'Florida state senator's LGBTQ daughter calls out her prejudice on viral Tik Tok video' & other Tue midday news briefs

‘Putting politics before everything else’: Kelli Stargel’s daughter speaks out against mother’s congressional run in viral TikTok​ - Now see this is a classic case of trying to further your political ambitions via transphobia and ignoring your business at home. Your own child calls you out. 

This Seattle-based softball team was created for trans and non-binary players - I love this! 

Montana not following transgender birth certificate ruling - You lost, Montana. You need to do the right thing. 

LGBTQ police blast SF Pride parade over uniform ban - Here we go again. Come on folks, we got to come to a bit of unity on this.

Anti-grooming conservatives ignore Southern Baptist Convention sex abuse scandal

On Sunday, a blockbuster about the Southern Baptist Convention rocked the country. 

According to the BBC:

Leaders of the world's largest Baptist denomination covered up sex abuse by clergy for years and vilified survivors, an internal report says. The seven-month investigation found that survivors had come forward over two decades about abusers within the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). But their pleas for intervention were met with "resistance, stonewalling, and even outright hostility" by officials. 

 With 13 million members, SBC is the largest Protestant body in the US. The investigation - carried out for the SBC by an outside firm - was launched in the wake of 2019 report by the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News that exposed hundreds of alleged cases of sex abuse within the church. Amid internal divisions over how to handle the scandal, thousands of delegates at the SBC's annual gathering last year voted in favour of a third-party review of the church's actions. 

 The 288-page report issued on Sunday names a few senior leaders on the church's executive committee as having control over its response to the reports of abuse and of being "singularly focused on avoiding liability for the SBC". These officials reportedly "protected or even supported alleged abusers", the report says.

After all of the raging we've been hearing this year from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and his people, the religious right, Fox News, Matt Walsh, Libs of TikTok and and various other folks about the Disney corporation and schools supposedly 'grooming' kids, one would think they would be stampeding to condemn SBC.

One would expect things like protests at SBC headquarters and Twitter meme after Twitter meme decrying the organization as a grooming factory.

Don't count on it. The silence has been deafening on the right, particularly the religious right. Not even one tweet from folks like Franklin Graham or the Family Research Council.  Apparently the SBC scandal lacks that one single ingredient which would make it irresistible to folks on the right. 

There are no LGBTQ people in sight to vilify.  With no LGBTQ people to vilify, that means no hidden prejudices to exploit, not attention to be grabbed, no money to be raised. And let's not forget that SBC is a religious body. God forbid these so-called moral crusaders give even a smidgen of time decrying their own with the same amount of zeal they connect LGBTQ to the latest lie they craft about us supposedly indoctrinating kids.

It's not surprising to those who know the religious right for what they truly are. Nevertheless, it's still disappointing.

'School board doesn't want anyone to know why it teamed up with anti-LGBTQ hate group' & other Mon midday news briefs

Emails shed light on how Hanover’s School Board and Alliance Defending Freedom came together​ - School board tries to team up with anti-LGBTQ hate group but doesn't want anyone to know about it. 

ALLIANCE DEFENDING FREEDOM - Extensive information proving that the Alliance Defending Freedom is a dangerous anti-LGBTQ hate group. 

GOP governor would veto bill that forces schools to out LGBTQ students - A GOP governor with good sense about LGBTQ issues? It must be a day of miracles. 

Through Line of Critical Race, 'Don’t Say Gay,' & Great Replacement - The attacks on black people and LGBTQ people are all connected. 

GOP Ideologues Keep Flopping In Their Efforts To Take Over School Boards - This is nice but the fight don't stop.

Anti-LGBTQ group claims that RuPaul figurines are 'grooming' and 'indoctrinating' kids

Some folks can't handle RuPaul dolls.

And here we go again with the Helen Lovejoy 'won't someone think of the children' busybody moral squad:

The toy company Fisher-Price recently released three “Little People” figurines of RuPaul, the iconic drag ambassador whose Drag Race reality show has launched several international versions. The anti-LGBTQ organization One Million Moms (OMM) is leading ab outrage campaigns against the doll because the existence of a doll of the Black drag queen will “indoctrinate children into transgenderism and homosexuality.”

“The figure pack honors RuPaul’s efforts to inspire people young and old to be true to themselves,” the toy’s manufacturers wrote in a press release, adding that the toy is suitable for people ages 1 to 101. But OMM — an astroturf offshoot of the anti-LGBTQ American Family Association — has predictably reacted by telling parents to write Fisher-Price and boycott the company until it discontinues selling the toy. 

 One Million Moms says the following on its webpage:

Fisher-Price recently announced its launch of the Little People Collector RuPaul figure set which includes three dolls. These three-inch dolls resemble RuPaul from RuPaul’s Drag Race. The dolls promote cross dressing and glorify the drag queen lifestyle. Fisher-Price has actually created a toy that glorifies gender inclusivity and ignores one’s biological sex. The RuPaul figure set comes complete with replicas of RuPaul’s signature on- and off-the-runway looks.

 It includes flamboyant pink and purple gowns with huge blonde wigs, based on outfits worn by RuPaul himself. The third doll in the set features RuPaul out of drag in a bold suit with a loud color scheme. Thanks, Fisher-Price! Now, parents will have to deal with the confusion experienced by their children when these inappropriate dolls are seen on store shelves. It is outrageous that a toy company is marketing and normalizing gender dysphoria to young children. Parents who are not already aware of the company’s agenda, please be forewarned: Children are being “groomed” by Fisher-Price drag queen dolls under the disguise of playtime. 

 This new product makes it clear that Fisher-Price has an LGBTQ agenda that it is forcing on extremely young audiences. Obviously, Fisher-Price is attempting to “groom” the next generation. This company should be enhancing learning during play, but instead, Fisher-Price is brainwashing our preschoolers and elementary-age children. Fisher-Price is hoping to have this doll placed in playrooms solely to indoctrinate children into transgenderism and homosexuality. 

One wonders if this silly group is speaking against the dolls or trying to sell them. It's like saying action figures of superheroes are telling children that they have super powers or toy trucks and cars are telling kids that they can drive.

There is nothing wrong with these dolls and no one is forcing parents to buy them.

LGBTQNation points out the following about OMM:

The rabidly anti-LGBTQ group has a habit of throwing a fit anytime any company anywhere publicly acknowledges the existence of queer people. 

 Their past moral outrage has been directed at Parents magazine for featuring a same-sex couple, an anti-smoking ad that mentioned erectile dysfunction, Highlights magazine for acknowledging the existence of gay people, Scholastic books for featuring LGBTQ-inclusive children’s books, the Roseanne reboot for featuring a non-binary child, a Disney cartoon series for its brief scene of two men kissing, a Zales jewelry commercial for featuring a lesbian couple and the fairy tale drama series Once Upon a Time for showing a lesbian kiss. 

This is true when one looks at the entirety of OMM's webpage, but we shouldn't allow our amusement over OMM's hysteria blind us to the seriousness of its bigotry. Even though its campaigns are highly unsuccessful, the group amplifies the hideously dangerous idea that being LGBTQ is something we should be ashamed of and that also our kids and our families are also something we should be ashamed of. By shrieking about even a smidgen of positive LGBTQ visibility, OMM feeds into and adds to the mindset that we are anomalies to the American experience instead what we actually are - a normal part of it.

OMM claims that we are aggressively shove things down people's throats when in actually, the group is actively trying to cut out our tongues 

GOP lawmaker suing Barnes and Noble bookstore for selling LGBTQ book (under the guise of 'saving the children')

'Genderqueer' is not dangerous or obscene.

Well we should have seen this coming. First they came for classrooms, then school libraries, then public libraries. Now they are coming for bookstores. It's to 'save the children,' they claim. Of course that's a bunch of bull.

According to Fox 8 News in Virginia:

A book retailer may be facing a legal fight in Virginia over selling certain YA books. According to a Facebook post, Attorney and state delegate Tim Anderson and his client Tommy Altman, a congressional candidate in the district around Virginia Beach, said “the Virginia Beach Circuit Court has found probable cause that the books “Gender Queer” and “A Court of Mist and Fury” are obscene to unrestricted viewing by minors.” 

 The post goes on to say that Altman has directed Anderson’s office to “seek a restraining order against Barnes and Noble and Virginia Beach Schools” in order to stop the sale or loaning of these books to minors without parental consent. “We are in a major fight. Suits like this can be filed all over Virginia. There are dozens of books. Hundreds of schools,” the Facebook post reads. 

 Bookriot reports that neither of these books contains pornographic material, nor do they fit the definition of obscene.

The Bookriot articles goes into more detail:

No longer is this about the rights of students to access books. It’s now about the rights of private businesses to sell books. Anderson suggests this is a new avenue for parents to fight. 

 . . . Barnes & Noble has yet to respond to the legal actions taken. As a private business, they are not only allowed to sell what they wish to sell, but they are under no obligation by anyone to move materials out of their facilities. Further, no private business like the bookseller would simply “supply” books to the school district. Right-wing groups are pushing a narrative that suggests public schools are at the epicenter of indoctrination, forcing gender and sexuality onto young people starting in kindergarten. Lawsuits like this further fuel misinformation campaigns by these groups.

Well if these folk are going to play these games, then I suggest that they also sue to have the Bible not available to kids and - if they want to take it that far - removed from not only bookstores but public and school libraries. After all, it contains, murder, rapes, tortures, castrations, animal attacks, knifings, crucifixion, genocide, incest, adultery, abortion, infanticide, genocide. (yeah I DELIBERATELY omitted homosexuality).

These phony moral crusades always leave me frustrated, exhausted, and angry.  

'In Midwestern schools, LGBTQ teachers face discrimination, hate and their own fears' & other Thur midday news briefs

In Midwestern schools, LGBTQ teachers face discrimination, hate and their own fears - Hate never really goes away. It simply hides until its power grows. Our job is always to beat it back and remain vigilant for when it attempts to grow again. 

Campaign Seeks to Support LGBTQ+ Rights in Red States​ - This campaign is needed. Don't desert our LGBTQ people in the red states. I happen to be one of them - South Carolina. 

Texas Democratic candidate compares gay opponent’s HIV status to gambling & drug addiction - Girlfriend, you know you were being tacky.

There are 7 out LGBTQ women players at the French Open, and 0 men - At one time, this would seem like an ugly stereotype. I think of it now as a positive show of power.

Dear Dave Rubin, the LGBTQ community doesn't owe you a d@mn thing. You're getting exactly what you deserve.

Dave Rubin is the victim of his own opportunistic nature.

For those who have been keeping up, prominent conservative Dave Rubin has been catching hell from other conservatives and Republicans. Earlier this year, he and his husband announced that they are going to be parents. Needless to say that his allies didn't approve and they let him know by throwing at him the same vitriol they have slung so many times at the rest of us LGBTQ people.

And bear in mind that Rubin isn't simply a gay conservative. He has on several occasions amplified various racists:

Rubin has been cultivating an intolerant audience for several years, with his talk show The Rubin Report functioning as a cushy platform for hate-mongers like Stefan Molyneux and Milo Yiannopoulos, a safe space where all the questions are softballs. According to Rubin, his show is "a hub for misunderstood or canceled people or to-be-canceled people to express themselves honestly."Rubin has previously compared progressivism to a “mental disorder,” and through his talk show, attempts to push the idea that leftists and liberals are the real bigots, and that conservatives are more accepting of dissent.

He has also amplified right-wing lies about gays "grooming" children and personally slurred other prominent LGBTQ people (such as when he referred to House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre as a 'black lesbo').

It goes without saying that this extreme brush with the homophobia of folks on his side has not been a learning experience for Rubin. And a recent comment he made underscores that. 

According to Mediaite:

Dave Rubin finally commented on the backlash he received following the announcement that his husband, David Janet, and he are expecting two children via surrogate later this year. Speaking with The Daily Wire’s Candace Owens on her show, Rubin was asked about how he handled all the naysayers. 

 “How — what was it like going through it?” Owens asked. 

 Rubin replied, “All of the tolerant lefties were seemingly so thrilled to tell me how the people on the right hated me. It’s like, ‘Well, are you guys showing me tolerance?’ I didn’t get any love or affirmation from you guys.

 I could go into detail about the article omitting all of the ugly stuff  Rubin has said about LGBTQ people, but I was - and continue to be - amazed by his audacity and mistaken belief of privilege. When he goes into the usual tired conservative narrative about the "intolerance of the tolerate left," you know that he also means LGBTQ people. That gets me angry. 

More than that, it pisses me off to the "highest level of pissivity."

Dave Rubin makes his money siding with a group of homophobes and contributes to slandering LGBTQ people. But suddenly we are supposed to flock to him and give him support when his own allies do to him what they have done to other LGBTQ people? He is obviously out of his damn mind if he thinks we should follow that narrative.

Hell yeah, we're laughing at him because he's getting what he deserves. Granted, I think he has a right to have a family with his husband. It's one of the rights LGBTQ folks have fought for and continue to fight for. But it's downright insulting that he wants to ignore how much his actions and statements - which will no doubt pay for the surrogacy of his children  - has led to the undermining of other LGBTQ people getting our rights, including the right to have a family.

And what's even more insulting is that he wants us to also ignore this fact.. He has got one hell of a nerve.

Don't try to disguise what Rubin is doing with nonsense about "having a debate," "being intolerant" or anything thing else which conservatives have reduced to argumentative gibberish and gaslighting.

Let's call this for what it is

Dave Rubin is a trifling, no-account opportunist trying to run a game to get paid and he's getting burned  No one in the LGBTQ community owes Dave Rubin anything except  maybe the marshmallows for the bonfire emanating from the torches conservatives are figuratively putting him to.

We don't owe him a defense, any pity, not even a small drop of concern. He spits in our faces by amplifying the lie that the LGBTQ people are evil while simultaneously taking advantage of the hard work the community has done to put him in a position to legally marry and have children. 

In my humble opinion, Dave Rubin knows where he can go and also what he can kiss.

'Despite surge in brutality, anti-trans violence is being basically ignored by the media' & other Wed midday news briefs

Despite a surge in brutality, broadcast and cable TV news spent just 43 minutes covering anti-trans violence in 2021​ - A damn disgrace. 

Biden warns of 'rising hate and violence' against LGBTQ people - Ain't that the truth. 

Florida High Schooler Zander Moricz On Fighting “Don’t Say Gay” - This brave young man is going through it. 

Federal Court rules against Tennessee’s anti-Trans restroom sign law - Good news.

Video from Equality Texas spells out how the political war on transgender children is harming their families

Power hungry politicians treat trans kids like pawns in a chess match.

On the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia, Equality Texas announces the launch of a short animated video created by Free Lion Productions that highlights the struggle of Texas trans kids and their families. 

 For the past two years trans kids have been the target of political attacks, and lawmakers have been abusing their authority to bully health care providers from caring for their trans patients. Children’s health care decisions should be a collaboration between parents, their doctors, and the patients themselves. This video illustrates the pain that parents and trans kids feel when politicians insert themselves into the doctor’s office.

 

Texas Trans Youth Health Care from Equality Texas on Vimeo.

'John Oliver blasts Alabama, governor for anti-trans law' & other Tue midday news briefs

John Oliver

John Oliver Blasts 'Garbage Lady' Kay Ivey for Anti-Trans Law - PREACH!!

Homework assignment requires kids to explain how they would de-gay their friends - Oh mercy! 

Danica Roem’s new book is far from a typical politico’s story​ - Danica Roem isn't playing any games. 

GOP candidates unleash wave of ads targeting transgender rights - Singularly, they are dangerous. But I think they send a message when grouped together. They give a message that the GOP is targeting trans people instead of trying to right a wrong. And folks don't respond well when they are given the impression that a group of people is being picked on. 

PHOTOS: Meet Evan Saint, the long-haired indie wrestler who just came out - Oh?

U.S. Senator booed for transphobic comments during commencement speech

Senator Cynthia Lummis

Classic case of f@king around and finding out

During her speech delivered to the University of Wyoming’s College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Education commencement Saturday afternoon, Republican U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis told graduates that “the existence of two sexes, male and female” was a “fundamental scientific truth.” 

 The audience’s immediate reaction to her transphobic remarks were loud expressions of disapproval including jeering, boos, and demands she leave the podium. 

 The senator’s remarks came in the latter third of her twenty-minute address which had primarily focused on the critical need for teachers and in the fields of agriculture and other endeavors she noted were Wyoming hallmarks. 

 In a statement released by her office Sunday, a spokesperson noted that Lummis was apologizing to those who felt “un-welcomed or disrespected” by the comments. “My reference to the existence of two sexes was intended to highlight the times in which we find ourselves, times in which the metric of biological sex is under debate with potential implications for the shared Wyoming value of equality,” the statement read.

“I share the fundamental belief that women and men are equal, but also acknowledge that there are biological differences and circumstances in which these differences need to be recognized. That being said, it was never my intention to make anyone feel un-welcomed or disrespected, and for that I apologize. I have appreciated hearing from members of the University of Wyoming community on this issue, and I look forward to continuing this dialogue.”

Full story courtesy of The Los Angeles Blade.

'Students protest after they say teacher was removed for giving student crisis hotline number' & other Mon midday news briefs

Students protest after they say a teacher was removed for giving student crisis hotline number​ - Simply inhuman to remove this teacher for simply helping students.

Urvashi Vaid, Legendary Activist for LGBTQ+ Civil Rights, Dies at 63 - Rest in power. I only met her once but she was a sweetheart to me. A very kind woman. 

Drag queen crowned prom king at Indiana high school - Seemingly small victories are the best. 

Gay senator Shevrin Jones put his homophobic colleagues on blast and it was incredible - Hopefully he's headed for larger things. 

The number of LGBTQ foster kids is on the rise, but does Colorado have enough accepting homes? - The omission of LGBTQ kids when it comes to adoption and foster homes is not accidental. It's deliberate by religious right groups and personalities.

'Hello! I'd like to report several cases in which children are being 'groomed' for danger.'

 We are so sadly oblivious as a country. While some folks are accusing LGBTQ people of trying to 'groom' children, the actual grooming is going on under our noises and probably with full approval of those pointing the finger at the LGBTQ community:

And let's throw two more in particularly for those who live for accusing LGBTQ people of attempting to 'sexualize' children.

Someone call Libs of TikTok and Christopher Rufo.

'Joe Rogan claims teachers are telling straight kids they'll 'burn in hell' if they don't turn gay' & other Fri midday news briefs

Joe Rogan is a jackass.

Joe Rogan claims teachers are telling straight kids they’ll “burn in hell” if they don’t turn gay​ - Joe Rogan is a moron whose popularity is accentuated by the fact that he is heterosexual and white so it's easy for him to fake that 'common day every man' bull. 

Disney Reports Disney+ Subscriptions Up, Theme Park Revenues Doubled Last Quarter Even After DeSantis Declared War on Mickey - So much for the idea that DeSantis is beating up Disney. 

Gay Florida High Schooler Faces Threat Over Graduation Speech - The fight goes on. 

Greek lawmakers ban conversion therapy for minors - Meanwhile, the United States is way behind.

Politifact: Talking about sexual orientation and gender identity in the classroom is not 'grooming'

It may have taken a while, but thank you Politifact for stating the obvious:

“Grooming” is a term strongly associated with child sexual abuse; it refers to a process or set of behaviors adults use to make it easier to introduce and complete sexual interactions with a child. 

 Talking about gender identity and sexual orientation in the classroom would not be grooming, because it is done without intent to sexually abuse a child, experts said.

 Experts in psychology and child development said they are not aware of any evidence showing that increased exposure to LGBTQ people or topics makes children more likely to join the LGBTQ community. Instead, they said it is likely an environment of increased acceptance allows people to more openly consider whether they might be part of the LGBTQ community. 

Our problem seems to be that so many ignorant people think that talking about sexual orientation and gender identity,  i.e. LGBTQ people, in the classroom is the same as talking about sexual interactions. That's not the problem of LGBTQ people, it's the problem is a society with a twisted mind.

The entire Politifact article is very extensive and deserves a read and a share. I especially liked this excerpt:

Another reading of the "grooming" narrative  . . .  suggests that, over time, children might be taught to or coerced into claiming an LGBTQ identity as their own — even if they otherwise wouldn’t have. There is no evidence of that — and it points to a fundamental misunderstanding of human sexuality and gender identity. 

 Experts said they were not aware of any research or evidence that increased exposure to topics such as gender and sexuality makes people more likely to join the LGBTQ community. Instead, they said, it is likely an environment of increased acceptance allows children to more safely and openly think about, question and discuss their gender identity and sexual orientation. 

 Exposure to these topics "does not change the way people develop," said the University of Minnesota’s McGuire, who studies family relationships and gender identity and the health of transgender youth. 

 "It changes how they feel about how they develop," McGuire said. "Accepting parents don’t change whether or not their kid is trans — they change whether or not their kid hates themselves and gets kicked out of the house for being trans. The kid’s transness is there regardless."

'Florida students win after yearbook censorship drama . . . with a caveat' & other Thur midday news briefs

School Reverses Decision to Cover Up ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Protest Images - A win with a caveat is still a win.

As WNBA tips off, 20% of players currently on rosters are LGBTQ and publicly out​ - Yep. 

GOP senator introduces “blatantly unconstitutional” bill to take away Disney’s copyrights - Josh Hawley showing his a$$ in front of the cameras again. 

Sharing LGBTQ Identity A Fireable Offense, Mississippi High School Warned Teacher - This right here is a mess. 

Accusations of 'grooming' are the latest political attack — with homophobic origins - An old attack under a new cover.

Fox News takes time away from accusing Disney of 'grooming' children to celebrate Disney movie

In the past, Fox News has echoed and amplified lies about Disney supposedly 'grooming' children to be LGBTQ and folks have noticed:

Fox's Laura Ingraham makes outlandish claim that Disney is “grooming” children 

Fox News has spent over 3 hours melting down about Disney's support for the LGBTQ community this week

However, the following tweet from its online streaming network Fox Nation celebrating the Disney movie Frozen should raise some eyebrows. Especially when one takes into account the debate on whether or not a main character in the movie, Elsa, was gay.

No matter if you're a fan of Frozen or not, we haven't been able to LET IT GO since 2013! Watch 'Who Can Forget?' now on Fox Nation! https://t.co/DPnOrBi1GO pic.twitter.com/ykrarvvgKd

— Fox Nation (@foxnation) May 11, 2022

What's happening isn't rocket science. Fox News is a propaganda spewing crap shack which feeds off of outrage.  That's how it makes it money and no one employed there cares about propriety or standards because there are no repercussions for the network's hypocrisy. 

'VA delegate Danica Roem announces state Senate bid' & other Wed midday news briefs

Danica Roem

Virginia Delegate Danica Roem announces state Senate bid - Good luck, Danica. Make more history because I know you will be a wonderful state senator. 

Gymnast abused by team doctor comes out swinging at rightwing claims of LGBTQ “grooming”​ - Thank you for doing this. 

The Trans Americans We've Lost to Violence in 2022 - Just read. I have nothing else to say. 

Political Notes: LGBTQ candidates capitalize on leaked draft abortion ruling - They got the right idea. The rest of the Democratic Party needs to catch up.

The latest plot to 'turn' men gay involves . . . sweatpants?

 In the mind of homophobes, practically anything can be construed as a plot to turn someone gay. Between you and me though, I almost wish this were true. Goodness knows I have a list of people I would send these sweatpants to.

'White conservative gay smears Biden deputy press secretary by calling her a 'black lesbo'' & other Tue midday news briefs

Dave Rubin 

White gay conservative Dave Rubin calls Karine Jean-Pierre “a Black lesbo”​ - Ugly thing to say and to have it come from a gay man is equally nauseating. Remember that it was recently that Rubin was getting attacked by other conservatives when he and his husband announced that they were going to be parents. He has learned nothing. 

Florida teacher allegedly fired after discussing sexuality with students - They are trying so hard to push us back into the closet. Not gonna happen, guys. 

This antigay congresswoman was just declared “Worst Boss in Congress” and she seems like a nightmare - She sounds like a sweetheart . . . 

Lil Nas X Wins Outstanding Music Artist at 2022 GLAAD Media Awards (Full Winners List) - I didn't win for 'Outstanding Blog' this year, but congratulations to my friend Susan Kerr who won her second in the category.