'Anti-transgender NC Gov. Pat McCrory concedes race to Cooper' & other Mon. midday news briefs

"Pat you know it's true. Ooh, ooh, ooh, you are THROUGH."

McCrory concedes gubernatorial race to Cooper - McCrory concedes the election. Grand irony that is the mess of the 2016 elections? The one election that could be seen as an outright referendum on  transgender equality turns out to be a winner for the lgbt community.

 
Of course Mike Pence supported ex-gay therapy - Sorry Mike Pence. You aren't going to bull#@!% your way out of this one.

 Anti-LGBT group files brief in Fairfax County schools lawsuit - The Liberty Counsel strikes from Virginia. This ought to be interesting.

GOP Congressman Says Trump Team Has Given “Assurances” On Religious Freedom Measure - The hurricane is coming. Be ready. 

There Is No "War On Christmas," Unless You Count The Battle For Christian Supremacy - Unfortunately this is true.

American Family Association publication links to race-baiting Breitbart article

Apparently this perspective includes race-baiting articles from Breitbart.

With President-elect Donald Trump naming former Breitbart News head Steve Bannon as his chief White House strategist, well-deserved attention is focused on how Bannon made the publication a hot bed of the white supremacist alt-right. 

However, there is something the media is missing about Breitbart; just how much did it's dog-whistle message affect other so-called conservative publications. Or rather in this case, religious right publications such as the American Family Association's One News Now.

This morning, I noticed a news brief on the Latest from Web links on One News Now:

Race Warriors Decry ‘White Jesus’
 
The link led to a Breitbart article The first two paragraph reads as such:

 In their attempt to politicize everything along racial lines, race warriors are now denouncing traditional Christianity as an invention of white people seeking to dominate and control “people of color” (POC).

Writing for the Blavity website, billed as “the Buzzfeed for black millennials,” race warrior Danni Roseman proclaims her progressive alienation from Christianity after being “bombarded with images of this sandy-brown-haired, blue-eyed, White man”—namely, Jesus Christ.

I doubt that this is merely the first time  One News Now linked to  Breitbart  and it does lead one to wonder just how much does race-baiting play a part in the American Family Association's supposed Christian message. It's not as overt as the publication's usual anti-lgbt message but it's just as ugly.

'GLAAD's 'Trump Accountability Project' perfect tool for community, journalists' & other Fri. midday news briefs

GLAAD Launches ‘Trump Accountability Project’ - GLAAD is showing us how to deal with four years under Trump. We've only got two choices - either quake in abject fear of what may happen to our community or jump on that horse and fight him when he and his Administration steps against us while at the same time using their new spotlight as a "sword of Damocles" over their heads to show America that behind their "traditional values" veneer lies a nasty homophobic sheen they can't  even baptize away. You know what choice I've already made. And GLAAD is making the same one: 

 The Trump Accountability Project was conceived in the immediate aftermath of the election and cemented after Trump’s 60 Minutes interview, in which he made statements on LGBTQ issues that differed from things he had said in the past, Ellis says. “We convened and decided that as we started to see possible cabinet members and people that were surrounding Donald Trump,” she says, “We realized that we really needed to create a resource for the media that allowed them to understand where these people actually stood.” The project website already includes pages about Trump as well as Vice President-elect Mike Pence; Steve Bannon, who will be Trump’s chief strategist; future chief of staff Reince Priebus; Betsy DeVos, Trump’s nominee for secretary of education; attorney general nominee Jeff Sessions; and others. Trump’s page, for example, is comprised of sections titled “on LGBTQ equality,” “on race/religion/national origin,” “a history of attacking women,” “on climate change,” “on civil liberties” and “on vaccinations.” 

Trump Accountability Project - GLAAD's project in living color. Let's dance. 

In other news: 

 An Anti-LGBTQ Hate Group Is Wielding Growing Power On Trump's Transition Team - Media Matters jumps on the Wired magazine article I featured last night. More of an example of why FRC should be afraid. There will be a closer scrutiny on its tactics.  

LGBT groups sign letter opposing Sessions nomination - Wonderful beginning.

 Want to Feel Better About the World? Help an LGBT Senior - Let's end today's news briefs with a kind note because in the end, love is what it's all about. . .  

Why These Moms Chose To Travel A ‘Scary’ Path To Becoming A Family - . . . love for ourselves, our communities, and our families

Video: Trump appointees are potential disasters for the lgbt community

Just how bad are President-elect Trump's cabinet appointees look when it comes to lgbt rights and equality. Let my friend, Matt Baume count the ways. The following video isn't meant to depress you. It's meant to motivate you:

Family Research Council called out for using anti-lgbt junk science

Tony Perkins and the Family Research Council constantly uses junk science.

It took the online magazine Wired only one article to do to the anti-lgbt Family Research Council what I have been attempting to do for over a decade and what our lgbt leaders should be doing on a daily basis

Like I've said many times before, it's not enough to call the Family Research Council bigots and a "hate group." You have to go into detail, like Wired magazine does in this wonderful article, Trump’s Transition Team Is All Tied Up With Anti-Gay Pseudoscience:

The Family Research Council isn’t content to oppose homosexuality on religious grounds; instead, it uses pseudoscience to give its homophobia a flimsy veneer of objectivity. And it could wind up shaping the incoming president’s policies.

 . . . That the FRC has found its way back into a position of influence over the presidency shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. The group has been making political moves since the early 1980s. Since then, it’s grown to become the most successful progeny of an effort among social conservatives to move the basis of their policy recommendations away from Scripture and toward sociology. Not that legitimate sociology is where the FRC has arrived. Rather, the group is to homophobia what the National Policy Institute is to the alt-right—a bland, respectable-sounding, quasi-academic front for a hateful, regressive ideology. It comes packaged in a way that looks like real science but is really just cherry-picked data stitched together to serve its agenda.

 . . . The papers the FRC produces often purport to be meta-analyses—studies of studies. Rather than compiling an accurate synthesis of mainstream scientific inquiry, however, the group mis-contextualizes data to arrive at a desired conclusion. This technique is how the FRC manages to link homosexuality to, among other things, pedophilia and shortened lifespans, despite strong scientific consensus to the contrary. When the group is not twisting mainstream scientists’ numbers, it’s citing organizations such as the American College of Pediatricians, which sure sounds like the American Academy of Pediatrics but is actually a far-right breakaway group with only 200 members.

 It’s pretty much the same story with the research FRC produces itself. “The FRC’s research is just a giant exercise in selection bias,” says Philip Cohen, a sociologist at the University of Maryland. “If being rich makes you more likely to be married, a study that says being married makes you rich will always find that result.”

The FRC has mis-designed many sociological experiments. If you want to study whether children fare better emotionally when raised by heterosexual or homosexual married couples, as FRC purported to do, you would need to make sure all conditions besides the parents’ sexual orientations were the same in order to truly compare them. Instead, the FRC study mostly looked at children of same-sex couples that weren’t married, had pre-existing emotional troubles, and were the offspring of previous marriages that ended when one parent came out. The FRC’s findings don’t even pass a basic scientific smell test, according to the American Sociological Association. What’s more, the group’s work isn’t peer-reviewed.

If there is any time a wake up call is due for the lgbt community, it is now.  It's time we stop playing FRC's game and put them on the defensive for a change It's long overdue.

Related post - .16 reasons why the Family Research Council is a hate group

Hat tip to Right Wing Watch

'World AIDS Day should be commemorated with love' & other Thur midday news briefs

Powerful video shows how far the world has come in HIV treatment - Today is World AIDS Day. It's not a sad day but a bittersweet one. Let us remember those we have lost, those who are touched by this situation, and above all, let's celebrate our universal capacity for strength, resilience, and love.  

These Posters Vividly Document The History Of The HIV/AIDS Epidemic - And let's not forget history. 

Related post - Events for World AIDS DAY  

Also - Resources

Trans students sue school district which bans them from using certain bathrooms - Good going, kids! Stand up for yourselves. I support you fully.  

Family Research Council creates false persecution controversy & defends white supremacist enabling publication - Reposting last night's item. Not only is the Family Research Council attempting to create a new so-called victim of "gay persecution," but at the same time, the group trying to shield white supremacists from criticism in order to protect it's "investment" of Donald Trump.  

Man Pleads Guilty for Role in Same-Sex Parental Kidnap Case - It's been a long time, but we haven't forgotten about the Lisa Miller/Janet Jenkins case.

 Michael Brown: Christians Who Accept Same-Sex Marriage Spread ‘Poison,’ Should Not Be Welcomed Into The Church - Just when did God give Michael Brown the right to decide who should be allowed in "the Church?"

Family Research Council creates false persecution controversy & defends white supremacist enabling publication

FRC is caught distorting two incidents in one article.

Leave it to the Family Research Council to go overboard in the distortion department

The following came from its Washington Update:

HGTV stars Chip and Joanna Gaines were just on the cover of People magazine -- and now, they're the face of something else: a controversy over the fact that their pastor preaches the Bible. For the last few years, the Texas couple has charmed their way into people's hearts -- not just with their talent for renovation, but with their sweet and genuine relationship. Their show "Fixer Upper" has exploded in popularity, and the parents of four have never shied away from their faith -- which they've talked about at length in their books and interviews.

Today, that faith is under fire by a handful of far-Left extremists who've latched onto a sermon the Gaines' pastor, Jimmy Seibert, preached about marriage and sexuality. "If someone were to say, 'Marriage is defined in a different way,' let me just say: They are wrong," Seibert said. "God defined marriage, not you and I. God defined masculine and feminine, male and female, not you and I."

Now, I'm not sure why it's news that a Christian church believes what the Bible teaches about sexuality, but apparently, this is a shock to the liberal media establishment. When reporters contacted the church, the communications director pointed them to Antioch's webpage on "beliefs," where it says: "Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime." That was their belief when the church was founded 17 years ago -- and it's their belief today. And, as recent polling points out, Chip and Joanne's church is hardly in the minority! Fifty-three percent of all Americans (not necessarily Christian) told Wilson Allen Perkins polling this month that despite what the Supreme Court ruled, they still define marriage as the union of a man and woman.

Obviously, the Left is trying to do to Chip and Joanna what they unsuccessfully did to the Robertsons of "Duck Dynasty:" take down a hugely successful program in a show of political force. That's unlikely to happen to a couple like the Gaines, who have no interest in renovating their views to suit a narrow ideology. Hopefully, HGTV has learned since its ousting of the Benham Brothers that religious discrimination doesn't play well with viewers.

You'll notice that while FRC talks about "far left extremists," the groups isn't specific about who these folks are. That's probably because they don't exist.

The sad state of American evangelical Christianity revealed in one poll

President-elect Donald Trump won the "evangelical Christian" vote by an overwhelmingly large number. It's really sad to consider how some of these folks, who are so quick to whine about persecution when lgbts merely want to be treated like other taxpaying American citizens, basically throw away their so-called morality in order to support a man with such an ugly reputation as Trump.

But maybe not as sad the following poll courtesy of One News Now, the fake news publication of the American Family Association:

As of 6:05 p.m, EST, this is the following results:

So to these so-called evangelicals, it is more important to defund Planned Parenthood and nominate a Scalia-like replacement to SCOTUS than it is to grant asylum to other Christians (who are actually being persecuted) in foreign countries.

That really says it all. The idea to defund Planned Parenthood comes from a campaign of lies and the notion that judges like the late Antonin Scalia should be appointed is anathema to our system of jurisprudence, i.e wanting to appoint justices whom you already know will rule in your favor no matter the evidence.

But to the evangelical  Christians who read and support One News Now, both of these acts are more important (by a large number) than saving people of their own faith from countries where  they would be beaten or murdered for their religious beliefs.

That's just sad.

'GOP takes out anti-lgbt provision from defense bill . . . but with a warning' & other Wed. midday news briefs

Republicans Strip Their Anti-LGBTQ Provision From Defense Bill - While this may seem like good news because the provision would have allowed federal contractors to discriminate against lgbts on religious grounds, do not be fooled. The following part of the article is like an intense warning light:

 “Subsequent to the election, new paths have opened up to address those issues. It’s still a very important issue for the members and they intend to pursue those other paths. 

We have been warned.

In other news: 

 Pat McCrory Refuses to Concede Election He's Clearly Lost While 'Slandering Innocent Citizens' Says Top Paper - One good thing coming out of the election is the possible defeat of NC anti-transgender governor Pat McCrory. He is holding on but his grip is slipping as reality set in. Blame HB2. 

 Court won’t stay decision against trans student protections - Well thanks for nothing . . .  

Who Is ‘Naughty’ And Who Is ‘Nice’? Confusion Runs Rampant In The War On Christmas - Funny story. Anti-lgbt groups the American Family Association and the Liberty Counsel don't know who to applaud or attack in their annual "War on Christmas" nonsense.

Anti-lgbt hate group leader claims Trump saved Christians from being persecuted

And the award for the most inane reason to celebrate Trump's electoral victory goes to the leader of the anti-lgbt hate group American Family Association, Tim Wildmon.

According to him, had Hillary Clinton won, she would have "criminalized Christianity." It's a ridiculous notion seeing that she is a Christian herself and Christianity was never in danger of being "criminalized" had she won the election.

It's equally ridiculous to think that any religion can been saved by a narcissistic, paranoid blowhard who likes to brag, gets easily baited by tweets, and talks about grabbing women by their nether regions.

But here we are:



Hat tip to Right Wing Watch

'USA stance on global LGBT rights may change under Trump Administration' & other Tue. midday news briefs

The Trump/Pence administration will likely switch sides on global LGBT rights - The irony of Trump attempting to scare lgbts about homophobes in foreign lands become even starker when one realizes that perhaps neither he nor Pence will speak out in defense of the lgbts in those areas who are being persecuted. Must be busy "protecting" so-called Christian bakeries and flower shops from those evil lgbts who dare to want to give them money. And here is a good morsel from the article. Apparently Pence and Russian leader Vladimir Putin use the same reasoning against lgbt rights: 

Both (VP-elect Mike) Pence and Putin say that although individual gay people should be left alone, they should not be recognized as a politically organized subgroup that can advocate for protection. Putin considers such advocacy to be propaganda. Either these leaders do not know, or do not mind, that violence is threatened against the many people who are gender nonconforming or attracted to others of the same sex (or both). If Putin or Pence acknowledged such persecution, they might have to support mandates to protect that minority. 

In other news:  

Judge to hear arguments in Louisiana's LGBT rights dispute - Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards will go to court in order to protect his pro-lgbt rights protection order. Now that's a leader.  

More anti-transgender fights coming to South Dakota - Fire up the canons. We've got wolves coming.  

Donald Trump Was About To Make Jerry Falwell, Jr. Education Secretary. Let That Sink In. - Oh yeah. THAT would have been fun.  

David Barton Says He’s A Victim Of ‘A Macro-Aggression’ That Attacks His Faith And Right To Free Speech - That's terrible . . . unless "macro-aggressions" are the same as "major aggressions." Barton certainly deserves more than "minor aggressions."

Trump's HHS secretary pick has anti-gay record, could undermine lgbt health

Rep. Tom Price

President-elect Donald Trump is expected to select Georgia Congressman Tom Price as the secretary of Health and Human Services. This pick is bad news for Obamacare and the lgbt community.

According to The Advocate:

Price, an orthopedic surgeon, has represented a suburban Atlanta district in Congress since 2004. In addition to being an opponent of the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, he has a string of zeroes on the Human Rights Campaign’s Congressional Scorecard for opposing LGBT rights. He called the Supreme Court’s 2015 marriage equality decision “a sad day for marriage.” He also is against abortion rights and opposes federal funding for Planned Parenthood.

It is no doubt that Trump is counting on Price to assist in the so-called dismantling of Obamacare, a promise he made while campaigning, and create a replacement; something Trump and the GOP has been less vocally strident about.

In terms of the lgbt community, aside from I posted from The Advocate, a 2013 conference call Price participated in is now in the spotlight.

According to Right Wing Watch:

Georgia congressman and potential Senate candidate Tom Price appeared  . .  on a conference call with Tea Party Unity, the group founded by far-right pastor Rick Scarborough, where he agreed with a caller who suggested that any bill involving social issues should require a study of the “fiscal impact” the legislation would have.

The caller was none other than Rabbi Noson Leiter, who blamed Hurricane Sandy on New York’s marriage equality law. Leiter warned about the “tremendous medical health impact and economic impact” of the “homosexual agenda” and asked Price whether Congress will consider studying the “fiscal impact” that “promoting such a lifestyle will result in.”

Price hailed Leiter and said he was “absolutely right,” adding that “the consequences of activity that has been seen as outside the norm are real and must be explored completely and in their entirety prior to moving forward with any social legislation that would alter things.”

He went on to say he was dismayed by “people who wake up one morning and think that they’ve got a grand new way of doing something” that ends up becoming “a huge cost-driver to state pensions” and have significant health costs.

Price seems to have been embracing the religious right distortion that "homosexuality is a dangerous lifestyle." This is a talking point so-called traditional values groups like the Family Research Council embrace by trumpeting negative health  statistics about the lgbt community, while often times ignoring or deliberately omitting how societal homophobia creates the conditions which causes said negative health.

The Huffington Post has pointed out how Price could, as HHS secretary, undermine lgbt health:

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer individuals have long dealt with particular health challenges, including discrimination ― which can contribute to mental health issues, poverty and substance abuse ― physical and sexual violence, HIV and AIDs. They also routinely face stigma from health care providers, such as denial of care and being blamed for their health status. Carriers have also denied coverage based on “pre-existing conditions,” such as having a transgender medical history. 

Democrats and the Obama administration took unprecedented steps to address these problems, including carving out nondiscrimination protections through the Affordable Care Act. If the health care law is repealed ― an action Price has supported ― many of these protections would likely go away. But even if the law stays on the books, the Trump administration could choose not to prioritize enforcement of LGBTQ protections, or to go further and try to change the rules. 

And the only individuals coming out on top in either scenario would be groups like the Family Research Council because they would have more potential outcomes of negative lgbt health to exploit and lie about.

A brief video history of a powerful people or why neither Trump nor Pence can stop lgbt equality

We've been hearing so many predictions of doom with the incoming Trump Administration that the following short  video is necessary. It's time we remember who we are. We've faced bigger armies, larger dragons, and more vicious boogeyman and we have defeated them all. I don't know how difficult things are going to be for us during a Trump Administration, but I do know this: One doesn't win by cowering and the lgbt community are not people who cower.  This is just another day for us. After all, attaining equality is not to be easy. Those who have power generally don't give it up without a fight:

Religious right, conservative evangelicals conspicuously quiet during Trump alt-right ado

One good thing about the coming Trump presidency is watching all of these so-called pious individuals and phony upholders of traditional values drop their masks .

After all of those portents of doom that they predicted would happen should Trump lose the election, all of the talk of the end of America, the cursing from God, the rest of the froth which generally drips from their mouths when they want to scare their followers, organizations like the Family Research Council, the American Family Association and people like Frank Graham and Jerry Falwell, Jr are noticeably absent, preoccupied, or publicly drooling over what they can get out of a Trump Administration.

Meanwhile, white supremacists (some who call themselves the generic "alt-white" much like the Klan morphed into Conservative Citizen Councils during the Civil Rights Movement) are openly celebrating Trump's victory with recorded assemblies featuring them resurrecting the infamous Nazi salute. Also, the actual Klan (you really didn't think they would miss any of the fun) are planning celebrations to commemorate the fact that a white man actually made it to the White House after eight years.

And let's not forget the acts of violence and aggression across the nation against people of color, Muslims, and lgbts fueled by those mistaking a presidential election for a Superbowl victory

Folks have been justified in calling for Trump to denounce these violent and disturbing actions But what about the self-proclaimed defenders of culture and values. Surely the American Family Association can devote a little time away from its annual project of scolding companies for not saying "Merry Christmas." I know Franklin Graham can take to Facebook to denounce the white supremacist alt-right. Goodness knows he has done it enough times to the transgender community. It's not as if he doesn't know how. Surely Jerry Falwell, Jr can take time away from bragging about his potential role in Trump's Administration. And I know that if the Family Research Council can't address how Trump's victory has aided and abetted the rise of white supremacist, at the very least the organization shouldn't pretend that there isn't a problem.

But who am I kidding? I mean really These folks don't care All they care about is abortion, lgbts,  and other issues which shocks their followers and gets the cameras and money rolling.

This is a new day. The Trump era is upon us and these so-called religious people no longer have to pretend to be a calm voice of reassurance in the sea of turmoil.  At least for four years.

All they have to do, all they are going to do, is jostle each other and feed as much as they can from the trough named the Trump Administration. Of course they will make sure that the occasional guttural noises they make sound like praises to God and Jesus.

One mustn't totally lose the masks.

'TX bill would force schools to out lgbt students to their parents' & other Mon midday news briefs

Texas lawmaker’s bill would force schools to out LGBT students to their parents - For folks who generally like to claim that lgbts will harm children, they certainly do a lot of harm themselves.  

Meet the Texas Lawmaker Who Wants Schools to Out LGBT Students - More on this issue courtesy of Unicorn Booty.

Activists around the world mark Transgender Day of Remembrance - Never forget and always work for progress.  

To feel worthy of survival, he would need to make something of his life - He survived the Orland Massacre. What does he do now with his life? 

POZ Stories - I don't talk about or put up enough stories about people with HIV. These stories are wonderful.

Eight times Mike Pence proved that he doesn't support lgbt equality

Rumor control has it that certain people are attempting to claim that VP-elect (and former Indiana Gov) Mike Pence isn't anti-lgbt and my community shouldn't fear the fact that he now has a huge seat of power in standing against our equality.

Well I could go over his long history of anti-lgbt statements and actions (and I have a feeling that I will need to do so in the future), but for now, we are lucky to have a video of him in 2015 attempting to defending Indiana's anti-lgbt "religious freedom" law

I've run this video several times and the reason why is because no one has really held Pence's feet to the fire over his statement (or lack of one) in it. And that's a shame because look where he is now:

Family Research Council omits racist history of another Trump Administration selection

FRC's Tony Perkins

Apparently, the so-called Christian organization (but actually anti-lgbt hate group) the Family Research Council seems to be tasked with defending President-elect Donald Trump's bad choices for his administration to evangelicals.

First, the group defended Trump's choice of Steven Bannon as his chief White House strategist. Bannon has come under fire for his connection to the white supremacist "alt-right" movement during his tenure as head of the Breitbart News Network.

According to a link I am citing yet again from the Huffington Post:

At Breitbart, Bannon helped make the hardline populist website a go-to resource for white nationalists and the alt-right, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate groups.

 . . . Breitbart has propagated conspiracy theories, like Planned Parenthood having Nazi ties or Clinton aide Huma Abedin being a spy for Saudi Arabia. The website traffics in misogynist and racist stories; it frames women who push back against harassment or gender bias as weak and incompetent and portrays people of color and immigrants as inherently criminal.

The Family Research Council played down this information by pretty much ignoring it in the organization's praise of Bannon's selection. 

Trump's AG pick Jeff Sessions isn't exactly lgbt-friendly either' & other Fri. midday news briefs

Trump's AG pick Jeff Sessions has issues with African-Americans AND LGBTs

Donald Trump Picks Jeff Sessions, Racist and Homophobic Alabama Senator, for Attorney General - You mean the person Donald Trump has selected to be his attorney general not only has an ugly issue with racism, but also homophobia? Why it's almost like the two (racism and homophobia) are connected! 

Experiencing the Hate of Jeff Sessions First Hand – Rabid Anti Gay Racist Could Be Trump AG - From publisher and activist Melanie Nathan comes a first-hand experience of Sessions' homophobia. 

Exciting Antibody Discovery Sparks New Hope For Future HIV Vaccine - "Sparks hope," folks. Keep your fingers crossed and still practice safe sex.

 Mom Sues Her Trans Teen For Getting Hormone Therapy - What. the. f$#!ck. 

 Fanning skeptical Trump will undo LGBT inclusion in military - Unfortunately when it comes to our soon-to-be Orange Overlord, I wouldn't leave anything to chance.

Religious right hoping to make 'nuclear' religious freedom bill into law under their 'Trump Jesus'

Religious right hoping to pass huge bill under 'Trump Jesus'

Jay Michaelson from The Daily Beast has the lowdown on a "religious freedom" bill that the religious right hopes will become law under their "Trump Jesus."

From what he says, this bill is so extreme it would make the legendary religious purist Cotton Mather into an atheist:

 The First Amendment Defense Act would allow hospitals, governments, universities, and businesses to ignore same-sex marriage, deny women health care, and fire gay people.

The First Amendment Defense Act is the nuclear version of the so-called “religious freedom” laws that have appeared across the country, most infamously in Mike Pence’s Indiana.  The Republican House will surely pass it, the Senate will pass it unless it’s filibustered by Democrats, and President-elect Trump has promised to sign it.

If it becomes law, FADA will be the worst thing to happen to women and LGBT people in a generation.

Like state “religious freedom restoration acts,” FADA’s basic principle is that it’s not discrimination when businesses discriminate against LGBT people if they have a religious reason for doing so.  The most famous situations have to do with marriage: wedding cake bakers who say that if they bake a cake, they’re violating their religion; Kim Davis, the government clerk who said that signing a secular marriage certificate was a religious act that she could not perform.

But those stories are a red herring.  The more important cases are ones like hospitals refusing to treat LGBT people (or their children), pharmacies refusing to fill birth control prescriptions, businesses refusing to offer health benefits to a same-sex partner, and state-funded adoption agencies refusing to place kids with gay families.  Underneath the rhetorical BS, that’s what FADA is all about.

The entire article should be required reading for the lgbt community.

The possibility of this bill is also important to remember should the Trump Administration opt to strike first against transgender equality. Any allowance of that by our community would merely opens the door to this bill

'Minnesota judge overturns state ban on transgender health coverage' & other Thur midday news briefs

Minnesota judge overturns state ban on transgender health coverage - Good news and something worth fighting for. 

  Which LGBT rights are on the chopping block? - None of them should be on the chopping block. But it's easy to guess what these folks in the Trump Administration will be gunning for first.  

A Survivor Of Gay Conversion Therapy Shares His Chilling Story - Covering all of our bases in this upcoming administration. I'm sure the ex-gay movement is salivating for a comeback.  

HRC: Trump’s potential cabinet picks are “horrifying,” “terrifying” - Not even pretty in a way a mother could love.

Baptist Churches in Dallas, Austin Expelled Over LGBT-Affirming Stance - Brave churches in the true spirit of Christ.

Database of legal services for transgender community aims to be a vital help

A Facebook friend sent me this and I think it needs more press. From The Daily Dot:

Donald Trump has essentially promised to undo the slow progress that’s been made for transgender rights over the Obama administration. He’s appointed Mike Pence as his vice president, who, as governor of Indiana, enacted some of the harshest anti-LGBT laws in the country, and has said he will appoint a conservative Supreme Court justice. The transgender community is already reeling from his election, with suicide hotlines seeing a spike in trans callers.

But there is good coming from this warranted fear and anxiety: Online, lawyers are reaching out to help trans people protect themselves.

One of the biggest hurdles trans people face is changing names and gender markers on IDs, something that leads to a lot of discrimination and potentially voter disenfranchisement. So Twitter user @dtwps started the hashtag #TransLawHelp to connect trans people with lawyers who could help them through the process before Trump gets into office.

 Hashtag creator Riley told the Daily Dot, “I just hoped to make a steady resource for trans people to expedite document changes. Even I planned to use it, actually.” They also said getting this work done before Trump takes office is just a matter of being cautious. “It would be hard to really legislate forcing people to change already changed docs rather than just making new changes hard. So that was a lot of the inspiration for me.”

 . . . Trans Law Help now has an official website, where contributors can share law resources for each state.

News brief special - Is the religious right replacing actual Jesus for 'Trump Jesus?'

Religious right groups are pinning hopes on Trump.

Mat Staver: Trump’s Judicial Appointees Will Overturn Marriage Equality - Just like the Family Research Council, Mat Staver is trying to trade the real Jesus for "Trump Jesus." 

Mike Pence Will Be the Most Powerful Christian Supremacist in U.S. History - Just lining up our targets in preparation for this never ending so-called cultural battle.  

Here are some of Mike Pence's most controversial stances on gay rights, abortion, and smoking - A little primer. More info coming.

Texas Lawmakers Launch New Attacks On Abortion, LGBTQ Rights - Gear up brothers and sisters. Look at it this way. It was NEVER supposed to be easy.  

Here’s How LGBTQ People Can Protect Themselves Before Trump Takes Office - In the meantime, get your business in order. 

Tech Companies Prepare To Fight Anti-LGBT Bills In 2017 - And DO NOT think we are going into this alone.

Family Research Council defends Steve Bannon by omitting details of his history at Breitbart

In spite of the firestorm caused by President-elect Donald Trump making white nationalist provocateur Steve Bannon his chief White House strategist, the religious right group, the Family Research Council continues to defend the action. That is, even if the group  deliberately ignores the central part of the controversy behind Trump's selection of Bannon:

For the far-Left, the depression over Donald Trump's come-from-behind win is only part of the story. The rest is unfolding now, as the incoming administration starts filling key posts. Reince Priebus's appointment as chief of staff was one, but liberals are having a tough time accepting Trump's other top strategist: Steve Bannon. As executive director of Breitbart News, Bannon's appointment sent shudders through the liberal camp.

Calling him a symbol of the "ugly direction" Trump intends to take this country, radical groups from the disgraced Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) to George Soros's People for the American Way are calling on the president-elect to rescind the job offer. "It is a disaster," bemoaned Mark Potok of SPLC, one of the many extremists wringing their hands over the thought of Bannon on the White House staff. The coalition of detractors is a who's who of the liberal fringe, including everyone from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) to the Anti-Defamation League. Anyone who draws the ire of those organizations must be a true conservative!

Either way, the Trump transition team couldn't care less about the accusations. "[Bannon]'s got a Harvard business degree. He's a Naval officer. He has success in entertainment. I don't know if you're aware of that. And he certainly was a Goldman Sachs managing partner," Kellyanne Conway said to the false accusations that Bannon is prejudiced or racist. "I'm personally offended that you think I would manage a campaign where that would be one of the going philosophies," Conway fired back to critics. "It was not." In the meantime, if congressional Democrats or liberal bullies thought they could scare Trump off of his choices, they apparently don't know Donald!

In its defense FRC seems to have deliberately omitted the details about Bannon's tenure as head of Breitbart News Network. According to a link I cited before from the Huffington Post:

At Breitbart, Bannon helped make the hardline populist website a go-to resource for white nationalists and the alt-right, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate groups.

 . . . Breitbart has propagated conspiracy theories, like Planned Parenthood having Nazi ties or Clinton aide Huma Abedin being a spy for Saudi Arabia. The website traffics in misogynist and racist stories; it frames women who push back against harassment or gender bias as weak and incompetent and portrays people of color and immigrants as inherently criminal.

Rather than addressing these legitimate concerns, FRC instead chose to  denigrate who spoke out against Trump's choice of Bannon. I wonder how long will it take the group to smear Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid who, on Tuesday, took to the Senate floor to give a stern denunciation of Bannon.

In addition, the Huffington Post listed a number of Breitbart's most, shall we say, provocative headlines. By being deliberately ignoring Bannon's entire history at Breitbart, one could say that FRC is giving tacit approval of these headlines and the stories they represented:

As to why FRC has chosen to defend Bannon, another post written by the group gives a good reason. FRC is merely protecting its perceived "investment" in changing the Supreme Court to its liking:

Donald Trump wasn't the only winner last Tuesday -- so was every American that cares about the Constitution! By the final days of the race, it was clear to everyone -- including pollsters -- that the election of the GOP nominee wasn't just about who would be working out of the White House but who would be filling the bench of the Supreme Court too. The voters who ranked SCOTUS as the number one priority in this election (and there were a lot of them) can breathe a collective sigh of relief next year when Donald Trump has a chance to fulfill one of his biggest promises to America: filling Antonin Scalia's seat with a bonafide originalist.

As the first GOP nominee in history to say that he would only appoint pro-life justices to the bench, Trump won over plenty of skeptics by releasing his list of solid and impartial jurists in advance of the election. During the last debate, he was clear:

"I feel that the justices that I am going to appoint -- and I've named 20 of them... will be pro-life. They will have a conservative bent. They will be protecting the Second Amendment. They are great scholars in all cases, and they're people of tremendous respect. They will interpret the Constitution the way the founders wanted it interpreted. And I believe that's very, very important. I don't think we should have justices appointed that decide what they want to hear. It's all about the... Constitution the way it was meant to be."

Now that he's the president-elect, Trump hasn't wavered from that pledge. Over the weekend, he reiterated to "60 Minutes's" Leslie Stahl, "I'm pro-life. The judges will be pro-life." What happens to women if Roe v. Wade is overturned, she went on? "They'll perhaps have to go... to another state," Trump replied matter-of-factly. House and Senate Republicans, who were also vindicated for leaving Scalia's seat open for the new president, know how crucial the next confirmation will be. "It was a central election issue," said analyst Shannen Coffin. "If [Trump] were to turn on that, it'd be a huge betrayal of the expectations he set."

The Family Research Council's actions doesn't strike me as just Machiavellian. They are sad as well. One would think that a group which claims to be defenders of morality, values, and Christian beliefs would be one of the first entities to speak out against those who traffic racism, homophobia, and misogyny. Instead, FRC has chosen to pretend that the incidents of racism, homophobia, and misogyny never occurred at Breitbart under Bannon's leadership

Obviously the Family Research Council views speaking out against racism, homophobia, and misogyny as less important than its attempt to reshape SCOTUS to its liking.

'Baptist church in Dallas votes to accept lgbt members' & other Tue. midday news briefs

Baptist church in Dallas votes to accept LGBT members - Never forget that sliver of light, the cloud the size of a man's hand which lets you know that the world isn't totally screwed up and that love still exists. 

LGBTQ People Flood Crisis Hotlines After Trump’s Surprise Victory - Because we need to remember that in times like these. 

 LGBT voters rejected Trump by lopsided margin - Nice to know that a lot of us didn't go for Trump's okie doke.  

Pittsburgh-area school to transgender students: It’s ‘irrefutable’ that you’re unnatural - ANOTHER case in which nothing bad was happening until the school began its moral panic.

 What Young LGBT People Need To Hear After The Election - Point blank. Our kids are feeling vulnerable right now.

Trump is already consorting with a hate group

For good reason, the news that president-elect Donald Trump selected white nationalist provocateur, Steve Bannon, as his chief strategist has grabbed all of the media attention.

But let's not forget Trump's association with the Family Research Council, a Southern Poverty Law Center anti-lgbt hate group. Indeed the group has already wormed itself into his circle because a member, Ken Blackwell, is leading the domestic policy of his transition team.

Keeping that in mind, how much do we actually know about FRC?  We know they are a hate group because of how they have denigrated and lied about lgbts. Of course when and if confronted with this, FRC, particularly its president, Tony Perkins, can easily deflect by espousing such things as "anti-Christian" persecution, morality, and values

That's why it's important that the lgbt community can go into specifics and hammer those specifics repeatedly about FRC. So let's just go through a small primer:

There is FRC spokesman Peter Sprigg:

And then there is the president, Tony Perkins:



Lastly, there is this snippet of an excellent bio of FRC by the Southern Poverty Law Center (the entire piece should be required reading for the lgbt community and members of the media):

The FRC often makes false claims about the LGBT community based on discredited research and junk science. The intention is to denigrate LGBT people in its battles against same-sex marriage, hate crimes laws, anti-bullying programs and the repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.

To make the case that the LGBT community is a threat to American society, the FRC employs a number of “policy experts” whose “research” has allowed the FRC to be extremely active politically in shaping public debate. Its research fellows and leaders often testify before Congress and appear in the mainstream media. It also works at the grassroots level, conducting outreach to pastors in an effort to “transform the culture.”

In Its Own Words

“The reality is, homosexuals have entered the Scouts in the past for predatory purposes.”
– FRC vice president Rob Schwarzwalder, on radio’s “The Janet Mefferd Show,” Feb. 1, 2013.

“[H]omosexual activists vehemently reject the evidence which suggests that homosexual men … are … relative to their numbers, more likely to engage in such actions [childhood sexual abuse] than are heterosexual men.”
– Peter Sprigg, Senior Fellow for Policy Studies at FRC, on why the Boy Scouts should not allow LGBT Scouts or leaders, FRC blog, February 1, 2013.

“The videos are titled 'It Gets Better.' They are aimed at persuading kids that although they'll face struggles and perhaps bullying for 'coming out' as homosexual (or transgendered or some other perversion), life will get better. …It's disgusting. And it's part of a concerted effort to persuade kids that homosexuality is okay and actually to recruit them into that lifestyle."
 — Tony Perkins, FRC fundraising letter, August 2011

With groups like the Family Research Council in close proximity to Trump, it's not difficult to understand why the lgbt community doesn't believe his supposed soothing words about marriage equality. And why we feel that other rights we have and are fighting for are in jeopardy.

Related post:

16 reasons why the Family Research Council is a hate group

Trump's association with religious right has possible silver lining for lgbt community

Using Trump's spotlight, lgbts can bring more attention to anti-lgbt propaganda.

Maybe it's simply the eternal optimist in me but I think that President-elect Donald Trump's association with the religious right could have a silver lining for the lgbt community.

I came to this conclusion while I was reading an excellent piece in Think Progress detailing how Family Research Council talking head - and Trump's top domestic policy advisor - holds the unscientific view of being an lgbt is a "lifestyle" that "can be changed."

That's when it dawned on me. Trump's election has swiftly done the one thing I and so many others have been attempting to do for years - put a spotlight of on these fake religious groups, their distortions about the lgbt community, and the methods they seek to curb our equality.

Don't get me wrong. I am fearful of what a Trump presidency will mean for the lgbt community, especially in the areas of transgender and marriage equality. But I also believe that if a fight in inevitable, one doesn't sit and wait for your opponent to come hammering in.

Unless I am wrong - and please correct me if I am - this is the closest religious right groups have ever worked with any president, including President Bush, to achieve their goals. That means they have a spotlight when they've never really had before.

And that also means we have the capability of controlling that spotlight and shining a bright light on every lie, every distortion, every unscrupulous action groups like the Family Research Council, the Heritage Foundation, other religious right organizations and individuals associated with them have done in the name of stopping lgbt equality.

The articles and posts that the lgbt media write about the  homophobic exploits of these groups and individual could have better chance of breaking through to mainstream coverage. And finally we can educate the public at large about the true "morality" and "values" of these groups.

Of course, this is merely a theory. But I think it's a good one. The religious right now has the power they crave to make negative changes against the lgbt community. But with that power comes more interest in what they are.

We now have a good chance to define them to America. The proverbial Sword of Damocles have moved from us to them and there is nothing wrong with us cutting the thread

Related posts:

18 Anti-Gay Groups and Their Propaganda

10 Anti-Gay Myths Debunked 

GLAAD's Commentator Accountability Project

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

'Don't believe a word Trump says about marriage equality' & other Mon. midday news briefs

Trump’s Latest Gay Marriage Comments Mean Little If He’s Serious About His SCOTUS Picks - Trump says he won't harm marriage equality because it's been settled by the courts. He is partly right. He is going to leave that to his religious right co-horts, including his vice president. 

 Trump Says It's 'Irrelevant' What He Thinks About Same-Sex Marriage – But Justices He Appoints Will Overturn It - And let another article reiterate that point. 

Editor's note - and let's not focus solely on marriage equality. Under a Trump administration, everything we fought for and continue to fight for - especially equality for our transgender brothers and sisters - is in danger. 

 Transgender people are scrambling to update their documentation - Like I said. It's not just about marriage equality. 

 Breitbart’s Greatest Hit (Pieces): Some Of The Website’s Most Disgusting Headlines - Why some folks, except it seems for the Family Research Council, is alarmed that white nationalist Steve Bannon will now be helping to set the country's policy.

 Peter Thiel named to Trump transition team - Just add those 30 pieces of silver to your billions, my friend.

Family Research Council leader & David Duke both praise Trump's white nationalist appointee

Steve Bannon

Like I said in my last post. President-elect Donald Trump needs to start making some high profile choices with regards to good domestic and economic policy.

He's obviously not paying attention.

On Sunday, Trump announced the CEO of his campaign, Steve Bannon, as his chief strategist and senior counsel. Then the internet practically exploded. Why? Probably because of Bannon's association with white nationalist circles.

Before coming to the Trump campaign, Bannon was head of the Breitbart News Network. According to the Huffington Post:

At Breitbart, Bannon helped make the hardline populist website a go-to resource for white nationalists and the alt-right, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate groups.

 . . . Breitbart has propagated conspiracy theories, like Planned Parenthood having Nazi ties or Clinton aide Huma Abedin being a spy for Saudi Arabia. The website traffics in misogynist and racist stories; it frames women who push back against harassment or gender bias as weak and incompetent and portrays people of color and immigrants as inherently criminal.

 . . . The SPLC and the Anti-Defamation League expressed concern over the appointment as well, with the ADL saying Bannon and “his alt-right are so hostile to core American values.”

Trump's selection of Bannon obviously received almost universal condemnation. But two of his strongest supporters are allegedly pleased with the selection:

David Duke just made his public statement on how proud he is of the appointment of Steve Bannon as Trump's Chief Strategist.

Real Life.

— Shaun King (@ShaunKing) November 13, 2016

pic.twitter.com/yMWGiLw3B8

— Sarah Posner (@sarahposner) November 14, 2016

Trump voters wanted changed and they have it already. It's not every day that a leader of the so-called evangelical Christian right joins a leader of the white supremacist movement in openly praising a presidential selection.

A new world it is, indeed. Although I wouldn't go so far as to call it brave.