'Religious right leaders thrilled that Dept. of Justice 'will no longer be obsessed with this civil rights issue'' & other Tue. midday news briefs

Editor's note -  The hearing of Sen. Jeff Sessions to be the next Attorney General is happening this morning. It has been interesting, particularly what he said about marriage equality. He tried to be general but I don't think he answered the question. If anything, it may give us a clue as to how religious right groups will attempt to dial it back. There will be more on that later. I'm guessing that since the GOP is the majority of the Senate, he will get through. However, do not despair. He is just a player put in place. He is neither the game nor the end of the game.

Jordan Sekulow: Under Sessions, DOJ Will No Longer Be ‘Obsessed With This Civil Rights Issue’ - Okay this makes NO sense. But these are the Sekulows who, for those who don't know, have made an obscenely large amount of money suing in the name of Jesus. Apparently they missed the story about Jesus and the rich man. 

A day in the life after you've been kicked out for being LGBTQ - A sad occurrence which needs more attention paid to it.

 Anti-lgbt hate group caught in lie about incident in MA public restroom - My post from this morning demonstrating how the American Family Association lied when smearing the transgender community for a recent incident in Massachusetts.

Kerry apologizes for past LGBT discrimination at State Department - We needed to hear this even though it took so @#$! long!

The White House LGBT Liaison Is Worried Trump Will Scrap The Position - If we hear that Trump tries to do this, we should make lots of noise. We need this White House Liasion.

Anti-lgbt hate group caught in lie about incident in MA public restroom

The American Family Association just got caught in a lie.

An attack on the rights of transgender men and women exploiting the "bathroom predator" myth demonstrates just how eager religious right groups are when it comes to telling lies and smearing lgbts.

One News Now, the fake news publication of the anti-lgbt hate group American Family Association ran an article yesterday which claimed that transgender women put other women at risk in the public restrooms in Massachusetts. In order to justify this claim, the publication referenced a recent event:

A woman who requested anonymity was in a women's bathroom at a T.J. Maxx in Plainville, Massachusetts and recalls her experience in an interview with WCVB TV:

"I looked down and I saw a man's shoes, and as I looked up, there was the camera. His cell phone camera was in my stall."

She left and asked store personnel to call police, and when they let her know they were forbidden to do so, she made a 9-1-1 call herself. Police soon arrived and arrested 48-year-old Gabriel Muniz, who has pled not guilty. But Chanel Prunier of Keep MA Safe tells OneNewsNow this woman may not have been the only victim.

"When security later viewed the footage, they found that he had been in the bathroom for over a half hour, so it's entirely possible that he videoed and photographed other women without their knowledge," Prunier reports.

Similar incidents have been reported throughout the country, especially at Target stores. But in Massachusetts, the problems stem from a state anti-discrimination law that includes transgenders. That means a man can say he is transgender, whether or not it is the truth, and pose privacy and safety dangers for women.

Unfortunately, the incident did take place, so One News Now's rendition of the situation was accurate EXCEPT for the last part:

  . . . in Massachusetts, the problems stem from a state anti-discrimination law that includes transgenders.

Nothing in the original story (the link was provided by One News Now itself) said anything about the transgender community. And no one indicated that the suspect pretended to be a transgender woman. Not the victim, not the police, and definitely not the suspect himself. Basically there nothing to indicate that the incident had anything to with the state's anti-discrimination law.

No doubt, One News Now and the American Family Association hoped to scare its readers by pushing a horror story. What they succeeded in doing is demonstrating just how low they will stoop to attack the transgender community.

 
Related post: - 'Bathroom bills' are cynical exploitation of parental fears

'Don't get distracted by Meryl Streep's dragging of Trump' & other Mon. midday news briefs

Streep's dragging of Trump shouldn't distract us from this week's cabinet hearings.

Editor's note - Meryl Streep's dragging of Trump during last night's Golden Globe Awards was truly sweet. However, don't let it - and especially Trump's ridiculous response to it - distract you from the fact that the GOP is trying to push in multiple confirmation hearings of his cabinet nominees this week. And these nominees have NOT been thoroughly vetted. A distracted people cannot unite to oppose wrongdoing.

Lambda Legal: Jeff Sessions Would Put LGBT Rights at Grave Risk if Confirmed - For example, THIS guy Trump wants to appoint as Attorney General. 

 Ted Cruz Lost, But Trump Is Giving the Religious Right His Cabinet - AND the rest. 

 In other news:

 Moonlight wins Golden Globe Award for Best Picture-Drama - In a huge coup last night, Moonlight, a movie about being a black gay man in America, nabbed the Golden Globe for Best Picture - Drama. I think this makes it the "dark horse" (apologies) for Best Picture at the Oscars. Double sweet! I would be happy for several nominations.  

"Moonlight" Director Explains The Need For Diverse Storytelling In Trump’s America - Speaking of which . . . AMEN!!  

Percy Jackson author snubs Texas lawmakers over ‘nonsense’ bathroom bill - I own two of his books! Good for him! 

 Gordon Klingenschmitt: Gay People ‘Should Be Disqualified Immediately’ From Being Teachers ‘Because Of Their Immorality’ - Gurl, sit your behind down! 

Anti-lgbt hate group removed from list of Connecticut approved charities for payroll deductions.

AFA gets smacked down by Connecticut

It's no doubt that the following item will be exploited as an example of how Christians are supposedly being "persecuted" in America:

From the Hartford Courant:

Mississippi-based Christian organization is being dropped from a list of approved charities for state employees after the group failed to provide a copy of its anti-discrimination policy.

Timothy K. Newtown, chair of the Connecticut State Employee Campaign Committee, wrote to the group's president, Tim Wildmon, on Thursday notifying them they were being removed. The program allows state employees to direct payroll deductions to a charity of their choice.

"I am grateful for the committee's unanimous vote to remove AFA from the state charitable campaign – and I'm proud to live in a state that broadly prohibits discrimination, whether based on an individual's race, color, religion, age, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, familial status, national origin, ancestry or disability," Lembo, who is openly gay, said in a written statement.

Apparently, this was a unanimous vote of the Connecticut State Employees’ Campaign (CSEC) Committee. But before the vote, the AFA chose to focus on Lembo's sexual orientation:

 Lembo had asked the group for information regarding its non-discrimination policy and the group responded by asking its members to contact Lembo for attacking their group’s Biblical beliefs and what they saw as his attempt to diminish those beliefs by asking for information about discrimination. Lembo has said most of the communications were uninformed.

Not that I'm telling anyone anything that they aren't aware of but for the record, the American Family Association is a Southern Poverty Law Center designated hate group. According to SPLC:

The AFA has been extremely vocal over the years in its opposition to LGBT rights, marriage equality and allowing gay men and lesbians to serve in the military. The group's arguments are filled with claims that equate homosexuality with pedophilia and argue that there's a "homosexual agenda" afoot that is set to bring about the downfall of American (and ultimately, Western) civilization. In one October 2004 article, the AFA Journal suggested that gay influences are leading to a "grotesque culture" that will include "quick encounters in the middle school boys' restroom."

For years, until 2010, the AFA had a section on its website that supposedly exposed "The Homosexual Agenda." There, a reader could find articles and other AFA publications that claimed LGBT people were trying to force the acceptance of homosexuality on children through sex education programs in schools; condemned companies like Disney for supporting LGBT rights and programming; and, also until 2010, featured a particularly noxious booklet the AFA had published in 1994. That booklet, Homosexuality in America: Exposing the Myths, included the bogus research of thoroughly discredited psychologist Paul Cameron as a source. One of the publication's authors, Richard Howe, used Cameron's "research" to claim that LGBT people don't live as long as heterosexuals, that they're more promiscuous and that the "disgusting details of the homosexual lifestyle explain why so many diseases are present in the homosexual community." Another claim was that "[p]rominent homosexual leaders and publications have voiced support for pedophilia, incest, sadomasochism, and even bestiality."

The question shouldn't be should the AFA be included on the list of groups Connecticut employees can donate to via payroll deductions. The question should be how in the world did the AFA get on this list in the first place.

''Religious right tries to silence Carrie Underwood while whining about lgbt 'thought police' & other Fri. midday news briefs

Carrie Underwood

Christians decry ‘thought police’ then call for blacklisting Carrie Underwood

The Stunning Hypocrisy Of The AFA’s ‘Thought Police’

Just so we are clear - Kim Burrell calling us "perverted" is perfectly okay and the "homosexual thought police" should "stop trying to destroy her career." Carrie Underwood supporting lgbt equality? Unacceptable! She should shut up! She is not a Christian! How dare she gets invited to sing at a Christian conference. I hope you all know that the religious right will attempt to get away with such rank hypocrisy if no one calls them out on it.

Texas and Virginia join other states competing for the most anti-trans legislation - Just an opening salvo. We knew it was coming. That doesn't mean we are going to lose and it certainly doesn't mean we need to get all chicken#@!%. Bring it on.

'Bathroom bills' are cynical exploitation of parental fears - This morning's post to chew on.
 

Coachella’s Owner Under Fire For Alleged Ties To Anti-LGBTQ Groups - This is HUGE!

'Bathroom bills' are cynical exploitation of parental fears

Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick held a press conference on Thursday announcing that he will be pushing an an awful anti-transgender bathroom bill which is similar to North Carolina's HB2.

The bill is terrible enough, but what really puts the icing on this bitter cake is the propaganda used by the Family Research Council to defend it:

If Texas thought it had seen the end of the transgender bathroom agenda, they were mistaken! After the overwhelming defeat voters delivered to the Houston mayor and city council for its gender-free, anti-religious liberty ordinance, conservatives are ready for the next chapter: more permanent protections against this dangerous and unpopular crusade of the Left. Like most sane people, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick (R) doesn't think grown men should be sharing fitting rooms, locker rooms, showers, and restrooms with little girls.

To put the brakes on the Left's campaign, Lt. Gov. Patrick has teamed up with State Senator Lois Kolkhorst, in unveiling a statewide bill, the Texas Privacy Act of 2017 (S.B. 6), which would bar public schools, state government agencies, and political subdivisions from throwing open bathroom doors to people of the opposite sex. Sounds reasonable, right? Not to the Left, which is already fueling up its propaganda machine to pump out false information about the measure would and wouldn't do. "I don't know what problem he's proposing to solve," said Chuck Smith of Equality Texas. Why not ask the women and children at Target stores, who have been victims of voyeurs or sexual predators under genderless policies like these? Or the high school girls in Illinois, who are so afraid to undress in the locker room that they wear their gym clothes under their regular ones? The concern is not that transgendered individuals are more likely to be sexual predators, but rather that sexual predators could exploit such laws by posing as transgendered in order to gain access to women and girls.

Although the bill is similar to North Carolina's H.B. 2, this version is exclusively focused on bathroom and shower privacy. It doesn't preempt local entities from taking a position on gender identity in the context of hiring, housing, health care, or public accommodations like the Tar Heels' did. "This is a public safety issue, not a discrimination issue," Patrick said. "It's about common courtesy and privacy, particularly for women." And that's a goal both sides can get behind!

First of all, let's look at the links provided by FRC in answer to Chuck Smith of Equality Texas. Both are questionable. One is from another anti-lgbt site, One News Now (which pushes heavily slanted news courtesy of an anti-lgbt hate group, the American Family Association). It talks about an alleged incident in Texas where a man was caught filming a women in a public restroom. I say alleged because no link to any article talking about the incident was provided.

The second link is from Fox News personality Todd Starnes, a man infamous for creating false stories of anti-Christian persecution. In any legitimate media organization, Starnes wouldn't be able to get a job cleaning bathrooms, much less writing articles about them. Of course it is Fox News which employs Starnes. That speaks for itself.

But what really gets me going in a negative way about FRC's propaganda was a phrase it uses when talking about the issue:

 Like most sane people, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick (R) doesn't think grown men should be sharing fitting rooms, locker rooms, showers, and restrooms with little girls.

That's not a deliberate concern of FRC. It's a deliberate reliance on fear by conjuring up images of disgusting predators dressed unconvincingly as women being alone with innocent little girls.

Like this:

 And therein is the problem. You will notice that FRC doesn't say a word about transgender children or transgender men. The organization stooped to the lowest common denominator, the most extreme example in order to exploit parental fear. FRC deliberately plants a seed in the minds of parents. It's  just a little seed, but it is strong enough to blossom into a full spread paranoia. People will gladly act in error when it comes to the safety of their children. Religious right organizations like FRC know this and that is why in almost every issue of lgbt equality, be it marriage equality, lgbt ordinances, and especially transgender equality, they deliberately take the form of Helen Lovejoy from 'The Simpsons' and interject their battle cry "won't someone please think of the children" into the fight.

They do this because facts aren't on their side, especially not in the case of transgender women using public restrooms. The transgender predator image is an ugly creation which has been debunked time after time.

But every time it's debunked, so-called Christians groups like FRC continue to conjure it up. They know they are lying but they don't care.  They just don't care.

'Obama leaves a huge legacy on LGBTQ equality' & other Thur. midday news briefs

Editor's note - My apologies for this possibly being the only post today. You know how those family "issues" can be . . .

Obama Leaves A Monumental Legacy On LGBTQ Rights - This is true. For all of the griping thrown at him, Obama's Administration did right by us. Now that he is leaving, it is up to us to maintain that legacy. I would sincerely hope we spend more time doing this than griping about what we couldn't get done under Obama.

McAuliffe signs anti-LGBT discrimination executive order - Awesome!  

From the Pulpit to the People: Kim Burrell, Homosexuality and the Black Church - A thought-provoking commentary on the Kim Burrell controversy.  

Texas 'bathroom' bill renews fight over transgender rights - Meanwhile, the Texas Lt. Gov. is attempting to build a political future on the backs of the transgender community by introducing a bill which makes North Carolina's HB2 look like a Sunday social.

The lgbt community hasn't forgotten what you did in Indiana, Mike Pence

So according to the incoming Vice President Mike Pence, the first order of business will be "repealing and replacing" Obamacare, with a heavy emphasis on repealing but short on details about replacing. I don't think it's going to be as easy as they think.

It's interesting that it was Pence who led the press conference talking about this and not Trump. It sends the message that Pence will be doing the legislative work while Trump basks in the "glow" of being president. Not surprising.

And even though all eyes will be on the battle over Obamacare - and a few others - I want to let Pence know something:

The lgbt community hasn't forgotten what you did in Indiana.

For those who have forgotten, check out this article from 2015 which basically breaks down how Pence was caught in a HUGE anti-lgbt lie about his homophobic "religious liberty" bill:

Mike Pence's claim about his anti-gay law contradicted by picture of him with lobbyists

And then let's not forget Pence's attempt to defend the law on This Week, which went over like a lead balloon:



We know that a national anti-gay "religious liberty" bill will be coming. Don't think we aren't ready.

Family Research Council complains about the State Dept's defense of lgbt equality

Family Research Council objects to defending lgbts abroad.

As it has done for eight years, the anti-lgbt hate group The Family Research Council recently attacked the Obama Administration for the work it has done to advance the cause of lgbt equality.

In its daily Washington Update, the organization listed several accomplishments of the State Department under the Obama Administration  concerning the lgbt community while attempting to unsuccessfully make these accomplishments sound like blemishes:

 . . .Obviously, America has a sincere interest in stopping the unjust persecution or targeting of any human being. But what's happened for the last eight years is not the simple defense of those who are mistreated -- it's the elevation of people around the world based on sexual behavior.

While some people are falling for the line that social issues are "irrelevant" to the work of the State Department, the Trump team isn't buying it. They're keenly aware of the culture of extremism at the agency -- so much so that they've requested a detailed list of the ways the office has tried to promote "gender equality." Late last month, the New York Times reported on the Trump memo, which asked the department to provide, among other things, details on the positions "'whose primary functions are to promote such issues' -- as well as how much funding was directed to gender-related programs in 2016."

The State Department's report should be an easy one. After all, the White House has graciously done the work for them, boasting in great detail about the "gains" it's made for the global LGBT community on its website (many courtesy of the agency that supposedly has no dealings in social issues). Here are a few of the highlights (and some the administration conveniently forgot):

• Created a "Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBT Persons" at the State Department. When announcing the position, Secretary Kerry said: "Defending and promoting the human rights of LGBT persons is at the core of our commitment to advancing human rights globally."

• Funded LGBT advocacy around the world through the State Department through an entity called the Global Equality Fund. "The Department of State continues to grow the Global Equality Fund, a multi-sector public-private partnership to advance the human rights of LGBT persons globally. Since the Fund was launched in December 2011, it has allocated over $30 million to civil society organizations in 80 countries worldwide."

• Used the United Nations to push LGBT issues. "In 2011, we proudly partnered with South Africa to ensure passage of the first-ever U.N. resolution on the human rights of LGBTI persons, adopted by the Council."

• Flew the rainbow flag at U.S. embassies around the word, despite host countries' complaints, concerns, and religious volatilities.

• Appointed ambassadors who openly identify as gay or transgender in defiance of other countries' values and traditions. As John Kerry said in 2014, "I'm working hard to ensure that by the end of my tenure, we will have lesbian, bisexual, and transgender ambassadors in our ranks as well..."

• Marked International Human Rights Day with a controversial Geneva speech insisting that "[G]ay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights."

• Ordered the publication of overseas op-eds hostile to other countries' views on sexuality to celebrate LGBT "pride."

• Made transgender issues a key negotiating point with other nations at the expense of diplomatic relations. "We have instructed our human rights and health officers to raise transgender issues in their host countries, and we have encouraged our public affairs officers to include the needs of transgender groups in their programming, so that we are showing that this is something that we're going to engage in..."

• Strong-armed other countries to accept America's misguided policies on same-sex spouses. "Let me be clear," Kerry lectured in a defiant speech, "we oppose any effort by any country to deny visas for spouses of American staff. It's discriminatory, it's unacceptable, it has no place in the 21^st century."

• Revised the State Department's Foreign Affairs Manual to allow same-sex couples to obtain passports under the names recognized by their state through their marriages or civil unions.

Here is my question - just what is wrong with these endeavors? Seriously. What's wrong saying that gay rights are human rights or promoting the idea? And what's wrong with opposing any effort by foreign countries to deny visas for spouses of American staff? What's wrong with flying the rainbow flag at OUR embassies? What's wrong with defending the rights of lgbts who may live in countries where homosexuality is punishable by death or imprisonment? Where lgbts butchered and beaten to death by homophobes without any reprisal?

Nothing, except to the Family Research Council, these acts are wrong because they are supposedly "elevating a sexual behavior? 

FRC tries to pigeonhole us in terms of sexual behavior to the point of crying "bloody murder" to any entities -  be it the Obama Administration, the State Department, or the lgbt community itself - who refutes the organization's insulting attempts to define us.

The State Department under the Obama Administration was clearly engaged in protecting the right of lgbts Americans as they went abroad and standing up for the worldwide lgbt community, particularly in areas of the world where they have been persecuted.

Again I ask what is wrong with that? Clearly the Obama Administration should be applauded for its very important and much needed assurances to the lgbt community that we shouldn't be treated or judged as less than human. At the same time, the Family Research Council should be asked why it seems to be so consumed with judging lgbts on supposed sexual behavior that it refuses see us as human beings.

And FRC's stance has to be taken into account seeing how the organization already has influence in the incoming Trump Administration.  If FRC thinks that defending lgbts abroad is wrong, one can only guess how calamitous its influence on Trump's policy regarding lgbt equality in general could be.

News brief special - Gospel singer Kim Burrell faces wide condemnation for ugly words against the gay community

Kim Burrell faces rightful condemnation for her ugly words about lgbts.

 “I came to tell you about sin . . .That sin nature… That perverted homosexual spirit, and the spirit of delusion and confusion, it has deceived many men and women… You as a man, you open your mouth and take a man’s penis in your face, you are perverted. You are a woman and will shake your face in another woman’s breast, you are perverted.” - gospel singer Kim Burrell in a sermon  uploaded Friday on Facebook
 

Pharrell’s Singing Partner Caught On Tape In Homophobic Rant - When I logged on Saturday morning, this was the talk of so many black folks, particularly black gay men, cause you know we love our Jesus, our church, and our gospel singers (seeing that quite a few are in the closet). And it has not abated. Kim Burrell has been justifiably blasted from all sides because of her words. And I noticed how religious right groups have not really defended her. They may come to her aid, but if they don't, do not think it's because her words were THAT vicious. Most likely they feel that they can't fundraise to other white evangelicals about a controversy in the black church community. 

Famous gospel singer Kim Burrell attacked after preaching sermon on the ‘sin’ of homosexuality - Looks like I spoke too soon. The right-wing Blaze jumps in the controversy and check out the headline in that it makes Burrell look like a victim. Between me and you - avoid the comments section of this article. It's a drag.  

Pharrell Williams, Yolanda Adams & Others Speak Out Against Gospel Singer Kim Burrell’s Anti-Gay Sermon - Another gospel singer, Yolanda Adams, not to mention Chaka Khan, Octavia Spencer, and a few others call out Burrell. 

 Kim Burrell: Gospel star defends homophobic comments - That's nice because everyone else is calling you to the carpet, girlfriend. And you should be called to the carpet.

Janelle Monae Says Homophobic ‘Hidden Figures’ Singer Won’t Perform On ‘Ellen’ - And here is the grand irony of it all. Burrell was supposed to appear on Ellen this week to sing a duet with Pharrell Williams from the soundtrack of 'Hidden Figures,' a movie slated to grab many critics' prizes, including the Oscar. Talk about timing. BAD timing. 


Editor's note - I say this as a black gay man raised in the church. This situation demonstrates the nuances of the Christian religion that the media tends to ignore and the religious right likes to omit. It is taken for granted that the black church community believe that homosexuality is a sin. Not all of us believe that and those who do don't believe it to the point where they completely stand against lgbt equality.  Some folks may feel that homosexuality is a sin, but even they don't like to see us smeared and they respect us, our lives, and families. 

And I can honestly say that a huge number don't believe that religious right tripe of  "Christians being persecuted in America."  This is a serious lesson for the lgbt community to remember in terms of not allowing folks like Franklin Graham or the Family Research Council bogart talks of religion, particularly when it comes to the lgbt community and the black community. 

Lastly, this post is not meant to attack Burrell on her looks or any other thing which has nothing to do with the topic at hand.

Anti-transgender legislation rooted in lies & fear

Rewire, an independent newsletter, has an excellent breakdown on the rise of anti-transgender legislation in the United States, as well as how those advancing this legislation rely on fear tactics. A portion of the article reads as follows:

Anti-trans bathroom rhetoric is a perfectly whisked concoction of ignorance and fear for a general public still trying to come to terms with gender variance. Much like the false claim that same-sex marriages would diminish the long-standing heterosexual ones, the bathroom issue paints trans people as a threat to the safety of women and children—and usually white ones.

“The bathroom commercial that [HERO opponents] ran used a little white girl in the ad,” said Houston-based writer and blogger Monica Roberts. “They tapped into the fear and demonization of trans folks. It’s similar to the old Jim Crow fear of Black folks into generating a fear of trans folks.”

The Jim Crow tactic Roberts references relates to the idea that increased access for Black people in the United States—specifically Black men—would result in white women being at a higher risk of violence, harassment, and sexual assault. It was often used as a moral case against desegregation of public spaces in the South, but was exposed in Southern Horrors: Lynch Law In All of Its Phases by historic Black journalist Ida B. Wells-Barnett. More recently, convicted murderer Dylann Roof seized on this trope as a reason for committing the Charleston massacre and taking the lives of nine Black people. President-elect Donald Trump also has used the it against Latinx communities when he insinuated that Mexicans are rapists in a campaign speech during the 2016 presidential election.

In a similar fashion, conservatives often strip trans women of their womanhood and paint them and all transfeminine individuals as hypermasculinized, hypersexual predators, despite a major lack of evidence for this case. However, due to continued ignorance on gender identity, anti-transgender politicians maintain a hold over the general public when it comes to the bathroom debate.

'13 wonderful LGBT moments' & other Fri. midday news briefs

 
Editor's note - This will most likely be the last post of 2016 on this blog. It wasn't exactly a fun year and I won't talk about the BIG UGLINESS who was elected in November. I will just say that 2017 brings challenges but with challenges come the promises of victory. Let's not dwell on things which will divide our communities. Let's unite and go full speed ahead in mutual trust, love, and understanding. And especially with the knowledge that we will take no slack or  any disrespect. 2017 is all about us up in here!  And we intend to get everything which belongs to us.

Catholic groups are suing the Obama administration over trans protection laws - Just as they did with marriage equality, Catholic religious groups are exploiting their religion to push anti-lgbt laws. The last time, they wasted lots of money in the loss. This time, they may lose something a bit closer to home - their so-called religious integrity. 

13 Moments That Made Us Proud To Be Queer In 2016 - Just 13?

 'I feel alive': Transgender Iowans on medical care, surgeries - When the religious right demonizes the transgender community, it prevents critical stories like this one from being read or heard. 

The top 10 transgender stories of 2016 - And stories like these also. 


LAST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST:  

This Gay Man Is Fighting For LGBT Rights In The South And Beyond - This is from September and I neglected to even write a post on it. The Huffington Post featured ME and this blog in an interview. I talk about being an "activist" and facing homophobia, racism, and regional prejudice. Plus, the picture of me is wonderful. Unashamedly black. It reminds me so much of Nina Simone.

Preachers on Trump's inaugural podium a collection of hot messes

Franklin Graham

Trump will have several ministers on his podium during his inauguration and wouldn't you know it? They all seem to be "hot messes." Particularly when it comes to the lgbt community.

From Right Wing Watch, this is just two of them:

Franklin Graham

Franklin Graham, son of the iconic evangelist Billy Graham, is a more intensely anti-gay right-wing version of his father, and reflects the continuing spiral of America’s right wing into anti-Muslim conspiracy-theory paranoia.

Like Trump, Graham is a fan of Russian strongman Vladimir Putin, praising Putin’s anti-gay policies and defending his support for the Assad regime in Syria. Graham went to Russia in 2015, where he praised Putin while criticizing secularism in America. While in Russia, Graham told a reporter that President Obama was “leading America down the wrong road” and “taking a stand against God.” Graham also planned to host a conference in Moscow with the Russian Orthodox Church to address anti-Christian persecution, but had to cancel after Putin outlawed evangelism from Christians who aren’t members of the Orthodox church. Although Graham maintained that he was not formally endorsing a presidential candidate in 2016, he held rallies around the country during which he made it clear what he thought Christians’ duty was at the ballot box. Graham, who has said the advance of legal equality for LGBT people is a sign of the coming End Times and invites the judgment of God, repeatedly said that 2016 was the last chance for Christians to save America from godless secularists and the “very wicked” LGBT agenda being promoted by the Obama administration.

Graham was among the Religious Right leaders who spoke up for Trump when the tape of him bragging about sexually assaulting women was released, decrying “the godless progressive agenda of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton” and saying the Supreme Court was the most important issue for Christians when voting. When Trump called for “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on,” Graham defended him and said he’d been making the same argument “for some time.”

And of course Timothy Dolan:

New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan criticized Trump’s nativist rhetoric in 2015, but more recently has praised Trump’s positions on abortion and “religious liberty” and has said since the election he looks forward to the appointment of Supreme Court justices “who will reform the injustice and travesty of Roe v. Wade.”

Dolan hosted the meetings at which the 2009 Manhattan Declaration was created, and he was among its original signers. The declaration is a manifesto for Christian conservatives who declare that when it comes to opposition to abortion and marriage equality, “no power on earth, be it cultural or political, will intimidate us into silence or acquiescence.” Regarding marriage specifically it says, “No one has a civil right to have a non-marital relationship treated as a marriage.” And it vows civil disobedience, saying:

Because we honor justice and the common good, we will not comply with any edict that purports to compel our institutions to participate in abortions, embryo-destructive research, assisted suicide and euthanasia, or any other anti-life act; nor will we bend to any rule purporting to force us to bless immoral sexual partnerships, treat them as marriages or the equivalent, or refrain from proclaiming the truth, as we know it, about morality and immorality and marriage and the family. We will fully and ungrudgingly render to Caesar what is Caesar’s. But under no circumstances will we render to Caesar what is God’s.

Someone probably needs to anoint that podium with holy water before AND after the inaugural ceremony.

'Religious right groups to have inaugural ball. Probably will be a drag' & other Thur. midday news briefs

Religious Right Groups To Celebrate Trump With Inaugural Ball - Religious right groups, including the Family Research Council, will be putting on an inaugural ball to celebrate Trump in probably the most boring party in history. Now you KNOW that I DESPISE being catty (moves out of the way of the lightning strike) but I imagine that the dancing will be like the above video and should Josh Duggar should show up, I hope all of the ladies present know judo. I'm just sayin' . . . 

Franklin Graham, Other Anti-LGBT Clergy Booked for Trump Inauguration - Speaking of the inauguration, it also promises to be a drag. 

 27 Must-Read Queer Essays From 2016 - Take your pick. All of these essays are powerful.

 Sh*t Homophobic People Say - My post from this morning because it bears repeating. 

 36 Tweets That Made The LGBT Community Cackle In 2016 - This was EVIL in a funny way. And it offended some folks. I personally thought it was hilarious satire.  

For LGBT People In Rural Areas, A Tough Transition To Retired Life - A population in our community who shouldn't be omitted.

Sh*t Homophobic People Say

From Lambda Legal, this is over four years old, but it is CERTAINLY appropriate and should serve as psychological adrenaline to get you psyched for combat starting next year. When these same folks come and claim that "evangelical Christians" are being "persecuted for their beliefs," don't believe it:

'Parents create phony panic about eight-year-old transgender cub scout' & other Wed. midday news briefs

Cub Scouts ban 8-year-old transgendered boy after other kids’ parents complain - This is a mess. Textbook case of children being harmed by parental freakout fueled by "those homosexuals and transgenders want your children" nonsense. 

A Look Back At 2016’s Best, Worst And Ugliest Queer Political Moments - It was a wild, horrible, and sometimes magical year. The fight continues.  

The Religious-Liberty Showdowns Coming in 2017 - Meanwhile in 2017 . . . get it together or leave it alone. 

  The Dangers of the Gay Conservative Movement - No offense, but when a gay conservative can take his or her own party, i.e. the GOP, to task and win, then I will care about them. They throw mess in the lgbt tent. And let's be honest. There is a serious touch of white paternalism involved.  

On losing George Michael in 2016, a year in which toxic masculinity reigned - Thoughtful essay.

The lgbt community can still win against Trump & his anti-lgbt allies

Under the guise of 'values,' groups who spread this junk hope to thrive under Trump.

With the incoming Trump Administration, religious right and so-called traditional values groups will be in the best position they have probably ever been to create policy for the country. And a large part of that policy will be to undermine lgbt equality under the guise of Christianity and religious freedom. According to Right Wing Watch, the Family Research Council is practically chomping at the bit to get things started:

Thrilled by Donald Trump’s election, the Family Research Council has laid out an ambitious agenda for the president-elect.

The Religious Right group wants Trump to appoint far-right justices to the bench; roll back LGBT legal protections and “ferret out” LGBT rights supporters from administration posts; reverse “social engineering” in the military; further restrict abortion rights; defund Planned Parenthood, and repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Media Matters also points out that FRC has played a pivotal part in the direction of the incoming Trump Administration and the GOP in general:

FRC president Tony Perkins played a pivotal role in Trump’s campaign and helped shape the Republican Party platform. During the Republican National Convention, he was successful in adding support for “ex-gay” conversion therapy, a discredited, harmful practice that falsely claims to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, and has been denounced by every major medical organization. Since the election, some of Perkins’ FRC affiliates have won spots in Trump’s transition team. Wired’s Emma Ellis spotlighted the hate group’s growing influence on the Trump administration, which includes the following members affiliated with FRC:

• Ken Blackwell, Trump’s domestic policy chair as well as an FRC senior fellow;
• Ed Meese, who has written for FRC and is co-leading the transition team in management and budget affairs; and
• Ken Klukowski, the transition team’s “constitutional rights” leader, a Breitbart editor, and the former director of FRC’s center for religious liberty.

Media Matters also says that coupled with the fake news generated from sites like Breitbart, the Daily Caller, etc, the future of the lgbt equality could be irrevocably in jeopardy.

Well that could be true, if we wait for these things to happen without even so much as a little pushback. What I am about to say is coming from a place of love, not spite. Ever since Trump was elected, members of the lgbt community have been cowering in a corner waiting for parental punishment.  Of course things are going to get ugly. So what. Aren't we used to it yet?  There is no equality without backlash and there is no such thing as victory without adversity.

And when faced with an old enemy, why is it so difficult for us to call them out? You know where I stand on this situation. It's the same place I've always stood for 10 years:

When in doubt, call those bastards out.

The Family Research Council and the religious right in general have too much of a paper trail of lies, distortions, and junk science to get away with being designated as "Christian groups" who "fight for values."

What everyone seems to be forgetting is that with this role in the Trump Administration, they've made themselves a target for extreme scrutiny. And it is to the advantage of the lgbt community to tell folks where to look.

Like here for example. The copy of my booklet, How They See Us: Unmasking the War on Gay America, on adobe acrobat.(where the graphics in this post came from). It's free and it's a start.

'Queer Nativity scenes show that Christmas belongs to everyone' & other Thur. midday news briefs

Queer Nativity Scenes Show That It’s Love That Makes A Family - I guess Todd Starnes and the rest of that bunch will be screaming bloody murder, but let them. One thing that irks me is when these folks are hardly ever told to their face that they own neither Christianity nor Jesus nor Christmas. It's not theirs to decide what is or isn't. So let those silly snowflakes melt.

 North Carolina Republicans failed to repeal HB2. They’re blaming everybody but themselves - Of course they are . . .

The 2016 Right Wing Watch War On Christmas Gift Guide - The religious right has more ways to extend their fake 'War on Christmas' than George Lucas can even think about for the Star Wars movies. 

Here Are 15 Of The Year’s Most Compelling Online LGBTQ Campaigns - 2016 was not a totally bad year. We had more downs than ups but this shows that we can still bring it and we will in 2017.

 Bryan Fischer: Single-Stall Bathrooms Give ‘Special Rights’ To Transgender People - I guess he wants to make it triply difficult for our transgender brothers and sisters to be able to use public restrooms in peace.

Obama: Russia wins if U.S. opts to ‘discriminate against people’ - SO true. I am going to miss this man as my president.

No Repeal of HB2

Not surprising that the GOP of North Carolina would play a game to keep the law.

From The Huffington Post:

What was supposed to be a smooth repeal of North Carolina’s anti-LGBTQ law fell apart Wednesday as Democrats said Republicans backed out on a deal to put forward a clean repeal bill. The General Assembly voted to adjourn its special session after more than nine hours with the law still on the books.

 . .  On Monday, Charlotte’s city council also voted unanimously to rescind its nondiscrimination ordinance under the promise that the General Assembly would then move to repeal HB2. In response to Charlotte’s move, McCrory called the legislature back for a special session Wednesday.

Democrats said Wednesday that they were expecting a clean repeal bill. But instead, Sen. Phil Berger, the GOP leader of the chamber, put forward a measure that would set a six-month “cooling-off” period during which time localities would be barred from making changes to their ordinances on issues of employment and public accommodations. In other words, HB2 would essentially be in effect for another six months. The measure could also have tied the hands of localities looking to change ordinances on issues like the minimum wage. 

And the rest, as they say, was @&!

'Will HB2 be repealed today? We'll see' & other Wed. midday news briefs

Fate of HB2 in the balance as NC lawmakers convene, Charlotte repeals its ordinance - HB2 is supposed to be overturned today. Even though I'm hopeful, I don't like the fact that Charlotte had to repeal its ordinance as part of a "deal." 

Repeal of HB2 during special session could be in jeopardy - Because as the recent election has taught us, some of our governmental officials aren't above pulling some shady $#@! to get what they want. 

Protections Against Workplace Discrimination Vary Wildly From State To State. See How Yours Stacks Up - Even BEFORE Trump, our fight for equality was not over. Even though we got marriage, we should be demanding more. As taxpaying Americans - some of us raising families - we should never be asking for begging, but demanding what belongs to us.

  Bryan Fischer: Liberals Who Can’t Understand Why Clinton Lost Are Spiritually Blind - Says the guy who thinks children in same-sex households should be kidnapped  from their parents.  

Trump urged not to cut overseas LGBT aid - We'll see . . .

American Family Association instigates fake anger against First Lady Michelle Obama

During a recent interview with Oprah Winfrey, First Lady Michelle Obama said a lot of things and made a lot of good points. One point she made about the election of Donald Trump was the following:

Following the election of Donald Trump, Michelle Obama said many Americans now know what it's like not to have hope.

"We feel the difference now. See, now, we are feeling what not having hope feels like," she told Oprah Winfrey in an interview, a clip of which aired on CBS on Friday. "Hope is necessary. It's a necessary concept and Barack didn't just talk about hope because he thought it was just a nice slogan to get votes." 

"He and I and so many believe that -- what else do you have if you don't have hope," the first lady added. "What do you give your kids if you can't give them hope?"

 

Leave it to One News Now, the fake news site of the anti-lgbt hate group American Family Association to imply that her comments were insulting Trump voters.  In an article, One News Now spotlights Jeanine Pirro, some low-budget television judge who also has a show on Fox News, to make a sad attempt to take our First Lady to task.

But what caught my attention, other than the ugly comments to Michelle Obama under the article, was the One News Now "poll."

One good thing about Trump being elected seems to be all of the masks are slipping, particularly those of people and groups who call themselves Christian.

'New study, same old anti-lgbt junk science' & other Tue. midday news briefs

Mark Regnerus is back with more fake science

Anti-gay researcher now tries to claim stigma doesn’t harm LGBT people - Another thing we have to watch for in the wake of Trump's election - anti-lgbt junk science carrying resonance in spite of the fact that it has been be refuted. The dupe of the marriage equality fight, Mark Regnerus is back and his new "research" is as bad as his earlier stuff. 

Homeless Charities Warn Of ‘Dramatic Rise’ In Number Of LGBT Youth Being Thrown Out Of Home - This awful and would be made worse by folks believing the junk science in the above news brief. Regnerus is saying this sort of thing doesn't contribute to negative health behaviors in lgbts.

 ‘Bachelor’ Contestants Fall For Each Other, Share Love On Instagram - I love this! They need to do a movie about this!  

People Are Loving This Bystander’s Pure Reaction To A Woman Proposing To Her Girlfriend - It's a wonderful photo because of the bystander's reaction. And it's a lesson to not let fear keep you from taking chances

Actual 'War on Christmas' is waged through fear & ignorance

Editor's note - Due to a doctor's appointment, today's news briefs will be postponed.

I tried to find something a bit comical on this 'War on Christmas' nonsense that the religious right and Fox News pulls every year about this time. Unfortunately, youtube is filled with videos which either hysterically scream about a 'War on Christmas' or throw out bizarre prophecies about Christmas and Armageddon.

And those last ones scare me.

So here is a video featuring a young man, Alex Meyers, who tells us the true history of the so-called War on Christmas:

Family Research Council - For God's sake! Send us money! Please!!

The Family Research Council has taken a break from gloating about Trump's election win in order to beg for money. Or the "evil homosexuals will put Christians in jail and force women to have abortions."

Or something like that. The letter is a hoot and of course FRC president, Tony Perkins, hysterically lies throughout it:

The radicals still WON'T accept it.
But they WILL subvert it. Unless . . .

The radical Left won't accept the future for which Americans voted.
But they will subvert that future, unless . . .

. . . unless Christians like you stay engaged in the political process.
Don't leave it up to the politicians. You must help stop the Left from ruining every reform soon-to-be President Trump and pro-family conservatives in Congress have promised to make.

The Left has already violently protested the election in the streets -- with many of the protests paid for by money from Hollywood-Washington elitists.

They've already tried to manipulate the Electoral College to overturn the results.

They've already advocated changing the Constitution to permanently empower them.

And when the new Congress is seated January 3 and President Trump is sworn in January 20...? Get ready for the Left's massive attempt to DECEIVE, INTIMIDATE, AND SIDETRACK lawmakers from enacting reforms in favor of your faith, family, and freedom.

What can you do to fight back? First and foremost, you can donate now to help Family Research Council (FRC) reach our 2016 year-end budget goal of $975,000 by December 31.

You see, the ACLU and Planned Parenthood have already had record-breaking fundraising immediately after the election.

Backed by hundreds of millions of dollars, they -- and other left-wing groups -- will try EVERY POLITICAL TRICK IN THE BOOK to influence the Trump administration and Congress:

• Not to protect religious freedom of Christians against the LGBTQ+ attempts to criminalize our beliefs on sexuality.
• Not to confirm a conservative U.S. Supreme Court justice.
• Not to defund Planned Parenthood.
• Not to overturn Obamacare and its discrimination against Christians and its attacks on the unborn and disabled.

FRC must counter these efforts. FRC experts will be on Capitol Hill -- and we will be at the White House -- debunking the deception of the Left.

We will remind President Trump and Members of Congress of their campaign promises.
The key link, however, is you.

You must be there for FRC so that our team of experts can work on your behalf . . . against Planned Parenthood . . . against the radical homosexual activists like the Human Rights Campaign . . . against secular giants like the ACLU.

For FRC to be at full strength when Congress is sworn in three weeks from today, we must receive $975,000 by December 31 to finish 2016 on track.

Will you take a moment now to give your year-end gift and ensure we meet our goal?

The Left isn't going away.

So let's make sure we didn't win the 2016 election battle just to lose the 2017 policy war. Thank you for standing in November. And thank you for standing now.
Standing (Eph. 6:13),


Tony Perkins

President

P.S. Fellow FRC supporters are so concerned about the Left's plans they have offered a $250,000 MATCHING GRANT to double your year-end gift! Every dollar will go TWICE AS FAR up to the combined total of $250,000. So please be generous and help us reach our goal! Remember, the ACLU and Planned Parenthood have already raised staggering amounts to attack you, your beliefs, your religious freedom, and your family. Answer these radicals with your year-end donation to FRC right now. Thank you!

Well Perkins is right about one thing. We are NOT going away. I'm certainly not.

And I intend to have a rip-snorting, ass-kicking, hell-raising time during these upcoming four years. I hope y'all got some vitamin E. And oxygen. Lots and lots of oxygen.

'Butt-shaking birther claims Trump's win is signal for religious right to 'reshape' America' & other Mon. midday news briefs

Editor's note - The electoral college is meeting today and barring any unusual situation, they will officially make Trump the winner of the 2016 election. I would kindly suggest that folks who are angry and/or aggrieved harness their emotions to focus on fighting any screw-ups Trump may attempt (particularly with Obamacare, Planned Parenthood, and "religious liberty" laws) and work on breaking down his power in the 2018 mid-year elections however they can. No one is going to save you but you. And unfortunately, America may have to learn some hard lessons on how to pick good leaders, regardless.

Tom DeLay thinks God allowed Trump to win for religious right.

Tom DeLay: God Has Given The Religious Right A ‘Clean Slate’ To Reshape America Via President Trump - A perfect idea of what we will be fighting. To summarize it better, I suggest a different headline - "A hypocritical former convicted felon & butt-shaking birther claims that God had Trump to win so the religious right can force its views on the American public."

 The looming Republican crackdown on LGBTQ rights and abortion - Some form of this is coming and protesting in the streets is just one thing we can do. Alliances and coalitions do wonders (not just talking about them, people.) Being vocal and not letting opponents control the argument. Telling your stories and highlighting who will be harmed by this madness. Above all, show discipline and consistency. Don't get lose your focus by sidetracking yourselves in petty arguments. Now, more than ever, we are going to have to learn to trust one another. And that especially goes for gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender men and women, and our allies.

 The Kim Davis of Indiana just lost in court - This is going to come up again.

Because I’m Gay And In High School, Legislators Don’t Care About My Health - But a lot of us do and we are going to fight for you REGARDLESS of hell or high water.

Ga. lesbian takes groundbreaking case to fed’l court - SNAP!

Second anti-gay group president hints about purging lgbt equality supporters from the State Department

Austin Ruse

Family Research Council president Tony Perkins is facing a criticism for a recent remark he made advising President-elect Donald Trump to get rid of State Department officials who support the "promotion" of lgbt equality in other countries.

But he is not the only religious right leader speaking out publicly on this issue. Austin Ruse, who heads an organization, the Center for Family and Human Rights (and a personal enemy of mine) also hinted on the same advise for Trump.

But in, shall we say, less polite language:

Consider this: Sometime during the Obama administration, they determined to bring the homosexual issue into the congressionally mandated Office of Religious Freedom of the State Department. This is the office that is to report annually on the persecution of religions around the world. Obama shoe-horned LGBT into that office, much to the chagrin of some of those working in the office. A contact formerly in that office told me that those who objected were sidelined and later fired. This person told me this exact same thing has happened all over the federal government where organized LGBTs have gotten people fired who stood in their way or otherwise objected to their agenda.
The anti-Christian rainbow flag flies over U.S. embassies all over the world. Exporting LGBT is now part of the "DNA" of our foreign policy, often to the detriment of our legitimate national security. We have homosexuals openly serving in the military, without a doubt something that is harmful to unit cohesion, but we have the proposition of men in dresses openly serving as well. Even more, we may be forced to use taxpayer money to pay for sex-change operations. We have Christians hounded out of the military for expressing Christians beliefs about human sexuality.

It is crucial that anyone who takes a top spot in the administration in any of the agencies to know that sexual radicals have burrowed in and burrowed deep and they are out to protect their turf and they are out to take scalps – Christian scalps.

Bear in mind that while Ruse didn't outright say anything about "purging" the State Department of those who support lgbt equality, the semantics behind his mentions of "Christian scalps" and "anti-Christian rainbow flags" serves to point in that direction.

Ruse's caterwauling is nothing more than alarmist tripe, but not surprising. His organization, the Center for Family and Human Rights is a Southern Poverty Law Center designated hate group, just like the Family Research Council.

In 2014, SPLC called out Ruse for his use of violent rhetoric when he said “hard left, human-hating people that run modern universities…should all be taken out and shot.”