Anti-gay leader claims gay parents will lead their children to hell

It was bound to happen. Anti-gay personalities and spokespeople are so upset over 50-state marriage equality that they are now making ugly comments about children in same-sex households.

From Right Wing Watch:

Last night, Vision America's Rick Scarborough spoke at St. Andrew Baptist Church in Panama City, Florida, as part of the church's weekly "Spiritual Revolution - Reclaiming America" series, where he declared that the Supreme Court's gay marriage decision will kill this nation and warned that children will now be adopted by gay parents and wind up in Hell.

I guess Scarborough fails to realize how such rhetoric serves to alienate everyone except for the those truly converted to his rancor. And this isn't a large group. Even so, folks like Scarborough can call us anything they want. But they should really leave out kids out of their tantrums.

No matter because the gay community still have the right to marry, no matter what Scarborough or anyone else can drudge up by way of a scream. Comments like his should only make us stronger and more resolved to get everything we need besides marriage equality.

'Franklin Graham puts his two cents in about Caitlyn Jenner, moves into Kanye West territory' & other Tues midday news briefs

Franklin Graham - the white, evangelical version of Kanye West.

Franklin Graham says he finds it ‘hard to swallow’ that Caitlyn Jenner got Courage Award - Okay, I get the entire freedom of speech thing, but when a public figures feels the need to comment negatively on almost every lgbt public event, we are moving into demagogue territory here. And it doesn't matter that lgbts are ignoring Graham. His words are emboldening a bunch of ignorant folks. 

Anti-Gay Clerk: Following The Law Is A Violation Of My Rights - I present Exhibit A of the point of the above brief. One saving grace about this nut is that he is very vocal of the fact that he does not want to give ANY marriage license to ANY gay couple even though he knows its discrimination. And he will NOT resign either. He moved way past integrity a while back and is now deeply entrenched into ego. By all means, please proceed, sir.

  God V. Gays Is a False Narrative - Yes it is! And it's about time we started calling it out as such. Lgbts are people faith and we know how to pray and trust in God. Just because certain individuals now bogart the narrative doesn't mean that their view of religion is the only one which matters.  

Poll Finds Most Small Business Owners Oppose Anti-LGBT ‘Religious Freedom’ Laws - I bet you didn't even know THAT. 

 Ford Worker Fired For Anti-Gay Comment Sues For Religious Discrimination - Important case to watch. The notice he was responding to contained NOTHING about sex or the like. He posted a viciously nasty retort and is now claiming that he did so because of his faith. If he wins, then I guess folks can say all sorts of ugly things about lgbts and hide behind their religion.  

Pentagon Confirms Plans To Lift Ban On Transgender Military Service - And that would be awesome!

NOM makes awful attempt to distort marriage equality poll

Brian Brown, NOM tries to manipulate data.

Poor National Organization for Marriage. The organization is so delirious over its loss at SCOTUS that it is now attempting to convince supporters that there is now momentum against marriage equality:

 The evidence that the country is not embracing this ruling mounts every day. A nationwide survey of voters conducted by Reuters found that only 51% of Americans support same-sex 'marriage' following the Supreme Court ruling — a considerably smaller percentage than many national polls found prior to the ruling — and nearly two thirds of Republicans oppose the Supreme Court decision. Reuters noted that this will likely ensure that opposition to the Supreme Court ruling will be a pivotal issue in the selection of the Republican presidential nominee. 

The article in question by Reuters did say that a large number of Republicans  do not agree with the recent SCOTUS decision. And it the article also said that 51 percent of Americans in general support marriage equality after the ruling.

But NOM conveniently omitted to mention how many Americans in general do not support marriage equality. That number and what it means for Republican candidates who are publicly opposed to marriage equality reveal a totally different story than the one NOM is attempting to peddle :

When asked in general whether they support allowing same-sex couples to marry, 51 percent of Americans say they do, while 35 percent oppose it. Forty-eight percent of independent voters back gay marriage, making it difficult for a conservative Republican to win general election votes on the issue.  

Seems to me that NOM is still in the hole it was in before the ruling, i.e. more Americans support marriage equality while the anti-gay group finds outself outside the mainstream. And the more the NOM tries to dig out of that hole, the filthier it gets.

I do adore watching pigs rut in their natural habitat.

'Anti-gay judge wants gay couples to sign waiver before he marries them' & other Mon. midday news briefs

Todd Starnes - Christianity's worst nightmare.

Texas judge will perform same-sex weddings — but only if couples acknowledge his anti-LGBT beliefs - Someone must be out of his mind. I have NEVER heard of such a thing!  

Watch Fox host deliver unhinged anti-LGBT sermon: Chick-fil-A ‘is the official chicken of Jesus’ - When people ask me why does American Christianity get such a bad rap, I generally say two words - "Todd Starnes." 

Todd Starnes Delivers Ignorance-Packed Sermon About the “War on Religious Liberty” - More about Starnes' crazy weekend activities. I know he works for Fox but even THAT network should have standards. 

 Fox News' Special Report Demeans Transgender Teens As Impressionable Children With A Mental Disorder - Then again . . .  

The international war on LGBT people - About that lie that lgbts are attempting to persecute folks. . . .   

Huckabee: Christians Must Be 'Willing To Suffer' For Disobeying Gay Marriage Ruling - Yeah, yeah, yeah. You first, Huckabee. And we all KNOW that neither you nor the rest doing the talking about persecution will lose anything, ESPECIALLY those fat bank accounts.

 'Rumplepimple,' Children's Book, Wants To Normalize Same-Sex Relationships For Children - Because it needs to happen. The ignorant will think we are talking about sex, but to hell with them because we aren't.

The real story behind lgbt equality struggle is being ignored

For over three decades, anti-gay groups created this false image of the gay community.

Last night, I made the discovery that my work was used in a letter to the editor in the Grand Forks Herald:

The Huffington Post's Alvin McEwan characterizes the ACP as "a sham group camouflaging religious right distortion as legitimate research" and cites University of Minnesota professor Greg Remafedi, who claims the group has "distorted his work." And in fact, the list of scientists whose research has been distorted to support the religious right's bigotry against the LGBT community is staggering.

It was pretty cool to be cited and obviously the young lady read my online booklet, How They See Us, because she cited info from page 10 regarding the list of researchers whose work have been distorted by the anti-gay right.

But then the euphoria faded and I got a bit angry. Not at her, mind you, but the situation in general.

On two pages, I listed at least 12 examples over a number of years in which anti-gay groups and personalities have been caught lying about or distorting research.  How in the world did the media, including ours, miss this?

Do journalists dig for information anymore? While we busy ourselves with esoteric terms, while those who claim to be our allies (i.e. Kirsten Powers) write sloppy books hoping to follow the trend of fake pity for anti-gay groups and organizations who finally themselves out of the mainstream, and while those same anti-gay groups and organizations (and their allies at places such as Fox News) spin false stories of anti-Christian persecution at places such as bakeries, the real story seems to be getting ignored.

That real story is the over 30 year history of lies, distortions, and bearing of false witness by anti-gay groups designed to stigmatize the lgbt community.  Until THAT story is told, no matter how many victories we win, the lgbt community will always find ourselves on the defensive, trying to justify not only our existence but our right to have a normal life.

'Anti-gay Oregon bakery was not fined for cake, but sharing lesbian couple's personal info' & other Fri. midday news briefs

Save your fake tears, Melissa Klein. We now know why your bakery was fined.

Oregon bakers weren’t fined over cake — they were punished for sharing lesbian couple’s home address - I don't care how many times this story has been listed, I don't care how many times folks have read this story, and I don't care how tired folks are of hearing about it. THIS component NEEDS to go viral. That bakery in Oregon which got into trouble for not serving a gay couple and ended up having to pay a $135,000 have been liars from the start. They whine about their religious liberty and accuse the lgbt community of being "intolerant." It turns out they were fined BECAUSE they shared the lesbian couple's personal information, causing the couple to receive a multitude of threats and nearly causing their foster children to be taken away. Now when the Family Research Council, Todd Starnes, and various other anti-gay groups and personalities repeat this story, they won't mention this fact. When the couple who owns the bakery makes their speech at FRC's "Values Voters" Summit, they aren't going to mention that detail. We need to drill this truth into people's heads so that they know how much of a lie this entire crying towel story was. 

The Newest Argument For Wedding Cake Discrimination - Because you can BET the anti-gay right is attempting to twist this situation again.  

Mike Huckabee: US Now Worse Than Sodom And Gomorrah Because Of Marriage Equality - The poor anti-gay right continues the conjecture and hyperbole to no avail. 

Governor Tells a Kentucky County Clerk to Start Issuing Same-Sex Marriage Licenses or Resign - BECAUSE it's their freaking jobs to do it!  

Right-Wing Pastors: Expect 'Gunfire' And Rebellion Due To Gay Marriage Ruling - The only thing I've heard are words from overpaid, self-righteous so-and-so's who are too cowardly to start something themselves so they are attempting to bamboozle others into doing it.

Anti-gay right's attack on SCOTUS are dangerous

The one thing which bothers me greatly throughout the entire right-wing freakout over the marriage equality decision is the disrespect of SCOTUS. Take Mat Staver of the Liberty Counsel, for example:

Staver

We should not pretend that it is the rule of law, we should not act like it's the rule of law," he counsels. "We do need to protect religious freedom – but in the process we cannot accept this ruling as a legitimate ruling as the rule of law. It is not; it is not based on the Constitution – and if it's not based on the Constitution, it's just their opinion."

I'm sure his words will come back to haunt him, should Staver ever find himself arguing a case in front of SCOTUS.

Their rulings are not merely opinion.  SCOTUS is the body which makes sure our laws are in accordance to the Constitution. And their rulings, like it or not, are legitimate dictates which we must follow. I haven't liked some rulings but I have never referred to the justices as "black robed tyrants" or "unelected judges." 

Such rhetoric is not only disrespectful but dangerous to the integrity of the court and future of this country.  Staver and the rest who are attacking SCOTUS for their marriage equality ruling should think upon their words. If they are urging resistance against a ruling which they don't like, what are they to do if people on the other side of the spectrum urges resistance against a ruling they would like in the future?