Explaining why the Family Research Council is an anti-LGBTQ hate group in less than two minutes

The Family Research Council (FRC) is listed as an anti-LGBTQ hate group by the SPLC for its demonizing rhetoric about the LGBTQ community. FRC portrays LGBTQ people as sick, evil, perverted, incestuous and a danger to the nation. It has linked being gay with pedophilia, an incendiary claim that pours fuel on the fires of hate – but one that has been thoroughly debunked by the American Psychological Association.  

Read more at www.SPLCenter.org/FRC 

The Southern Poverty Law Center just came out with this awesome less than two minute video which we should watch and share. It explains why anti-LGBTQ organization Family Research Council is a hate group. It is a reminder that it's not enough to call organizations like the Family Research Council hate groups. We need to say why. Lucky for us, they have a long paper trail of homophobic activity to shine the spotlight on.

Related post - 16 Reasons Why the Family Research Council is a Hate Group

'Trans women athletes deal with misconceptions, ignorance' & other Fri midday news briefs

'SPORTS ISSUE 2019: Trans women face many hurdles in quest to compete fairly - There are a lot of misconceptions when it comes to trans women athletes. We need more education on the issue.

Equinox gym makes $1 million donation to LGBT, cancer groups after fallout from Trump fundraiser - Mo', baby! Mo'!

My redneck Lyft driver shocked me when I told him I’m gay. Now he’s going viral.  - This is a wonderful story.

Biden, Castro among 2020 hopefuls to attend Iowa LGBTQ forum - A presidential forum on LGBTQ issues is an idea which is long over do.

Family Research Council giddy over Trump plan to discriminate against LGBTQ taxpayers

As far as the Family Research Council is concerned, it doesn't matter if Trump is tanking our economy, causing people to be more violent against each other, and basically wrecking the integrity of our nation and the office of president. As long as he continues to do stuff like making it easier for federal contractors to fire or not hire unmarried pregnant women or members of the LGBTQ community, he's the Second Coming of Jesus as far as the group is concerned:

Mary Beth Waddell, Family Research Council’s Senior Legislative Assistant released the following statement in response to a proposed rule by the Department of Labor that protects religious employers from government discrimination: 

 “Given recent decisions by the United States Supreme Court protecting religious liberty, today the Department of Labor issued a proposed rule clarifying the rights of religious employers to contract with the Department without being forced to violate their conscience rights. This is in keeping with our nation’s history of respect for moral and religious beliefs. 

 “Family Research Council applauds the Department for taking steps to ensure that religious employers are free to operate according to their religious beliefs without fear of government punishment,” concluded Waddell.

 You'll notice what FRC conveniently failed to post. According to The Huffington Post:

U.S. businesses with federal government contracts would be allowed not to hire LGBT+ candidates on religious grounds under a proposed rule announced on Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Labor. The policy change would state that government contractors, including universities, hospitals and corporations, can claim religious exemptions in employment decisions if they can produce evidence of “religious purpose” in their organization.

The policy, overseen by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) which sets anti-discrimination rules for businesses working with the government, would weaken an LGBT+ nondiscrimination order by former U.S. President Barack Obama.

. . . About one in four workers is employed by a government contractor, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). 

Opponents expressed concern that the rule amounted to tax-funded discrimination against vulnerable populations, including single mothers and LGBT+ Americans.
They also criticized a potentially loose interpretation of what constitutes a religious contractor, saying that was both deliberate and dangerous. Government contractors would be able to site evidence of religious purpose through founding documents, articles of incorporation or other means under the new policy. 

“This proposal guts the executive order without having to take the step of removing it,” Ian Thompson, a senior legislative representative for the ACLU told the Thomson ReutersFoundation. 

“This is about religiously motivated discrimination.”

So not only does this rule allow federal contractors to discriminate and receive tax dollars from the folks they are discriminating against, but it also furthers the false narrative of LGBTQ rights vs. religious freedom. It is a narrative solely created by groups like FRC in retaliation to lose the fight against marriage equality.

So why am I am posting FRC's cloying press release? Strictly for the sake of guile and remembrance. When Trump's incompetence comes back to completely bite folks in the ass - and it will - just in case certain groups attempt to downplay their coziness to Trump . . . well there's a lot to be said about throwing things back in the faces of folks  who deserve it.

'LGBTQ creators sue YouTube for discrimination' & other Thur midday news briefs

LGBTQ Creators Are Suing YouTube For Discrimination - And I hope they win.

Bus driver leaves passengers stranded after deciding vehicle is gay and he is offended - What in gay hell . . .

IMDb announced that it will no longer deadname transgender celebrities - About time.

Proposed anti-LGBTQ Labor Department rule would let federal contractors discriminate - Oh no you don't, Trump. You KNOW you are going to get sued.

Anti-LGBTQ Congressman gives bizarre defense of rape and incest

Rep. Steve King

It always amazes me when folks accuse the LGBTQ community of all sorts of nasty things when more often than not, those who point the finger at us are the ones who should be watched.

Case in point,  Congressional Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa). He has never been a friend of the LGBTQ community.

In 2010, he said that if we weren't open about our sexual orientation or gender identity, we wouldn't have a problem with discrimination.

In 2014, he defended anti-LGBTQ legislation from Arizona by claiming that homosexuality is "self-professed" behavior.

In 2015, he participated in an absolutely horrid anti-LGBTQ documentary created by long time religious right personality Janet Porter.

And he has been known to make homophobic jokes, such as in 2018 when he said he was hoping that SCOTUS justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor elope to Cuba.  Lastly, at the same event, he attacked his own party for endorsing a gay candidate in CA.

In addition to all of this, Rep. King has a history of making racist remarks. Earlier this year, that particularly controversy came to a head when he made arguments sympathetic to white supremacy during an interview. It led him to be stripped of his committee assignments. In February, several members of the anti-LGBTQ industry, including Porter and James Dobson, teamed up to defend King in hopes of helping get his assignments back.

However, I doubt they will be defending him after what he said on Wednesday.

According to the Huffington Post:

Racist Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) said generations of people would not be here without rape and incest while making the case for anti-abortion legislation without exceptions for victims of those crimes. 

Speaking to members at the Westside Conservative Club on Wednesday, King argued that humanity would not have the population it does today if not for rape and incest, the Des Moines Register reported. 

“What if we went back through all the family trees and just pulled out anyone who was a product of rape or incest?” King said. “Would there be any population of the world left if we did that? Considering all the wars and all the rapes and pillages that happened throughout all these different nations, I know that I can’t say that I was not a part of a product of that.” 

More from the Des Moines Register: 

The Kiron Republican was discussing his defense of not allowing exceptions for rape and incest in the anti-abortion legislation he tried to pass in Congress. Republican leadership had prevented bills he sponsored on banning abortions from advancing through the House, despite GOP support for the measures, King said.

As you would expect, King has been condemned all around, with several folks- including GOP Congresswoman Liz Cheney - demanding that he resign.

Maybe Rep. King will be forced to resign because of this. However, if you ask me, I think he will be too stubborn to do the right thing and this entire incident will blow over until possibly election day 2020. Either way, this is yet another case of the LGBTQ community collectively sitting in our easy chairs and sipping our cups of tea while we observe yet another opposer of our equality pick up his cracked face from the ground.

'The New Hate Pastors' & other Wed midday news briefs

Steven Anderson

The New Hate Pastors - This is spookier and possibly more dangerous than mainstream religious right groups. If these pastors don't first self-destruct.

Christian conservative explains ‘deal with devil’ between Trump and evangelicals - You deal with you know who, you always get burned.

Republican official says the ‘sin’ of homosexuality kills gay men at age 42 - Just in case you didn't hear, anti-LGBTQ propaganda doesn't die so easily. 

Jake Shears on LGBTQ Acceptance in Music, Homophobia in the Industry and How Pop Is Changing - Well this is interesting. What do you think?

Family Research Council won't stop falsely implying that the LGBTQ community are a danger to children

A while back, anti-LGBTQ hate group the Family Research Council saw no problem with openly smearing transgender children as predators:

The group seems to have gotten the message sent by many folks -.myself included - just how ugly and vulgar this was. Not to the point that it would stop targeting transgender children, mind you because smearing the LGBTQ community is a cash cow for FRC.  Instead, the group made a pivot:

So the inference from FRC is "We aren't against anyone. We are simply attempting to protect women and girls." It reminds me of the pivot made by white supremacists, i.e. "We aren't anti-black. We're simply pro-white. We just want to protect our race."And like white supremacists attempting to flim-flam, the heart of FRC's message remains to be all about bigoted scapegoating.

'Religious right groups funding Danica Roem's anti-LGBTQ opponent' & other Tue midday news briefs

Danica Roem

Anti-LGBTQ groups are funding the bigoted opponent of this trans legislator - Trying so hard to get rid of Danica Roem. Hope she withstands the nonsense.

Modesto ‘straight pride’ organizers lose parade permit battle – for now - Too bad, so sad. NOT!

Two Gay Penguins Just Adopted an Abandoned Egg - Awwww! That's cute!

BACK TO SCHOOL 2019: New kids’ books spotlight LGBTQ life - We NEED more things like this.

Anti-LGBTQ talking head exploits Boy Scouts scandal to smear gay men as pedophiles

A nasty lie about gay men (top picture) is resurrected by the viciously homophobic Bryan Fischer (bottom picture)

When it comes to scandals about pedophilia, some members of the anti-LGBTQ industry, practically salivate at the chance to blame gay men.

From Media Matters:

Former American Family Association spokesperson and current American Family Radio host Bryan Fischer used reports of sexual abuse within the Boy Scouts of America to falsely claim that there is a connection between homosexuality and pedophilia. Extreme anti-LGBTQ groups and figures such as Fischer have repeatedly used this myth to attack LGBTQ people and fight pro-equality policies. 

On August 6, a group of lawyers filed a lawsuit against the Boy Scouts of America, saying they had “identified 350 previously unknown scoutmasters and volunteers” who reportedly sexually abused boys in the organization. Fischer discussed the story on his AFR radio show, Focal Point, calling it a “homosexual pedophile scandal” and claiming that “people don’t want to accept” the “profound connection … between homosexuality and pedophilia.” These comments add to a long list of extreme anti-LGBTQ statements from Fischer, who has said gay men are condemned to hell and claimed that gays were responsible for the formation of the Nazi Party.

Bear in mind that there is absolutely no proof that gay men are responsible for this awful situation. Furthermore, this scandal has been occurring decades before the Boy Scouts opened the door to allow gays to serve as scouts and scoutmasters. Of course, none of this means anything to Fisher and the rest of that bunch. They operate from the constantly refuted notion (one which they KNOW has been refuted) that a pedophile who molests boys is automatically gay:

'Gay candidate targeted by tacky ad accusing him of pedophilia' & other Mon midday new briefs

Justin Carroll

Gay New York candidate targeted by ‘amateurish’ ad subtly accusing him of pedophilia - Tacky as hell.

Illinois Governor Signs Bill Mandating Public Schools Teach LGBTQ History - I support this completely. 

N.C. exec. order stops pipeline to ‘conversion’ therapy - Good for NC! 

Gavin Grimm wins bathroom court case against transphobic school board, but… - Victory! But still working on things.

Franklin Graham goes after Disney and LGBTQ teens, gets brutally ratioed on Twitter

Franklin Graham has to learn the hard way on Twitter about attacking Disney and LGBTQ teens.

On Saturday, Franklin Graham ran into a Twitter ratio buzzsaw for his latest attack on the LGBTQ community. And it restored my faith in humanity. Graham sent out a tweet criticizing the Disney show, Andi Mack, for showing a teenage gay couple

Disappointed in @Disney again. Parents be aware of what your kids are watching.https://t.co/SMe36qjSlu

— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) August 10, 2019

Needless to say, quite a few folks weren't happy with his tweet and they defended Disney for showing a teenage gay couple. Some of the the many tweets blasting Graham are as follows:

The Family Research Council wants you to help Donald Trump wreck LGBTQ healthcare

While Donald Trump's latest mess has been sucking up attention for the past few days, anti-LGBTQ hate group the Family Research Council is busy attempting to gain support for his attack on LGBTQ health via an awful policy change to the Affordable Care Act. This change would reverse healthcare protections for the LGBTQ community and women seeking abortions.

From the FRC blog:

Do you ever wish that government officials had to listen to what you have to say? 

Comment here and they must review your comment. No, really, it’s required by federal law. 

The Trump administration’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is considering a rule making important changes to Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and is still taking public comments. This rule would protect the conscience rights of people of faith who have a moral objection to performing abortions. It would also undo an Obama-era regulation on Section 1557 that shoehorned “gender identity” into the definition of “sex” (as opposed to meaning just “male” and “female”). 

Here’s what Family Research Council Action said in an alert on this HHS Rule: 

Doctors – and patients – need your help! Here’s how: send a comment to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar! The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued a proposed rule to remove old Obama Administration regulations that would prevent doctors from being able to treat patients based strictly on science, biology, and their medical judgment! 

The old regulation said that “sex” means “gender identity” meaning that if a doctor didn’t affirm a patient's self-identified gender they could be sued for discrimination. Medical judgment and what is best for the patient didn’t matter!

When you click on the words comment here  (which I unlinked), you are invited to submit your name, email address, and a form letter to the Department of Health and Human Services. The form letter contains deceptive talking points about "conscience protections" and the "rights of healthcare providers." Conveniently, it doesn't mention how the policy change would wreak havoc on women's health and the health of the LGBTQ community at large.

'Mayor campaigns against LGBTQ curriculum in schools' & other Thur midday news briefs

Ocean County mayor campaigns against LGBTQ curriculum in schools - Ridiculous. Always thinking that the LGBTQ community is solely about sexual intercourse.

National, Local Democratic LGBTQ and Allied Leaders Convene at Detroit Forum - I didn't know this happened.

Gay Republican Carl DeMaio running for anti-LGBTQ Rep. Duncan Hunter’s seat - This would be a wonderful change. 

Murder, 'gay-hunters' strike terror in Russia's LGBT community - This is awful.

And now a word about homophobia, 'acceptance,' and 'tolerance'

I ran across an image on Twitter today which caught me a bit:

This is what some homophobes are claiming today - that they are merely pushing back against the LGBTQ community because we want too much and that we are attempting to force them to supposedly accept us and give us access to their children.

It's a cute lie because that has always been the argument of the religious right and their supporters - that somehow we are outsiders who are overstepping our bounds.  And that any lies told about us (such as how we are supposedly trying to "recruit children") is acceptable because Christians who practice the faith like them (note the cross in the image) are the real victims.

This is nothing more than sad tripe which enshrines ignorant presumption and false privilege. It's ridiculous to think that our goal is to seek "tolerance" or "acceptance" from heterosexuals, as if they are some higher power.  It deliberately casts the LGBTQ community as outsiders and erases not only our humanity but also our families.

We don't need "tolerance" or "acceptance" from heterosexuals. Nor do we need their respect. What we want and will get is merely the thing which belongs to us - the ability to live our lives by our rights of self-determination. And not in accordance to the whims and prejudices of others.

'VP Mike Pence gives hypocritical advice to anti-LGBTQ group' & other Wed midday news briefs

Mike Pence Advises Antigay Group to 'Spend More Time on Your Knees'- Hypocritical as hell to talk about praying when your goal is to stigmatize a group of God's children.

Hundreds of LGBTQ families came together & OMG would you look at these photos of cute kids?! - Wonderful! We need more of this! 

Victoria’s Secret Hires First Openly Transgender Model, Agent Says - Congratulations to Valentina Sampaio! 

Michigan doctors reach out to LGBTQ community to narrow health disparities - THANK YOU! We need more of THIS, too.

14 year old vlogger banned from Youtube after viciously homophobic video

Fourteen years old and a raging homophobe. It's truly sad.

Some people are upset because some awful 14-year-old child spewing homophobia and Islamophobia got banned from Youtube.

From Buzzfeed:

YouTube has removed the account of Soph, a 14-year-old girl who accumulated nearly a million followers through racist and anti-Muslim videos, after she uploaded an anti-LGBTQ video on July 31. 

In the video, a 12-minute anti-gay rant titled “Pride and Prejudice,” Soph encourages her followers to “make sure to blame me in your manifestos” — a direct reference to the kind of document posted to 8chan by the Christchurch shooter who killed 51 people in March. On Saturday, the El Paso shooting suspect would also publish a manifesto to 8chan before killing 22 people. 

According to YouTube, the channel was removed in accordance with its strike system, under which YouTube terminates accounts that violate its Community Guidelines three times in 90 days; in the case of Soph’s channel, the final strike violated the site’s Community Guidelines on hate speech.

The video in question is a doozy. From Queerty:

'LGBTQ Trump judicial nominee confirmed by Senate' & other Tue midday news briefs

Mary Rowland

Mary Rowland is first LGBT Trump judicial nominee confirmed by Senate - I'm as shocked as you. HOWEVER, this doesn't change my mind about that Orange menace in the Oval Office. You can thank Sens. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), for this victory.

New Kansas governor brings sharp shift on LGBTQ foster kids - THANK you!

Microsoft agrees to rethink anti-LGBTQ PAC donations after pressure from activists - Works for me.

Men Don’t Recycle to Avoid Looking Gay, New Study Says - What kind of hookey mess is this?

Lawmaker blaming drag queens, Obama, trans people, and marriage equality for latest mass shooting urged to resign

Candice Keller

In the wake of two awful mass shootings over the weekend, I doubt that GOP Ohio state lawmaker Candice Keller was deliberately channeling the theatre of the absurd to lift folks' spirits, but she was certainly channeling something, if you catch my drift.

How else can one explain her actions, leading to a full round of condemnation even from members of her own party.

From Raw Story:

A Republican state lawmaker from Ohio over the weekend sparked outrage after she blamed mass shootings on former President Barack Obama, gay marriage and “drag queen advocates.” The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that Ohio state Rep. Candice Keller posted an unhinged Facebook rant shortly after the mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio that sought to blame everything but easy access to firearms for the latest massacre of American citizens.

Any way to describe what she wrote defies description. Just read it yourself:

Yes, she forgot Antifa, socialism, Hollywood, ACORN, and the dish that ran away with spoon.  Ms. Keller's wacky ranting has gone global, with her trending on Twitter and getting ripped apart by celebrities such as country singer Kacey Musgraves.

And she is being called to resign:

Ohio GOP Chairwoman Jane Timken called Republican Rep. Candice Keller’s Facebook screed “shocking and utterly unjustifiable,” while observing that the nation is in “utter shock over the acts of violence in El Paso and Dayton.” Timken’s spokesperson says she “is calling for Candice Keller to resign,” WHIO reports.

I doubt she will. But I also doubt that religious right groups and personalities will be bending over backwards to defend her. Goodness knows that they've already blamed the LGBTQ community for almost everything from natural disasters to 9/11.

She'll probably make it on Fox News, though. 

'How the El Paso shooting connects with the LGBTQ community' & other Mon midday news briefs

If you think the El Paso shooting wasn’t about LGBTQ people, think again. -

 At the heart of it all is what the El Paso manifesto made clear: the threat to “our way of life.” That’s the same fear that animates the religious right in its endless quest to diminish LGBTQ rights and that Trump plays to with his rants. It’s the threat posed by everyone who represents all the changes happening in American society — immigrants, people of color, empowered women, and, yes, LGBTQ people.

Utah high court throws out ban on valid surrogacy contracts for gay couples - Good for Utah!

Couple Takes Engagement Photos At Target Because Why Not - This is wonderful! 

Trump plan would hamper LGBTQ health care access. This is cruel and dangerous. - Don't forget. We still have this mess to deal with.

Let's laugh with Matteo Lane - 'Every Disney character is gay'

Some awful things happened this weekend and in the coming days, there will be a lot of things said. Some of these things will be no-brainers in terms of our choices in leaders and their actions.We will have much needed conversations about their cruelty and incompetence . And we will probably at the crest of making much needed decisions about the future of this country.

 But right now, there is nothing wrong with a good laugh. It's not something we need to feel guilty about.A good laugh puts us in a better mood for clarity. With that in mind, enjoy this clip of gay comedian Matteo Lane as he goes on a tangent about  C-3PEO from Star Wars being the first gay person he saw on television, why some Disney characters were gay, and why Barbie dolls deserve more respect than Batman.