Matt Walsh, Chaya Raichik from Libs of TikTok furious at being linked to Pride flag shooter Travis Ikeguchi

It's been a week since the murder of Laura Ann Carleton. Carleton was a business owner in California who was murdered by a man, Travis Ikeguchi, after a dispute about a Pride flag hanging in her shop. Ikeguchi, who was later killed by the police that same day, was discovered to have had a history of posting of disgusting and violent anti-LGBTQ messages on social media.

A Thursday article on NBC Out delved deeper into Ikeguchi's history of posting this ugliness on social media and how it ties into far-right conservatives smearing the Pride flag itself and the LGBTQ community as pedophiles:

The far right has repeatedly linked the flag to the decades-old trope that links gay and transgender people to child abusers who want to “groom” or sexualize children, a trope that has recently had a resurgence.

 “The pride flag does not deserve our respect or deference,” right-wing provocateur Matt Walsh declared in March to his 2.4 million followers on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Nearly all of the most depraved attacks on children, tradition, and common sense in modern society happen under the hideous banner of the pride flag.” A day later, Walsh dedicated an over hourlong episode of his podcast, “The Matt Walsh Show,” which is produced by the media company The Daily Wire, to the Pride flag. The episode was titled “The Pride Flag Deserves Our Disrespect.” 

 Chaya Raichik, who runs the far-right X account LibsOfTikTok, has repeatedly prompted conversations among her nearly 2.5 million followers that appear to take aim at the Pride flag. “Imagine walking into your kid’s elementary school and this is what greets you,” she wrote on X in June, along with an image of what appear to be teachers wearing rainbow Pride clothing and a person dressed in drag. “What do you do?” 

You will notice that the article mentioned two prominent anti-LGBT activists - Matt Walsh and Chaya Raichik of the infamous Libs of TikTok. Needless to say, neither was happy it. Both took to Twitter to voice their disapproval:

Apparently, Matt and Chaya are upset at being compared to a psycho killer.  That's ironic seeing that the tone of their objections mimic Ikeguchi's social media posts:

A little advice, Matt and Chaya - if you don't want to be compared to a homophobic psycho killer, then stop sounding like one.

'New York Times gets called out for pushing aside key source's lies in latest anti-trans article' & other Thur midday news briefs

NYT Treats Key Source’s Many Lies as an Aside in Latest Anti-Trans Smear​ - So-called 'whistleblower' Jamie Reed strikes again. And gets burned again. This time though, she brought the New York Times down with her. 

 Related posts about Jamie Reed: 

Families dispute whistleblower’s allegations against Missouri transgender health care center 

Whistleblower’s Claims About a St. Louis Transgender Center Are Under Fire 

Gender Clinic Workers Kept a Spreadsheet of Trans Patients’ Names. Here’s What Happened Next. 

 In other news:

Florida's Broward County says losses mount for tourism as more conventions stay away, citing fear for safety of diverse groups- Florida has to learn the hard way. 

Florida's New Anti-Trans Rule Threatens Jobs of College Faculty For Bathroom Use - And this is why.

Far-right podcaster Tim Pool blames drag queens for Hurricane Hilary, earthquake in California

The question here isn't would the LGBTQ community be blamed for Hurricane Hilary and the recent earthquake in California. It was rather who would do it now that Pat Robertson is dead.

It looks like far-right podcaster Tim Pool takes that spot. But he doesn't blame the entire community. Just drag queens.

Tim Pool says L.A. deserves to be flooded for supporting drag queens, suggests the recent storms are actually God punishing people. pic.twitter.com/OmDm9TAYZ1

— PimToolNews (@PimToolNews) August 22, 2023

For the record, a decade ago I performed twice in drag as part of charity events. If drag queens can cause natural disasters, I may have to go back to performing. I do love having power.

Also as long as we're pushing insane conspiracy theories, let me say that there is reason why Pool is almost never seen without his little black cap. Supposedly it hides the hole in his head where his brain would be if he had one. Or another face which is grosser looking than the one he shows off in public.

But that's just a theory.

Hat tip to LGBTQ Nation and @PimToolNews  

'Laura Ann Carleton's murderer was a fan of Matt Walsh and a far-right conspiracy theorist' & other Wed midday news briefs

Laura Ann Carleton

Man Who Shot Store Owner for Flying Pride Flag Was a Far-Right Conspiracist​ - No surprise here.

Rainbow Flag Killer Was Fan Of Extremist Matt Walsh - And it gets worse. Questions need to be asked of Walsh. Answers need to be demanded. 

My Child Is Leaving North Carolina Over New Anti-LGBTQ Laws - Absolutely heartbreaking story. 

PFLAG documentary spotlights Asian mothers, LGBTQ kids - Wonderful article.

Parenting With Pride: Florida support group for LGBTQ+ families created to keep far-right groups from dominating debate about parents & children

 

All of these groups (Moms for Liberty especially) constantly yammering "leave our kids alone" are deliberately obscuring the issue when it comes to families in America. If you ask them about LGBTQ families, they either ignore you or try to change the subject. They see our families and our kids as non-existent or unimportant since we don't fit into their so-called perfect, but ignorantly narrow image.

Enough is enough.

LGBTQ parents and their allies are stepping up in Florida to demand that their voices be added to the conversation.

Amid attacks on the LGBTQ community & academic freedom, parents are showing up and speaking out. Today, a new suite of resources is available to help support parents and families navigating these harmful education policies a​s school returns. Join us: https://t.co/IOA1CgZOo1 pic.twitter.com/3Z9yvnVgxS

— Equality Florida (@equalityfl) August 15, 2023

From Axios: 

 As many Florida children went back to school last week, a group of parents came together to announce a new support group for LGBTQ+ families. 

 Driving the news: Equality Florida formed Parenting With Pride to teach guardians about new laws affecting queer students via free webinars, track how those rules are implemented in schools, and provide them with resources and support.

Why it matters: LGBTQ+ youth have been the target of laws and regulations championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and his allies over the last few years. The approach not only hurts a population of children at higher risk of depression and suicide because of how they're treated in society, advocates say, but also creates a confusing landscape for parents to navigate. 

  What they're saying: "There is a need for answers in Florida right now," Equality Florida press secretary Brandon Wolf said at a news conference announcing the group, "answers to what rights families have and can continue exercising in schools, answers to how the raft of legislation that's targeting those families will be implemented in classrooms, answers to how the system will impact their kids."

By the numbers: More than 1,000 families from Pensacola to Key West had joined the program as of last week, Wolf said. An estimated 114,000 LGBTQ+ youth ages 13-17 live in Florida, according to the Williams Institute, a think tank that conducts research on policies and laws pertaining to sexual orientation and gender identity.

'Suspect named in fatal shooting of California store owner over a Pride flag' & other Tue midday news briefs

Laura Carleton

Suspect named in fatal shooting of California store owner over a Pride flag - This is what all of this hatred breeds. This was a hate crime:

 Travis Ikeguchi, 27, was responsible for shooting Laura Ann Carleton, 66, to death after "yelling many homophobic slurs" about her clothing store's Pride flag on Friday, San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus said at a press conference on Monday. Ikeguchi fled Carleton's store, Mag Pi, by foot and was later killed in “a lethal force encounter" with deputies on Friday. Officials said that Ikeguchi — a resident of Cedar Glen, California — had a history of making posts that were critical of the LGBTQ community on multiple social media platforms, including X, formerly known as Twitter.

The Unbelievably Bonkers Conspiracy Theorist Running For Governor Of North Carolina​ - Mark Robinson thinks Beyonce is 'Satanic.' Of course he is an anti-LGBTQ bigot of the lowest order. 

This professor brought millions to Florida State. Now he's leaving a 'hostile' environment - Florida has to learn the hard way.

What Is Gender-Affirming Care, and Which States Have Restricted it in 2023? - So many people have false ideas about gender-affirming care (especially for trans kids) but won't even try to adequately educate themselves on the topic.

VA Republican claims he's protesting the 'grooming' of children by having them hold up 16-foot penis sign with Biden's picture

Definition of hypocrisy - Virgina Republican Ron Hedlund protesting the supposed 'grooming' of kids by the LGBTQ (most specifically the transgender community) by posting a sign of a penis with Biden's face near a group of kids. As you can see by the photos and video below, he thought it was very funny to film a video featuring two boys holding the sign. See unedited picture further down the post.

Brought to you by the Department of What Da F@k, made possible by Republican hypocrisy.

Virginia GOP Central Committee Representative Ron Hedlund recently wanted to take a stand against the so-called grooming of children by those of us in the LGBTQ community (particularly the transgender community). But his way of doing this says a lot more about Republican hypocrisy when it comes to the hysteria about 'grooming.'

 From LGBTQ Nation:

Conservative activist and Virginia GOP Central Committee Representative Ron Hedlund of Virginia got attention online over the weekend for his 16-foot penis sign with President Joe Biden’s face, which he displayed in front of a group of children. He had to be told by police to put the sign away.

 On social media, Hedlund – who goes by “The Benghazi Rabbit” – said that the point of the protest was to fight “transgenderism” in schools, a term conservatives use to refer to equal rights for transgender students and anti-bullying initiatives. Hedlund’s sign – which he calls the “Porter Penis” – read “S**T IS F**KED UP AND STUFF/BIDEN SUCKS” and had Biden’s face on a 16-foot penis with semen shooting out that was labeled “My kids.” It was displayed at the RF&P Park in Henrico County, Virginia this past Friday just outside where some children were playing a baseball game. He also had a giant “air dancer” with the words “F**K BIDEN” written on it and another sign that read “STOP GROOMING OUR CHILDREN.”

When challenged by a few people, Hedlund filmed himself making fun of them.  And as you can see by the pictures (and the video below), he actually had two boys posing with his sign while laughing it off as a joke.

If you ask me, the big joke in all of this is Hedlund and it's a bad one. I know he did it for attention and I can hear some of you maneuvering your lips to tell me that I shouldn't be giving him the attention. 

But I disagree. 

This is an awful climate we are in now with calculating social media influencers and Congressional leaders gaining attention and clout by resurrecting the lie that we are "recruiting" and "grooming" kids. These horror stories are breeding ugly repercussions either through anti-LGBTQ legislation or people losing their livelihoods. Or worse yet, violence like the murder of California business owner Laura Ann Carleton on Friday. Carleton was reportedly shot by someone who objected to a Pride flag she displayed outside of her shop.

But folks like Hedlund don't care. My guess is that they are enjoying the attention and the chaos they are causing. It's never been about protecting the children. It's been about the ability to showcase their hatred, bigotry, and embarrassingly poor taste. And as you can see by the pictures and the video, they have no problem with exploiting the children they claim to be protecting.

Editor's note - And here is the video:

'Virginia school districts are rejecting Youngkin's anti-trans policies' & other Mon midday news briefs

Prince William County latest Northern VA school district to reject Youngkin's transgender model policies - These districts are choosing the safety of kids instead of a bad policy.

Nebraskans Ask State Supreme Court to Overturn Abortion, Trans Care Restrictions - We'll see.

University of Houston students brace for LGBTQ Resource Center closure in response to Texas’ DEI ban - They won't be able to silence us no matter what.

Gay volleyball player creates his own path from a rural upbringing to a college career - Well alright! Good for him!

Repost - Anti-LGBTQ bigotry and propaganda never changes. It simply gets sanitized.

Editor's note - Let's ease into Monday with a repost from May. It's a reminder (particularly for those "LGB without the TQ folks) that the rhetoric we see thrown at the transgender community is simply repackaged anti-gay bigotry. It was a lie then and it's a lie now.  Those who are not in our community need to be reminded of this. Those of us in the community who ignore this should really be ashamed of themselves. 

This from 1985

has turned into this in 2023. 

In reality, it never actually changes. It simply gets repeated after some minor sanitization.

But it's still lies motivated by hate, created to instill fear, and pushed to justify bigotry. 

 And violence.

 1985 graphic taken from Comics With Problems webpage. WARNING - it's not NSFW and will probably get you angry (as it should.)

Federal appeals court say no to Idaho's ban on trans female athletes

From NBC News:

 A federal appeals court on Thursday refused to allow Idaho to enforce a first-in-the-nation ban on transgender women and girls from participating in female sports leagues, saying the measure likely was unconstitutional. A 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel delivered a victory to LGBTQ rights advocates by upholding an injunction blocking Idaho’s Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, the first of many such laws to be enacted by Republican-led states.

 “This is an important victory for common sense, equality, and the rights of transgender youth under the law,” said Chase Strangio, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union, which pursued the court challenge. The Idaho measure, which Republican Gov. Brad Little signed into law in March 2020, bars transgender women and girls of all ages from participating in female sports teams at public schools in the state, from primary school through college. Twenty-two other states have adopted similar laws governing sports, most recently in North Carolina, according to the conservative Christian legal group Alliance Defending Freedom, which had argued in favor of reviving Idaho’s law. 

This victory underscores the fact that in spite of all of the false narrative and bad hype (mostly perpetrated by TERFs and second-rate cis female athletes), the idea that trans females have an advantage in sports is difficult to prove in court. Those pushing the idea generally rely on preconceived notions and basic lies. This was already covered in 2021 by the USA Today in a blockbuster article, Conservatives want to ban transgender athletes from girls sports. Their evidence is shaky. 

The article's main point continues to be a reality:

Across the nation, state lawmakers supporting transgender athlete bans have painted a picture that girls sports teams will be overrun by athletes with insurmountable physical advantages. But a USA TODAY investigation of the lobbying effort shows that narrative has been built on vague examples that have been overstated or are untrue, and lawmakers have accepted them as fact with little effort to verify their accuracy.

'Calls for LGBTQ book ban in Rio Rancho seemingly backfire' & other Thur midday news briefs

Calls for LGBTQ book ban in Rio Rancho seemingly backfire - Whoops!

After my daughter's gender transition, I just wanted her to be happy. To best support her, I had to stop caring what other people thought​ - Amen.

Vivek Ramaswamy: LGBTQ+ People Created 'Tyranny of the Minority' - Sounds like some horsh!t to me. 

Ron DeSantis won’t say how he’d handle his own kid coming out as LGBTQ+ - Coward. He is so transparent. And not in a good way. 

Target acknowledges the Pride backlash hurt sales in June and says it will rethink its approach to 'heritage moments' going forward - Get ready to handle the gloating. Personally I think it's all in the way Target handled the situation. The chain should have never backed down to the bullying. Not even an inch. 

Denver Archdiocese sues Colorado over right to deny preschool to LGBTQ families - If the archdioese receives any tax dollars then it should not have the right to discriminate. 

Jenna Ellis is the latest anti-LGBTQ activist engulfed in Trump indictments

Jenna Ellis

It's interesting - to say the least - to watch Donald Trump's troubles and indictments engulf those who attached themselves to him. Particularly when some of these folks have been very vocal about the so-called sin of homosexuality.

I've already written about the anti-LGBTQ activism of Trump crony John Eastman when he was called an unindicted co-conspirator in Trump's last crop of indictments. Well now he has been officially indicted in this latest round. But he's not the only anti-LGBTQ activist involved now. 

According to People for the American Way's Right Wing Watch:

Former Trump attorney Jenna Ellis was charged with violating the Georgia Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and with solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer regarding efforts to convince state legislators to name phony pro-Trump electors in states he lost. 

 Before the 2020 election, Ellis was a strident campaign advocate for Trump, claiming that “the progressive left” was a “domestically grown enemy that was trying to destroy “ordered society” and “create chaos.” After Trump lost, she energetically promoted his stolen election claims alongside Rudy Giuliani and, for a while, Sidney Powell—and pressed those claims on religious-right media outlets like Eric Metaxas’ radio show. Ellis served as Giuliani’s sidekick during a hearing in Gettysburg organized by state Sen. Doug Mastriano in late November 2020. In late December 2020, she denounced the “failures” of the judicial branch and state legislatures and called for members of Congress to challenge Electoral College votes.

 She was also busy behind the scenes. Like fellow accused racketeer John Eastman, Ellis wrote legal memos offering justifications for Vice President Mike Pence to stop congressional certification of Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory. 

 Journalist Jonathan Karl wrote about Ellis’s memo in his book “Betrayal: The Final Act of the Trump Show.” Here’s the plan her memo laid out: Pence would halt the constitutionally mandated congressional counting of Electoral College votes on Jan. 6 and give the battleground states until Jan. 15 to send a new set of votes. If no set of votes arrived by that time, the state’s Electoral College votes would not be counted. Ellis figured that would throw the election to the House of Representatives, where she believed Trump would be declared the winner. 

 She promoted a similar-sounding plan during a Jan. 4, 2021, interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network’s David Brody. Ellis said Pence should refuse to accept electors from states being challenged by Trump and throw the question of the electors’ legitimacy back to the state legislatures—something for which there is no legal or constitutional authority. With a straight face, Ellis said such an act “wouldn’t be political” and would create a “clean outcome” for the election. Brody endorsed Ellis’s scheme, tweeting, “Good idea!”

Ellis has also been vocal when it comes to smearing and denigrating LGBTQ people. According to The Advocate, last year she posted the following on her Instagram page with the caption "Where is the lie?"

That's not all:

Ellis took to Twitter to attack a lesbian whose success has catapulted her from an obscure radio personality to a household name -- MSNBC host and author Rachel Maddow. "Conservative women look so good that the left (who only have women like Rachel Maddow) assumes we've had surgeries to look this hot ... nah dawg, not a one. That would be your side. On kids," Ellis tweeted. 

The Advocate said she then doubled down her attack on Maddow by tweeting: 

 "The left is *still* big mad that conservative women are hotter than Rachel Maddow If you're so mad about it, try embracing your femininity instead of looking 'gender neutral' or like dudes."

In 2016, she has also claimed that legalizing gay marriage opens the door to pedophilia and bestiality. 

In addition, according to CNN:

Ellis has also repeatedly said the Supreme Court “ignored the immorality of homosexuality” in its decision to strike down laws that criminalized same-sex sexual activity. 

 “So then we get to Lawrence v. Texas, which was a Texas law criminalizing sodomy,” Ellis said at the Constitutional Literacy for Christians conference in February of 2016. “And judicial activism ignored the immorality of homosexuality and created this fabricated right to privacy that was in the penumbra of the Constitution and determined that homosexuality is within that right to privacy in the penumbra of the Constitution. And the Supreme Court with judicial activist motivations overturn that law.”

 In her 2015 book, “The Legal Basis for a Moral Constitution,” Ellis said the Lawrence ruling “set the groundwork for open celebration of homosexuality and all kinds of deviant sexual behavior with any coupling or grouping.”

Ellis presently having trouble raising money for her defense because Trump and his allies seems to have turned their backs on her. I'm certainly not celebrating her misfortune, but perhaps none of this would have happened to Ellis if she had followed the Biblical tenets about lying with as much eagerness as she used to stigmatize LGBTQ people.

I'm just saying.

'Georgia panel rejects recommendation to fire teacher for reading book about gender identity' & other Wed midday news briefs

Georgia panel rejects recommendation to fire teacher for reading book about gender identity​ - Score one for the good guys. 

Tennessee Republican with Anti-LGBTQ+ History Sentenced in Campaign Finance Case - Well, well, well. 

 Memorial to LGBTQ Holocaust victims vandalized in Berlin - This is awful! 

These Cheerleaders Are Making History As the NFL's 1st Gay Cheer Captains - Good for them. I am definitely here for it.

Anti-LGBTQ activist Chaya Raichik sets herself up for ridicule, gets mocked all over Twitter.

Usually, I turn my head at such vicious snipes, but I'll make an exception in this case because Libs of TikTok founder Chaya Raichik deserves as much ridicule as humanly possible in light of all of the ugly things she has done to the LGBTQ community. Please spare me that "don't stoop to that level" talk.  Sometimes it's good to be petty. Pettiness can be a psychological cleanser.  And when it comes to Raichik, we are in need of a cleanser.

Raichik took time out of her "busy schedule" of cheerfully denigrating LGBTQ people (accusing us of sexualizing kids, spreading lies about trans healthcare for kids - lies which have led to bomb threats against various children's hospitals, and basically soaking up praise from social media losers who crowd her twitter address looking for LGBTQ people to target) in order to accuse pundit Keith Olbermann of stalking her.

This led to someone on Twitter to question her age. And she decided to clap back at him:

That was a mistake. 

First of all, you know that our community (including our allies) is infamous with vicious one-liners, particularly about things like such as age and looks (i.e. reading). That coupled with the fact that Raichik has an eternal ranking near the top of our community's sh!t list meant that girlfriend was about to get dragged.

And dragged Chaya was. Here is a small sample of a very long dragging, which by the way, is still going on while you're reading this post.

What no sunscreen and a rotten soul does to a motherfucker: https://t.co/LDHsXKBJc6 pic.twitter.com/EsYH6WV3hn

— Rayyvana (@RayyvanaTTV) August 15, 2023

Every female right wing influencer grinds so hard to get clout, just so they can get called busted by the entire political spectrum. https://t.co/gtsVlFJHof

— Gayest Tone (@gayest_tone) August 15, 2023

Despite being 28, I’ve seen literal teenagers act more mature and be LESS transphobic than you. https://t.co/i1jxxKOL96

— DannyKorcz@kolektiva.social🏴✡️ (@dannykorcz) August 15, 2023

fascism destroys the mind, body, and soul https://t.co/4a8neSM3UE pic.twitter.com/q67WQNLiin

— Ares (@D4RKL0RDARES) August 15, 2023

Good thing for filters because not even those help you.

Vitamin C, retinol, and stop being a bigot could do wonders for your skin.

— Anita (@AnitaM86) August 15, 2023

You poor thing. I recommend lotion and trying to be a good person for a change.

— Holy Bullies (@holybullies) August 15, 2023

We're going to need to see your long-form birth certificate.

— Nefarious Means (@MeansNefarious) August 15, 2023

Thanks for helping me feel better about how I look at 30, the first good thing you’ve ever done

— JS 🦝 (@jspanda8) August 15, 2023

Do you pack yourself in salt at night?

— Chad Chavez (ChadC.bsky.social) (@ChadAChavez) August 15, 2023

Your daily reminder that transphobes are projecting from their internalized rejection pic.twitter.com/c409pvwhTH

— Elyon113 (@FYP2024) August 15, 2023

Damn girl you got those Sarah Huckabee Sanders genes

— Duncan Sheik Mohammed (@RoeVWadeBoggs) August 15, 2023

"I'm 28"

hatred is a bad skincare regimen pic.twitter.com/9kQZkPaqcs

— 🔆 a pillow 🔆 (@realapillow) August 15, 2023

Did you drink from the wrong chalice or something?

— Jordan (@SLCLunk) August 15, 2023

pic.twitter.com/xwIpt31ZYq

— I like big 'cules and I cannot lie (@Philgebunts) August 15, 2023

pic.twitter.com/Wr5HHfXXdc

— Not Quite Young (@stillundone) August 15, 2023

https://t.co/yImwzWhu7P pic.twitter.com/k1CyUMTz9k

— Paul Bland’s Big Adventure (@blandCinema) August 15, 2023

'Right-wingers now accusing Pop Tarts and Skittles of 'sexualizing' children' & other Tue midday news briefs

At this rate, accusing people and companies of 'sexualizing' kids is becoming boring and stale. Yet they persist:

Right Wingers Claim Pop Tarts are “Sexualizing” Children 

Conservatives are outraged by Skittles’ “Pride” collab with LGBTQ+ artists 

 In other news: 

5 times anti-gay bigots were caught engaging in very pro-gay behavior behind closed doors - Homophobic outrage is a huge racket.

Ron DeSantis says he's 'moved on' from feud with Disney, suggests company should drop lawsuit - Nice try, Ron. Next, he will probably declare a fake victory.

'I fully expected the downfall': Former Florida GOP chairman says the more people meet DeSantis 'the more they are not going to like him' - And speaking of Ron DeSantis . . .

Federal appeals court rules for Maryland school district policy preventing the outing of trans, gender nonconforming children

On Monday, trans kids got another court victory. 

From NBC Out:

A federal appeals court on Monday ruled that a group of parents could not challenge a Maryland school district’s policy against telling parents if their children identify as transgender or gender nonconforming.

 A 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel ruled 2-1 that three parents in Montgomery County, Maryland, lacked standing to challenge the policy because they had not alleged their children were transgender in the first place. The policy, which the Montgomery County Board of Education adopted for the 2020-2021 school year, permitted schools to develop gender support plans for students to ensure they “feel comfortable expressing their gender identity.” 

 The policy directs school personnel to help transgender and gender-nonconforming students create a plan that addresses their preferred pronouns, names and bathrooms, and bars staff from informing parents of those plans without a student’s consent. Lawsuits are pending challenging similar policies in other states. 

The Maryland case was the first to be argued before a federal appeals court. Three parents backed by the National Legal Foundation, a Christian conservative group, argued the parental notification policy infringed their due process rights under the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment to direct the care of their children. But U.S. Circuit Judge A. Marvin Quattlebaum said the parents lacked standing to pursue their “compelling arguments” because they had not alleged their children had gender support plans or were transgender. That rendered their opposition a mere “policy disagreement,” he said.

This marks - by my count - the fourth court victory for trans kids in August. Earlier this month, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit against an Ohio school district's gender-inclusive bathroom policy. In addition, courts in Indiana and Ohio awarded victories to trans kids in cases involving anti-bullying policies and bathroom usage.

'Far right attacks 'It Gets Better' after group donates $600,000 to students' & other Mon midday news briefs

Far Right Attacks It Gets Better After Group Donates $600k to Students - Blah, blah, blah 'groomers' blah, blah, blah "indoctrination and sexualization" "leave the kids alone." The far right can go to hell. LGBTQ kids attend schools and anything helping them (particularly in this climate) to be successful and safe is a good thing. 

Court blocks Idaho law restricting trans students’ restroom use​ - Laws like this one have no logical foundation. They only appeal to prejudices and fears. Glad to see that courts are recognizing this. 

Ron DeSantis’s “anti-woke” policies have led to a serious brain drain in Florida - Florida will continue to suffer until Floridians stop getting taken in by people like DeSantis. 

A Conservative Pundit Is Really Scared About Wayne Brady Being Pan - Guess who?

'You should have died in the f@king closet' & other Fri midday news briefs

 

Parents’ rights protestor tells LGBTQ+ advocates to go hang themselves - Ugly but the video above and this article needs to be seen. Folks need to see these folks when their "concern for the children" masks drop. 

Maryland Families Sue Over LGBTQ Public School Readings - This is ridiculous because it has nothing to do with sex at all. These parents don't want their kids to hear about any LGBTQ people. No doubt the forces behind this is hoping for a big lawsuit but if they get one, even a victory will hurt them. Religion is being weaponized. 

 'Heartstopper' books temporarily removed from Mississippi public library - Completely ridiculous. 

Teen's claim of seeing a naked trans woman and getting kicked off of her swim team because of it was a complete lie - My post from last night.

Teen's claim of seeing a naked trans woman and getting kicked off of her swim team because of it was a complete lie

The media and others flock like vultures when there are stories of alleged misbehavior of trans women. Notice how quickly they disappear when the story turns out to be false. The following is proof. But thanks to the folks at Assigned Media (a WONDERFUL webpage doing great work to expose anti-trans propaganda) and LGBTQ Nation (doing its usual excellent news coverage), I caught this story.

From Assigned Media:

The story of a transphobic teen that Fox News claimed had been kicked off her swim team after seeing a trans woman changing has completely fallen apart. Abbigail Wheeler, a 16-year-old who was asked to leave the YMCA for the evening after she admitted to being behind signs with anti-trans messages that had been tacked up all over the locker room the night before. 

Wheeler’s misbehavior, and the mild consequences it engendered from the Y, were portrayed as victimization of the teen on Fox and elsewhere in the right-wing press. As the full details of the incident have become clear it seems that Wheeler and her family made misleading and false statements that helped to inflame public opinion resulting in an anti-trans protest at the Kerasotes branch where this occurred. 

 According to LGBTQ Nation, the protest was where Wheeler first admitted that parts of the story were false. Calling the widespread reports that she’d seen a trans woman naked a “miscommunication” Wheeler clarified that she did not see any trans women naked or observe their private parts.

With regards to this, the LGBTQ Nation article pointed out:

During her July 11 and 12 interviews on Fox News, Wheeler said she saw the trans woman naked. But at the rally, she called this a “miscommunication,” saying, “To be clear, I did not see the [person] naked, and no [human] genitalia was exposed.” 

 During her Fox News interviews, she also said she was kicked off of the swim team after posting signs at the YMCA that said “Women’s Rights,” “Biological Women Only,” and “SafeSport.” However, a May 29 email from Wheeler’s mother to her daughter’s coach clearly says, “We have decided to remove Abbigail from the SPY swim team.”

 In other words, her parents removed her from the team. In addition, according to LGBTQ Nation, the signs she put up misgendered the trans woman and falsely claimed that she was threat to other women:

The signs said, “Men are not welcome here,” “Women Need Rights, Men Already Have Them,” “In case anyone is unawar [sic], I feel as a concerned member to share this shocking news. Transgenders [sic] are now using the womens [sic] locker room. They have been for a while now. Please feel free to share/spead [sic] the world [sic],” “Girls Rule, Boys Drool,” and “Women Deserve to be Safe Here.”

Assigned Media also said that the incident may have actually involved two trans women and both have come forward to tell their side of the story:

Christina Newton and Candice Clotfelter have come forward to describe their interaction with the teen to the Illinois Times as well as local TV news. They describe an interaction starting with Wheeler staring at them when they were sitting together talking on a bench at the Kerasotes Y. When they asked if they could help her, the teen told them they were in the women’s locker room, to which they replied that they were women. Both women had their bathing suits on during this interaction (they further explained to the local reporters that they changed their clothes inside of bathroom stalls).

Lastly, Assigned Media pointed out this situation is the latest in a pattern of false stories circulating designed to scare people about trans women in locker rooms.

The false stories are part of a pattern of exaggerated stories about interactions between cisgender girls and trans women at YMCAs across the country. This story most closely resembles one from a California Y in January where an older teen was widely reported to have seen a penis when, in reality, the woman in question was post-surgery and had no such organ to see.

 In Ohio this past February, a trans woman was targeted for prosecution by local officials, charged with indecent exposure for changing in a YMCA women’s locker room. She was found not guilty due to not having broken any law, and again no evidence of any cisgender woman or girl seeing her private parts while she was changing was ever presented. 

The existence of three such similar YMCA scandals in a few months suggest there may have been some effort on the part of anti-trans activists to manufacture flashpoints of this type.

Conservatives relied on transphobia for Issue 1 in Ohio to pass. They never stood a chance.

 

The above nauseating campaign ad was an unsuccessful attempt by Ohio conservatives to convert anti-trans hysteria into a win at the polls even though trans issues didn't have anything to do with the vote at hand. 

 Allow me to move backwards. First let's talk about the vote which took place Tuesday night. 

 From The Associated Press:

 Ohio voters on Tuesday resoundingly rejected a Republican-backed measure that would have made it more difficult to change the state’s constitution, setting up a fall campaign that will become the nation’s latest referendum on abortion rights since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned nationwide protections last year. The defeat of Issue 1 keeps in place a simple majority threshold for passing future constitutional amendments. It would have raised that to a 60% supermajority, which supporters said would protect the state’s foundational document from outside interest groups. 

 While abortion was not directly on the special election ballot, the result marks the latest setback for Republicans in a conservative-leaning state who favor imposing tough restrictions on the procedure. Ohio Republicans placed the question on the summer ballot in hopes of undercutting a citizen initiative voters will decide in November that seeks to enshrine abortion rights in the state. 

Issue 1 had nothing to do with trans issues, but its supporters, hoping to capitalize on the anti-trans sentiment taking place in states and their legislative bodies across the country, said that it did.  A right-wing organization, Protect Women Ohio, ran commercials such as the one above and brought in Republican personalities such as former VP Mike Pence and Kari Lake to repeat false talking points about how Issue 1 would lead to "trans ideology" forced in classrooms and "sex changes" for children.

It didn't matter that none of this was true.

Issue 1 supporters even held a religious rally Sunday before the vote:

Prominent activists are urging Ohio voters to support a measure that would require constitutional amendments to pass with support from 60% of eligible voters, warning that parental rights and the safety of minors hang in the balance as voters are also scheduled to weigh in on a ballot measure that would establish a right to abortion in the state. 

 The advocacy group Catholics for Catholics held a Prayer Rally to Save Ohio’s Children in Norwood, Ohio, Sunday. The event took place two days before Ohioans are scheduled to go to the polls to vote on the fate of Issue 1, a referendum that would require proposed constitutional amendments to secure 60% support from voters to take effect instead of a simple majority. 

 The purpose of the rally was to encourage Ohioans to Vote “Yes” on Issue 1. As explained by Catholics for Catholics, “Issue 1 is part of a fight culminating this November over a ballot measure that would enshrine abortion in the Ohio Constitution and limit parents’ legal right to consent to what procedures are done to their children.”

One of the speakers was Chloe Cole, a woman who claims that she was trans but detransitioned only after surgery to remove her breasts when she was a teen. Her story has yet to be verified, but still Cole has made a name for herself by testifying in front of legislative bodies for laws which would deny trans kids any form of gender-affirming care.  She is supposedly suing Kaiser Permanente healthcare system, but others have pointed out that the lawsuit is highly suspect.

At the rally, she tailored her story as a reason to pass Issue 1:

Cole added that several states have passed measures banning sex-change procedures for minors in state legislative sessions before warning that the failure to pass Issue 1 might result in the erosion of “the victories that we have achieved.” She called on attendees to “let this state be an example for Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota and the rest of the country that is so grappled by the pseudo-science” behind the push to provide children with irreversible gender transitions. 

 “Children are relying on us, as parents, older brothers and sisters, educators, doctors, as adults to guide them towards a healthy adulthood filled with opportunity,” she added. “I hear a lot of talk in this state about Issue 1 and reproductive freedom but that seems to end when we start talking about the fact that children are having their right to reproduce taken away from them with sterilizing drugs that are used to convert healthy girls and boys into just a mimicry of the opposite sex. Where are their reproductive rights?”

And now we are back where we began. Issue 1 never stood a chance because voters simply didn't buy it. And folks on Twitter were quick to point out how badly the anti-trans angle failed:

Chloe Cole was brought in to help Issue 1 pass.
I guess the GOP didn't get a good return on investment here.

The GOP: We think you hate transgender people as much as we do. pic.twitter.com/q6YRMxTbxY

— Karleigh Chardonnay Webb (@ChardonnayM) August 9, 2023

Anti abortion group "Protect Women Ohio" spent a $1 million on this horrific anti trans ad to get Referendum 1 to pass and limit the ability for abortion rights to be voted into the Ohio constitution.

They lost badly. 63-37. Yet again, transphobia doesn't win elections. pic.twitter.com/glRneeoiwA

— Alejandra Caraballo (@Esqueer_) August 9, 2023

How it started, how it’s going.

Seriously, Republicans spent $2,000,000 on anti trans ads in a Republican state in Ohio tying issue 1 to gender affirming care for trans youth.

They are losing by a mile.

Anti trans politics does not work, and this is a taste of 2024 nationwide. pic.twitter.com/6gz57e6zF9

— Erin Reed (@ErinInTheMorn) August 9, 2023

Ohio Republicans tried to make issue 1 about trans rights.

They are now losing 63-37 in the referendum, which would have made it harder to provide constitutional protections.

They learn the lesson many others have: attacking trans people is not a winning political stance. pic.twitter.com/uNrJY6PiYS

— Erin Reed (@ErinInTheMorn) August 9, 2023

'O'Shae Sibley killing unites New York's Black LGBTQ community in grief and defiance' & other Wed midday news briefs

O’Shae Sibley’s killing unites New York’s Black LGBTQ community in grief and defiance - Far from over.

Trump-appointed judge orders Southwest lawyers to get 'religious-liberty training' from 'hate group': report​ - The Alliance Defending Freedom strikes again.

Related post - The Southern Poverty Law Center's report on the Alliance Defending Freedom. 

Wisconsin Police Department Fully Embraces Transgender Officer - Wonderful.

Federal judge dismisses lawsuit against Ohio school district's gender-inclusive bathroom policy

Yet another victory for trans kids. Don't think for a minute that I am sugarcoating the ugly political climate we are all facing. I am simply pointing out that even in the darkest of times, light exists, and hope and love never dies.

From The Independent:

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit brought by America First Legal against an Ohio school district over its transgender bathroom policy. America First Legal filed the suit in November. The president of the organisation is Stephen Miller, who served as a senior White House adviser to former President Donald Trump. District Judge Michael Newman ruled on Monday that the organisation’s claims lacked standing, and the board’s new policy did not infringe on the parents’ free exercise of religion.

 “The [parents] do not have a substantive due process right to dictate to the School District which bathroom a transgender student must use,” Judge Newman wrote in the filing. “The School District’s bathroom policy applies evenly to all students, making no exception for anyone based on their religion, to allow each student’s identified gender to prescribe the bathroom to use.”

According to The Buckeye Flame:

The case centered on a trans student Bethel Middle School in Tipp City – 10 miles north of Dayton – who was granted access to a restroom corresponding with her gender identity. This set off contentious school board meetings and multiple lawsuits.

 . . . According to the lawsuit, student “Anne Roe,” transferred to Bethel Middle School in January of 2020. Her parents informed the school that their daughter was transgender and the school set up access for Anne to use single-occupancy restrooms scattered across school grounds. In an affidavit, Anne shared that this arrangement caused her to avoid going to the bathroom during the day, because the restrooms were “frequently occupied whenever she needed to use [them], and she felt ostracized, humiliated, and targeted by other students who taunted her for using the separate bathroom.”

 Anne’s parents requested that she be able to use the girls’ communal restroom in addition to the single-occupancy spaces. The school agreed to the request. The decision set off months of school board meetings that featured anti-trans rhetoric and two lawsuits: a state one – currently ongoing – regarding whether the board’s actions violated open meeting law and a federal one alleging that the school was discriminating against their cisgender children by allowing trans students’ access to restrooms.

All of this nonsense simply to stop one trans child from using the bathroom which corresponds with her gender identity. So unnecssary.

'It's time to stand up for Megan Rapinoe with gratitude' & other Tue midday news briefs

Megan Rapinoe

It’s time to stand up for Megan Rapinoe with gratitude - Amen. The folks on the right are attacking her at a low moment. We need to stand up for one of our own. Especially in light of how vocal she has been for the community. 

 This gay “hipster grandpa” is a world-famous fashion icon with one simple message - I really like this article. I'm getting up there myself and would like to do more to show our kids how special and undefeated they are. 

American Red Cross to allow gay men to donate blood - In case you haven't heard. 

California investigates district's parental notification policy on students' gender identity - Good. We don't need to be putting LGBTQ+ kids in danger.

Florida caves on AP Psychology. Controversy latest problem for DeSantis as his campaign faces repercussions from his 'war on woke.'

UPDATE - Unfortunately, this post was partly correct. While it seems that Florida capitulated, so much uncertainty was created that schools are canceling AP Psychology classes. 

Chalk the following up as another embarrassment for FL Gov Ron DeSantis as his "war on woke" seems to be slowly but surely wrecking his presidential campaign.

From MSNBC:

Florida and the College Board appear to have come to a resolution over the inclusion of LGBTQ topics in the state’s Advanced Placement Psychology classes. The resolve came a day after the education nonprofit said the state "effectively banned" the course due to its content on sexual orientation and gender identity. In a letter shared with school superintendents Friday, Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. said the department "is not discouraging districts from teaching AP Psychology."

 "In fact, the Department believes that AP Psychology can be taught in its entirety in a manner that is age and developmentally appropriate and the course remains listed in our course catalog," Diaz wrote. In a statement shared with NBC News on Monday, the College Board — which administers the SAT and college-level classes to high school students — responded to the Florida Department of Education's new guidance with a mix of hope and skepticism.

 . . . In its Thursday statement, the College Board said the Florida Department of Education had "effectively banned AP Psychology in the state by instructing Florida superintendents that teaching foundational content on sexual orientation and gender identity is illegal under state law." Florida’s Parental Rights in Education act, or what critics have dubbed the "Don’t Say Gay" law, restricts the instruction of sexual orientation and gender identity in the state’s classrooms. 

 When contacted by NBC News on Thursday, the department denied that it had banned the course, though it did not answer questions on whether it tried to restrict the course's LGBTQ content. Florida's so-called Don't Say Gay law was signed last year by Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican who is running for president. 

 LGBTQNation called it a 'humiliating defeat' for DeSantis and it couldn't have happened at a worse time. For all of his talking about a reset of his presidential campaign, he is still struggling far behind GOP front runner Donald Trump (even after Trump's recent indictments).

Also, several deep pocketed donors seem to be backing away from his campaign with their reason being DeSantis's over-reliance on his 'culture war.' According to Reuters:

Hotel entrepreneur Robert Bigelow, the biggest individual donor to a group supporting Ron DeSantis' presidential bid, told Reuters on Friday he will not donate more money unless the Florida governor attracts new major donors and adopts a more moderate approach. 

 The comments by Bigelow, who gave $20 million to the pro-DeSantis "Never Back Down" super PAC in March, underscore donor concerns about the Florida governor's struggling campaign, which has been unable to make a dent in former President Donald Trump's huge lead for the 2024 Republican nomination.

Donors aren't the only ones turning their backs on DeSantis. Recently, several former GOP governors and lawmakers publicly said that his attack on Disney (a key component in his 'war on woke') is “severely damaging to the political, social, and economic fabric of the State."

And all the while, some folks are saying that his "arrogance" is the reason for many of his missteps.

'DeSantis war against Disney has damaged Florida, former GOP governors and lawmakers say' & other Mon midday news briefs

DeSantis' retaliation against Disney hurts Florida, former governors and lawmakers say - And they are right.

America’s Pediatricians Reiterate Support for Gender-Affirming Care - Nice to see this group stepping up for gender-affirming care. 

Polling suggests that defeating 'woke' policies in schools and government is not a priority for most Republican voters - The so-called 'war on woke' is tiring for everybody. 

Free speech wins as Des Moines pauses LGBTQ+ school book removal - A small victory. But still a victory. 

 14 LGBTQ+ TV Shows and Movies to Watch in August 2023 - Be on the lookout.