeries, the real story seems to be getting ignored.

That real story is the over 30 year history of lies, distortions, and bearing of false witness by anti-gay groups designed to stigmatize the lgbt community.  Until THAT story is told, no matter how many victories we win, the lgbt community will always find ourselves on the defensive, trying to justify not only our existence but our right to have a normal life.

'Anti-gay Oregon bakery was not fined for cake, but sharing lesbian couple's personal info' & other Fri. midday news briefs

Save your fake tears, Melissa Klein. We now know why your bakery was fined.

Oregon bakers weren’t fined over cake — they were punished for sharing lesbian couple’s home address - I don't care how many times this story has been listed, I don't care how many times folks have read this story, and I don't care how tired folks are of hearing about it. THIS component NEEDS to go viral. That bakery in Oregon which got into trouble for not serving a gay couple and ended up having to pay a $135,000 have been liars from the start. They whine about their religious liberty and accuse the lgbt community of being "intolerant." It turns out they were fined BECAUSE they shared the lesbian couple's personal information, causing the couple to receive a multitude of threats and nearly causing their foster children to be taken away. Now when the Family Research Council, Todd Starnes, and various other anti-gay groups and personalities repeat this story, they won't mention this fact. When the couple who owns the bakery makes their speech at FRC's "Values Voters" Summit, they aren't going to mention that detail. We need to drill this truth into people's heads so that they know how much of a lie this entire crying towel story was. 

The Newest Argument For Wedding Cake Discrimination - Because you can BET the anti-gay right is attempting to twist this situation again.  

Mike Huckabee: US Now Worse Than Sodom And Gomorrah Because Of Marriage Equality - The poor anti-gay right continues the conjecture and hyperbole to no avail. 

Governor Tells a Kentucky County Clerk to Start Issuing Same-Sex Marriage Licenses or Resign - BECAUSE it's their freaking jobs to do it!  

Right-Wing Pastors: Expect 'Gunfire' And Rebellion Due To Gay Marriage Ruling - The only thing I've heard are words from overpaid, self-righteous so-and-so's who are too cowardly to start something themselves so they are attempting to bamboozle others into doing it.

Anti-gay right's attack on SCOTUS are dangerous

The one thing which bothers me greatly throughout the entire right-wing freakout over the marriage equality decision is the disrespect of SCOTUS. Take Mat Staver of the Liberty Counsel, for example:

Staver

We should not pretend that it is the rule of law, we should not act like it's the rule of law," he counsels. "We do need to protect religious freedom – but in the process we cannot accept this ruling as a legitimate ruling as the rule of law. It is not; it is not based on the Constitution – and if it's not based on the Constitution, it's just their opinion."

I'm sure his words will come back to haunt him, should Staver ever find himself arguing a case in front of SCOTUS.

Their rulings are not merely opinion.  SCOTUS is the body which makes sure our laws are in accordance to the Constitution. And their rulings, like it or not, are legitimate dictates which we must follow. I haven't liked some rulings but I have never referred to the justices as "black robed tyrants" or "unelected judges." 

Such rhetoric is not only disrespectful but dangerous to the integrity of the court and future of this country.  Staver and the rest who are attacking SCOTUS for their marriage equality ruling should think upon their words. If they are urging resistance against a ruling which they don't like, what are they to do if people on the other side of the spectrum urges resistance against a ruling they would like in the future?

We should encourage some anti-gay activists to speak openly, freely, and often

Stacy Swimp should speak about lgbt issues more often.

Apparently, Glenn Beck is off the air this month for medical reasons.

This leaves his radio show in the hands of his  co-hosts, Pat Grey and Stu Burguiere. Together, the two demonstrate why sometimes it is a wonderful idea to let anti-gay leaders speak free and unfettered. Instead of interviewing Michigan anti-gay activist Stacy Swimp, the two let him ramble about the evils of lgbts and marriage equality. The following audio is just a little taste of the insanity:



Transcript:

Swimp: "This is not even just about so-called gay marriage. This is about an immoral revolution. Look at what they're doing, they're trying to superimpose it in our schools. Did you hear about the case in California, and this is not uncommon, where homosexuals who have been allowed to adopt children ... are taking them to get hormone shots because they're saying that this pre-adolescent wants to be of a different gender and so they're trying to stop the natural genetical [sic] process of this minor that they have custody of? This is what's happening, so this is getting to a point now where they're literally trying to collapse our Western Civilization. This is a moral, supernatural, spiritual thing that's manifesting itself in the political realm, in the social realm, in the cultural realm and if people like you and I and those of us who can see it don't do anything about it, I'm telling you, we're going to look up and we're going to have boys going to the girls' bathroom ... We're going to have men walking around in bottomless pants." 

Huge hat tip to Right Wing Watch.

'Married gay couples to receive FULL federal benefits' & other Thur midday news briefs

U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch

Obama Administration Confirms Married Same-Sex Couples Will Have Access to Federal Benefits - Not baaaad! 

Toledo judge issues statement after refusing to marry same-sex couple - Now THIS is a situation more serious than that of clerks refusing to issue marriage licenses. When a JUDGE uses "religious liberty" as an excuse not to do his or her duty, we are talking about a serious constitutional crisis here.

Russian Government Unveils Offensive Heterosexual Pride Flag To Honor “Traditional Family Values” - And Russia continues to attack and stigmatize its lgbt citizens. 

 Bryan Fischer Once Again Calls For Enacting Russian-Style Anti-Gay 'Propaganda' Laws In America - In a manner which Bryan Fischer wishes America would do. Dream on, big boy.  

Tea Party Sheriff Calls For 'Pitchforks And Torches' In Response To Marriage Equality Ruling - And in that SAME voice of making fun of fake bravado, I say to this guy - "BITCH, PLEASE!!" It's like I said before. Anti-gay figures want other people to do the rioting while they reap the benefits. 

Kenyan Leaders To Obama: We’ll Throw Rotten Eggs At You If You Talk About LGBT Rights Here - This issue of Obama possibly speaking about lgbt equality in such a homophobic country like Kenya is heating up WITHOUT little or no mention from the American media. And we already know of a certain anti-gay supposed Christian group who stands in support of the persecution of lgbts in Kenya.

Family Research Council defends persecution of gays in African countries

For Tony Perkins, it's not persecution unless it happens to evangelicals.

In a show of absolute hypocrisy, as the Family Research Council pushes the false notion that marriage equality is causing the persecution of evangelicals in American, the organization is simultaneously defending anti-gay persecution in Kenya.

From FRC President Tony Perkins in a recent email message:

When the President travels abroad, there's one thing he never leaves at home: his radical social agenda. Since day one, the Obama administration made it clear that this isn't your parents' version of diplomacy. Instead, the White House has dispatched an army of liberal ambassadors -- all with strict instructions to use their influence to force acceptance of the President's extreme sexual priorities.Now, after seven years of aggressive bullying, the President's crusade hasn't exactly improved relations with America's neighbors (not that it's an administration priority). From Hillary Clinton to John Kerry, the State Department has repeatedly violated the first rule of the diplomatic process: to respect the traditions and beliefs of other countries. In most cases, this forceful approach has made more enemies of nations than friends -- especially in countries as profoundly religious as Kenya.

Like other African and South American nations, they don't appreciate the administration's decision to openly demonize their beliefs and promote homosexuality and abortion as international "human rights." And when the President Obama visits Kenyans this month, they intend to tell him so. Dozens of lawmakers are planning protests during the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, where White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest says the President will once again call for "equality" for LGBT Kenyans. "It is important for us as Kenyans to know that the U.S. is not God," one church leader told CNSnews.com. Lawmaker Irungu Kangata was more candid. "We are telling Mr. Obama when he comes to Kenya this month and he tries to bring the abortion agenda, the gay agenda, we shall tell him to shut up and go home." The Speaker of the National Assembly echoed that resolve. "Liberal thoughts are being entertained in some countries under the guise of human rights. We must be vigilant and guard against it. We must lead an upright society and now allow obnoxious behavior as we have a responsibility to protect our children."

I guess it wouldn't mean anything to Perkins to know that gays are persecuted in Kenya. And when I say "persecuted," I am not talking about the lying dross Perkins and his allies in the religious right conjure up about lgbts to scare their ignorant supporters.

Anti-gay groups sowing lies, hoping to reap chaos in wake of SCOTUS marriage equality ruling

As this video above of Kim Davis, an clerk of court in Rowan County (Kentucky), refusing to help a gay couple fulfill their legal right to marry, goes viral, it has me thinking.

We are all being played for fools. Davis, other government officials who are pitifully stalling or outright refusing to marry couples (gay or heterosexual) under the guise of "religious freedom," and the lgbt community are all being manipulated and exploited.

I am sure that this situation and others like it (luckily there are not that many) will end up in our favor. However, the lgbt community needs to recognize that it is not these clerks or other government officials who don't agree with our legal right to marry who are the problem.

We should be aiming a lot of our fire at the anti-gay organizations and personalities who are instigating this mess. Individuals like Tony Perkins and Bryan Fischer and organizations such as the National Organization for Marriage, the Family Research Council, or the American Family Association want a resistance against marriage equality.

They want protests, government employees refusing to do their job, and general chaos. But they aren't going to get their hands dirty. You won't see Tony Perkins or NOM president Brian Brown leading a march of non-complying government officials. You won't see Bryan Fischer standing in front of window of courts clerks in an attempt to bar gay couples.

They reside in the ears of those who think that homosexuality is a sin.  Via mass and social media, they create and repeat inane threats of persecution and false claims that gays want to destroy Christianity. They imply or outright say that hordes of "homosexuals" will be invading evangelical churches, dragging pastors from the pulpits  and tossing them into in prison for refusing to marry gay couples, and probably snatching children on their way out, like some goblin whose name parents speak  when they want to keep their offspring in check.

Like a wannabe puppeteer, anti-gay organizations and personalities are pulling the strings,  buoying the arrogance and recklessness of clerks and various other government officials and  thereby manipulating them to refuse to carry out their duties, while expecting to be paid by the tax dollars of the people whose rights they are infringing upon. And when our community react against these individuals, well that's a part of the plan, too. Anti-gay groups are attempting to manipulate us all into an unnecessary holy war in which they hope to reap the benefits of pointing and saying "see, we told you so."

It proves the point that the more things change, the more they remain the same. When lgbts had no or very little political power, anti-gay groups exploited fears and religious beliefs to keep the boot of oppression on our necks. Even though the lgbt community has amassed much political power over the years, the anti-gay propaganda playbook doesn't change.

And why should it when there are so many folks who can be manipulated by it while the lgbt community as well as lgbt leaders busy themselves with fighting the pawns of that playbook rather than the masters.

'Marriage equality backlash not happening for anti-gay industry' & other Wed midday news briefs

Poor Franklin Graham. Gays getting married gets hm down.

What must drive the anti-gay activists crazy - Jeremy Hooper makes a wonderful point. If anti-gay personalities and the groups were expecting a wide groundswell of anger against the SCOTUS marriage equality decision, they aren't getting it, particularly if one compares the anger they hoped to exploit with that of the lgbt community and allies when Prop 8 was passed. Now THAT was a groundswell of anger.

Why 'Gay Marriage' Is Dead but the Battle Just Became Much Bigger - Signorile, as usual, makes a wonderful point.
 

Op-ed: LGBT Work, Housing Protections Needed Now, Says NAACP Leader - Wonderful point and it is awesome that it's made by NAACP leader Julian Bond. That makes it an extra special point because of the recognition beyond of the lgbt community that these protections are needed.

 Franklin Graham: God May Smite Obama With Lightning In Gay Marriage Punishment - Frankie Graham is still angry over the marriage equality decision and he is milking it on his facebook page. There is the place where some of the anger resides. Folks on their butts commenting on facebook.

Louisiana Justice Refuses To Obey Supreme Court, Writes Opinion Implying Gay People Rape Their Children - The good news is that there was no ruling against the lgbt community here. It was an acknowledgement that Louisiana must obey SCOTUS on marriage equality. The supremely bad news is the fact that there are plenty of folks like this justice around in high office. It's definitely not over.
 

Kansas Recognizes Same-Sex Marriages — But Not Same-Sex Tax Filings - Gov. Brownback screwed up the state of Kansas. Did lgbt couples think they would escape his dumb hands?