Federal judge blocks Trump administration rule against trans health a day before it was to take effect

This just came in this afternoon and it proves how important the recent Bostock decision was.

From Buzzfeed:

A federal judge on Monday blocked a Trump administration rule that would allow healthcare providers to discriminate against transgender individuals, one day before the rule was set to take effect. 

US District Judge Frederic Block found that the landmark US Supreme Court ruling earlier this summer expanding workplace protections for LGBTQ individuals applied in a legal fight over anti-discrimination provisions of the Affordable Care Act. It's one of the first cases to apply the Supreme Court's decision to other areas of federal law — in this case, healthcare. 

The Supreme Court ruled that workplace discrimination based on "sex" included discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Block, who sits in the federal district court in Brooklyn, found that the administration's plan to remove gender identity from the ACA's anti-discrimination provisions could not stand in light of the Supreme Court's decision in Bostock v. Clayton County. 

"The Court reiterates the same practical concern it raised at oral argument: When the Supreme Court announces a major decision, it seems a sensible thing to pause and reflect on the decision’s impact," Block wrote. "Since HHS has been unwilling to take that path voluntarily, the Court now imposes it." 

The case before Block involves Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, which prohibits discrimination in health programs that receive federal funding. Under the Obama administration, the Department of Health and Human Services adopted rules in 2016 that made clear that Section 1557 applied to discrimination based on gender identity. 

A federal judge previously blocked the Obama-era rules from being enforced and sent the matter back to the Department of Health and Human Services. The Trump administration moved to get rid of the gender identity protections altogether. On June 12, the administration announced a final rule that would strip away the gender identity language.

For more details, check out the Buzzfeed article in its entirety.

'DC Congresswoman demands feds prosecute anti-LGBTQ hate crimes they've been ignoring' & other Mon midday news briefs

Eleanor Holmes Norton

DC Congresswoman demands feds prosecute the dozens of anti-LGBTQ hate crimes they’ve been ignoring - Eleanor Holmes Norton has always been an ally.

I’m A Nurse Who Cares For Gender Surgery Patients. Here’s Why I Love It So Much. - About time we hear from more than fake experts getting paid by right-wing groups.

Ashlee Marie Preston on What’s Next for Black Trans Americans - A wonderful and fascinating interview. 

Rising LGBTQ stars, historic platform on deck for Democratic convention - It's coming.

Creepy but effective ad highlights homophobia of VP Mike Pence and 2nd Lady Karen Pence

I had trepidation about this newest Don Winslow ad because while it speaks truth, it is also probably the creepiest ad of the 2020 campaign. If it gives you a"Norman  Bates from 'Psycho' vibe, please know that it's neither accidental nor a coincidence.

  But then again I sometimes wish the LGBTQ community could be this unapologetically brutal when calling out those who oppose our basic rights and humanity.

'Ricky Martin feared he couldn't become a parent because of his sexual orientation' & other Fri midday news briefs

Ricky Martin

Ricky Martin feared he couldn't become a parent because of his sexuality - I'm glad he realized that he could still be a parent. He now has four children.

A Christian troll wants to sue a lesbian baker after she made an antigay cake he ordered - When trolling fails.

Energizing the Black LGBTQ+ Vote in Swing State Michigan - Oh really? This sounds interesting.

Youth Ministry Accused Of Deceiving Queer Teens With ‘Bait And Switch’ - Messing with our kids again!

VP Mike Pence doesn't want Biden or Harris to cut America's meat (that's what he said)

Yes, Mike Pence. That was a dumb comment you made.

Dear Mike Pence, I know you were actually trying to attack Biden and Harris in terms of the US Dietary Guidelines when you said the following. I also know that in lieu of a doing a speech with substantial content,  you were trying to repeat the attacks the GOP made against former First Lady Michelle Obama when she was attempting to improve the health of our children

But, if you don't mind a little criticism, this line of attack backfired, especially when one takes into account your history of homophobia.

WTF? Are these fools even trying at this point?

"We're not gonna let @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris cut America's meat." --@Mike_Pence pic.twitter.com/dIOusQRAmf

— Chris D. Jackson (@ChrisDJackson) August 13, 2020

You definitely didn't mean this to have come out the way it did, but consider it as a metaphor for your aiding Trump's pathetic presidency.  I mean come on. You're talking about meat in the middle of a huge pandemic in which over five million Americans have been infected and over 170,00 have already died.

I am curious, though. Who would you let cut America's meat?

Or your meat . . .

I won't tell "Mother."

'An ugly plot to destroy the Congressional campaign of gay man' & other Thur midday news brief

Alex Morse

College Democrat chats reveal year-old plan to engineer and leak Alex Morse accusations - I despise The Intercept, but this is good journalism.

Antigay Dog Whistles Wrongly Insinuate Gay Mayor Engaged in Pedophilia - THIS is what it led to.
 

Black lesbian political powerhouse announced as Kamala Harris’s chief of staff - It keeps getting better for Biden and Harris.

The World Gay Boxing Championships look to ‘disrupt’ homophobia in sports - Oh? This sounds very interesting. 

Trump’s ambassador to Britain demanded auditors delete complaints about his racial and sexual remarks - Another day, another sh!tty Trump pick.

The 'WAP' remix featuring Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion and . . . Ben Shapiro?

Conservative pundit Ben Shapiro (top) attempted to shame rappers Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion (bottom). It didn't work out the way he had hoped.

Editor's note - This isn't necessarily LGBTQ related but it's campy as hell. And in keeping with my new policy of providing a bit of comedy every now and then to get us through the Trump years (and the fact that I had an awful day concerning politics and LGBTQ people), I thought this would be very appropriate. You're either going to laugh or get violently ill.  Or both.

If you haven't heard of the song 'WAP' by name, you are either too old or in a coma. It's the newest hit by rappers Cardi B and Megan thee Stallion.  It's already a monster on the charts, helped along by a very interesting video. The song itself isn't exactly boring. The acronym "WAP" stands for "wet a$$ p#ssy," which Cardi and Megan brags about in terms of the sexual and financial power it gives them over men.

Yeah, the song is raunchy - a bit too much for my taste - and highly controversial. So controversial in fact that conservative pundit Ben Shapiro took time out of his busy day of griping and whining (the usual conservative gimmick of grievance politics) to read the lyrics. I guess he was attempting to shock people. What he actually accomplished was a self-own so brutal that someone put it to music.

So without further ado, here is the 'WAP' remix featuring Ben Shapiro in all of his neebishness.

Just in case you're wondering, the answer is yes. People are laughing at Shapiro, especially Cardi B. Why should she be alarmed? The video has already been watched over 70 million times. And Shapiro's failed attempt to harm the song means more views and more money.

What I want to know is when will Shapiro be making an answer song, 'DAP.'

I think y'all can figure out what that stands for.

'Biden's VP pick Kamala Harris is an LGBTQ ally' & other Wed midday news briefs

Senator (and hopefully soon-to-be VP) Kamala Harris.

Harris as VP pick brings diversity, LGBTQ ally to Biden ticket - Biden's first big decision and he nailed it. 

Christian conservatives are enraged over a lesbian wedding in an upcoming movie - Guess who?

I’m 57 Years Old And My Father Just Disowned Me For Being Gay - Such a heartbreaking story.

Liberty U., Founded by Anti-Gay Jerry, Replaces Anti-Gay Jerry with Anti-Gay Jerry - Surprise. Surprise. Really?

Video - LGBTQ people should #VoteProud this November

With the help of the classic Barbara Stresisand/Donna Summer song 'Enough is Enough' and a surprise guest at the end, this video serves to remind LGBTQ people what happened when enough of us did not go out and vote in 2016. Let's not allow it to happen again.

Please #VoteProud

'Gay lawmaker falsely attacked as 'pedophile' by QAnon nutties' & other Tue midday news breifs

Scott Wiener

Rightwing launches disgusting attack on “pedophile” gay lawmaker over equality legislation - Good grief! Why am I not surprised!

Dating LGBTQ in a small town can be difficult - Yes, lawd!! 

Poland’s Anti-LGBTQ Attitudes, Arrests Spark Mass Protests In Warsaw - It's getting "real" in Poland. 

The Relentless Misgendering of Dr. Rachel Levine, Pennsylvania Health Secretary, Is Violence - There is no excuse for something so ugly like this to be happening.

Repost - Family Research Council anti-LGBTQ pamphlet works better as lining for your birdcage

Editor's note - It is frustrating enough when anti-LGBTQ groups create bad studies about us. But it's worse when they are allowed to do so without hardly any push back. Very few in our community are willing to do the work and promote the truth. Thus, no matter how many times anti-LGBTQ lies and junk science is refuted, the truth-telling doesn't resonate as it should.

Last month, I posted a piece about the Family Research Council's newest junk study, Sex Education in Public Schools: Sexualization of Children and LGBT Indoctrination. However, I am reposting it because the study remains on FRC's webpage and the group has a wider reach than I do. After its reposting, I intend to make my piece a permanent part of my blog's page.


Please share if you can:

Cathy Ruse just published a silly pamphlet.

The Family Research Council is shocked! I repeat, shocked about the following:

The LGBTQ movement demands that homosexual relationships be presented to children as good, healthy, and equal in every way to heterosexuality within man-woman marriage. Many sex-ed developers and providers are all too happy to comply. 

 Parents in Illinois were alarmed when they learned that their preschool children were being instructed: “If you have two mommies, they can be called LESBIANS. 

 In Austin, Texas, schools introduce sexual orientation and gender identity concepts to third graders and have sixth and seventh graders play a sexuality matching game with terms like “bisexual,” “gay,” “lesbian,” and “homophobia.” 

 . . .California law instructs public school teachers to emphasize homosexual relationships: “Teachers should… actively use examples of same-sex couples in class discussions.”

This hysterical junk is only a small portion of FRC's newest pamphlet -Sex Education in Public Schools: Sexualization of Children and LGBT Indoctrination and it's a doozy.

A hot mess.

What you should know about FRC's pamphlets, "research papers,"etc is that none of them contain any legitimate information. In the past, the group used to rely on junk science and legitimate science its employees rigorously cherry-picked to denigrate LGBTQ people.The group generally reduced us to being called a "dangerous lifestyle."

Things have changed tremendously. Thanks to the efforts of bloggers like yours truly and groups like SPLC who took the time to call out those lies, FRC relies less on distorted science and more on anecdotal horror stories from legitimate news sites and biased homophobic right-wing propaganda news sites all sewn together with alarming phraseology. The goal is to create the same connotation as past reliance on bad science did - that LGBTQ people are not normal and are dangerous to America, particularly children.

The passages I cited at the beginning of this post speak to that effect. Same-sex marriage is legal in America. Same-sex couples, as well as single LGBTQ people, are raising children in a large number. They have been doing this for many years and are doing it very well. The existence of LGBTQ children is a simple fact. And as these LGBTQ children are coming out earlier and earlier, more education and information is needed for the sake of their physical and mental well-being.

But to hear FRC talk, these situations are not facts, but aberrations. And the results of a so-called plot to take over America and supposedly "recruit" children.  It's less about equipping people with information and more about exploiting ignorance to create fear. That fear creates more ignorance which creates more fear and so on and so on.

The desired end result is the harming of LGBTQ equality and safety and a forced shoving of our community into a closet of second-class status, depression, and sadness, self-hatred, and, according to the CDC, self-harm via negative behaviors.

And of course FRC and other like-minded organizations will be there to exploit the negative behaviors by falsely claiming that they are characteristics of being an LGBTQ person instead of what they truly are - a characteristics of being oppressed.

Also, there is one more thing you should know about FRC's pamphlets, research papers, etc.  They are usually created by people who have absolutely no expertise in what they write about. In reality, what they claim to know couldn't fit the navel of a smurf.

This particular pamphlet I've been talking about was published by FRC employee Cathy Ruse, who  the Senior Fellow and Director of Human Dignity.   I have no idea what that entails, but if you read Ruse's biography, you will see that her expertise lies in how many conservative groups gave her a paycheck over the years.  And also how she's connected by marriage to another religious right spokesperson, Austin Ruse.

Ruse, head of another conservative group, C-FAM, is an absolutely vile individual who has gone on record supporting Russia's persecution of its LGBTQ citizens.  He and I have sparred on more than one occasion including here in 2013. In 2014, he got into trouble for saying that liberal academics should be taken out and shot.

In spite of this, Cathy listed him as a legitimate source in her pamphlet. According to GLAAD's profile of Mrs. Ruse, vicious homophobia and transphobia seems to be one characteristic she and Austin have in common.

That brings me to the issue of bad sources, which Ruse frequently cited in the pamphlet. 

One person she cited was Dr. Michelle Cretella of the American College of Pediatricians. Of course Ruse omits that  the American College of Pediatricians is an organization recently deemed a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center because of how it attempts to pass homophobic bad science as legitimate.

Nor does Ruse tell anyone how Cretella herself was called out by the The Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM) for several errors contained in a piece she published entitled “I’m a Pediatrician. How Transgender Ideology Has Infiltrated My Field and Produced Large-Scale Child Abuse.”  And that in itself is a huge irony, seeing that the Cretella's piece was used by Ruse to attack the transgender community in her pamphlet.

Ruse also cited American College of Pediatricians information independent of Cretella.

Feel free to read the entire pamphlet, but might I suggest that you print a copy. That way, you can make proper usage of it . Line your birdcage. Use it to pick up dirt while you're sweeping.

Or how about using it to fan yourself.  The weather tends to get hot this time of year.

'Transgender community win two victories in the courts' & other Mon midday news briefs

Federal judge shuts down a state’s anti-transgender law… again - See what winning one huge court case does for you.

Court rules for Fla. student on bathroom access in major win for transgender rights - Hey! Another victory! 

Transgender teens file class-action suit over Arizona surgery ban - Go for it, children. Fight for your rights. 

Protesters decry government’s anti-LGBT attitudes in Poland - Things are getting very serious in Poland.

The Slate publishes a blow by blow account of how Donald Trump killed thousands of Americans

William Saletan of The Slate points out how Donald Trump made the coronavirus pandemic worse for the country.

Thank you, William Saletan and the Slate magazine for saying the thing about this coronavirus pandemic which needed to be said in the manner that cuts through the bull.

In meticulously thorough article, The Trump Pandemic, Saletan points out how Donald Trump knew the pandemic was coming, refused to get the country prepared for it, and then interfered with the fight against it every step of the way. It's a sad story of negligence which I wish more in the media would have the guts to tell instead of dancing around the subject. 

When you have some time, this article is required reading :

The story the president now tells—that he “built the greatest economy in history,” that China blindsided him by unleashing the virus, and that Trump saved millions of lives by mobilizing America to defeat it—is a lie. Trump collaborated with Xi, concealed the threat, impeded the U.S. government’s response, silenced those who sought to warn the public, and pushed states to take risks that escalated the tragedy. He’s personally responsible for tens of thousands of deaths.  

 This isn’t speculation. All the evidence is in the public record. But the truth, unlike Trump’s false narrative, is scattered in different places. It’s in emails, leaks, interviews, hearings, scientific reports, and the president’s stray remarks. This article puts those fragments together. It documents Trump’s interference or negligence in every stage of the government’s failure: preparation, mobilization, public communication, testing, mitigation, and reopening.

The article contains so many instances of ineptitude and deliberate undermining by Trump that it's almost impossible for me to choose just one excerpt which epitomizes just how badly he bungled this situation.

'New York county agrees to 'landmark' transgender jail reforms' & other Fri midday news briefs

New York county agrees to 'landmark' transgender jail reforms - Damn right.

Lawmakers dress in rainbow colors in silent protest at Polish president’s inauguration - Good for them. Brave folks.

LGBTQ+ People Flee Poland as Homophobic President Is Sworn In - Speaking of Poland . . . sigh . . .

Love, Loss And Drag: How COVID-19 Has Radically Changed These 3 Queens’ Lives - Fascinating personal views.

Mike Pence upset that Justice John Roberts isn't trying to be a completely biased right-wing judge

VP and hypocrite Mike Pence

What can you do when you and your party devote a considerable amount of time, effort, and money to put people the Supreme Court who will rule the way you want just to have your plans go up in smoke because one of your designated picks refuses to play ball?

If you're VP Mike Pence, you have a biased interview with a religious right hack to complain about it.

From Politico:

Vice President Mike Pence described Chief Justice John Roberts as a “disappointment” to conservative voters, explicitly seeking to cast the Supreme Court as a campaign issue ahead of the November election. 

“Look, we have great respect for the institution of the Supreme Court of the United States,” Pence told the Christian Broadcasting Network’s David Brody on Wednesday. “But Chief Justice John Roberts has been a disappointment to conservatives — whether it be the Obamacare decision, or whether it be a spate of recent decisions all the way through Calvary Chapel.” 

The vice president’s criticism of the chief justice’s jurisprudence comes after Roberts sided with the high court’s Democratic appointees on several occasions in recent months, dealing the Trump administration defeats on issues including LGBT workplace discrimination, immigration and abortion. 

According to USA Today:

 The vice president pointed to Roberts' 2012 vote upholding the Affordable Care Act and "a spate of recent decisions," including the Calvary Chapel case last month, a 5-4 ruling that went against a church seeking exemptions from Nevada's coronavirus restrictions. 

Those other decisions, by way of CNN, included:

.  . . the Supreme Court's decision in June to strike down a controversial Louisiana abortion law that critics said would have closed nearly every clinic in the state. Roberts delivered a fifth vote to the liberals -- the first time the chief justice had voted against an abortion restriction.

. . . Roberts also sided with an opinion that extended anti-discrimination protections to LGBTQ workers and upheld the program allowing undocumented immigrants who came into the US as children to remain.

This post is not to crown Roberts a bastion of liberalism on the bench. He has made some rulings which I don't agree with, such as a dismal ruling on the Voting Rights Act.

 The point is it should bother more people that Pence expected a SCOTUS judge to be biased and is loudly expressing his disappointment that said judge isn't biased. Aren't justices supposed to be impartial?   Even before Trump came on the scene, Pence has more than once demonstrated himself to be an overzealous religious hypocrite.

I guess now that Trump is in office, he's trying to go all extra.

'LGBTQ candidates win primaries in several states' & other Thur midday news briefs

Out Candidates Advance in Washington, Kansas, and Michigan Primaries - Ah yes, this is nice right here.

Former D.C. politico wins primary in bid to be Michigan’s first out gay congressman - More on one. This would be very nice.

Black LGBTQ Americans Face Disproportionate Economic Hit From COVID-19, Study Finds - Yep. We got PROBLEMS.

The Supreme Court ruled on a landmark LGBTQ rights case. The DOJ has yet to enforce it. - GET the show on the road, people.

Fired Trump appointee's claim of anti-Christian persecution blows up in a cloud of humiliating smoke

Former Trump appointee Merritt Corrigan is having a bad week.

How many of you saw the conclusion of this story coming miles away?

Merritt Corrigan is a former Trump appointee who was fired this week from the U.S. Agency for International Development after it was discovered that she tweeted a bunch of inappropriate comments about LGBTQ people, women, refugees. At the time of her dismissal, Corrigan claimed that she was being persecuted because of her Christianity. She also said she would be holding a press conference on Thursday to expose "anti-Christian" bigotry.

As of now, that press conference is not going to happen. According to Raw Story:

Merritt Corrigan, the former deputy White House liaison to United States Agency for International Development who was fired this week for posting inflammatory anti-LGBT tweets, now says she was the victim of a scam by notoriously inept right-wing operative Jacob Wohl. 

 The Daily Beast’s Will Sommer reports that Corrigan is now claiming that Wohl and his associate Jack Burkman seized control of her phone and sent out tweets that attacked USAID for promoting LGBT rights abroad and that leveled baseless allegations of soliciting prostitutes against Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY), who is the chairman of the House Foreign Relations Affairs Committee.

Sommer's article said:

Corrigan, who is/was apparently dating Wohl, announced that she’d be appearing Thursday in front of Wohl associate Jack Burkman’s Northern Virginia house—a site that has previously hosted farcical attempts to smear Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Kamala Harris (D-CA) with lurid sexual allegations. There, she would further denounce USAID, accuse a Politico reporter who covered her resignation of stalking her, and demand that Engel debate her and Burkman. In a press release announcing the press conference, Burkman and Wohl claimed that Wohl, who is currently facing two felony charges related to security sales in California, had “been working behind the scenes with Corrigan for months.”

Sommer said that on Tuesday afternoon, Corrigan deleted tweets whining about anti-Christian discrimination, while Wohl and Burkman claimed she was talked into backtracking.

'Trans people are terrified about Trump Administration's New Housing Rule' & other Tue midday news briefs

Trans People Are Terrified About the Trump Administration’s New Housing Rule - More disasters from Trump.

Democratic Platform Promises Bold Action for Racial, LGBTQ+ Equality - NOW get them elected.

'Proud parents' Dwyane Wade, Gabrielle Union praise daughter Zaya at GLAAD Awards - Good for them!

Activists Got A Chicago Children’s Hospital To End Intersex Surgeries. For Them, It's Just The Beginning. - A victory in the right direction.

Trump reveals his inability to handle the COVID-19 pandemic during 'trainwreck disaster' interview

This frazzled look by Trump was a common occurrence during a recent interview with Axios's Jonathan Swan. The interview has rightfully been called a major disaster for Trump.

The scuttlebutt right now is a disastrous interview that Trump had with Axios's Jonathan Swan which was released on Monday. I don't know who told Trump it would be a good idea, but whoever it was is obviously attempting to bring down his presidency from the inside.

As if Trump needed help with that.

The fall out has been extensive and pretty much negative, with Trump getting blasted for his poor showing and interviewer Swan getting praised for his unrelenting style and questioning. The interview was so bad that Fox News is ignoring it, while the rest of the right-wing propaganda media - which generally praises everything Trump does - is struggling to defend him.

The best way I can describe the interview is a smorgasbord of tasty soundbites for anti-Trump political ads. It's almost difficult to say where Trump stumbled the most, from the claim that he did more for African-Americans than anyone else to his griping that recently deceased civil rights legend John Lewis didn't attend his inauguration.

But without question, the following comment he made when it comes to his poor handling of  the coronavirus pandemic will probably be the thing which will haunt him. And as you can see below, the Biden campaign got the same impression as I did:

Thousands of Americans are dying every week. The President's response?

"It is what it is." pic.twitter.com/GT59hr14kb

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) August 4, 2020

That's a huge schadenfreude enabler for those who remember how Trump and his allies exploited Hillary Clinton's  "deplorables" comment from the 2016 election.

Even though I still say that it's too early to count Trump out, I will also say that his re-election campaign is starting to resemble a slow moving three-hour long 1970s disaster movie with so many cast members,  that you just know there will be a new calamity almost every minute and a body count to rival that of Cecil B. DeMille's.

'Murder of trans people in U.S. could hit record high in 2020' & other Tue midday news briefs

Murders Of Transgender People In U.S. Could Hit Record High In 2020 - This is depressing. Be careful, brothers and sisters.

'LGBTrump' activist arrested twice for defacing Black Lives Matter mural - Give me a break, you moron.

Polish 'LGBT-Free' Cities See Funding Cut by European Union - Ha ha. No money for you.

Martina Navratilova Supports Idaho's Ban on Trans Female Athletes - An absolutely STUPID move on her part. Lesbians teaming up with hate groups and bigoted legislation because they fear trans rights are merely digging two graves. If her new "allies" put trans rights in one grave, just who does Martina think will be going in the next?

Former Trump appointee has deliciously homophobic Twitter meltdown on same day she was fired

Merritt Corrigan, the former Trump appointee too homophobic for even HIS administration.

This is delicious.

In June, I wrote about Trump appointee Merritt Corrigan. At the time, she was the deputy White House liaison for the U.S. Agency for International Development who got into trouble because of a bunch of nasty tweets she put out in the past directed towards LGBTQ people, women and refugees. Please bear in mind the past tense tone of my statement. As of today, Corrigan is no longer the deputy White House liaision for US Agency for International Development.

She was fired. And boy is she pissed.

From CNBC:

Merritt Corrigan, a deputy White House liaison for the U.S. Agency for International Development, was fired Monday, on the same day she ranted about LGBTQ issues on Twitter, according to two former Trump Administration officials who spoke to NBC News. Corrigan, who had held her post for just months, wrote on Twitter that she had been targeted for her “Christian beliefs.” 

“Ms. Merritt Corrigan is no longer an employee at the USAID,” the agency’s acting spokesperson Pooja Jhunjhunwala said in a statement to NBC News. ″USAID takes any claim of discrimination seriously, and we will investigate any complaints of anti-Christian bias Ms. Corrigan has raised during her tenure at the Agency,” said Jhunjhunwala. Corrigan, an appointee of the Trump administration, joined the nation’s international development arm several months ago. 

She had written on Twitter on Monday, before her termination was announced, “For too long, I’ve remained silent as the media has attacked me for my Christian beliefs, which are shared by the majority of Americans. Let me [be] clear: Gay marriage isn’t marriage. Men aren’t women. US-funded Tunisian LGBT soap operas aren’t America First.”

My guess is that Corrigan was told that she would be let go beforehand, hence her Twitter hissy fit.

'North Dakota GOP's platform is so homophobic, no one wants to say who wrote it' & other Mon midday news briefs

North Dakota GOP’s Platform Is So Anti-LGBTQ Nobody Will Say Who Wrote It - What a bunch of cowards. If you write it and put it out there, you should "own" it.

Grocery store’s sign about COVID masks says LGBTQ people “spreads deadly diseases” - I guess someone wants to go out of business.

10 must-read LGBTQ stories from July - Just in case you missed them.

El Salvador police officers sentenced to 20 years for killing trans woman - Justice is served. At least partly. She should have never been deported in the first place.

Here Are All the Winners From the 2020 GLAAD Media Awards - Last, but not least, congratulations to all of the 2020 GLAAD Media Award recipients, particularly my friend Mark S. King. His blog, 'My Fabulous Disease' won the award for 'Outstanding Blog' This was his fifth nomination. 

Audio - Nixon did NOT like LGBTQ people

Nixon

How's this for a history lesson?

Before Trump sauntered his repulsive self into the White House, Richard Nixon was probably considered by many to be the worst president in American history. Though some would argue that he did some good things while in office, the Watergate scandal which mushroomed and caused him to resign before he would have most likely been kicked out of office, is the thing he's most remembered for.

And that takes away from things like the following audio of him bashing the television show 'All in the Family' and gay men in general. Nixon espouses the same nonsense that the majority of us have heard about we being the downfall of society. The irony is that, well this is Nixon whining about immorality. Nixon!

Still, it is absolutely jarring to hear the President of the United States slurring gays, particularly in contrast to the progress our community has made since then.

Homophobia lurks in Doctor Demon Semen's 'America's Frontline Doctors' group

America's Frontline Doctors , the group featuring Stella 'Doctor Demon Semen' Immanuel (center in the photo) has a love of  homophobia to go along with its taste for fraudulent information.

People are still talking about the press conference Monday featuring a group of physicians and the right-wing network which helped them push a load of false information to the American public.

Because of the outrageous background of a member,  Stella "Doctor Demon Semen" Immanuel, took up a large part of the attention, certain facts about the group, which calls itself  "America's Frontline Doctors," haven't been focused on as much as they should've.

For example, the group reeks of homophobia.

Immanuel herself is a veritable sepia Anita Bryant when it comes to the LGBTQ community.


According to Media Matters:

Immanuel has a history of anti-LGBTQ remarks, including claiming that homosexuality is the “agenda of the Devil” and is “perverted, vile behavior that is being taught to our children.”

Media Matters references journalist Will Sommer of The Daily Beast for the following:

“Immanuel has also used her pulpit to preach hatred of LGBT people. Shortly before before the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage, Immanuel warned her flock that gay marriage meant that ‘very soon people are going to be seeking to marry children’ and accused gay Americans of practicing ‘homosexual terrorism.’ In the same sermon, she praised a father’s decision to not love his transgender son after a gender transition.” . . .In her 2012 book Jesus Help The Church Has Been Caged, Immanuel told readers, “We are now teaching tolerance to something as vile as homosexuality – even to our grade-school children. This demon has been released to infect our generation.”

Lastly, Media Matters also points out that Immanuel, who is also a pastor,  is the head of an organization called Fire Power Ministries. This organization is extremely homophobic even to the point of having  a "deliverance prayer against homosexuality and sexual perversion" on its web page

Immanuel apparently isn't the only one in the group to have anti-LGBTQ beliefs.

The site Gizmodo put a spotlight on Immanuel as well as the other physicians involved in America's Frontline Doctors.  The "credentials" and biases of the members are as bad as you would think.

One in particular is Robert Hamilton, a pediatrician from Santa Monica, CA. According to Gizmodo, he wrote the following letter to the Los Angeles Times in 1993:

The schizophrenia in the gay movement was clearly demonstrated by this article. Homosexuals want to come out of the closet, but yet they seem to strangely not want people to really see what they do in the closet. Homosexuals stage gay pride parades in major cities to demonstrate and celebrate their lifestyle, yet they cringe at any serious evaluation of these events. The fact remains most Americans are completely unaware of the essence of the homosexual world. When they see homosexual behavior in the raw, most are repulsed.  

ROBERT C. HAMILTON MD  

Santa Monica

That would explain why groups like the Family Research Council and the American Family Association are so eager to support Immanuel and the rest of this group. They all seem to share a love of conspiracy theories and a spooky fascination for LGBTQ sex.


Related post - The website SNOPES has a very thorough article on America's Frontline Doctors and the organizations behind it.

'LGBTQ Pride flag burning not a hate crime in SD' & other Thur midday news briefs

LGBTQ Pride flag burning not a hate crime in SD - Well that sucks. 

These Are the Trans People Lost to Violence in 2020 - We have to do better to protect our own.

Horrific Sexual Abuse of Gay and Bi Men, Trans Women Reported in Syria- The struggle is real, y'all.

Dems vow to protect trans health, push Equality Act in 2020 platform - More reasons to vote for Democratic come November.

Conservative evangelical groups line up behind Trump to defend 'Doctor Demon Semen'

Donald Trump defends this woman, so conservative evangelical groups are also defending her.

Eager to play the central role in what's becoming a political version of the German legend of Faust (a philosopher who sells his soul to the devil), conservative evangelicals groups have given a bit more of their soul to Donald Trump in return for political power.  In all honesty, these groups never had that much of a soul, if any to begin with, but I think they've given so much of what they do have to Trump that they're down to soul "stamps." This latest spiritual capitulation involve an incident on Monday. I think you know what I'm talking about, but I will give a short recap:

The far right publication Breitbart streamed a press conference involving individuals claiming to be medical professionals who proceeded to push insane conspiracies about COVID-19 cures.

According to NBC News:

A dozen doctors delivered speeches in front of the U.S. Capitol on Monday to a small crowd, claiming without evidence that the coronavirus could be cured and that widely accepted efforts to slow its spread were unnecessary and dangerous. It was the latest video to go viral from apparent experts, quietly backed by dark money political organizations, evangelizing treatments for or opinions about the coronavirus that most doctors, public health officials and epidemiologists have roundly decried as dangerous misinformation. 

 . . . Dressed in white coats with "America's Frontline Doctors" stitched on the chest, the stars of the Facebook video claimed that business and school closings, social distancing and even masks were not needed, because hydroxychloroquine, a drug commonly used to treat malaria, could both prevent and cure the coronavirus. In fact, the FDA has warned against using hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19, citing serious health effects and the conclusions from randomized clinical trials that have shown little benefit from the treatment. "We don't need masks. There is a cure!" said Dr. Stella Immanuel, a licensed pediatrician from Houston.  

In one of the event's most fiery speeches, Immanuel, who claims to have effectively treated 350 COVID-19 patients with hydroxychloroquine out of her medical clinic, but declined to provide data, referred to doctors who declined to treat patients with hydroxychloroquine as "good Nazis" and "fake doctors," and called published research "fake science."

'LGBTQ people clean up at Emmy nominations except for two huge snubs' & other Wed midday news briefs

Pose’s Groundbreaking Trans Cast Members Snubbed by Emmys for Second Year - Billy Porter - last year's Emmy winner - received another nomination but other members of the cast did not. AND the series didn't get the nomination for 'Best Dramatic Series.'

LGBTQ Shows and Characters Pick Up Emmy Nominations - Other than that rather HUGE omission, the LGBTQ community didn't do bad with Emmy nominations.

Local media keep misidentifying trans murder victims, and the police are often to blame - Yes they are. 

Coronavirus kills hospital ICU chief who 'selflessly' cared for patients during pandemic - Hoax, my foot. One of our own just sacrificed his life caring for folks with COVID-19.

The Family Research Council sets aside time to scare people about gays, sex, and children

Aside from attempting to run defense for Donald Trump (via attacking Black Lives Matters and defending his pushing federal agents on cities who clearly didn't asking for them), the Family Research Council devoted a little time to what it's known for:

Scaring people about gays, children, and sex (click on picture to make it larger):

I will wager that FRC is attacking how schools are acknowledging the existence of same-sex parents and gay families raising children. It's not enough that the hate group refuses to acknowledge this fact. Via fear tactics and inferences made to dehumanize same-sex families and parents into objects of sexual behavior, the group seeks to force the rest of us to play it's ugly game of erasure.

Attacks on our lives and families, though less successful than it would have been a few years ago, are still nonetheless vile. And should always be remembered and brought up every time FRC plays the martyr while pushing its false idea of "religious liberty."

'Study says puberty blockers lower suicide risk for trans people' & other Tue midday news briefs

Puberty blockers linked to lower suicide risk for transgender people - Horror stories about puberty blockers shot all to pieces:

Transgender individuals who received puberty blockers during adolescence have a lower risk of suicidal thoughts as adults than those who wanted the medication but could not access them, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Pediatrics. “These results align with past literature, suggesting that pubertal suppression for transgender adolescents who want this treatment is associated with favorable mental health outcomes,” the study states. The finding suggests that a major — and politically controversial — aspect of transgender health care for minors could help reduce the trans community’s disproportionate risk of suicide.

Here’s why ageism takes an especially heavy toll on LGBTQ seniors - A conversation the community needs to have. 

Nigerian man opens 1st NYC shelter for asylum seekers - Way to take the lead in solving a problem!

23 Anti-LGBTQ Moments From TV Shows That I Genuinely Can't Believe Got Aired - This list is very fascinating. It reminds of when I used to spotlight anti-LGBTQ moments from past television shows and movies. It also calls out some stuff I never considered when watching some of the episodes listed.