Trump's religious liberty commission pick ran this comically bad anti-gay ad in 2012

Last week, it was announced that two prominent anti-LGBTQ activists, Family Research Council president Tony Perkins and Gary Bauer, were picked to be members of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. Naturally the news caused a good deal of anger because of both men's long history of denigrating the LGBTQ community via lies and junk science.

 However much of the attention was given to Perkins (who was chosen by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell), while Bauer (picked by Trump) pretty much flew under the radar. I posted something about Bauer's attempt to undermine fighting the AIDS crisis when he worked in the Reagan Administration, but the newest item is a bit more current and captures Bauer's repulsive essence.

'Gay teen reported being bullied. Told she was going to hell' & other Wed midday news briefs

Gay teen says she went to school resource officer after getting bullied — and he told her she’s going to hell - Oh no! Now see, we need to get to the bottom of this shyte right here!

Connecticut Lawmakers Push Back Against Trump’s Attack on Transgender Inmates - First recruiting potential gay parents to adopt and now this. Go ahead, Connecticut!

Gavin Grimm won: Court says schools can’t discriminate against trans students - One more time for the chilluns in the back!

U.S. agencies to celebrate Pride month, but without Cabinet secretaries - We don't need them messing up our parties.

Caitlyn Jenner wouldn’t vote for Trump again, says she can ‘handle’ Pence - girlfriend, you are STILL being naive.

Hate group calls the LGBTQ community 'spiteful and intolerant' because we won't accept unfair treatment

As to be expected, hate group the Family Research Council is nauseatingly pleased at the new law in Kansas which allows adoption agencies to discriminate against the LGBTQ community while still being able to receive tax dollars.

And the group has a message for those of us angry at such unfair action:

As we've seen in the wedding vendor debate, there are plenty of adoption agencies in Kansas who are willing to serve same-sex, unmarried, or single parents. There's absolutely no reason -- except spite and intolerance -- to force everyone else to chuck their beliefs as a condition of serving in the industry. For years, faith-based adoption and foster care ministries have helped take the burden off of the government's overextended, finally-strapped social service agencies. They recruit parents, provide ongoing support for families, and even focus on at-risk and special needs kids. This law guarantees that there's an option for every parent. No one -- not a ministry, employer, businessman, or nonprofit -- should be punished for exercising the faith our Constitution protects!

Nowhere in FRC's little message does it mention anything about the unfairness of LBGTQs being forced to hand over our tax dollars to agencies which will then use that money to discriminate against us. That's not by accident because organizations like FRC don't like to be reminded that we are taxpayers. They don't like to be reminded that we have families, are raising children, and some of us are in fact children. They don't like to be reminded that we have a personal stake other than their stereotypes of us being "the threatening other."

And that is the crux of our objections to these laws.

'Wisconsin taxpayers footed $1,000 to sent lawyer to anti-LGBTQ hate group conference' & other Tue midday news briefs

DOJ spent $1,000 to send attorney to ADF conference - Wisconsin taxpayers, including LGBTQ taxpayers, payed over $1,000 to send an attorney to a hate group's conference. That's the Alliance Defending Freedom, the group which has been designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center for doing things such as defending European laws sterilizing transgender men and women, defending foreign laws imprisoning members of the LGBTQ community simply for their sexual orientation, creating all sorts of havoc against transgender children, and presently are at the crest of its greatest victory if it can convince the Supreme Court to allow businesses to discriminate against potential LGBTQ customers on the grounds of "religious liberty.

Journalist Sarah Posner: Alliance Defending Freedom is advancing an anti-LGBTQ agenda in courts, and its alumni are infiltrating agencies and the judiciary - Did I also mention that the group is supposedly training "Christian" lawyers who are infiltrating agencies, state law offices, and the judiciary. Oh the things going on behind our backs when we quibble over 'RuPaul's Drag Race.' 

Editor's note - the above two news briefs aren't meant to create depression or feelings of hopelessness. In spite of all of their money and influence, we have defeated groups like ADF repeatedly because truth is on our side. And our fighting spirit. The LGBTQ community knows how to win and win the hard way. And that's what we need to do. The first thing is to get political active, vote, get more of us to run for office, etc. This is OUR world, too.

CDC denies LGBT questions removed from federal health survey - We'll see . . . 

‘Alone In The Game’ Shows Biggest Hurdles For LGBTQ Athletes Exist Off The Field - Hard to watch but necessary documentary.


Maps are from Media Matters. The article referencing them was published last year. I'm sure that things are worse a year later.

Franklin Graham believes 'religious freedom' should be used to justify homophobia, but not LGBTQ acceptance

Franklin Graham exposes the lie of 'religious freedom

Conservative evangelicals are all about "religious freedom." That's the buzzword they use to give a gentler tone to their desire to businesses and agencies denying services to the LGBTQ community while in some cases still receiving tax dollars.  They claim that people and organizations shouldn't be made to sacrifice their "deeply held personal beliefs."

Don't be fooled. It's a lie. A spin. A cynical bit of dishonesty on their part.  Take Franklin Graham for example. He gone on and on several times about "religious freedom," even to the point claiming that Christians are under attack and being "persecuted" by the so-called LGBTQ agenda.  Franklin has even praised Trump as being a defender of "religious freedoms."

So imagine my surprise (or rather non-surprise) at reading the following on Graham's Facebook page today:

'Connecticut wants more LGBTQ families to adopt and foster children' & other Mon midday news briefs

Connecticut Wants More LGBT Families to Adopt and Foster Children - In response to laws allowing adoption agencies to take tax dollars while discriminating against the LGBTQ community, Connecticut just took a wonderful step forward.

Inside the Fight Against America’s Wave of Anti-LGBT Adoption Bills - You had better believe we are fighting against these dreadful bills. 

Defense bill amendment would protect open transgender military service - This would be wonderful if it happened, but I still want to know how much Pence and anti-LGBTQ leaders were involved in shaping that bad policy in the first place. THAT's the gold. 

Here’s why psychiatric hospitals are so bad at helping transgender patients - Definitely a needed article. 

Family Research Council is terrible, and its president Tony Perkins just got appointed to an international commission - Another article on how disgusting and deceptive Tony Perkins and the Family Research Council are. Why? Why not. There is no such thing as too many articles on that particular subject. But there is such thing is not enough attention paid to it.

To some bigots, gays simply breathing is 'promoting a homosexual agenda'

I want you to read the following article which was published by SPLC-designated hate group American Family Association's One News Now:

Texas parents are commending their local school board for suspending an elementary art teacher who repeatedly refused to stop promoting the LGBTQ lifestyle to her students.
Besides being suspended for pushing the LBGTQ agenda on students, Charlotte Anderson Elementary teacher Stacy Bailey was also pressuring administrators to modify the district's anti-discrimination policy to include LGBTQ language, according to Dallas News. 

Texas Values Policy Analyst Nicole Hudgens maintains that the mainstream media distorted the story to help further the homosexual agenda. 

"And the media took the story, totally twisted it and said she was fired for asking questions,” Hudgens explained. “And in reality, she was placed on paid leave because she was talking about issues that were inappropriate for elementary school students."
The conservative advocate also pointed out that at a recent board meeting, concerned parents outnumbered those who were there to push for adding sexual-orientation and gender-identity policies in the school district. 

"They were outnumbered by parents who said, 'We don't want this in our school district, nor do we believe that it's right that it's being talked about – that these issues are being discussed in our elementary school,'" Hudgens noted. 

The school board told those in attendance that any policy review would take place after the elections this month – and after new assignments to the review committee are in place.

The One News Now article was badly written and contained numerous errors. It claims that parents supported Bailey's dismissal but the link it included from the Dallas News  contained quotes from  many students and parents who actually supported Bailey. In fact the article featured a photo of them holding up signs of support.