The anti-LGBTQ right did not get the victory they wanted in the Masterpiece ruling (and they know it)

The spin from today's Masterpiece ruling varies. Some have said that while it was a victory for baker Jack Phillips, it was so narrow (not focusing on the argument of using religion to discriminate under the guise of "religious liberty but instead focusing on how the Colorado Commission treated Phillips's religious beliefs) it did not give the anti-LGBTQ right a solid victory.

SCOTUS didn't address the argument of "religious liberty."  And while some prognosticators have made good points on this being potentially negative for the LGBTQ community,  others claimed that the court actually affirmed our rights and dignity. This is something which cannot be omitted.

But of course the anti-LGBTQ right bypassed the possible affirmation of gay rights and tried to make the case either seem like a complete victory or incentive to come back in other cases. Their responses  struck me as very lukewarm. There was very little general crowing on how the supposed concept of "religious liberty" won the day.

The Family Research Council: 

Like us, Justice Clarence Thomas knew this crisis was coming. "In Obergefell, I warned that the Court's decision would 'inevitabl[y]... come into conflict' with religious liberty, 'as individuals . . . are confronted with demands to partic­ipate in and endorse civil marriages between same-sex couples.' This case proves that the conflict has already emerged. Because the Court's decision vindicates Phillips' right to free exercise, it seems that religious liberty has lived to fight another day. But, in future cases, the free­dom of speech could be essential to preventing Obergefell from being used to 'stamp out every vestige of dissent' and 'vilify Americans who are unwilling to assent to the new orthodoxy.' If that freedom is to maintain its vitality, reasoning like the Colorado Court of Appeals' must be rejected." The time is coming -- and soon -- when the court will have to wade into the bigger clash between religious liberty and same-sex marriage. When it does, let's hope it agrees with the majority of Americans, who understand that -- regardless of what you think about marriage -- no one should be forced to violate revealed and established biblical truth. 

Anti-gay baker wins but the LGBTQ community does not lose in 'Masterpiece' case

Anti-gay baker narrowly wins at SCOTUS, but the LGBTQ community did not lose. Time for another round.

By now, the news of the SCOTUS ruling for Jack Phillips, the Colorado baker who wouldn't bake a wedding cake for a gay couple, has reached pretty much all of us. And with that reach comes less of a freak-out and more of a realization.

The ruling for Phillips was narrow in that the court merely looked at how the state commission in Colorado supposedly showed a hostility to his religious beliefs. SCOTUS did not settle the question of can "religious liberty" be used as a way to discriminate. The court did not give the religious right what it wanted - a blanket religious liberty exemption. However while the religious right may use this case to pursue more cases, we have an enormous amount of wiggle room - particularly in cases involving tax monies going to entities which freely discriminate against the LGBTQ community. Granted, the religious right is going to spin the hell out of this case. After all, they have to fundraise. But in the general sense, they have won nothing.

Nor have we, except for one thing.

We have a chance to stare into the abyss of negative possibilities and hopefully we are learning from this. No matter how many victories we win, there are groups and people out there who will exploit,  manipulate, and spin to take it all from us. No longer should we be saying "just ignore them," "don't give them any attention." Maybe it's time we start taking these folks seriously.  We need to start engaging in the political process and educating ourselves and others about these folks and groups with as much exuberance as some of us watch 'RuPaul's Drag Race' or argue about "intersectionality" and "privilege." This is a war, folks. It was the reason why I began this blog in 2006. Let's all start acting like warriors. Patient, pragmatic, hot-fired, whatever it takes. We didn't lose this round. But there will be more rounds coming.

The Supreme Court Just Ruled (Narrowly) In Favor Of The Baker In The Same-Sex Wedding Cake Case - Chris Geidner of Buzzfeed has been the only reporter has been consistently ON POINT about this issue. I read his article before anyone else's and with good reason.

Supreme Court sidesteps major ruling in Masterpiece Cakeshop case - Washington Blade also nails the situation

The Supreme Court’s opinion in the anti-gay baker case is a stupid, waste-of-time punt - ThinkProgress says the same thing, but makes a wonderful point of the inanity of it all.

Supreme Court upholds basic principles of nondiscrimination, reverses Colorado Civil Rights Commission decision - ACLU spin is generally accurate.

 And let's forget the opposition. Like I said - Spin, spin, spin:

"The Supreme Court made clear that the government has no authority to discriminate against Jack Phillips because of his religious beliefs." @tperkins #SCOTUS #JusticeForJack https://t.co/MPIZTRNSNz pic.twitter.com/2r2FRJ82vo

— FRC (@FRCdc) June 4, 2018

Becket's Pres. Mark Rienzi on #Masterpiece Cakeshop v. CCRC #SCOTUS decision today: pic.twitter.com/qu0sbnKMXk

— BECKET (@BecketLaw) June 4, 2018

The History of Queer Dance is simply too fierce to handle

Watching either or both of these videos are wonderful ways to begin this week, which may be one of the pivotal in American LGBTQ history. They are reminders of how strong and powerful our community is, in spite of whatever adversity ignorant folks throw at us.

The revolutionary history of ball culture in the LGBTQ community is not just about fabulous dance styles. It's a profound intersection of sexuality, race, and gender nonconforming individuals defiantly living their truth in a safe, celebratory space. A group of iconic dancers and a young boy represent this fierce array of queer choreography in a story about the ongoing struggle to freely express your pride. Four legendary choreographers: Derrell Bullock, Kumari Suraj, Jonte' Moaning, and Brian Friedman, take you on a spectacular journey through the diverse history and massive influence of queer dance, from the underground voguing battles in 1960s Harlem to the fierce, powerful diva styles that permeate pop culture today.

'Anti-LGBTQ hate groups, conservatives desperately trying to hide communication with Trump Administration on trans ban' & other Fri midday news briefs

Conservatives who crafted transgender military ban claim they’re the victims of bullying - Those who follow this blog know that I've been monitoring this situation with drooling anticipation as anti-LGBTQ hate groups futilely attempt to hide their coordination with the Trump Administration in pushing that ridiculous trans ban in the military. Now the Liberty Counsel has jumped in. Works for me. They can run all they want but Lambda Legal is on their tail with the subpoenas.

HuffPost Celebrates LGBTQ Pride, Love And Resistance In 2018 - It's Pride Month for the LGBTQ community and the Huffington Post has wonderful coverage of it. 

Soccer star confirms she quit national team because God didn’t want her to wear a LGBTQ Pride jersey - Oh well. Bye, girl. It's your free choice. No one forced you to do anything in any direction.

Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes mocks disabled gay man: "As far as sex goes ... you're a giant, small loser" - Trash is as trash does.

#Pride30: Black trans lawmaker Andrea Jenkins is bringing diversity to politics - A role model for everyone.

Anti-gay pastor Franklin Graham called out for 'praise the Lord and vote Republican' fakery

It's about time that someone not allow Franklin Graham to get away with the "praise the Lord and vote Republican" fakery he has been pulling in California. And the fact that it happened on Fox News - Donald Trump's propaganda arm - is a miracle in itself.

From Raw Story

Evangelist Franklin Graham thinks it is “sad” that Democrats and Republicans cannot be friends in today’s political climate. But Fox News political editor Chris Stirewalt isn’t convinced that Graham is all that concerned with bipartisanship.  

 “That is a pretty remarkable contradiction,” Stirewalt said during a Thursday appearance on the network. “You have a guy that goes and out complains about how divided the country is politically, and then follows that up with don’t vote Democrat, whatever you do.” “It is so telling, so indicative of how bad — really — our politics have become. This is something that most Christian leaders would never have done even a decade ago.” 

Franklin wouldn't allow Stirewalt's comment to go unanswered.

' Anti-LGBTQ industry using the anti-abortion playbook to undermine marriage equality' & other Thur midday news briefs

In order to combat the undermining of marriage equality, we have to resurrect images of the past such as this one (from 1986) and connect them with the present to demonstrate how the anti-LGBTQ industry has engaged a decades long smear campaign designed to wreck our community's equality, safety, and dignity.

How Republicans Are Using The Anti-Abortion Playbook To Undermine Same-Sex Marriage - I sincerely hope people stop saying that if we ignore the anti-LGBTQ industry, they will go away. They have too much money, too much gall, and too much self-righteousness to go away. And now thanks to Buzzfeed, we see that they will be copying the anti-abortion playbook in order to undermine marriage equality. By focusing on ways to cause little roadblocks - i.e. "religious liberty" laws which will prevent us from adopting children as well as receiving other services and even protection from discrimination, they are stockpiling state laws designed to make our lives hell. BUT there is a solution. The article doesn't say the solution, but I am. If you are a fan of my blog, then you should know what the solution is. It is the same reason I began this blog over 11 years ago. 

This latest gambit of the anti-LGBTQ industry is no different than the last few (i.e."protecting marriage," "protecting children," "homosexuality is a deadly lifestyle like cigarette smoke," "homosexuals want special rights.") over several decades. It is the latest attempt to undermine the equality, the dignity, and the safety of the LGBTQ community by a group of people and organizations who have concentrated their contempt and hatred of us behind religious beliefs and a cynical rendering of talking points and laws. And these groups and organizations have manipulated certain segments of the public into thinking  that protecting our rights, children, and families present a danger. 

These groups and individuals been doing this for decades in one form or another.. That's how it's always been. From Anita Bryant to Gary Bauer to Lon Mabon to Scott Lively to Tony Perkins or Ryan T. Anderson. From 'Save the Children' to the Oregon Citizen Alliance to the National Organization for Marriage' to the Family Research Council and the Alliance for Defending Freedom. Different people, different groups, and different decades but it's all the same game. 

The anti-LGBTQ industry is like some bizarre cryptoid out of Greek mythology. When one head is  severed, another one springs up, spewing as much venom as the first.  It's time we open the doors of history and drag it all out. Drag out the junk science, the cherry-picked science, the lies, the false claims, the basic verbal disrespect, the attempts to reduce our lives to their stereotypical specifications.  It's never been about protecting children, religious beliefs, or anything else.  It's all been about homophobia, hatred, and animus. And if we do not make the rest of the country aware of this noxious history, the anti-LGBTQ industry will continue to control narrative and get away scott free with all of the things it has done.

How They See Us: Unmasking the Religious Right War on Gay America - A beginning step would be educating ourselves more on the history of anti-LGBTQ propaganda. My free online booklet from 2013 is a small step in that direction. Please read and share. 

District Reverses Decision to Call Transgender Student by Birth Name at Graduation - When we raise hell for the right reasons, we cause positive change.

Betsy DeVos Meets Teen Wearing Trans Pride Flag During School Visit - Speaking out takes many forms.

It looks like Indonesia will not criminalize gay sex after all - Good for Indonesia!

Alliance Defending Freedom decries anti-Christian persecution in India but omits it supported the country's anti-gay law

The Alliance Defending Freedom is speaking out against the persecution of Christians in India. But in 2013, the group applauded India for recriminalizing gay sex. ADF obviously believes in a pecking order when it comes to fighting persecution.

Today, via the right-wing online publication The Daily Signal, an official with anti-LGBTQ hate group the Alliance Defending Freedom sounded the alarm about anti-Christian persecution in India.

Meghan Fischer, legal counsel with ADF International, a branch of the Alliance Defending Freedom,  reported that in India, there are several requirements would make it difficult for people to convert from one religion to another (in this case, from Hinduism to Christianity). In addition, Christians are being attacked and arrested:

Some laws require potential converts to notify local government officials, while others even mandate advance permission, which often is not granted. This violates a fundamental principle of international human rights—that a person may believe whatever he or she chooses to believe, and that no one may force him or her to adopt or renounce a particular belief. 

Members of the lowest castes who convert away from Hinduism lose certain government benefits—an obvious attempt to keep them in their place. Conversely and unsurprisingly, if someone wants to convert to Hinduism, the majority religion, there are no hurdles. Mass Hindu conversion ceremonies take place with no consequences, even though some participants claim they are forced to take part. 

Recent arrests include 32 Catholic seminarians singing Christmas carols, chaperones for a Christian summer camp, and a Christian handing out pamphlets. Extremists attack Christians as they worship in their churches and homes under the pretense of preventing fraudulent conversions. Lawyers like Baskaran represent Christians who have been attacked, but it can take years for victims to receive reparations, if they receive any at all. 

To hear something like this is awful. People should have the right to be able to change religions without being prey to threats, violence, or requirements designed to undermine their desire. But at the same time, I really question the integrity of  any branch of ADF to call attention to this.

In 2013, ADF publicly supported recriminalizing gay sex in India.