'Dan Savage knocks down religious right's 'gay friend' meme' & other Wednesday midday news briefs

Dan Savage

Dan Savage: Why would Santorum and Huckabee’s ‘imaginary gay friends’ invite them to their wedding? - Thank you Dan Savage for pointing this out. Every time I hear someone try to make up for homophobic statements by citing their so-called "gay friend," I say "yeah, right!" 

NBC News To Air 2-Part 'Transgender Kids' Special - Kudos to NBC for doing this.  

Fox News Distraught That Children Are Learning That Transgender People Exist - Because we have some NASTY SOBs out there deliberately putting out bad information. 

  The anti-gay right can't run forever from its history of bigotry - Reiterating this morning's post. You don't spend YEARS dehumanzing lgbt people and then suddenly claim that we are bullying you.

Assembly Rejects Controversial Transgender Bathroom Bill - The folks who fought to defeat this deserve a HUGE round of applause.

 Legendary Activists in the Fight Against HIV - Speaking of folks deserving HUGE rounds of applause.

The anti-gay right can't run forever from its history of bigotry

The anti-gay right wants us to forget this image of the lgbt community they once pushed on a heavy scale.

As a gay man, I admit that I am enthused and encouraged by what I see as a more lgbt-inclusive American society.

While we still have some kinks to work on and straighten out, I am happy with our progress. Just a decade ago, we wouldn't be talking about lgbt issues as openly as we are now. We have more public figures who are out from the get-go, rather than coming out after long rumors and speculation. And marriage equality is closer to becoming a 50-state reality sooner than some of us ever realized (fingers crossed).

But I am nagged by something which is figuratively poking me in the back of the head with the urgency of a classmate eager to annoy the hell out of me.

There is a brazenly dishonest new tactic emanating from the anti-gay right which must be called out on a larger scale. That lie is the idea that somehow the progression of marriage equality and popularity of the lgbt community is suddenly making them isolated and derided for supposedly simply stating their opinions. Suddenly the lgbt community is being portrayed as bullies seeking to shut anti-gay figures down and deride them for speaking against marriage equality and lgbt equality. It's a skilled talking point helped along by think tank finances, intellectuals paid by these finances, and a "news" network  which mistakes omitted information, one-sided interviews, and sloppy (probably in some cases deliberately sloppy) journalism as conservative opinion and ideology.

And the award for the anti-gay activist making the least sense about opposition to marriage equality goes to . . .

I talked about this travesty today in which anti-gay activist Judge Roy Moore was given a civil rights award from a black organization ( The Coalition of African-American Pastors, is a known astroturfed group of National Organization for Marriage stooges) for his opposition to marriage equality. The crowning glory of this farce is when Moore and the head of CAAP, William Owens, attempt to explain what is wrong with marriage equality.

I don't think I should even bother answer Owens's last statement, except to say I don't do that sort of thing. It sounds dangerous.(speaking strictly with tongue in cheek, of course)

'Anti-gay activist compares marriage equality to segregation' & other Tuesday midday news briefs

Roy Moore

Justice Roy Moore compares marriage equality to segregation as he accepts civil rights award - There are NO words vulgar enough for me to express my absolute nausea and disgust over this. By the way, the group giving Moore this award, The Coalition of African-American Pastors, is a known astroturfed group of National Organization for Marriage stooges. 

Roy Moore Compares Anti-Gay Fight To Resisting Slavery & Segregation - Video footage of the insanity.  

Perkins: Obama 'Has Endangered Our Country And Our Future' By Supporting Marriage Equality - Oh yeah. That will play REAL good in front of the Supreme Court. 

 Adoption 'Conscience Protection' Tabled In Senate - Not the end of this vile anti-gay adoption junk but a good beginning to the end. 

 Anti-Gay Attorney Gene Schaerr Thinks Gay Marriage Will Lead To 900,000 Abortions: VIDEO - That noise you are hearing is the bottom of the barrel being scraped when it comes to reasons to oppose marriage equality. How long will it be before the rest of the anti-gay right repeats this lie?  

Religious Leaders On Same-Sex Marriage: “No One View Speaks For ‘Religion’” - AMEN! Thank you for not allowing the anti-gay evangelical right to bogart the discussion. 

 Irish Kids Encourage Citizens To Vote 'Yes' On Marriage Equality Referendum - Wonderful video which lets you know that while adults have gone crazy, the children are alright because they "get it."

NOM bringing pastor behind 'I'm not gay no more' debacle to its upcoming march

As many of you may or not know, the National Organization for Marriage will be hold another #march4marriage this Saturday in Washington, D.C.

Observers are already noting this march will probably be as disastrous as NOM's #march4marriage last year. However, that's not to say the organization doesn't have minor celebrities in attendance.

According to Jeremy Hooper, this man will be speaking at the march:

And just who is Rev. Brandon Porter, you ask? Why he is the pastor who "laid his hands" on a young man and supposedly "cured" him of his homosexuality. In fact, we happen to have the video right here:



By the way, the young man in the video, Andrew Caldwell,  has said he is still gay.  One can only hope that Porter brings as much success to NOM's march as he did in "delivering" Caldwell from "homosexuality."

'Republicans declaring legislative war on the lgbt community' & other Monday midday news briefs

The Fight for LGBT Equality is Not Over - According to this article in The American Prospect, Republican lawmakers have introduced over 100 pieces of anti-lgbt legislation in 29 states. They never know the meaning of the phrase "overdoing it."

California Ballot Initiative Would Pay People A $4,000 Bounty For Policing Transgender Bathroom Use - A bounty? What is this? Pro-wrestling?

 Maggie Gallagher won't toast you while you trap your spouse in sin - Excuse me? What self-respect same-sex couple would invite Maggie Gallagher to their wedding? As evil as that woman is, I wouldn't invite her to stand on my front yard. 

Anti-gay right owes Mayor Annise Parker, city of Houston an apology - From this morning. It would be a HUGE mistake for the lgbt community to allow the anti-gay right off the hook with regards to this. 

Arkansas Pastors Say Protecting Christian Tourism Trumps Protecting Local LGBT Residents - Another example of the ignorant idea that the lgbt orientation and Christian beliefs do not mingle. It does, particularly in the black church (yes, I said it).

  James Dobson Does Not Understand Bisexuality: 'That's Orgies!' - This is so gross for two reasons -1. Dobson doesn't understand bisexuality. 2. He DOES understand orgies. Ewwwww! I need a mental wish to get that picture out of my head.

Anti-gay right owes Mayor Annise Parker, city of Houston an apology

Dear Mike Huckabee, Todd Starnes, Phil Robertson, Tony Perkins, Family Research Council, Fox News, and assorted conservative & religious right figures,

By now you have all heard the decision coming down in Houston regarding HERO, the trans-inclusive non-discrimination ordinance. The judge has decided that those seeking a referendum against the ordinance did not gain enough signatures to force the issue.

And that being said, you all owe the city of Houston and particularly Mayor Annise Parker a public apology.

Granted, I am not naive. I know one is not forthcoming. The purpose of this letter is not to appeal to either your morality or integrity. It is merely to show how you all are lacking in both. It was bad enough that you helped to weave false stories of male predators attacking women in changing rooms, restrooms, and locker rooms because of this ordinance. You all have told this lie so many times, the lgbt community is almost (and unfortunately) becoming desensitized to it.