'Anti-gay backlash coming? Do I look scared?' & other Mon. midday news briefs

Vander Plaats

LGBT Leaders Warn of Looming Gay Rights Backlash - Those of us who study history know that this is inevitable. Historically, after any group becomes successful with attaining some form of equality, backlashes by other parts of society occur. The lgbt community does have one advantage. If we followed history, we know what to expect so we can launch a full-throated, unapologetic, aggressive defense of what we have attained. It beats standing out with your thumb in your ass waiting for the wave of homophobic backlash to knock you down. Make sure those folks know that "you have to bring some to get some."

GOP Candidates Seek Endorsement Of Iowa Anti-Gay Leader Bob Vander Plaats - The fact that many lgbts aren't familiar with Vander Plaats or will write him off as "simply a bigot" is a mindset that we need to overcome.  

Transgender Women’s Health Benefits From Transition Surgery, Study Finds - It's interesting and unfortunate that whenever the media talks about the transgender community, we hear more from pundits and religious right leaders rather than medical professionals and the transgender community itself. 

 I'll Go With You - A Mother's Personal Story About Her Trans Child And Public Bathrooms.  

Victory Fund won’t dump gay lawmakers over refugee vote - I respect the Victory Fund but I also feel that lgbt lawmakers should be called to the carpet, like any other lawmaker, when they do things which simply aren't right. And what these lawmakers did with regards to the Syrian refugee vote was shameful.

Heterosexuality can be cured . . .

No doubt, rampant heterosexuality is a major problem. The following video demonstrates how one can get help in overcoming it:



(In case you haven't realized it yet, this video is strictly satire. These days, it seems that you always have to clarify the obvious.)

'Why 'Transgender Day of Remembrance' is important' & other Fri midday news briefs

Transgender Day of Remembrance 2015: A Reporter's List - I wish days like this weren't necessary, but they are. Cases in point:  

Ted Cruz: Obama Administration Support For Trans School-Aged Children Is “Lunacy” - Idiots like this going for the low hanging fruit of ignorance and fear.  And ignorance and fear only fuels violence.

Wisconsin transgender 'bathroom bill' draws emotional public hearing - While deliberately ignoring the voices of the transgender community - men, women, and children who merely want to live their lives authentically. 

 As 2015 Sees A Record Number Of Documented Transgender Murders, A Glimmer Of Hope - Days like this are necessary because they remind us that there is A LOT of good which has been done, but there is A LOT more to do. 

 In other news: 

 Queer Voices: Do I Sound Gay? Does It Matter? - Or "does this imitation of Diana Ross in Lady Sings the Blues or Angela Lansbury doing 'Rose's Turn' in Gypsy make me look gay? I certainly hope so.  

US Embassy mocks Russian paper over fake ‘outing’ letter - Sock it to them!  

Gay, bisexual lawmakers support bill to block Syrian refugees - I am not, repeat, NOT happy about this.

Family Research Council falsely accusing Obama of discriminating against Christian refugees

There is no doubt that the situation involving the Syrian refugees has caused much controversy due to the attacks on Paris. Much of the controversy has to do with the fact that even though the perpetrators were identified as European nationals, many conservatives, GOP members, and religious right figures have exploited the situation to demonize not only the Syrian refugees but also those who practice Islam.

We've even had some folks, including presidential candidates such as Ted Cruz and Jeb Bush, offer the idea that only Christian Syrian refugees should be admitted because - as the more coarse of their colleagues put it - "only Muslims are looking to harm people."

To accentuate that mindset comes a new, but callously inaccurate spin which accuses President Obama of favoring Muslim refugees over Christian refugees. And who else is helping to forward this lie but none other than Tony Perkins and the  Family Research Council.

'Say you love America, or shut up!'

Let me just preface that I do NOT condone any type of violence. However, I consider the following clip as a stress reliever.

The Fox News network has practically bent over backwards to demonize lgbts, undermine Obama, and now fan the flames of hysteria against the Syrian refugees. The network is clearly out of control and has gotten to the point where, while in the past I have watched the following clip privately and laughed my ass off,  I am now posting it publicly on my blog because I know so many other folks need a stress reliever from that God-awful network.

The following clip is from the Adult Swim show The Boondocks. This episode, Return of the King, deals with a dream had by the main character, Hughie (he's the little boy at the end. When you see him, you'll know) in which Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. was actually not assassinated but put into a coma.  He comes out of the coma and attempts to revive a civil rights movement. This includes an appearance on a program which looks like Fox News (beginning at 19 seconds).

Watching what happens next is MY dream and guilty pleasure:

'GOP candidates not wanting to talk about alliance with 'death penalty for gays' pastor & other Thur midday news briefs

Ted Cruz

GOP Candidates Really Don't Want To Talk About 'Kill The Gays' Conference - Don't worry. We will talk about it for them. Every chance we get. 

Oklahoma Expands Rights For Same-Sex Parents - Good for Oklahoma!

 The Charlie Sheen Moment You Probably Missed - One of the few pieces regarding Charlie Sheen and his HIV status worth your time to read.  

This Is What Happens At A Formal For LGBT Teens - Hey religious right! Don't you just hate it when the reality doesn't match up to your ignorant fantasies.

Washington Post editorial board stands up for transgender student

Regarding the case in Chicago of a transgender girl attempting to be treated fairly, while the anti-gay right spins awful lies of her being an exhibitionist and a predator, legitimate media sources, such as the Washington Post editorial board, offers basic clarity and accuracy to the issue:

 . . . details of the two-year investigation prompted by the girl’s complaint paint a far different picture than that suggested by the rhetoric of school officials. How the girl, who is undergoing hormone therapy and is recognized by the school as a female in all other respects (including her use of bathrooms), first asked — and was denied — an opportunity to change clothes privately within the girls’ locker room in an area such as a restroom stall. How the school’s insistence she use separate facilities for the past two years has stigmatized her. It is clear from the government’s investigation, which included inspection of the facilities and interviews with school staff about conduct common in the locker rooms, that the privacy of all students could be protected without singling out this girl for separate and discriminatory treatment. It is a point that was underscored by the hundreds of students and community members who signed a student-led petition in support of her access to the locker room. 

According to Media Matters:

 The Post's calls for equality for transgender students are backed by the collective experience of 17 school districts around the nation that have implemented policies protecting transgender students with no negative consequences, and falls during Transgender Awareness Week, which according to LGBT media advocacy organization GLAAD, "help[s] raise the visibility of transgender and gender non-conforming people."