News Flash - Prop 8 WAS about hate . . . and fear . . . and exploitation

I was reading comments on various issues last night and ran into something which got me angry.

I forget where but the commentator was running that line about how the fight for Proposition 8 was not about hatred but to "protect marriage." And then the commentator segued into the same talking points about how "unfair" it is that those who don't support marriage equality are considered as "haters."

And it got me angry because I realized just how much lgbt brothers and sisters let pass when we are besieged by these arguments. We seem to be put on the defensive by this argument only because we don't get specific.

Whenever I hear someone whine about how the opposition to marriage equality is not about hatred, I make it a point to remind them that if it weren't, then why is there any need to push the false idea that somehow marriage equality will harm children:

 

How marriage equality opponents exploited the argument against marriage equality to appeal to people's fear about their children is a subject we haven't talked about enough. It's a very appropriate subject because this exploitation was used not only in the Prop 8 ballot initiative but others as well, including that in Maryland. And remember, according to Mark Mutty, organizer who worked against marriage equality in Maryland (unsuccessfully I might add), this is argument is untrue and is used to garner attention via fear:



Maybe it's just me, but from where I come from, it is rather bigoted imply that lgbt equality will somehow harm children. It's an implication which those who oppose marriage equality have used time and time again. And unfortunately, we don't do enough to remind them of this fact.

Know Your LGBT History - 'You Are My Friend'

Nowadays, the younger set of gay men fawn over singers like Beyonce and Lady Gaga with their outrageous costumes and dance moves as well as their voices.

Of course, at the risk of sounding like an old queen, in my day it was all about the voice. The pipes. And nothing could move a black gay man like someone who could bring the audience to their knees with a strong vocal delivery.

I've talked about the late singer Sylvester on many occasions in my "Know Your LGBT History" posts, but this is a special one because it emphasizes cultural differences in our community.

The song "You Are My Friend" was written and recorded in 1978 by Patti Labelle and it remains a favorite in her concerts. However, in his 1979 album Living Proof, Sylvester actually did the impossible - he took the song from Patti and made it his own.

Listen to this live recording of the song with Sylvester accompanied by his two back up singers, Martha Wash and Izora Rhodes (who later became the Weather Girls and recorded the classic "It's Raining Men" in the 80s).

For many gay black men of my generation, to listen to this song  or to see a live lip synch performance was   considered as a rite of passage. It combined so many things that we love - a good song, excellent singers, and the foot stomping, shoe removing, self-wig snatching of a good church service.

Past Know Your LGBT History Posts:

Anti-gay rapper needs to be set straight on black, lgbt history, identities

 According to the Huffington Post:

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis's marriage equality anthem "Same Love" may have rocked the Grammy Awards, but one Texas-based Christian rapper has condemned the track in a very disturbing way.

As The Houston Chronicle is reporting, Bizzle refutes the popular comparisons of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights movement to the civil rights struggles of the African-American community.

At first I was going to ignore this monstrosity but after reading Bizzle's lyrics, I felt that a gauntlet had been thrown down and it's my duty as an lgbt of color to pick it up. These lyrics in general:

"You'd rather fight God than fight sin," Bizzle rhymes on the track. "The Bible is alright until it calls what you like sin/And I feel so disrespected that you were so desperate/You would compare your sexual habits to my skin."

He then adds, "You can play straight, we can never play white ... 

So apparently Bizzle belongs to the contingent of African-Americans who proclaim the lgbt civil rights movement isn't the same as the African-American civil rights movement. I'm familiar with that bunch, especially of the fact that they scream so loud that no one else with a differing opinion can get a word edgewise in the conversation.

Let's go to school, Bizzle. Any African-American who chooses to use the Bible to bash lgbts are woefully ignorant of their own history in this country when that same book was used to justify slavery and segregation. Furthermore, any African-American who even pushes the idea that "gays can pretend to be straight but blacks can't pretend to be white" show more ignorance. As it was, there were some African-Americans who were light enough to pretend to be white. The term was called "passing" and just like lgbts who seek to hide in the closet, some African-Americans "passed" in order to sidestep hate and discrimination.

So basically, if one would look at the collected history of the lgbt community and the black community in America, one would find many similarities. Both of our communities have been the victims of spiritual, emotional, and physical violence based upon antiquated concepts of inferiority.

I am so damn tired of the ignorance expressed by folks like Bizzle and I am so tired of their need to sacrifice historical reflection for the sake of being bombastic or self-righteous. Lastly, I am tired of being their whipping boy, of having my life psychologically dissected for their benefit. I am not a dead frog in science class that you can cut open and remove the parts that you don't like.

I am an African-American lgbt, I will not be muzzled or forced to choose between two identities. I cannot choose to be black or gay. Hell, I DO NOT want to choose to be black or gay. Both identities provide the crucial, cultural ingredients which make me the fascinating and unstoppable uncrowned male diva that I am.

I am person who is uncompromisingly black and unapologetically gay. Deal with it.

Anti-gay Republican should be pitied for hypocrisy and hubris

Agema

Dave Agema won't go away.

Agema is the Republican National Committee member from Michigan whose past and recent comments about lgbts and Islam are so noxious that members of his own party are demanding that he resign. Agema, however, refuses to. Instead, he has chosen to nail himself to the cross of martyrdom.

In a recent interview, Agema makes himself seem like the victim of an alleged left-wing plot to silence conservatives:

"They will use fear, intimidation, physical threats – I can't tell you how many of those I got," he said on the air.  

"... They put fear into everybody's heart when they see me and other people like Chick-fil-A and Phil Robertson, Evander Holyfield, even 'The Bachelor' now." . . . "So I think we need people to stand up," he continued. "It's the old saying: All that's necessary for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing ... and my wife and I prayed about it, we were on our knees, we had people here praying about it – and we just came to the conclusion: If I don't stand, then who?"

Of course, the article, published by the right-wing One News Now, didn't say exactly what Agema has been saying. Allow me to rectify that error with a little enhancement on my part.

Last year on his facebook page, Agema claimed that he had "reams of studies" proving homosexuality to be a so-called dangerous lifestyle.  He originally cited information from Dr. Frank Joseph, a physician whom no one has ever heard of.  The information cited is called Everyone Should Know These Statistics on Homosexuals.

But there is something I noticed about Joseph's information which needs to be stated.

Those who have read this blog should remember this book on the left because I have referred to it many times. It is an awful comic book published in the late 1980s by a man named Dave Hafer called Deathstyle. It, as Joseph's piece cited by Agema, also purported to give "statistics" about homosexuality.

In fact, if one would compare Hafer's comic book and Joseph's piece, one would see startling similarities.

Joseph:

Homosexuals live unhealthy lifestyles, and have historically accounted for the bulk of syphilis, gonorrhea, Hepatitis B, the "gay bowel syndrome" (which attacks the intestinal tract), tuberculosis and cytomegalovirus

Hafer:

 

Joseph:

37% of homosexuals engage in sadomasochism, which accounts for many accidental deaths. In San Francisco, classes were held to teach homosexuals how to not kill their partners during sadomasochism.

Hafer:

Joseph:

Homosexuals are 100 times more likely to be murdered (usually by another homosexual) than the average person, 25 times more likely to commit suicide, and 19 times more likely to die in a traffic accident. 21% of lesbians die of murder, suicide or traffic accident, which is at a rate of 534 times higher than the number of white heterosexual females aged 25-44 who die of these things.

Hafer:

Joseph:

 Homosexuals prey on children. 33% of homosexuals ADMIT to minor/adult sex. There is a notable homosexual group, consisting of thousands of members, known as the North American Man and Boy Love Association ( NAMBLA). This is a child molesting homosexual group whose cry is "SEX BEFORE 8 BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE." This group can be seen marching in most major homosexual parades across the United States. Homosexuals commit more than 33% of all reported child molestations in the United States, which, assuming homosexuals make up 2% of the population, means that 1 in 20 homosexuals is a child molester, while 1 in 490 heterosexuals is a child molester.

Hafer:

 

Both Hafer's comic book and Joseph's piece are filled with false information coming from cherry-picked sources published decades ago or just plain bad studies from junk science sources. One source in particular which they both share, Paul Cameron, is a man who has been either censured or dismissed from several medical associations for his bad research methodologies and outrageously homophobic claims. Amongst other things, Cameron has claimed that gay men "seduce" children on a regular basis, that is when they are not stuffing gerbils up their rectums.

But Agema not sees nothing wrong with citing Joseph. In fact he thinks it's more than appropriate.

One word which comes to mind whenever I read about Agema is not morality but hubris. Hubris is defined by extreme pride or arrogance. Hubris often indicates a loss of contact with reality and an overestimation of one's own competence, accomplishments or capabilities, especially when the person exhibiting it is in a position of power. 

In this case, it's Agema's insisting that his statements against homosexuality is akin to standing up for Biblical principles but every time he utters them, he contradicts those principles because while it is up for debate whether or not homosexuality is a sin, it is definitely factual to call bearing false witness a sin.

The sad thing is that Agema doesn't even realize it.

Agema's not to be admired. He's to be pitied.

'LGBT community wins two victories in the courts' and other Thursday midday news briefs

Editor's note - Due to the snow storm and me catching up with work at my regular job, I was only able to publish two posts today. Plus, as you will read on about, something WONDERFUL has happened to me recently:

Court: Transgender Student's Rights Were Violated - Good for the courts for show common sense. Anti-gay fear tactics about bathrooms are just vulgar

California 'Gay Therapy' Ban Won't Be Revisited By Court - And another victory for our lgbt children. It's been a GOOD day! 

  Video: To clear name of anti-gay extremism, Dave Agema goes on America's most extreme anti-gay show - Bryan Fischer and Dave Agema have a "love-fest" on the subject of who hates gays more. No spontaneous combustion took place. Darn. 

 NRO: We'll Lose Our Freedom If Businesses Have To Treat Gay People Like Everyone Else - When comes to things like this, let these folks dig their own graves by their own words. 

 AND FINALLY (drum roll, please . . .) 

  GLAAD announces nominees for 25th Annual GLAAD Media Awards - Congratulations to all of the nominees, including THIS BLOG which walked away with a nomination for Outstanding Blog of the Year. It's such an honor for me to receive this nomination and I am simply floored by it. Actually that's not true because I've been walking on air all day. I want to thank everyone who supported this blog over the years and gave me words of encouragement, especially last week. The entire list of nominees for Outstanding Blog of the Year is impressive and I am equally honored to be included in such incredible company. The entire list:

Autostraddle

Elixher

Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters

The New Civil Rights Movement

TransGriot

The voices of children in same-sex households should not be ignored

I will agree with the anti-gay right about one thing (don't pass out) regarding the argument over marriage equality. Part of it is about the children. What bothers me to the highest level is how they seem to always frame the actuality of same-sex families as an untested hypothetical. The fact of the matter is that with or without the right to marry, same-sex couples raising children exist. They have existed before all of our attention was turned towards marriage equality and will continue to exist should the lgbt community lose this battle. But we will not lose.

 The one thing I want to emphasize in this post are in fact the children. Children who are in same-sex families. Not some religious right talking head spinning tales of woe, but actual boys and girls talking about their families. Their voices need to be heard.

The video above is of Riley Hackford-Peer at a recent rally for marriage equality in Utah. Listen to him. Does this sound like a damaged child to you?

Kirk Cameron wins the award for the tackiest anti-gay Grammy outrage statement

Kirk Cameron

I've believed for quite a while that the lgbt community must be careful not to have our desire for fairness and equality be portrayed as being the opposite of religious beliefs.

Not only do many lgbts consider themselves people of faith, but there are also many heterosexual people of faith who correctly do not believe that homosexuality is a sin. And if I can take the argument further than that, the lgbt community can live in harmony with those who do believe that homosexuality in fact is a sin even when demanding and receiving equality treatment under the law.

The problem lies in the fact that there is a number of organizations and spokespeople who exploit the fears, egos, and beliefs of those do regard homosexuality as a sin. These instigators, if you will, spread the false message that since homosexuality is a sin, then naturally almost everything negative about lgbts can be believed, from the false notion that we recruit children to the ridiculous idea that we actually want to put Christians in jail.

The goal of these anti-gay groups and spokespeople is not to uphold Christian values, but to build their reputations and gain access to money and power on the backs of naivety. Christianity is merely a prop for them to attain this goal.

A perfect example of this is none other than former child actor and now "born-again Christian" Kirk Cameron.

Recently, Cameron became one of the many anti-gay spokespeople to register outrage at the recent Grammy performance of artists Macklemore & Lewis in which 33 couples - both opposite and same-sex - were wed onstage.

But Cameron's statement was rather odd. According to the Huffington Post, he made the following statement on his facebook page:

 In the post -- which has since been deleted from his Facebook but saved in a screen grab by The Wrap -- Cameron wrote, in part:

How did you like the Grammy's all out assault on the traditional family? As a husband and father, I am proud to announce the release of my new family movie, MERCY RULE. Last night, the lines were drawn thick and dark. Now more than ever, we must work together to create the world we want for our children. I'm hoping that just as Fireproof restored marriages, MERCY RULE will strengthen families.

The Huffington Post points out:

The post was, undoubtedly, a means of self-promotion for the 43-year-old's newest flick, "Mercy Rule," which co-stars his wife and is apparently about "family, faith and baseball." Self-promotion drenched in homophobia, that is.

More like drenched in homophobia and extreme tackiness.

Since when is being tacky a Christian value?

'Another anti-Christian victimization story turns out to be a lie' and other Wednesday midday news briefs

Another Religious Right Tale Of Anti-Christian Victimization Gets Thoroughly Debunked - If Fox News's Todd Starnes worked for a legitimate publication and made the same errors he is making now, he would be run out of the business and wouldn't be able to get work even in making copies in a company specializing in creating wedding invitations.

In video to Utah anti-equality rally, Robert Oscar López again equates adoptive parents with slave owners - Robert Oscar Lopez continues his sad war against same-sex families.

Amended same-sex marriage ban advances to Indiana Senate - All together now . . . booooo! hiss! 

NOM Attacks Obamas For Inviting Gay Athlete Jason Collins To State Of The Union - Simply ridiculous!

Beyonce and Satan? Anti-gay criticism of Grammy awards reaches silly low

While watching various anti-gay groups and spokespeople criticize Sunday's Grammy awards for the mass same-sex marriages, it's interesting to watch them jockey for position in terms of how "shocked and angry" they are.

But I think by a wide mile, the following bizarre comments by the American Family Association's Bryan Fischer should win some type of award. Just don't let Jay-Z know what he said about Beyonce:

Illinois Bishop compares anti-gay exorcism to punishing disobedient children

When Illinois made marriage equality legal last year, Bishop Thomas John Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois took it upon himself to perform what he called a "minor" exorcism on the state. In this clip, he explains why he did such an action.

If you ask me, he really should have kept him mouth shut. It begins as semi-comical combined with a little insulting then moves to extremely insulting at the end when he explains how what he did wasn't hatred, but "love," such as the love of parents who punish their children. It reminds me of that scene in The Color Purple when one character's father tells him why it is necessary to physically abuse his wife.  I guess that's the only good thing about this clip. Paprocki totally dismantles the phony "I am opposing lgbt equality because I love them and want them to stop their 'behavior'" fallacy.

He comes across as self-righteous, ignorant, and highly deluded, which are common traits many who push that fallacy share.

 Hat tip to Right Wing Watch.

'Utah rally pushing anti-gay image regarding gays & children' and other Tuesday midday news briefs

The good news is that the longer those who oppose marriage equality push such nasty images (particularly in light of the fact that many children are being raised by gays and lesbians), the speedier they are hurtling themselves to the demise of their argument. The bad news is that they push such a vile image in the first place. More on this via Jeremy Hooper from Goodasyou.org

In other news:

Fischer: Performing Gay Marriages At The Grammys Was An 'Abomination' Because Same-Sex Parenting Is 'A Form Of Child Abuse' - Keep talking, Bryan. Keep talking.

Binyavanga Wainaina, Gay Kenyan Author, Hopes To Boost LGBT Rights With Coming Out - I commend this author. He is brave, bigtime. 

 Indian Supreme Court Refuses To Reconsider Lifting Ban On Gay Sex - Well #@!^

Clerk defending Nevada's marriage equality ban changes his mind

Here is something interesting out of Nevada. A clerk defending the state's ban on marriage equality has changed his mind:

One of the people defending Nevada’s same-sex marriage ban, Carson City Clerk Alan Glover, has filed a letter with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to withdraw his brief in defense of the law. The filing notes that he’s no longer opposed to the same-sex couples’ position in the case. He’s intending to file a notice of “non-opposition” with the appeals court.

According to his letter, the change in position is based on the Ninth Circuit’s recently-decided case, SmithKline Beecham v. Abbott Laboratories, in which the court held that a heightened form of judicial scrutiny applies to cases in which same-sex couples allege discrimination. 

Because the court now considers sexual orientation to be a “quasi-suspect” classification warranting more judicial scrutiny, the letter suggests, the clerk is less concerned about the broad reach of any eventual decision: it would be tied to sexual orientation claims and wouldn’t reach polygamy claims.

The Nevada ban is still being defended by Governor Sandoval, through the state attorney general’s office, along with the Coalition for the Protection of Marriage.

Saturday Night Live skewers Sochi just in time for Olympic games

When  I saw this SNL Weekend Update moment on the Sochi Olympics, I felt kinda guilty because I laughed my ass off. However, in lieu of recent derogatory comments made by the mayor of Sochi regarding gays not being in his town (and a reader who reminded me of the SNL Weekend Update moment), I figured what the hell:

'Right-wing media throw hissy fit over marriages at Grammy awards' and other Monday midday news briefs

Right-Wing Media Freak Out Over Same-Sex Marriages At The Grammys - Another bit of proof that the performance was a smashing success. Just one of the comments:

Doesn't Fox News's Todd Starnes remind you of a stereotypically sexually repressed character from a 1970s motion picture who would get caught in an unusually compromising situation at the ending?

Kansas And South Dakota Consider ‘Licenses To Discriminate’ Against Same-Sex Couples - It will ultimately fail in the courts (I hope) but until then, these laws promises to cause the lgbt community a lot of trouble.

 Jason Collins to attend State of the Union - Sweeeet! Now can some basketball team please employ this young man.  

This week: Two state marriage rallies to feature extreme speakers - And they swear they don't know why they are losing.

 Sochi Mayor Says There Are No Gay People In His City - Translation - "boy does my city suck. why is the Lord punishing me by sticking me in this boring place."

Macklemore & Lewis's Grammy performance inspires our children

Without question, the most memorable moment last night at the Grammys was Macklemore & Lewis's performance of "Same Love" (accompanied by Mary Lambert, Queen Latifah, and Madonna) when 34 gay and heterosexual couples were married. Never mind what the anti-gay right will say. Their outrage is predictable.

But some folks on our side have whined about "publicity stunts" and such. I say "hush up already." Now usually, I'm one for condemning the seemingly mixture of lgbt culture and the fascination with celebrity.

However in this case, I am making a huge exception. For all of the possibly justifiable faults, the one thing which stands out for me about this performance is its potential.  In many places in America and the world, some lgbt child watched that performance and probably realized that in spite of all of the lies, ugly words and hate he/she has to endure from some people, the happy ending of love with that special someone is still possible.

You would be surprised how that one thing, which may seem insignificant in the face of all of the whining about a "publicity stunt," is probably the most powerful and enduring thing of all.

Editor's note - just in case the above video gets pulled from youtube, see it here on Buzzfeed.

'How I nearly quit blogging today but changed my mind' and other Friday midday news briefs

After over seven years of blogging, I finally ran into a post which made me contemplate chucking the entire thing: 

C-SPAN becomes latest outlet to give Tony Perkins an undeserved, egregious pass - From my blogging pal Jeremy Hooper came this post about how Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council was able to appear on C-SPAN, give the visage of innocence, and swear (without the courtesy of lightning striking) how organizations like his doesn't engage in "inciting rhetoric." And boom! An epiphany struck me square in the heart. What in the hell have I been doing these seven and a half years. I'm 43-years-old and feel like I have been digging in a desert because sometimes it seems that my efforts to address anti-gay propaganda is doing no good. I don't do this stuff for free. I do it because it's a way that I feel that I can contribute to the lgbt community - in tribute to those who have been hurt by these lies in the past and in pursuit of a future in which our lgbt children can make good choices about their lies unencumbered with folks setting land mines on their self-esteem. It's not enough for me to blog about any old thing. I have to be accomplishing something, putting something down that the entire lgbt community can use. And I swear sometimes I feel like I am getting absolutely NOWHERE when folks like Perkins can get away with stuff like this.

 I appreciate my readers and those who support me but it's a DRAG when I realize how those who have more power to address the issue of anti-gay propaganda DO NOT address the issue. But then we get caught up in issues like should Tom Daily and Dustin Lance Black should be dating. Sorry but I could care less who is dating who. But I do care when someone in my church repeats a lie that a pro-gay law will lead to pedophilia because a "Christian spokesman" on a news program said so. And sometimes I feel like the master of a dead art because very few people in our community seem to be interested in studying how these anti-gay groups operate  instead of simply calling them "bigots" and making lewd comments about their body parts on Facebook.

So I was going to pull the Yoda trick from Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith and retire in seclusion, hoping that one day someone would get where I was coming from. But then I remembered that a family trait of mine is a certain stubbornness in that we never like to stop a task before we finish it. In plain English, it would stick in my craw if I were to stop now before I could get to the point where I am satisfied enough to say "I've done my duty." So I decided that I will do something probably fruitless but spiritually satisfying (keep reading below):

How They See Us: Unmasking the Religious Right War on Gay America - This link will take you to the exact adobe acrobat copy of my booklet. NOT a webpage that will allow you to read it or download it but the copy of the booklet itself. I've been pushing this booklet for over a year now so many of you are probably tired of it, but it's important. Years from now when it's all said and done, people are going to want to know the real story of lgbt equality, as well as anti-gay propaganda and oppression. Who knows? Maybe this book can give them the answer. At any rate, if you haven't read it yet, now you don't have to go through so many changes to read it. And if you have read it, you can email it to others, maybe perhaps some legislators (hint, hint.)

In other news (if I haven't driven you nuts already):

Focus On The Family: Nondiscrimination Protections Discriminate Against Christians - Yes it doesn't make sense but this IS Focus on the Family we are talking about.

How To Write About Transgender People - A lesson we ALL need to learn.

Sabrina Franco, 4 Year Old, Pens Letter Asking Australian Prime Minister To Legalize Gay Marriage - On the subject of marriage equality, the children seem to always make more sense than the adults.

Jon Stewart presents . . .The 2014 Sochi Homophobic Olympics

How in the world did I miss this? Jon Stewart calls out worldwide homophobia in relation to the upcoming Sochi Games as only he can in his irrepressible style.

NOM's Brian Brown wants to impeach VA attorney general for support of marriage equality

I'm such a bad boy for enjoying this but I can't help myself.

One of the delights of the recent announcement of VA's Attorney General Mark Herring's recent announcement that he will be fighting against the state's ban on marriage equality is the reaction of anti-gay groups.

Particularly the National Organization for Marriage, whose president, Brian Brown, threw a hissy fit and called for Herring's impeachment:

Virginia gives Brian Brown something to weep about.

"The Attorney General swore an oath that he would 'support...the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Virginia' and faithfully discharge his duties, which include defending duly enacted laws like the state's marriage amendment," said Brian Brown, NOM's president. "Yet now Attorney General Herring is participating in a lawsuit against the very people he is sworn to represent, the citizens of Virginia who preserved marriage in their constitution. This malfeasance and neglect of duty is not only a disgrace, it's an impeachable offense under the constitution."

Nice try, Bri-Bri, but according to Think Progress, Herring's decision is not without precedent:

The oath of office for the Attorney General of Virginia — which Herring took earlier this month — includes a solemn vows first to “support the constitution of the United States” and second to support “the constitution of the Commonwealth of Virginia.” Article VI, Clause 2 of the United States Constitution makes clear that the federal constitution takes precedence over state constitutions — so when the two are in conflict, it is absolutely up to the Attorney General to make that decision. As the person duly elected to make that judgment, Herring, rather than an un-elected lobbyist or state legislators who choose to ignore the federal constitution’s supremacy, is exactly the person tasked by Virginia’s citizenry with determining which laws to defend.

Moreover, two recent Republican Attorneys General of Virginia — both Family Foundation favorites who had the support of Howell and Marshall — also made clear that they would not defend what they believed to be unconstitutional. In 2003, then-Attorney General Jerry Kilgore joined dozens of his counterparts from other states in signing a brief claiming that he was duty bound to challenge any statute he believed be unconstitutional. A year later, the Family Foundation’s Cobb donated to his gubernatorial campaign and she even served on one of his advisory boards.

Herring’s immediate predecessor, Ken Cuccinelli II, also refused to defend laws he deemed unconstitutional. Last year, one of his spokesmen noted, “If the attorney general’s analysis shows that a law is unconstitutional, he has a legal obligation to not defend it.” Indeed in 2009, Cuccinelli himself said in a debate, “I will not defend what I, in my judgment, deem to be an unconstitutional law.” “If I determine it not to be constitutional,” he explained then, “I will not defend it. My first obligation is to the Constitution and the people of Virginia.”

Don't you just love it when members of the anti-gay right throw useless tantrums. Maybe we will be lucky the next time things go our way. Perhaps Brown will threaten to hold his breath.

'NOM ally REALLY despises same-sex families' and other Thursday midday news briefs

Lopez

Robert Oscar López remains hopeful that kids of gays will grow up to resent them - Meet and familiarize yourselves with Robert Oscar Lopez. He is allegedly a bisexual man who was raised in a same-sex households. And one more thing - he absolutely DESPISES same-sex households. He isn't that well known but pretty soon he probably will be. The National Organization for Marriage and other anti-gay groups will no doubt be utilizing his "services" to the fullest in order to demonize same-sex families.

Lopez has also:

-- Equated same-sex adoption with "cultural genocide once used against blacks and Indians": "The gay community is now entirely allied to the cultural genocide practices once used against blacks and Indians, since they are determined to say that, in the words of Nancy Polikoff, genetics doesn't matter as long as an adoptive couple can sway the powers that be to award them children. It all feels new and shiny to the gay community, because to them it's a way to overcome past inequality. But they are repeating the same genocidal practices of the past."

-- Without any evidence, claimed that the late Tyler Clementi probably "had liaisons with men who were older than eighteen and committing statutory rape."

-- Slurred same-sex parents as "slavers buying children from poor surrogate mums overseas": "The testimonials from happy children of same-sex couples are obviously handpicked and staged to maximize the value of propaganda, but a gullible populace won't ask what isn't being printed or broadcast. A gullible populace prefers ingesting whatever is printed or broadcast. 'Love' is a meaningless mantra, like 'nobody is really listening to your phone calls' or "we need drones for national security purposes" out of the mouth of Obama; but in a country where people are swayed by Obama's silky voice, why would people not be swayed by gay couples saying, 'we aren't slavers buying children from poor surrogate mums overseas, we love our kids'?

In other news: 

Harvey: 'Gays Are All Closeted Heterosexuals' - Girlfriend, have I got news for you . . .  

Nigeria: Thousands of protesters throw stones into court urging executions of gay men - Simply barbaric! 

Indiana GOP Leader Moves Failing Marriage Equality Ban To More Conservative Committee (UPDATE) - Thus saith the Lord: Thou shalt do underhanded sneaky stuff when you can't get your way through fair means.  

"Transgender Dysphoria Blues" Is Proof That Rock Still Matters - Love this post!

Virginia attorney general will fight against marriage equality ban

Herring

In Virginia comes a reminder to the lgbt community how important it is to vote.  Just a year ago,  state officials were hostile to the idea of marriage equality.  After last year's election in which Democrats swept into high office, a new administration is embracing the idea. This includes a new attorney general who has publicly vowed to fight the anti-marriage equality law.

From the Washington Post:

Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring will announce Thursday that he believes the state’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional and that Virginia will join two same-sex couples in asking a federal court to strike it down, according to an official close to the attorney general with knowledge about the decision.

The action will mark a stunning reversal in the state’s legal position on same-sex marriage and is a result of November elections in which Democrats swept the state’s top offices. Herring’s predecessor, Republican Ken Cuccinelli II, adamantly opposes gay marriage and had vowed to defend Virginia’s constitutional amendment banning such unions, which was passed in 2006 with the support of 57 percent of voters.

No doubt anti-gay groups aren't exactly happy over this news and we will be hearing their nonsense momentarily.