'Hate group continues ugly smear against lesbian teacher' & other Mon midday news briefs

Liberty Counsel Continues Its Crusade Against Pro-LGBTQ Florida Teacher - Anti-lgbtq hate group The Liberty Counsel has found a new crusade and it's really beginning to bug me. The organization has been targeting this teacher since May. They've accused her of "bullying" Christian students and "indoctrinating" other students in the so-called homosexual agenda - charges which were shown to be nothing when the school district investigated. But the organization won't stop. THIS is the very definition of bullying.

Related posts:

Anti-lgbtq right conveniently quiet after exoneration of teacher they targeted

Anti-lgbtq hate group continues to target exonerated high school teacher 

In other news:
 

Planet Fitness isn’t violating privacy by welcoming transgender members, Michigan court rules - A recent court decision just dealt a blow to the "transgender predator" myth.

 John McEnroe Rips Tennis Bigot Margaret Court in Salty, Delicious Denunciation: WATCH - Just imagine how homophobic someone has to be to get me the cheer John McEnroe for giving them a good "read."

 ‘Our Bible’ app aims to support LGBTQ Christians who feel excluded - Yet of a reminder that the "Gays vs. Christians" nonsense is a fictional war propagated by people (hello Franklin Graham) and organizations (the Liberty Counsel) more interested in attaining power than not pushing people away from God. Great discussion in the comments section with the usual cast of characters.

Government branches acknowledging LGBTQ Pride Month in spite of Trump

Even though Trump failed to recognize June as LGBTQ Pride Month, other branches of the federal government are not following his lead.

The Defense Department for one:

The Defense Department is observing June as LBBT Pride Month to recognize DoD's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender service members and civilians. DoD Pride, an employee resource group, is hosting its annual celebration June 12 at the Pentagon. "The struggles, sacrifices and successes among the LGBT community continue to shape our history and remind us to uphold tolerance and justice for all," Anthony M. Kurta wrote in a memo announcing the observance today. Kurta is performing the duties of the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness. "Integrity and respect are fundamental qualities of our military and civilian culture," Kurta noted in the memo. "As we celebrate the diversity of the total force, we honor all who have answered the call to serve, and their unwavering commitment to our shared mission," he wrote. "During the month of June, let us celebrate the diversity of the DoD workforce and rededicate ourselves to equity, dignity and respect for all."

And then there is the State Department:

A State Department spokesperson on Friday said embassies and consulates have received guidance that allows them to recognize Pride month. 

 “Advancing the human rights of vulnerable groups including LGBTI persons is a core component of U.S. foreign policy,” the spokesperson told the Washington Blade. “All people should be protected from discrimination and violence, and must be allowed to exercise their human rights, including their rights to the freedoms of expression, association, peaceful assembly, and religion or belief.” “LGBTI Pride celebrations are an expression of these rights,” added the spokesperson. 

 ”As such, the department has issued guidance to embassies and consulates allowing them to, as appropriate to their local context, recognize LGBTI Pride Month.” The rainbow flag was raised over the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic on Friday. 

“So incredibly proud of U.S. Embassy Santo Domingo for raising the Pride flag today,” wrote former U.S. Ambassador to the Dominican Republic James “Wally” Brewster on his Facebook page.  

The U.S. Embassies in Chile and Mexico in recent days have also publicly acknowledged Pride month. The rainbow flag flew over the U.S. Embassy in Cuba on May 17 in commemoration of the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.

So while it's disappointing that Trump is ignoring our month, we will just have to do what these departments have done - just move him to the side and not allow his actions to steal our joy

Family Research Council doesn't think 'Christians' should have to follow the law

Editor's note - Friday's midday news briefs may be pre-empted.

 And just like that, the religious right has another so-called victim of marriage equality persecution.

According to anti-lgbtq hate group the Family Research Council:

In another astounding case of intolerance, Country Mill Orchards was kicked out of the sellers group last August when city officials got wind of the couple’s biblical views on marriage. After seven years of hosting one of the most popular stalls at the market, they’ve been pushed out because they dared to agree with 53 percent of the American people! Of course, the irony is, the Tenneses never mentioned marriage at the market -- this was all the result of a Facebook fishing expedition from a potential wedding client.

When two women asked to be married on the farm in 2014, the Tennes turned them down, explaining that because of their faith, they referred same-sex couples to neighboring farms. Two years later, the couple decided to launch a social media smear campaign, urging people to stay away from Country Mill. When their post was brought to East Lansing’s attention, local leaders raced to pass an ordinance directly targeting small business owners like the Tenneses. In a press conference this week, Steve could only shake his head at the strong-arm tactics of the Left. “East Lansing [had] posted on their Facebook page: ‘We love the Country Mill.’ That came to an abrupt end that same August [when the family went public with their views]. Because of our beliefs,” Steve went on, “the city of East Lansing strongly and immediately pressured us not to return to the farmers market that very weekend. Ultimately, the city developed a new policy to target and block our farm from further participation in their city-run farmers market.”

And here’s the kicker: the Tenneses not only serve people who identify as LGBT -- they employ them! But that’s not enough for the extreme Left, who will accept nothing less than the full and complete surrender of every Christian’s First Amendment rights. As Steve pointed out, “Our faith and beliefs on marriage and hosting weddings at our home and in our backyard of our farm have nothing to do with the city of East Lansing. Nor does it have anything to do with the produce that we sell to the people that attend the farmers markets who are from all backgrounds and all beliefs.”

The attack on the Tenneses is especially upsetting since both Steve and Bridget are military veterans, and they -- more than anyone -- know the price of freedom. “We were surprised, and we were shocked,” Steve told Fox News’s Todd Starnes. “My wife and I both volunteered to serve in the military to protect freedom. Now we come home and the freedom that we worked to protect, we have to defend in our own backyard.”

Now, the veterans are fighting a new battle to keep this same harassment from happening to other Americans. Together with Alliance Defending Freedom, the family is taking East Lansing to court, demanding their reinstatement in the local market. “We have to stand up for what’s right and be able to speak freely about our beliefs,” Steve said determinedly. “And to live out our own beliefs at our own home on our own farm.”

To paraphrase Thelma Ritter from 'All About Eve,' it's a good story . . including the part about the hounds snapping at their rear ends.

'Trump doesn't acknowledge LGBTQ Pride Month' & other Thur midday news briefs

'Friend to the gays,' my tookis!

Trump breaks tradition of recognizing LGBTQ Pride Month - Surprise, surprise! The self-proclaimed friend to the gays doesn't acknowledge LGBTQ Pride Month. I bet you miss Obama now seeing that he did. Don't be blase about this LATEST slap in the face Trump has given the lgbtq community. Just take it as more incentive to dismantle his presidency bit by ugly bit, starting in 2018 (that is IF he is still president by then).

 Rhode Island House Votes to Ban Harmful Gay ‘Conversion Therapy’ - Go Rhode Island!

Anti-LGBT Posters Found at Eastern Alamance High School - In North Carolina, no less. Hehehe! If folks want to put up posters of Biblical incidents (like in this case the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah), they should REALLY be careful. Lots of interesting things to choose from.

 These Two Univ. of Minnesota Teammates Open Up About Falling In Love - This is SOOOO CUTE!!! 

Martina Navratilova Slams Margaret Court In Open Letter - There is a serious drama going on regarding former tennis champion Margaret Court. She is extremely ugly to the lgbtq community and playing the "I'm being persecuted" card while doing it. Another former tennis champion and present lesbian icon Martina Navratilova simply isn't having any of it.

Hate group (The Liberty Counsel) doesn't actually believe in religious liberty

Mat Staver of the Liberty Counsel

Anti-lgbtq hate group The Liberty Counsel has made a name for itself via defending individuals like Kim Davis and others it claims are victims of religious persecution.  The organization would like for people to believe that it does these things because it stands for the so-called concept of religious liberty.

However, recent statements by the group regarding a church in Florida raises questions as to just whose religious liberty is the Liberty Counsel interested in preserving.

From the American Family Association's fake online news service, One News Now:

Northland Community Church in Orlando recently hosted the event, which was titled: "Elevating the Dialogue on LGBTQ Inclusion and Understanding of the Church." It was sponsored by The Reformation Project, founded by Mathew Vines, author of the book God and the Gay Christian. Joel Hunter, pastor of Northland Community Church, told Charisma News his church hasn't wavered on the belief that marriage is between one man and one woman. But he said he invited Vines "because his organization helps churches – including churches that do not agree with him – have a conversation to increase understanding between the two normally adversarial groups." Hunter also told The Orlando Sentinel: "It's not about our church's position about homosexuality. It's about how we treat each other when we're different in our perspectives."

And here is where the Liberty Counsel comes in the conversation:

However, a litigation, education and policy organization based in Orlando has some concerns about the event. Roger Gannam is assistant vice president for legal affairs for Liberty Counsel. 

"It's one thing to host a conversation, a panel discussion, or a debate where different sides of an issue are presented," says Gannam. "But for a church to invite into its walls an organization led by a man who espouses basically heresy – something that is not biblical at all – it's very disappointing and it's very alarming." 

The founder of Liberty Counsel, Mat Staver, believes Pastor Hunter has fallen into a trap. "For him to host that pro-LGBT event is heresy," he adds. 

Liberty Counsel argues that the purpose of the event was to "distort the Bible and change theology in order to affirm an alternate sexual lifestyle as normative."

And there you have it. Under the guise of religious liberty, the Liberty Counsel will defend a government employee (Kim Davis) who discriminates against same-sex couples even though her salary in part is paid by their tax dollars.

Then the organization will make a 180 degree turn to criticize a church for having a simple dialogue about lgbtq issues.

Apparently the Liberty Counsel is more interested in preserving the religious liberty of those who would treat the lgbtq community as second class citizens rather than those who would treat us as human beings.

'VP Pence to speak at conference hosted by pastor who called gay equality 'demonic' ' & other Wed midday news briefs

Mike Pence To Speak At Conference Hosted By Radical Pastor John Hagee - VP Mike Pence will be speaking at a conference hosted by John Hagee, a guy who once said "that God sent Adolf Hitler to the world in order to be a “hunter” of Jews, advancing a divinely inspired plan to push Jews back to the land of Israel."  And of course Hagee is also homophobic. 

Cases in point:

AND my favorite:



Okay the following is also my favorite. Just go on youtube and google "John Hagee" and "homosexuality." It's a like a smorgasbord of homophobia:



Pence will practically LOVE it there at his conference.

 In other news: 

 Appeals court smacks down Wisconsin school’s anti-transgender discrimination - THIS happened yesterday. Sweet!!! 

 Russian retail chain puts up anti-gay ‘no entry for f*ggots’ sign - In Russia, of course. Ugh! 

18 Types Of People That Make Queer People Say "Oh Boy" - Probably controversial? Yes. Hilarious? HELL yes!

'It Gets Better' disputed, religious right overdoes celebration

Dan Savage

Dan Savage's monumental "It Gets Better" campaign recently fell under scrutiny via a study which questions its effectiveness.

According to LOGO Newnownext:

The It Gets Better projects was launched by Dan Savage and Terry Miller in 2010, in response to a chilling number of suicides by LGBT teens facing bullying. Sine then, it’s added more than 50,000 videos from people of all walks of life.

But a new study suggests imagining a better future may not be an ideal coping mechanism for struggling teens—and may, in fact, do more harm than good. University of Arizona professor Russell Toomey and his team examined profiles of 245 lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) young adults to see how they coped with sexual-minority stress during adolescence. Three common strategies emerged: Cognitive strategies (the “It Gets Better” approach), alternative-seeking strategies (changing social circles or schools), and “LGB-specific” strategies (joining a gay-straight alliance). Young people who sought out LGB-specific strategies reported better psychosocial adjustment and were more likely to graduate high school. Cognitive and alternative-seeking strategies were associated with poorer adjustment, higher incidents of depression and lower self-esteem. Alternative-seeking strategies were even linked to lower likelihood of finishing high school. “Our findings question the ’It Gets Better’ narrative that’s been given to LGB youth,” said Toomey. “Asking youth to accept negative experiences as the only coping strategy potentially exacerbates stress.” 

 Personally,I think the study's premise presents an inaccurately simplistic view of the 'It Gets Better"  campaign. Regardless, it is a fascinating twist which will no doubt lead to debates, arguments, and unfortunately, groups and individuals who will  exploit the study to push their own anti-lgbtq agenda.