The homophobia of Trump's 'Evangelical Advisory Board'

This wonderful graphic of Donald Trump's "Evangelical Advisory Board" (i.e. Trumps' Legion of Homophobia) should put an end to his ridiculous claim that he is a "friend of the lgbt community:"

Graphic provided by Media Matters.

'Anti-marriage equality group NOM shifting to transphobia' & other Thur. midday news briefs

NOM pushing subtle attacks on the transgender community

Four Days Left - Will you be at the March for Marriage this Saturday? - It's very, VERY rare that I link to an anti-lgbt site for my news briefs, but this one is important. The National Organization for Marriage is holding yet another "March for Marriage" this Saturday. Now some folks may yawn it away, seeing that we have won the fight over marriage equality. However, pay attention to this announcement. NOM is slyly shifting from opposing marriage equality to opposing the rights of transgender men and women. Charlatans have to go where the money is, no doubt.  

Bryan Fischer: Democratic Gun Control Efforts Are 'Exactly How Satan Works' - While the Democrats in the House of Representatives are holding a protest to get a vote on our gun laws, some so-called religious (i.e. religious right) leaders have been silent. Others, like Bryan Fischer is tying this effort to a Satanic plot. Apparently in his version of the Bible, Jesus never said "Peace. Be Still," but "a piece of steel." 

Meet Donald Trump’s New Evangelical Advisory Board - I've posted about this before, but Think Progress provides us with a complete list of the zany.

 In Orlando Killer’s Hometown, Religious And LGBT People Choose To Build Bridges - The power of human beings lies in our ability to pull happiness and positive outcomes out of tragedy.

Tony Perkins issues petty statement about cancellation of his appearance on 'This Week'

FRC's Perkins

Anti-lgbt hate group leader Tony Perkins (head of the Family Research Council) published a statement today about the cancellation of his appearance on Sunday's ABC news program  This Week with George Stephanopoulos

Last week, the group Faithful America  circulated a petition asking that This Week cancel Perkins's appearance on the grounds that his organization is an SPLC designated hate group because it deliberately passes along lies about the lgbt community, such as the claim that gay men routinely molest children.

Perkins's statement addressing his cancellation struck me as petty but I am going to post it in full along with some "clarifications:"

The far-Left must be desperate for moral victories, because now they're making them up! This past weekend, a liberal group launched a petition to ABC News encouraging them to cancel my appearance.

(Editor's note - Perkins will not mention Faithful America by name throughout his statement as a deliberate way to dehumanize the group in the same manner he dehumanizes lgbts.)

 Of course, this is nothing new for me or FRC. Among the many things I've observed firsthand about the intolerant Left is: if they can't shout you down, they'll try to shut you down by silencing you. The reason is quite obvious. The facts, truth, reason, and common sense are against them so they don't want a reasonable conversation, they don't even want a debate!

(Editor's note - It is ironic that Perkins claims "the left" is trying to shut him down. Apparently he forgot how his group joined several other religious right organizations last year in an unsuccessful attempt to shut down the ABC sitcom "The Real O'Neals," claiming that it was anti-Christian and the creator of the show, noted lgbt activist Dan Savage, was an "anti-Christian bigot." 

Also,while Perkins claims that "the left" doesn't want to debate, he also seems to forget that in 2014, he allegedly REFUSED to debate blogger and lgbt activist Jeremy Hooper on Fox News. Because of this refusal, Megyn Kelly conducted a bizarre interview with Hooper and then Perkins without the two confronting each other.

Lastly in the matters of truth, Perkins was caught distorting information on at least two occasions. In 2010, Chris Matthews of Hardball had to issue a clarification regarding a false medical group Perkins cited to make the phony connection his group pushed regarding gay men and pedophilia. And in 2013, Luke Russert pushed back against Perkins when he cited a phony study on gay parenting.)

 So, in typical George Soros fashion, they tried – unsuccessfully -- to pressure ABC News to cancel my appearance, and then claimed victory when ABC did so for completely unrelated reasons. After leading FRC for a decade and a half (as well as working on the other side of the interview desk, which I've done as a reporter and now as a daily radio show host), one thing is certain when it comes to the press: schedules change all the time. The media has to adapt to breaking stories of the day and different guests' availability. When ABC canceled my appearance Monday, it had nothing to do with this petition that an insignificant number signed. If that were the case, we could overwhelm their petition with one of our own. This liberal group previously claimed they banned me from another TV network. But that was false because I've continued to make appearances on the network. Just since Sunday, I've appeared on Fox News Business, twice on MSNBC, and twice on Fox News.

(Editor's note - Faithful America's exact statement:  "Other media outlets have increasingly stopped offering a platform for Perkins' vitriol after hearing from thousands of us who are outraged by his claim to speak for everyday Christians."  Don't worry. I will address Perkins's comments about Faithful America's petition.)

Over the last few days, ABC News has heard from those who want to censor Christian viewpoints. Now it's time for ABC News to hear from you and viewers across the political spectrum who value a civil discussion. Please contact ABC News by sending them an email and let them know where you stand.

(Editor's note -  Faithful America does not want to censor "Christian" viewpoints. That is unless you feel that  "Christian" viewpoints entail making false statements about groups of people while hiding behind your "faith."

Lastly, I have a simple question. Perkins minimizes the effect of Faithful America's petition by claiming that FRC could have created one with more signatures possibly defending Perkins . If this is the case, why does he feel the need to tell folks to contact ABC on his behalf? Faithful America's petition was a way to send a message to ABC and it seems that perhaps it was a success on some level because Perkins is obviously trying to get his supporters to send a message, just in a different manner.) 

Now doesn't that clear things up rather nicely?

'Religious right group unveiled guide on how to pray about Trump' & other Wed. midday news briefs

We need to pray for protection FROM Trump, not pray for him to be president.

Apparently the religious right group organizing yesterday's meeting with Trump had a guide on how to pray  about Trump for attendees. It's ONLY three pages.  I for one am speechless. 

You can see it by clicking here.

Hat tip to Brian Tashman of Right Wing Watch

 

ACT UP Targets Donald Trump with Massive ‘Die-In’ at Trump Tower: VIDEOS - Kudos to ACT UP. Wonderful! 

Tony Perkins Agrees '100 Percent' That Donald Trump Would Be Better For The LGBT Community Than Hillary Clinton - "When I heard that, I screamed like a white woman in church!"

 Mat Staver: Gay Marriage Is A 'Lie From The Pit Of Hell' - Geez! Staver doesn't even TRY to be original.

 The People Hurt By North Carolina’s ‘Bathroom Law’ Who Aren’t LGBT - Shame that hardly anyone talks about this unfortunate truth.

 A GOP Congressman Is Planning An LGBT Nondiscrimination Bill — With Exceptions - NO THANK YOU! And it just sticks in my craw how the opposition was able to slyly move away from "exemptions for religious institutions" to "exemptions for people of faith." It makes a HUGE and ugly difference.

Hate group leader Tony Perkins doesn't believe faith should be used as a weapon (unless it's by him)

Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council

Anti-lgbt hate group leader Tony Perkins had an interview yesterday  with MSNBC's Peter Alexander about Donald Trump's meeting with the religious and and anti-lgbt right.

You can feel free to watch the entire interview via Media Matters. Once was enough for me, thank you very much. Granted, some folks have pointed out that since Perkins and his group (the Family Research Council) masquerades as a faith-based group while pushing anti-lgbt lies, he shouldn't be given a platform by mainstream media.

I don't exactly agree and for two reasons. I think that mainstream media should have people like Perkins on but should do a better job in giving their viewers accurate information on what he is all about as well as asking critical questions on his statements and his group's tactics; both of which belie the fact that Perkins is a religious leader and his group is faith-based.

The second reason is more to the point. Perkins opens his mouth like a fish eager for bait and gets hooked. That is to say, he generally says something which gives the lgbt community an opportunity to prove him a liar.

Such as this statement when Alexander questioned him on Trump attacking the religion of his opponents:

ALEXANDER: Donald Trump there saying we don't know anything about Hillary in terms of religion. In fact, we do. She's been public about her Methodist faith. She's spoken about it, she's written about it. She attended church. She actually had a close relationship to Billy Graham. So is Hillary Clinton's faith the real source of concern?

TONY PERKINS: First off, I don't think faith should be used as a weapon. I think faith is a building block, it’s a bridge. . .

If Perkins doesn't think faith should be used as a weapon, then why does he and his group constantly use it as a way to stomp down the lgbt community?

Like the time he said gays are "pawns of the enemy," i.e. Satan:



Or the time he questioned pro-lgbt Christians by using terms like "fascism" and "heresy."

And let's not forget the time when he said "homosexuality leads to eternal damnation."

Also, how could we forget when he compared upholding non-discrimination laws to the Holocaust by making references to boxcars and "re-education camps."

Lastly,  the Family Research Council in general is an organization pushing a  huge con game in which its leaders such as Perkins and spokespeople hide behind claims of "sincerely held religious beliefs" while at the same time pushing lies and junk science to smear the lgbt community.

So this claim by Perkins that he doesn't think faith should be used as a weapon is yet another lie he perpetrates.

He meant to say he doesn't think faith should be used as a weapon unless it's by him.

Hat tip to GLAAD CAP

Now is the time for the lgbt community to step up efforts against Trump

Bachmann

If, by chance, Donald Trump is elected as president and things begin to go downhill for the lgbt community, please do not expect a sympathetic voice from me.

Expect me to throw this post in the face of the entire lgbt community. Why? Because today is the day the lgbt community needs to start taking this election extra seriously. No matter how many mistakes Trump makes or how far down he is in the polls, he is still running for president, which means until the election is over, he has a chance of winning.

And if he does, it's not going to be pretty for the lgbt community. The following item from Right Wing Watch says plainly why:

Today, Donald Trump’s campaign announced the formation of his Evangelical Executive Advisory Board, which includes right-wing figures ranging from ex-Rep. Michele Bachmann to Focus on the Family founder James Dobson. After retiring from Congress on the heels of a campaign scandal, Bachmann has not let up in her radical preaching. According to Bachmann, the September 11 attacks represented God’s judgment on America; President Obama and gay rights advocates are bringing about the End Times; homosexuality is “personal enslavement” and “part of Satan”; gay people want to change laws “so that adults will be able to freely prey on little children sexually”; and Obamacare death panels will literally kill people any day now

Dobson

. . . .Dobson, who once said that he could not support Trump, has a long history with the anti-LGBT Right, warning that gay marriage will lead to a second civil war and pastors going to prison, as well as ushering in the destruction of religious freedom, God’s judgment on America and the transformation of the U.S. into Nazi Germany. He even linked same-sex marriage to the Sandy Hook shooting. Other board members include Richard Land, who claims gay people are satanic and once lost a radio show after making racist, plagiarized statements, and Harry Jackson, a Maryland pastor who preaches about gay people trying to recruit children and prays against the demons behind same-sex marriage . . .

 . . . The group also include Southern Baptist pastor Ronnie Floyd, who has written about how “Satan has taken his tool of homosexuality, a gross and evil sin, and done a con job on the American culture.” Also on the list is Robert Jeffress, who “believes that gays and lesbians are ‘perverse’ people who are either pedophiles or likely to abuse children in the future; has compared homosexuality to bestiality and called it ‘a miserable lifestyle’; accused gay people of using ‘brainwashing techniques’ to have homosexuality ‘crammed down our throats’; said that gay people ‘are engaged in the most detestable, unclean, abominable acts you can imagine’; predicted that the gay rights movement ‘will pave the way for that future world dictator, the Antichrist’; and labeled homosexuality a ‘filthy practice’ that will lead to the ‘implosion of our country.’” 

In spite of what Trump has said in the past about being a friend to the lgbt community, he is building a "Legion of Homophobia" (I will not refer to this group as religious leaders. They are a "legion," as in the name of the devils Jesus cast out of a person in the Bible) which will follow him to the White House and help create policy.

And I will give you one guess whether or not that policy will be lgbt-friendly.

In the lgbt community, the practice is usually we get beaten down, maligned, and scandalized until we can't take anymore and start "acting up." It is then we start becoming engaged and determined to make changes - after the blows have been struck against us. That simply won't do in this case because our engagement generally takes place AFTER we have been done dirty. In this particular case, we have a chance to stop the "dirty deeds" before they take place.

Yes, Trump is a comical fool and yes he is making mistake after mistake. But with this "legion" he has just created, Trump cannot be taken lightly. Now is the time for us to inject some serious opposition towards him. The surest way for him to win is for folks not to take that possibility seriously.

What is the lgbt community prepared to do now instead of later? Will we stop the flow of anti-lgbt backlash before it starts or will we be forced to play catch up yet again?

We know where Trump stands and we are familiar with the players of his latest game. Let's not wait to engage him and them in the arena of public opinion and debate until after the fact.

'Donald Trump meeting with the anti-lgbt right for seven hours' & other Tue. midday news briefs

Donald Trump is meeting with the anti-lgbt right even as I speak.

Inside Donald Trump’s Private Meeting With Evangelicals - Donald Trump is in the middle of a seven hour meeting with various religious right and anti-lgbt hate group leaders. That's not a meeting. That sounds like a reprogramming. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Whatever happens, the lgbt community need to keep our eyes open. It's gonna be hell for us regardless of the outcome. 

TODAY: Donald Trump Meets With 400 Top Anti-LGBT Christian Conservatives - More details about this "situation."  

Save Your Sympathy. You Are The Problem. - Probably one of the best piece about conservative hypocrisy regarding the Orlando tragedy. The writer gets specific.  

The Bathroom Sign Debate Has Ended And The Answer Is Prince - I'm speechless, but a good point has been made.  

Tennessee’s Anti-LGBT Counseling Law Just Lost It $5 Million In Revenue - Too bad. So sad. NOT!