Misinformation & lies are what Trump and anti-lgbt right have in common

The press is making a huge issue how Donald Trump lies with impunity and his supporters don't seem to care. I'm glad that they are realizing this sort of thing, but it's not necessarily indicative of just Trump.

In the nine and a half plus years I've tracked the anti-lgbt right, I've seen the same thing happen continuously. Only hardly anyone in the mainstream seemed to have cared how so-called religious right groups distort science and truth to demonize lgbts and spread all sorts of bad information to their supporters and the public. Maybe this emphasis on Trump will bleed down to them. But I doubt it.

Case in point, this lovely "poll question" courtesy of the American Family Association's One News Now with regards to gender and sexual orientation. It makes no sense whatsoever, but I don't think One News Now cares about making sense or spreading truth:

Wanda Sykes on being black and gay

Editor's note - Today's news briefs will be postponed due to a personal matter

Donald Trump is like a blob creature from a science fiction movie. He has overwhelmed all of the press and media attention. In times like this, I like to sit back and reflect. And comedy is a big help in this department.

The clip below is comedian Wanda Sykes talking about being black and gay. Whether you agree with her or not, she is hilarious and on point:

'Grindr scandal hits Catholic Church in Ireland' & other Thur. midday news briefs

Grindr scandal rocks Catholic Church

Bishop Removes Priests From Irish Seminary Over Grindr Claims - I  think that the Pope needs to stop attacking transgender men and women and tend to his own garden. Just a personal observation there. 

The Stunning Hypocrisy of Marco Rubio - Talk about "tolerance" all you want, but don't expect lgbts to tolerate fake people such as Marco Rubio. Don't give sympathy for crimes committed against us and then align yourself with anti-lgbt hate groups.

  Log Cabin continues to mull Trump endorsement - Uh . . y'all . . . I'm just saying . . .  

Michigan Supreme Court denies lesbians parental rights - Ugly bit of business. More complicated than the headline makes it seem.

 Asian-American LGBT Groups Find Support in Growing Community Giving Circles - This is a group I've yet to feature (Apologies).

Is Donald Trump a friend of the lgbt community? #@&* NO!

Just a reminder from my friend, Matt Baume. No matter what some badly processed skunk haired individual (who shall remain nameless) and other, shall we say, financially well placed individuals may think, Donald Trump is no friend to the lgbt community:

'Anti-lgbt Congressman loses primary' & other Wed. midday news briefs

Bye, Felicia, I mean Tim Huselskamp

Anti-LGBT Congressman Tim Huelskamp Loses Re-Election Bid - One down, so many others to go. But before we consider anything else, let's just get a bit joyous!! We've outlasted another one.

MLB umpire ejected Phillies fan for anti-gay heckle - It's the little victories which mean the most . . .  

This Year’s Olympics Will Have The Highest Number Of LGBT Athletes Ever - Would be wonderful news except . . . well read the article.  

If You’re Gay And Support Trump, You Don’t Care About The Rest Of Us - A serious line in the sand article, but I agree wholeheartedly with it.

Anti-gay groups running away from Congressional 'religious freedom' bill

Religious right groups are running away from a Congressional bill they once pushed to supposedly protect those whose religious beliefs are against marriage equality.

Groups such as The American Family Association and the Family Research Council were at first trumpeting the First Amendment Defense Act as something Congress needed to pass. The bill at first read:

 The Federal Government shall not take any discriminatory action against a person, wholly or partially on the basis that such person believes or acts in accordance with a religious belief or moral conviction that marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman, or that sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage.

But then the language of the bill got edited to cover the religious beliefs of those who are for marriage equality:
 

The Federal Government shall not take any discriminatory action against a person, wholly or partially on the basis that such person believes, speaks, or acts in accordance with a sincerely held religious belief or moral conviction that marriage is or should be recognized as the union of two individuals of the opposite sex; or two individuals of the same sex; or extramarital relations are improper.

That's when religious right groups began withdrawing their support from the bill. According to blogger Joe Jervis, three religious right groups - the Family Research Council, the American Family Association, and the Liberty Counsel - no longer support FADA because of the new language.

Poor babies. They found out that they aren't special.

'Seattle bans 'ex-gay' therapy for minors' & other Tue. midday news briefs

Seattle bans 'ex-gay' therapy for minors

Seattle Bans Conversion Therapy for Minors - Go, Seattle!! 

‘Family’ Group Leader Isn’t Happy About Harvey Milk’s Navy Honor - "Family" group my ass! You mean "hate" group.

  How Queer Equality Became Wrapped In Faith And Patriotism At The Democratic National Convention - The three entities can overlap. They always could.

 Pat McCrory To Use Disaster Relief Funds To Defend Anti-LGBT Law HB2 - McCrory is a walking disaster, as is HB2. That's the first time a state has used disaster relief funds to fight for a disaster.

Trump's team got Khan smear from man who says Jesus will kill gays

Theodore Shoebat

Unless you have been in suspended animation, you know that GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump took valuable time away from campaigning to engage in a war of words with Khizr Khan, the Gold Star Muslim father of  U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan who was killed in 2004 in Iraq. Khan totally shamed Trump in a speech during last week's DNC convention because of Trump's constant demonization of the Muslim community.

Instead of allowing the incident to pass with a generic comment accepting Khan's opinion, Trump has allowed his ego to dictate a fruitless war of words against Khan and his family, thereby demonstrating himself to be an absolute monster with no impulse control.

And it gets worse.

Trump's team and supporters are smearing Khan - and his late son - as terrorists. Naturally, this is causing Trump to be hit with criticism from all sides, as well he should.

Thanks to The Daily Beast, we now know where Trump's team got this smear:

At 10:40 on Sunday evening, a long-time adviser to Donald Trump tweeted that Khizr Khan—the gold star father who’s emerged as one of the candidate’s most effective critics—was an “agent” of an Islamist cabal. It’s an opinion, less than a day later, that’s become an article of faith to many in Trumpworld. It’s also the product of the fevered imagination of Theodore “Shoebat,” the pseudonymous conspiracy theorist and Islamophobe who has made a career of spreading nonsense. That is, when he’s not calling himself a “proud fascist.” His dad and fellow conspiracy-monger, Walid, isn’t much better. He swears that Zika is a punishment from God, and likens homosexuality to cannibalism.

Theodore Shoebat is known to many of us watchdogs of anti-lgbt propaganda. His statements are so vile they have to been seen and heard to be believed.

Mississippi's anti-lgbt law loses again in court

The supporters of Mississippi's anti-lgbt law suffered a serious blow in court this afternoon.

According to Buzzfeed:

The federal judge in Mississippi who halted enforcement of the state’s new anti-LGBT religious exemption law declined on Monday to put his ruling on hold while the state appeals the ruling.

Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant had asked U.S. District Court Judge Carlton Reeves to issue a stay of his preliminary injunction order during the appeal. If granted, the state would have allowed the state to enforce the law during its appeal of the ruling against the law.

Bryant signed the bill, HB 1523, into law on April 5. The bill provided protections for individuals, religious organizations, and certain businesses who take actions due to their “sincerely held religious beliefs or moral convictions” to same-sex marriage — or any sex outside straight marriage. It also provided similar protections for those who object to transgender people.

These anti-lgbt "religious liberty" laws  seem to be facing the same problem as anti-marriage equality laws in that they may be popular but in a legal sense, they flop with a huge thud.

'Federal judge to hear HB2 arguments' & other Mon midday news briefs

Editor's note - This election is playing havoc with my blog.  Not only is my traffic steadily increasing in Russia (which probably doesn't mean ANYTHING ), but with Trump throwing bombs everywhere, the purveyors of anti-lgbt propaganda are too busy ducking for cover. That, however, doesn't mean things aren't going on and I will do my best to bring you the lgbt news of the day as well as original material like always:

Federal judge to hear HB2 arguments in Winston-Salem - On the cusp of a major fight regarding HB2. It's about time.  

Meet The First And Only Man To Ever Publicly Come Out In Nigeria - A reminder of how we should never take our fight for lgbt equality for granted. Would any of us have the courage to do this if in the same situation as Bisi Alimi? 

Federal Appeals Court Rejects Protections For Gay People Under Existing Civil Rights Law - More proof that we need to be added to civil rights laws. 

 Gordon Klingenschmitt: California Subjecting Kids To 'Pedophile Spirit Of Abuse' With LGBT History Curriculum - And your daily dose of crazy, like fungus coming out from between the rocks.

'Trump/Putin Golden Girls parody goes viral' & other Fri. midday news briefs

You have not seen it all until you have seen 'The Golden Girls' starring Donald Trump, mike Pence, Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong-Un. You know this is funny. You might as well surrender and laugh your ass off:



In other news:

 Orlando-area Republicans back Fla. anti-discrimination bill - That's good news. The bad news is what it took for them to support it.
 

Report: U.S. Navy to name ship after LGBT rights icon Harvey Milk - In case you didn't heart, this is sweeet!

Where Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump Stand on LGBT Rights - Just in case you need a reminder . . .

What Are LGBT Organizations Doing to Support Black Lives Matter? - That is a good question.

Sarah McBride makes history at DNC convention, elevates conversation about transgender community

Today, Sarah McBride just became the first transgender speaker at a major political convention. She elevates the conversation about transgender Americans in a wonderful way:

'Anti-lgbt hate group furious over Hilton ad showing gay couple in bed' & other Thur midday news briefs

Editor's note - Sorry for the lack of the usual morning posting. It was a bit chaotic for a while around here. We now return to your regularly scheduled blog posts:

The American Family Association is having a hissy fit over this Hilton ad.

Hilton Ad Showing Gay Couple In Bed Drives AFA Mad - Oh for Pete's sake. Apparently anti-lgbt hate groups don't like to showing us in bed even when we aren't doing anything but being in bed. 

Mother of gay Pulse nightclub massacre victim speaks at DNC - I don't care who you are, you should be moved by her speech. 

Meet the transgender delegates at the Democratic convention - And they had their first caucus today. The greatest of this moment cannot be stated enough. 

 Daniel Driffin highlights the fight against HIV at the DNC - And an African-American HIV positive gay man also took center stage.

 Bryan Fischer: 'It Is Not Possible For Homosexual Behavior To Be A Constitutional Or Moral Or Ethical Or Legal Right'- Y'all, Bryan Fischer is obsessing over gay folks having sex (again).

'Don't forget our homeless lgbt children' & other Wed. midday news briefs

LGBT Teens: Shunned, Alone, And On The Streets - In the hoopla of lgbt presence at the Democratic National Convention, let's NOT forget our children. They need us on so many levels. 

Pulse nightclub to become permanent memorial - As well it should. We will NEVER forget.

 After the Orlando Shooting, the Changed Lives of Gay Latinos - Speaking of which . . . 

 Here Are Just Some Of The Badass Queer Women Competing In Rio - YAAAS! Go for the gold, ladies!

Large lgbt presence at DNC convention is progress

For me, it is a positive thing that there is a huge lgbt presence at the DNC convention and that fact itself isn't being exploited as a negative thing.

Jason Collins, the first publicly gay athlete to play in the NBA, and his brother Jarron addressed the convention Monday night. Here they talk with gay anchor from MSNBC, Thomas Roberts, about the DNC platform:

'Democrats ratifies most pro-LGBT platform ever' & other Tue midday news briefs

Democrats ratify most pro-LGBT platform ever - THIS happened amidst all of the talk of squabbling and such. And I'm a practical queen.  This is a million times better than the kick in the face the GOP gave us. I WANT this. ALL OF THIS. 

Here’s Proof That Policing Trans People In Bathrooms Isn’t Actually About Women’s Privacy - Spin false fears of transgender women being predators while protecting the bull#@!^ of heterosexual men taking photos and videos up women's skirts. What the hell?!!

 Group Livid Over Gay Couple On 'Loud House' Voiced By Wayne Brady, Michael McDonald - And it begins. Where the heck were these folks when Bugs Bunny was dressing in drag? LOL

  Revealed: The Right-Wing Movement’s Agenda For Trump’s First 180 Days - Enough to turn your hair white.  

Christian hate group lawyers wrote Mississippi’s blocked anti-LGBT law - Surprise! Or not.

Michelle Obama SLAYS the crowd at the DNC convention

First Lady Michelle Obama knocked it out last night.

The Democratic National Convention may have opened chaotically but ended last night with a  positive bang. While it certainly doesn't ease the tensions and bad feelings brought about by the primary fight between Sanders and Clinton, it was a wonderful beginning which epitomizes how it's going to take hard work and unity to win in November.

In many ways, that is symbolic of the struggle for lgbt equality. All speeches were wonderful. Sen. Booker set the tone, Sen. Warren brought the heat. And Sen. Sanders brought the passion and spelled out why his revolution goes past primaries, candidates, and petty squabbles. Because it's really not his revolution, but all of ours.

However, the speech which everyone is talking about is the following by First Lady Michelle Obama. The only way I can full get you to understand how good it was is by this video showing its entirety:

Gay DNC officials' leaked emails reveal . . . nothing' & other Mon. midday news briefs

With the DNC convention in the back drop, I will continue to bring you news and thoughts:

Gay DNC officials’ emails part of massive WikiLeaks release - Cool your jets. This article isn't about corruption or that ridiculous controversy designed to stir things up. The Gay DNC officials were talking about pushing against false information.

 Miss Major Is A Trans Elder And Stonewall Icon.. And She’s Changing The World - The best interview you probably have yet to read.

 Cleveland mayor signs transgender rights bill - Sweet! 

 Bryan Fischer: The NBA Is Punishing North Carolina For Refusing To 'Take The Mark Of The Beast'- The NBA takes a stand against discrimination in NC by moving the All-Star game away from Charlotte and Bryan Fischer responds in his own "shouldn't be copied" fashion.

Ramblings before the DNC convention. Just my thoughts.

So today is the start the Democratic National Convention and I hope it's a lot better than last week's monstrosity put on by the Republicans last week.

Since it's my blog, I have no problems with openly supporting Clinton and Kaine. My support is for a simple reason. With those two, lgbts don't stand to lose all that we fought for and won during the Obama Administration.

Every time around the presidential election, certain individuals wake up and start going on about saving the world, a corrupt system, real progressives, etc. etc. I don't mind saying that I'm not interested in saving the world before saving my own world. I'm not taking a risk of sacrificing lgbt progress and starting back from square one just to appease a superficial point.

Don't hand me crap about big banks or any of  the ultra liberal issue du jour. I learned all I need to know about the discipline and commitment of those folks in 2010 and 2012. It's so easy to march and shout slogans than it is to stay in the background and build structure, isn't it? Or get your friends to vote when the stacks are just as high but media attention is nil.

And I'm not even going to talk about that Wikileaks email crap which revealed NOTHING but a frustration over a candidate who stubbornly continued to push even though he was losing. There was nothing proven, except for the gullibility of certain people and their need to find any excuse to push issues which need to stay dead.

I know I'm probably rambling but I can. Here's hoping that this week shows the difference between calm, rationale leadership and hysterical ramblings. And here's hoping that certain shortsighted people don't screw it up.

Peter Thiel's obliviousness creates historic nonsense

Peter Thiel

“I am proud to be gay. I am proud to be a Republican. But most of all I am proud to be an American,” - Peter Thiel in his speech at last night's RNC convention. Thiel is the Silicon Valley billionaire, who co-founded PayPal.

No, what you are is a tragic walking conundrum. A pathetic, oblivious man whose ears are so stuffed with money that he can't hear the cries of the brothers and sisters harmed by the party of fools he supports.

I can't be nice. It would dishonor so many others. And I can't fall for that rhetorical, semantic crap about not being tolerant about someone else's difference of opinion. Peter Thiel, you are an enabling monster. I don't care how much money you have.

Trump is an idiot whose speech is being panned as it should. The Republican party and its supporters cheering during the convention are entitled, self-righteous jerks stewing in their own inane realities of being deprived of things which never belonged to them in the first place. They immerse themselves in lies and when confronted by the truth, dig in deeper, as if the lies can coat them from the inevitability of having to deal with the truth.

But Peter Thiel , you are worse. Let the moronic strains of the lazy pundits lift you up. Believe that you have done something historic.

But never forget this. You didn't do anything historic. What you did is the equivalent of an African-American tap dancing for the pleasure of fools who have secret fantasies of lynching him. They merely tolerate your existence. They only pretend to love you because you are a white man with lots of money. If you were a transgender child in our nation's school or a married gay couple being denied service on the grounds of religious beliefs, their fangs would come out.

If you were an lgbt of color, you would be ignored, as if your existence doesn't matter. And if you weren't ignored, you would be treated to double smears of "n-gge-r" and "f-gg-t."

What you did last night wasn't special. You aren't special. You may get interview in gay magazines and you may even make the cover, but make no mistake about it.

Your presence at that monstrosity last night says more about you than that flippant statement of disagreement you made about the GOP platform. You do remember what it says, don't you? It attacks gay families, the transgender community, and suggests fraudulent therapy to make us heterosexual.

I speak for myself, as well as many lgbt brothers and sisters who aren't rich or as white as you when I say the following:

You make me physically ill.