Jerry Falwell, Jr. settles poolboy controversy with undisclosed monetary sum

Jerry Falwell, Jr. hopes that the recently announced settlement will end his 'poolboy' controversy

While we continue to ponder how in the hell did Donald Trump get into the White House and have our fingers crossed or Maalox handy for Tuesday's SCOTUS hearings, a little news brief about Jerry Falwell, Jr. and his poolboy controversy should make us smile just a little:

From the Miami Herald:

Jerry Falwell Jr. has settled the Miami court case that laid out many of the details behind the South Beach real estate venture his family launched in 2013 with a former Fontainebleau pool attendant the evangelical leader and his wife met while on vacation. 

In a federal court filing, Falwell and the young lawyer who sued him, Gordon Bello, said they have settled the case for an undisclosed “monetary sum” that Falwell, the president of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, will pay Bello, a legislative aide for the Miami-Dade County Commission. Bello sued in 2017, claiming he was promised a stake in the South Beach hostel that a Falwell family entity purchased in 2013 for $4.7 million. Bello, 28, claims he and his father, Miami builder Jett Bello, pitched Falwell on the hostel idea after being introduced by Giancarlo Granda, a high school friend of the younger Bello’s.

. . . The case became a side plot to the national saga of Falwell and his business venture with Granda, not to mention the other odd twists, such as an ex-Trump lawyer claiming he had once intervened to track down compromising photos of the Falwells. 

There were unexplained developments in the Bello litigation, too. He was previously known as Jesus Fernandez Jr., and his father as Jesus Fernandez Sr. Both changed their names to Bello in the summer of 2016, saying they did so under pressure. 

The younger Bello said in court papers the change was “due to a matter directly related to the subject matter of this lawsuit.” The elder Bello told the Miami Herald the change was due to “major concerns” and those concerns were “based on threats.”

Neither Falwell nor Bello would comment on the settlement. Figures.

Related post - On Tuesday, Jerry Falwell, Jr. learned the definition of the word 'receipts' . . . the hard way

'The hate group trying to stop LGBTQ equality via the courts' & other Mon midday news briefs

Inside The Christian Legal Army Weakening the Church-State Divide - I have consistently warned about this group, the Alliance Defending Freedom. Regardless of what happens at the Supreme Court this week, more of us will know about this group. And it's about time.

Virginia Teacher Fired For Misgendering Transgender Student Is Suing Former School - Speaking of the Alliance Defending Freedom, they are behind this mess, too. 

LGBTQ Sports winners and losers of the week - Interesting. 

House Democrats filed a resolution to condemn Ben Carson for his transphobic comments - Good! For now.

Religious right, conservatives pivot homophobic junk science formula to demonize the trans community

Conservatives like Ben Shapiro (top photo) are helping religious right sites like LifeSiteNews (bottom photo) convert their formula of anti-gay junk science to anti-transgender junk science. With the help of amplification.

On Thursday, via Media Matters, we learned that conservatives and the religious right teamed up to spread a lie about health care among trans youth:

Major right-wing and anti-LGBTQ outlets, in particular Ben Shapiro’s The Daily Wire, posted content based on misconstrued data from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to falsely suggest that drugs used to delay puberty are deadly for trans teens. The story -- which began with debunked reporting from a U.K. tabloid -- received high engagement on social media after right-wing and evangelical media apparatus boosted it. 

 . . . Content pushing this anti-trans misinformation have accumulated at least 165,000 interactions in total, and anti-trans group The Kelsey Coalition is leveraging the same misconstrued data to fearmonger about gender-affirming medical care. In its September 27 report, NBC News noted that evangelical and right-wing outlets helped the story go viral, and the outlet debunked several of their claims.

NBC News said the following:

A recent article published by Catholic news outlet LifeSiteNews alleged that the drugs used to treat gender dysphoria in some transgender children are linked to “thousands” of deaths.

. . . The problem is: the “thousands” of people who die while taking these drugs are likely the terminally ill cancer patients who receive hormone blockers to fight hormone-sensitive cancers, like prostate cancer, according to experts. 

Joshua Safer, a professor of medicine and the executive director of the Mt. Sinai Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery, said Lupron, or leoprolide acetate, is used for treating precocious puberty, infertility and certain types of cancer, particularly prostate cancer. 

Prostate cancer is worsened by the presence of certain hormones, so people fighting this disease are sometimes given hormone blockers — puberty blockers — to slow the cancer’s progression. 

“I think all they did is went into the FDA database and looked at reports,” Safer said. “There’s no study here, that’s just a big smorgasbord of reports and so the problem with that is you don't even know that those deaths are connected to the agent they are reported to be connected to.”

This distortion of science by conservatives and the religious right isn't new. A while back, some of the same parties used this tactic to attack gays and lesbian community - junk science mixed with cherry-picked science and amplified. I've covered this "formula" on several occasions and thus have many examples of it:

1. Distortion - Lesbian and gay relationships are generally violent:

A study in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence examined conflict and violence in lesbian relationships. The researchers found that 90 percent of the lesbians surveyed had been recipients of one or more acts of verbal aggression from their intimate partners during the year prior to this study, with 31 percent reporting one or more incidents of physical abuse.” - Comparing the Lifestyles of Homosexual Couples to Married Couples, Family Research Council

There is a higher rate of violence in lesbian and homosexual relationships than in married, heterosexual relationships. A study in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence examined conflict and violence in lesbian relationships. The researchers found that 90% of the lesbians surveyed had been recipients of one or more acts of verbal aggression from their intimate partners during the year prior to this study, with 31% reporting one or more incidents of physical abuse. - Same-Sex Parenting is Harmful to Children Says REAL Women of Canada, Lifesite News

Truth - According to the Journal of Interpersonal Violence’s own web page:

The Journal of Interpersonal Violence offers the most up-to-date information on domestic violence, rape, child sexual abuse and other violent crimes . . . Focusing on both victims and perpetrators, the journal examines theoretical links between all types of interpersonal violence, exploring the similarities and differences between these types of crimes.

In other words, the Journal of Interpersonal Violence tracks domestic violence, as well as other violent crimes. Those surveyed in journal articles are the victims of violence, verbal or otherwise, because this is what the journal is designed to track. However, what religious right groups are doing here is the equivalent of taking a study of domestic violence in the African-American community published in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence and using it to allege that black relationships are indicative of violent behavior.


2. Distortion - Homosexuals have a lot of sex partners and their relationships do not last:

Studies indicate that the average male homosexual has hundreds of sex partners in his lifetime, a lifestyle that is difficult for even "committed" homosexuals to break free of and which is not conducive to a healthy and wholesome atmosphere for the raising of children. A. P. Bell and M. S. Weinberg, in their classic study of male and female homosexuality, found that 43 percent of white male homosexuals had sex with five hundred or more partners, with 28 percent having 1,000 or more sex partners - Homosexuality, Placing Children at Risk, Family Research Council

Truth - Bell and Weinberg’s study was compiled in the 1970s. They used the study to write the book Homosexualities: A Study of Diversity among Men and Women. In Homosexualities is this statement:

“. . . given the variety of circumstances which discourage homosexuals from participating in research studies, it is unlikely that any investigator will ever be in a position to say that this or that is true of a given percentage of all homosexuals.”

3. Distortion - Gays have a short life span

“In a major Canadian centre, life expectancy at age twenty for gay and bisexual men is eight to twenty years less than for all men. If the same pattern of mortality were to continue, we estimate that nearly half of gay and bisexual men currently aged twenty years will not reach their sixty-fifth birthday. Under even the most liberal assumptions, gay and bisexual men in this urban centre are now experiencing a life expectancy similar to that experienced by all men in Canada in the year 1871.” - Getting it Straight, Family Research Council 

One epidemiological study found that “gay” men lose 8-20 years off their lifespan. - Several reasons to oppose same sex marriage, Concerned Women for America 

According to a study that appeared in the International Journal of Epidemiology, homosexual behavior risks cutting years off the lives of “gay” men. Examining the homosexual community in Vancouver, Canada, the study said: “In a major Canadian centre, life expectancy at age 20 years for gay and bisexual men is 8 to 20 years less than for all men. . .” - Sexual suicide, The American Family Association

Truth - In 2001, the researchers of this study complained about how it was being misused. They explained what they actually meant and how it is not feasible to use their work to claim that gay men have a "short life span."

It used to be that these lies told about gays and lesbians were simply cited by anti-LGBTQ talking heads in the media and their allies in statewide anti-LGBTQ groups and members of various legislative bodies when they attempted to kill various pro-LGBTQ bills. Things have definitely changed. Not the lies, mind you, but the amplification of the lies. The ability of conservatives and the religious right to amplify these lies via their networks give their reach more power. It also makes it more difficult for us to refute the lies before they do our community major damage.  Media Matters pointed out the trajectory of the fake story about puberty blockers:

Right-wing outlet Daily Mail published misleading information on puberty blockers that earned low Facebook engagement 

Conservative outlet National Catholic Register picked up the story and earned over 8,400 Facebook interactions 

Led by LifeSiteNews, evangelical right-wing outlets boosted the story 

The Daily Wire picked up the story, and its network of right-wing Facebook pages helped it earn more than 165,000 interactions 

Anti-trans group the Kelsey Coalition leveraged the same misconstrued data as part of a new campaign

Clearly, the religious right and their conservative allies can't rely on the truth to attack the LGBTQ community. So, unfortunately, they are relying on amplification and repetition of lies to beat us down.

'Queer women talk about health care horror stories' & other Thur midday news briefs

Queer women talk about health care horror stories: ‘I woke up on a male ward’ - A study asked LGBTQ women to talk about prejudice from health care providers. They got lots of stories.

Some YouTube creators are accusing the service’s ‘bigoted bots’ for demonetizing content with LGBTQ terms in it - The problem with Youtube continues. 

‘Star Wars Resistance’ Producer Confirms Two Characters Are A Gay Couple - Cue the religious right freak out . . . 

LGBTQ History Month: Transgender and gender-nonconforming pioneers - Never forget these originals.

Fox News dismisses Todd Starnes after bonkers accusation that Democrats worship pagan god of child sacrifices

Todd Starnes and Fox News have parted ways

I'm not one for rejoicing when people lose their gigs, but this turkey had it coming for a long time.  It's just been announced that Fox News radio show host Todd Starnes has been dismissed. And a recent bonkers interview with Trump-supporting religious right pastor Robert Jeffress  (who at the time accused the Democratic party of worshipping a pagan god associated with child sacrifice) may have been the final nail in his coffin.

According to The Wrap:

 . . .  Todd Starnes’ contract at Fox News is not being renewed. The host will no longer be working at the network, its website, or its premium subscription service, Fox Nation. His removal comes a few days after he said on his radio program on Monday that Democrats do not believe in the Christian God and instead may worship Moloch, a pagan god often associated with child sacrifice. When asked for comment, Fox News confirmed the news that Starnes is no longer working at the network but did not elaborate on the reasons behind Starnes’ departure. . . .In the place of his “Fox News & Commentary” radio program, Fox News Radio will broadcast “Fox Across America.” The opinion show will rely on a rotation of various Fox News personalities until a permanent host is named.

Actually, it was Jeffress who made the accusation. However, Starnes did nothing to refute it. In fact, he practically egged on Jeffries' rhetoric by claiming  that the Democratic party will be "targeting Christians" if they succeed in impeaching Trump.


The Daily Beast adds:

The conservative talking head is best-known for his incendiary anti-LGBT, xenophobic, and racist remarks both on-air, across Fox News programming and on his Fox Nation and Fox News Radio shows, and in his FoxNews.com columns. Perhaps most famously, Starnes compared migrants to Nazis and declared that America is being “invaded by a horde.” 

 . . . Starnes also has a long history of erroneous reporting, having once been fired from Baptist Press over “factual and contextual errors” and “misrepresentations.”

The Daily Beast article only scratches the surface. This is what I said about him in 2014:

For the benefit of those who are not aware, Starnes is known for spinning false, unchecked "articles" of anti-Christian persecution. His lies has been corrected numerous times but unfortunately by the time that this happens, the communities and schools he accuses of being anti-Christian are generally targeted with outrage and threats. Starnes' lies has gotten so bad that evangelical writer, Alan Noble, blasted him for deliberately spinning phony tales of anti-Christian persecution.

In 2015,  I pointed out 10 controversies Starnes created with his sloppy reporting.

In that same year, The Atlantic wrote a huge expose on his history of sloppy work and propaganda journalism.

Today, Mediaite also pointed out:

Starnes has made sparse appearances on Fox News in recent months, mainly on Fox & Friends. His controversial comments have mostly been confined to his radio show. In July, Starnes told Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) to take a “one-way plane ticket back to whatever third world hellhole you came from.” The radio host has also compared abortion to the Holocaust, called for anti-Kavanaugh protesters to be “tasered, handcuffed and dragged out of the building,”

It's nice to know that no matter how many errors you  get away with in American journalism, folks still draw the line at accusing political parties of worshipping pagan gods who get off on child sacrifices.

In case you couldn't tell - THAT was sarcasm.

'Dame Helen Mirren takes a stand for trans women' & other Wed midday news briefs

Dame Helen Mirren

Dame Helen Mirren really wants you to know that trans women are women - Way to go! Another reason to love Helen Mirren.

  The Oglala Sioux just became the first tribe with an inclusive hate crimes law - Good for them! 

1 in 5 LGBTQ youth identify as other than gay, lesbian or bisexual - This is why it's so important to for us to talk about LGBTQ issues to children. 

With Sanders a 'yes', 10 presidential candidates to appear at CNN's LGBTQ town hall - About time Bernie showed up.

Anti-LGBTQ right blame George Soros, secular left, and 'pagan god-worshipping' Democrats for Trump's scandals

One would think that during this turbulent time of Donald Trump's possible impeachment, Americans would be able to count on some spiritual comfort.  We probably would, but don't count on it coming from right-wing evangelical leaders. They've decided whose camp they are putting their stakes in. And it's with the man causing all of the negative drama.


The Family Research Council just sent out a fundraising letter, complete with a bookmark, asking that folks pray for Trump:

Not to be undone, the American Family Association came out with its own prayer initiative:

Both FRC and AFA conveniently ignore the problem that Trump's present troubles are self-inflicted because they are both too busy blaming others and spinning plots about the "secular left" or George Soros.

And then there is Trump advisor Robert Jeffress who really took the proverbial cake.

On a recent right-wing show, Jeffress claimed that Trump's recent problems with impeachment and scandal are simply because Democrats worship Moloch. Just who is Moloch you ask? According to wikipedia, Moloch is a pagan god associated with child sacrifice.



The sad fact is that there are people who believe this mess. But a saving grace is that more people do not believe it and not only that, they are very disturbed by the hysterical paranoia of Jeffress, AFA, and FRC.

And they are equally disturbed about who these religious right entities chose to align themselves during this time of chaos.

'Everlast features trans pro-boxer in groundbreaking ad' & other Tue midday news briefs

Everlast features trans pro-boxer’s powerful coming out story in groundbreaking ad - Great ad.

Batwoman's Ruby Rose 'Didn't Care' LGBTQ Twitter Hated Her Casting - What does that mean - "she isn't queer enough?" That's inane. 

‘Like I had the right to be here’ - Wonderful piece about next week at the Supreme Court.

Pope meets U.S. priest attacked by conservatives for ministering to gays - Okay . . .

Family Research Council uncovers nefarious plot to 'sexualize' America's children (not really)

Here we go again with THAT lie.

Old right-wing tropes about the LGBTQ community somehow "recruiting" children die hard. Or in the case of the Family Research Council, refuses to die at all. Taking time out from its shameless defense of  Trump during his latest scandal, the group is claiming that the LGBTQ community will be "forcing" school children to "celebrate sexual politics" at least 15 times this school year:

Powerful forces are pushing your child’s public school to celebrate sex politics this year—15 times! 

How many of these events have made it onto your school’s calendar? Find out today. 

For the 2019-2020 School Year:  

1. Banned Books Week (September 22-28, 2019) – Includes books that have never been banned, but have been the subject of parental concern because of age-inappropriate sexual content. 

2. Ally Week (September 23-27, 2019) – Pressures students to declare themselves “allies” of students or teachers who identify as LGBT. 

3. Bisexual Awareness Week (September 16-23) 

4. LGBTQ History Month (Month of October 2019) – Labels historical figures as LGBT, even when they never identified as such. 

5. National Coming Out Day (October 11, 2019) 

6. International Pronouns Day (October 16, 2019) – Ignores the fact that forced declaration of one’s own pronouns, or false pronouns for others, violates free speech and religious freedom. 

7. Spirit Day (October 17, 2019) – Encourages students and teachers to wear purple, and highlights LGBT bullying (even polite dissent can be characterized as “bullying”). 

8. Transgender Awareness Week (November 12-19, 2019) 

9. Transgender Day of Remembrance (November 20, 2019) 

10. No Name-Calling Week (January 20-27, 2020) 

11. Transgender Day of Visibility (March 31, 2020) 

12. Day of Silence (April 24, 2020) – Known as the “high holy day” of LGBT activism. 

13. International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia (May 17, 2020) 

14. Harvey Milk Day (May 22, 2020) 

15. “LGBTQ” Pride Month (June 2020) 

Parents: You have the legal right to withhold and refuse consent for your child to participate in school events, assemblies, classes, or activities that violate your beliefs.
Your family’s faith and beliefs deserve respect. Demand it. 

Remember, LGBTQ lobbyists are getting their “high holy days” on the school calendar even while many school districts are scrubbing Christmas Break for “Winter Break,” Easter Break for “Spring Break,” and Columbus Day for “Indigenous People’s Day.”
To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln: The philosophy of the public school in one generation will be the philosophy of the culture in the next. 

Imagine what could happen if government schools just focused on providing an excellent education!

It's always amusing when FRC goes on this sort of tangent; creating the narrative of nameless, faceless homosexuals hordes with grasping claws out to yank children into dark closets where we supposedly transform them into sexual zombies and then send them out to snag us "new victims."

'National Trans Visibility March a huge success' & other Mon midday news briefs

Women of color take center stage at D.C. Trans Visibility March - I'm sorry I missed this march.

Biden says he gets ‘more credit for marriage equality than I deserve’ - The humility act. Not bad.

Religious Adoption Agencies In Michigan Can Reject LGBTQ Couples, Judge Rules - This case is far from over but DO NOT get me started on how stupid this preliminary injunction is.

Three LGBTQ Cases Are Set to Put the Supreme Court's Conservative Principles on Trial - Next week. . . next week . . .

Celebrate October with 31 LGBTQ Historical Icons

While a lot of other things are happening - ie impeachment, upcoming SCOTUS cases - let's not forget that October is LGBT History Month. The Equality Forum has come out with its annual list of LGBTQ historical icons. From government, to entertainers, to activism, to journalism, the LGBTQ community continues to make a positive mark on American history.

Evangelical right-wing groups show themselves to be hypocrites about impeachment

On Thursday, People for the American Way's Right Wing Watch pointed out the hypocrisy of  Family Research Council president Tony Perkins defending Trump against impeachment:

 . . . the Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins declares that Americans do not support impeachment and Democrats should just drop it: “In poll after poll, the message from voters is the same: Enough already. If you want to remove Donald Trump from office, do it the old-fashioned way: win an election.” Perkins, of course, repeatedly called for President Obama to be impeached.

As you can see, Right Wing Watch found at least five times in which Perkins called for Obama's impeachment and one of the reasons was allowing transgender children to use school bathrooms which fit their gender identities.

On Thursday, Perkins continued with his call against Trump's impeachment:

The Ukrainian call may not be an open and closed case, but as far as Leader McCarthy is concerned, "...[N]othing in that transcript is impeachable." But, he warns, the Democrats "don't care about the facts." And either way, those facts are being lost in the noise of a relentless media, desperate to drive their anti-Trump agenda. They're throwing everything at the wall, hoping something -- anything -- will stick. Why? Because they'll do anything to distract the country from all the good this president has done. "We've made some fantastic deals..." Trump said. "We have the greatest economy we've ever had... and that doesn't get covered because you [the media] waste your time on nonsense. It's very sad what Democrats are doing to this country -- they're dividing, they're demeaning."

Such a different message from 2016 when raging about transgender children being able to use school bathrooms corresponding to their gender identities:

“If the president chooses to go forward with this outrageous order – then congress should begin impeachment proceedings . . . .  Every parent, every school board in America should absolutely refuse to sacrifice the safety of their children for the threat of taking away nine federal pennies that make up every educational dollar."

This got me thinking about who else in the religious right defending Trump from impeachment did  the opposite when it came to Obama. It wasn't difficult to find another.

Recently another right-wing evangelical group, the Liberty Counsel, was circulating a petition defending Trump on its website and Facebook page:

But in 2014, the group had a very different belief with regards to impeachment when Obama was in the White House:

And the Liberty Counsel's reasoning for impeaching Obama? Via Right Wing Watch, Liberty Counsel head Mat Staver said the following:

 We, the People of the United States of America, demand that the United States House of Representatives draft Articles of Impeachment against President Barack H. Obama for failure to adhere to the authority and rule of law, and for open oppression of our liberties, as defined by the Constitution of the United States of America and its Bill of Rights. … In my nearly three decades of work in the legal field specializing in constitutional law, I have NEVER witnessed a more blatant and consistent disregard for the Constitution as we have seen from this President and his administration! As I have often said, today’s patriotic Americans are facing more oppression from civil government than did the colonial generation! … Together, we can stop this tyranny before President Obama and his “progressive” supporters succeed in remaking the United States of America into a godless, socialist nation! 

It doesn't make sense, but it's not supposed to. But it should serve as a reminder when it comes to the hypocrisy of the evangelical right. For FRC and the Liberty Counsel, impeachment seems to be less about preserving integrity and more about protecting their golden goose or punishing someone they perceive as the enemy.

'HRC president: Trump responsible for anti-trans violence' & other Thur midday news briefs

HRC president: Trump responsible for anti-trans violence - Yep. You don't have to physically act or tell someone to do something. You can manipulate them in the direction or inadvertently cause them to act by the message you send via your policies,

Protesters won’t give up fight against Pasco schools’ LGBTQ rules - Lies about our transgender kids again. '

A Doll For Everyone': Meet Mattel's Gender-Neutral Doll - Cue the right-wing freak out any moment now. 

12 things you should never say to your LGBTQ coworkers - Take notes.

Family Research Council determined to defend its 'golden goose' Donald Trump

Tony Perkins (right) and his group, the Family Research Council is determined to defend Donald Trump (left) no matter how many scandals he creates.

I guess anti-LGBTQ hate group the Family Research Council answered my question.

Earlier, I wondered if the group was going to give Trump another "mulligan" for this latest controversy involving him asking the Ukraine government for dirt against Joe Biden.

No, FRC isn't going to give Trump a "mulligan." Instead, the group decided to create an alternate reality which not only attacks the Democrats for their impeachment inquiry (resulting from this scandal), but also makes light of Wednesday's latest devastating blow to Trump - the release of a "partial transcript" between him and Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky  in which Trump does ask for dirt on Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, involving refuted and debunked charges:

This morning, the White House called Pelosi's bluff -- releasing the transcript of Trump's supposedly incriminating phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Pelosi, of course, insisted it was a smoking gun -- a "betrayal of our national security and betrayal of the integrity of our elections." The president must not have thought so, moving quickly to declassify the information so the public could read it. During their talk, Trump brought up the rumor that Joe Biden may have intervened in the prosecution of his son, Hunter, in Ukraine. He asked Zelensky to "look into" it. If that's a crime, Marc Thiessen argued in the Washington Post, then where's the outcry over Senate Democrats, who asked Ukrainian officials to dig up dirt on Donald Trump in 2018? 

The problem for Democrats isn't that this lacks allegation lacks teeth -- or facts -- it's that their obsession to destroy Trump is driving the entire party. Liberals are willing to do or say anything if it'll stop the president from accomplishing his agenda. When they finally do appeal to voters in 2020, it won't be on a record of House progress -- it will be on platform of blind hatred. And, after the embarrassment of the Robert Mueller probe -- a two-year, $32 million dollar witch hunt -- Pelosi will be making that pitch on even shakier ground. Americans were ready for liberals to move on then. Imagine how they feel now. Well, thanks to the latest polls, we don't have to imagine. U.S. voters have been quite clear how fed up they are with the Democrats' vendetta. In July, an NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey showed just 21 percent of Americans supported impeachment hearings against Trump. Since then, Breitbart points out, not much has changed. In poll after poll, the message from voters is the same: Enough already. If you want to remove Donald Trump from office, do it the old-fashioned way: win an election.

Even while gleaning right-wing sources (defender of torture and Trump defender Marc Thiessen and white nationalist enabling Breitbart), and attempting to undercut the Mueller Report (which did not exonerate Trump), FRC can't stop itself from lying.

From Dan Abrams at Mediate to legal analyst George Napolitano at Fox News, to several GOP senators, FRC's claim of the latest charge against Trump "lacking teeth" is simply wrong. All of these sources and others have vocally declared the entire controversy, particularly Wednesday's "partial transcript" release to be very detrimental to Trump.

In other words, the allegations have fangs. Big, sharp ones. All biting figurative chunks out of Trump's entitled ass.

What's more, I find it highly amusing how FRC is talking about popular opinion when this isn't a case of popular opinion. It's about the integrity of our country and not allowing our leaders to damage that integrity or smear their office by illegal and unethical acts.

This scandal involving Trump is about our ethics and morality - two concepts FRC never mind citing when its president, Tony Perkins, or spokespeople like Travis Weber or Peter Sprigg spin their latest lies and horror stories against the LGBTQ community.

Obviously, FRC thinks morality and ethics should be cited when treating LGBTQs like second class citizens and then ignored when it comes to getting rid of a disturbingly incompetent and dangerous leader.

Just as I pointed out with regards to Franklin Graham earlier this week, FRC doesn't care about the damage Trump does to America. It only cares about the access his Administration gives it and other right-wing evangelicals. The group should remember, just like Graham should, that Trump's game will collapse.

And no one who supported him should expect to come out of this smelling like a rose.


Picture courtesy of Media Matters.

'Students withdraw anti-transgender lawsuit' & other Wed midday news briefs

The students who sued their school for being too trans-friendly have given up - And another one bites the dust.

Anti-LGBTQ Congressman Introduces Anti-Abortion Bill to Protect ‘Unborn Gay Children’ - and I am DONE. 

Trump brings up global initiative to decriminalize homosexuality at U.N. - It's Trump, people. If he says it's hot while in the middle of a desert, pack your snow shoes. 

Buttigieg's Complicated Relationship With LGBTQ Media Is Relatable - Fascinating piece.

Pelosi makes it official - Impeachment investigation of Donald Trump is going to happen

History was made on Tuesday (and someone probably won a bet about how soon this would happen) when Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi formally announced an impeachment investigation against Donald Trump.

 According to Buzzfeed:

After months of tamping down calls for impeachment, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Tuesday that she’s on board, a move that could upend Donald Trump’s presidency just barely a year out from the 2020 election. 

“Today I'm announcing the House of Representatives is moving forward with an official impeachment inquiry,” the speaker told reporters after meeting with the Democratic caucus Tuesday afternoon. Pelosi said she will direct six House committees to investigate Trump “under that umbrella of impeachment inquiry. The president must be held accountable. No one is above the law.” 

While the Judiciary Committee has already begun an impeachment investigation, Pelosi announced that the Intelligence, Foreign Affairs, Oversight, Ways and Means, and Financial Services committees will now formally join them in a broader inquiry. 

The committees’ investigation is just a first step toward impeachment — a majority of the full House would still need to vote on articles of impeachment in order to indict Trump. The Senate is then responsible for holding an impeachment trial, but Republicans are unlikely to pursue one. 

Pelosi’s announcement comes amid reports that Trump withheld aid from Ukraine and pressured its president to investigate former vice president Joe Biden’s family ahead of the 2020 election.

Meanwhile Hillary Clinton, Trump's 2016 election opponent, had this to say:

Okay, Clinton didn't say this. But would you blame her if she did?

'Judge dismisses silly 'ex-gay therapy' lawsuit' & other Tue midday news briefs

Chris Doyle

Chris Doyle's conversion therapy case dismissed - Liberty Counsel loses again - Ha! Ha! Eat dirt!

Here’s the LGBTQ Supreme Court Case Laverne Cox Brought Up on the Emmys Red Carpet - Positive visibility is always a good thing. 

Rice band spells ‘pride’ at halftime to mock Baylor’s anti-LGBTQ policies - Sweet!

How YouTube Continues to Alienate the LGBTQ Community - Siiiigh!

Franklin Graham enjoys debasing himself and his faith in front of Donald Trump

No matter how this thing with Trump ends (and I am hoping for a loud, highly destructive crescendo for our Orange menace), I sincerely hope that no one forgets how the evangelical right bent over backwards to ignore or defend his many, many excesses. In fact, when the loud, highly destructive crescendo for Trump happens, I hope they are caught up in the middle of it.

 The tweet Franklin Graham sent out Monday underscore my hopes:

I wish President @realDonaldTrump’s enemies would give it a rest. For 2 years all the American people heard was collusion. Not true. Then accusations seemed to come out of the woodwork by various women. Then all we heard was impeachment. Now it’s a whistleblower claim.

— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) September 23, 2019

 So Graham is pushing this idea that Trump is being unfairly targeted. Well let's look at the claims he pushed aside in his tweet.

1. The accusations from 17 women accusing Trump of inappropriate behavior, including sexual harassment and assault did not just come out of the woodwork. Trump has been accused of this long before he ran for president. And there is the infamous Hollywood Access tape - i.e. the "grab them by the pu##y" tape.

2. Then there was the Mueller report which found 10 possible incidents of obstruction in the Russia investigation perpetrated by Trump. The idea of "no collusion" is  a straw man argument created by Trump and his supporters, such as Graham. Mueller himself said he didn't "evaluate collusion."

3. So now we come to the latest. A whistleblower complaint about Trump's promise to the leader of a foreign country as well as "multiple acts" is turning out to look like Trump was exploiting the power of the White House. Why?  To get the Ukraine to investigate alleged wrong doing by Joe Biden in preparation for the 2020 election. While Trump and his allies are spinning, his Administration has refused to release the original complaint.

''Pose' star Angelica Ross leaves Twitter after abuse from Trump and Sanders supporters' & other Mon midday news briefs

Angelica Ross

Angelica Ross Leaves Twitter After Abuse by Trump, Sanders Supporters - This is a MESS and it needs to be addressed. 

The Highlights of The Advocate's Historic LGBTQ Presidential Forum - Worth mentioning and remembering.

Here’s the LGBTQ Supreme Court Case Laverne Cox Brought Up on the Emmys Red Carpet - Visibility matters. That's why Fox News makes sure not to talk to one of us when "reporting" on our issues.

Republicans are using an anti-LGBTQ playbook to squash cultural studies programs - Lies and fake calls for "balance" always work.

Last, but not least, HISTORY was made at the Emmys last night!

Billy Porter Is First Openly Gay Black Man To Win Emmy For Lead Actor In A Drama

Attacks on Drag Queen Story Hour is homophobic hysteria with a side of fear

We all know that the claims about Drag Queen Story Hour being harmful to children is mere homophobic hysteria. And the two short videos above prove it. One looks at the event through the eyes of parents who attend with their children versus folks who protest. And the other video talks about conditions which are followed for people who want to participate in Reseda - i.e. audition and background checks.

There is a reason why none of the folks whining about harm to children - and especially right-wing media who exploit the event to scare people (particularly Fox News, The Federalist, The Blaze, etc) - will ever focus on this side of Drag Queen Story Hour. It's better to scare people with images rather than educate based on facts.

Anti-LGBTQ ministry loses lawsuit against SPLC over 'hate group' label

SPLC is 3-0 in lawsuits over its 'hate group' label

Members of the anti-LGBTQ industry and their allies probably won't mention this but they suffered a huge loss earlier this week against the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).

From The Advocate:

A Florida ministry that campaigned against same-sex marriage and "maligns the entire LGBT community" can be referred to as a "hate group" by the Southern Poverty Law Center, a federal judge ruled this week. 

Florida-based Coral Ridge Ministries Media Inc., sued SPLC — a group advocating for the rights of marginalized people — in 2017 after it designated the ministry a "hate group." Coral Ridge also sued Amazon because the designation disqualified it from a program that allows customers of the online retailer to donate to nonprofits. 

U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson ruled that the SPLC has a free-speech right to the hate group claim, but the judge didn't weigh in on whether he believes the ministry is indeed a hate group. 

When Coral Ridge Ministries, which actively fought against the legalization of marriage equality, sued the SPLC two years ago, the civil rights organization defended its description of Coral Ridge. 

"We list the D. James Kennedy Ministries through which Coral Ridge does business as a hate group because it maligns the entire LGBT community, portraying it as perverted and a threat to the nation," SPLC President Richard Cohen said in a statement at the time. "The fact that Coral Ridge claims its statements about the LGBT community are biblically based doesn’t immunize it from criticism. We have a First Amendment right to express our opinions, just as Coral Ridge has a right to express its opinions."

It's the third victory SPLC has won regarding its 'hate group' labels. Earlier this week, a federal court tossed out a lawsuit lodged by the Center for Immigration Studies.  Last year, another federal court tossed out a lawsuit lodged by anti-LGBTQ group the Liberty Counsel.

If any of these lawsuits had succeeded, it would have probably opened up SPLC for a slew of other court actions, no doubt led by other organizations designated as hate groups,  such as the Family Research Council and the Alliance Defending Freedom. My guess is that these groups, seen as more mainstream,  were waiting for a precedent to attack SPLC.

Looks like they are going to have to wait a little longer.


Related posts (Just a few pieces I've written over the years about the anti-LGBTQ industry's unsuccessful war against SPLC):

Conservative publication PJMedia digs a hole into the credibility of anti-LGBTQ hate groups

Peter Sprigg proves the Family Research Council to be a hate group (again)

Peter Sprigg is further proof of the Family Research Council's 'hate group' status

SPLC puts the Alliance Defending Freedom's long history of anti-LGBTQ bigotry on public blast

Anti-gay group Family Research Council continues silly vendetta against the Southern Poverty Law Center

Family Research Council ally against SPLC has odd history of 'attacking' anal sex

Family Research Council upset over being labeled a hate group, but won't address reason why

'Report claims HUD Secretary Ben Carson made ugly comments about trans people during SF visit' & other Fri midday news briefs

HUD Secretary Ben Carson

HUD Secretary Carson disparaged transgender people during SF visit, report says - I don't trust Ben Carson. I think he did it.

Remember those hugging toddlers from the viral video? One of them has 2 dads. - This is so wonderful. 

Democrats hit Scalia over LGBTQ rights - He wants to be Labor Secretary? He needs to come correctly when it comes to LGBTQ issues.

Merriam-Webster Adds Use Of ‘They’ As Gender Nonbinary Pronoun To Dictionary - This is big.

Democratic candidates will try to engage LGBTQ voters during Friday night forum

On Friday evening, there is going to be a Democratic candidate forum focused solely on the LGBTQ community and our issues. The fact that openly gay candidate Pete Buttigieg will be there is a milestone in itself.

The event, however, will not be unprecedented. The last LGBTQ candidate forum was held in 2007. And as MSNBC points out, much has changed since then.

The last time such an event took place was in November 2007, with Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama among the participants. In the 12 years since, the country has undergone a revolution in terms of LGBTQ rights and acceptance. 

The mere presence on stage of the openly gay Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, is a symbol of all that has changed for Democrats since the last forum.

In 2007, the Defense of Marriage Act banned the federal government from recognizing same-sex unions like Buttigieg’s. Gay Navy officers like Buttigieg were banned from serving openly because of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. Only two states — Connecticut and Massachusetts — had legalized same-sex marriage, and many more had recently enacted constitutional bans against it. 

The front-runners in 2007 found that supporting same-sex marriage was too risky, and only two moonshot candidates — Dennis Kucinich, a congressman from Ohio, and Mike Gravel, a former senator from Alaska — endorsed it at the 2007 forum, which was presented by Logo TV and the Human Rights Campaign. Gravel criticized rivals for “playing it safe,” while Kucinich said, “When you understand what real equality is, you understand that people who love each other must have the opportunity to be able to express that in a way that's meaningful." 

Hillary Clinton’s message to the LGBTQ community about her opposition to same-sex marriage? “I prefer to think of it as being very positive about civil unions,” Clinton, then a senator from New York, said at the time. 

Barack Obama, then a senator from Illinois, promised that as president he would ensure that existing legal rights “are recognized and enforced” for LGBTQ people. 

Clinton and Obama’s positions leading into the 2008 presidential race were shared by a majority of Americans. Even in 2009, just 37 percent of Americans supported same-sex marriage, according to Pew. 

Today, public opinion has swung hard in the opposite direction. Now, a majority of Americans support same-sex marriage, according to Pew, and nearly 70 percent back nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people, according to the nonprofit research firm Public Religion Research Institute.

As MSNBC points out, marriage is not longer the big issue.

Most candidates — if not all — have publicly supported bans on conversion therapy for minors, ending the Trump administration’s ban on transgender military service, and rolling back the spread of religious “refusal” rules that allow ostensibly religious businesses to decline to serve LGBTQ members of the public. Candidates have also spoken about the need for the Equality Act as a law that would prevent LGBTQ people from getting legally married one day, then fired the next, because of state laws that still do not protect LGBTQ people from employment discrimination.

No doubt, a majority of us will be watching with much interest at what Joe Biden, Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg, Julián Castro, Tulsi Gabbard, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar, Joe Sestak, Elizabeth Warren, and Marianne Williamson candidates propose to do for the LGBTQ community.

'Is a Consumer Protection exec secretly dismantling LGBTQ protections?' & other Thur midday news briefs

The LGBTQ community could be having a problem at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. And guess what hate group may be knee deep in it. Like it's knee deep in all anti-LGBTQ drama we've recently seen.

Is a Consumer Protection Exec Quietly Dismantling LGBTQ Protections? - And we got a huge problem: 

A simmering battle over LGBTQ issues is reaching a boiling point at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the government agency partly established by Sen. Elizabeth Warren and tasked with safeguarding taxpayers. The situation comes nearly three months after The Advocate published an exclusive report in collaboration with Allied Progress detailing that the head of the Bureau’s Office of Innovation, Paul Watkins, attempted to hide the fact that he worked as senior legal counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, a hate group seeking to criminalize LGBTQ people.

This Queer Veteran Is Running For Congress In California - More LGBTQ people in Congress? I love it!

It’s BiWeek. Here are some words you should know.- Happy BiWeek! 

Betsy DeVos To Promote School That Bans Transgender Students And Staff - Color me not shocked. Repulsed, but not shocked.