Huckabee Sanders gets the 'Masterpiece' treatment in accordance to religious liberty

Sarah Huckabee Sanders

The argument about "religious liberty," or as the evangelical right defines it, the right to refuse service to the LGBTQ community on the grounds of "deeply held beliefs" may have exploded into a big brush fire today.

And all because of an incident involving Trump's White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

According to CBS News:

A restaurant owner in Lexington, Virginia kicked Sarah Huckabee Sanders and her party out of his restaurant ... on moral grounds. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders was told to leave a Lexington, Va., restaurant Friday night, she said on Twitter Saturday morning. Sanders said the owner of the Red Hen in the Shenandoah Valley asked her to leave because she works for President Trump.

"Last night I was told by the owner of Red Hen in Lexington, VA to leave because I work for @POTUS and I politely left. Her actions say far more about her than about me. I always do my best to treat people, including those I disagree with, respectfully and will continue to do so," Sanders tweeted Saturday morning.  

 . . .  Someone who claimed to be Sanders' server seemed to have posted earlier on social media about the incident. That post was tweeted out by Brennan Gilmore, the executive director of environmental group Clean Virginia. . 

@PressSec got kicked out of the Red Hen restaurant in Lexington, Va tonight. Apparently the owner didn’t want to serve her and her party out of moral conviction. pic.twitter.com/jr3bfiY3XY — Brennan Gilmore (@brennanmgilmore) June 23, 2018

Personally, I don't agree with what was done to Sanders, but I am hard pressed to feel sorry for her. As many readers know, there is an idea being pushed in right-wing and conservative evangelical circles that business should have the religious or moral right to refuse potential customers; most specifically gay customers.

'Anti-LGBTQ right trying to return to SCOTUS with another 'religious liberty' case & other Fri midday news briefs

BREAKING: Oregon Supreme Court denies review of Sweetcakes by Melissa case. @1stLiberty will appeal to the United States Supreme Court. https://t.co/ojaAdhVV6B #SCOTUS pic.twitter.com/MdxZRONIfd

— First Liberty (@1stLiberty) June 21, 2018

Oh my heart bleeds for these two. Presently, there are several folks and organizations who care claiming that this case is similar to the Masterpiece case SCOTUS ruled on weeks ago in favor of the baker instead of the gay couple he discriminated against. Uh no. See below:

Court Upholds Damages in Same-Sex Wedding Cake Case - The fact-finding site Snopes broke the case down a while ago, including : 

The lengthy ruling described incidents wherein the Kleins’ promotion of their plight resulted in negative attention and threats to the Bowman-Cryers, including Klein’s publication of court documents to Facebook that included the couple’s home address. Contrary to many descriptions of the issue, no “gag order” was put in place that prohibited the Kleins from publicizing or talking about their case; however, the Kleins were ordered to cease proclaiming or offering any public suggestion that they intended to refuse service to same-sex couples in the future  . . . 

 In other news: 

We Can Already See The Damage From The Masterpiece Cakeshop Ruling - But that is not to say the Masterpiece case didn't cause the LGBTQ community some problems. 

Federal Courts Are Standing Up for the Sanctity of Transgender Lives - Yes they are. It's good to see wonderful things happen in spite of the bozo in the Oval Office and the stain he has put across America. 

Billy Elliot forced to scrap dates in Budapest following press hate campaign claiming it will turn kids gay - With all of the things out there supposedly turning people gay, it's depressing to think that I still don't have a man.

Anti-gay activist has furious meltdown over criticism of Trump's anti-immigration policy

Earlier this week, Rachel Maddow cried on the air due to how Trump's separation policy was negative affecting immigrant children, particularly infants.

In contrast, anti-LGBTQ activist Dave Daubenmire just melted down because people was criticizing Trump's policy. The man has a certain degree of talent. He managed to work in slams against abortion and the LGBTQ community in his rant.

And then:

Later in the webcast, one of the participants asserted that those who are crossing the border are not even real families but are “gang members” are are trying to sneak into the country, while pastor Dale Sochia of King Jesus Ministries on Louisiana misrepresented a statement from a border patrol agent to claim that undocumented parents are giving their underage daughters birth control and Plan B pills so that they can “use their children as sex to pay to get them into America.”

Hat tip to People for the American Way.

'Prominent magazine duped by anti-trans nonsense masquerading as an article' & other Thur midday news briefs

Atlantic cover story is a loud dog whistle for anti-transgender parents - I'm really ashamed that The Atlantic would get duped like this.

PFLAG Has Been A Lifesaving Resource For Families Of LGBTQ Kids For Decades - Yes it has!

‘As Much As I Can’ Examines The Health And Humanity Of HIV Positive Black Gay Men - Amen!

Nafessa Williams on playing Black Lightning’s unapologetic, badass lesbian superhero - Sweet!!

Queeroes 2018: Janet Mock - In this climate in which so many African-American transgender women are being taken from us, the more heroes the better.

Trump's incompetence on immigration putting LGBTQ asylym seekers at risk

Let's not forget how Trump's anti-immigration policies endangers those seeking asylum, such as Robel Hailu,

Hailu is an Ethiopian who cannot go back to his country simply because he is gay. If he goes back, he faces imprisonment and even worse. It simply goes to show that all this bullshit about  "open borders" and so-called lazy immigrants stealing jobs (Yeah, I know. That's a contradiction, but appeals to fear don't need to make sense) is fueled by people who want to blame people of color for their problems and inadequacies.

 Meanwhile, those who need help are pushed to the wayside and face terror simply for existing. Not all of those wanting to come over (even those who do it illegally and especially those seeking asylum) are wanting to cause harm. They merely want a better life. You cannot tell me that there isn't a solution to this which addresses kindness and discards hysteria. But not while a certain orange boob pollutes the Oval Office. He feeds off of fear and resentment. He probably doesn't even know how the spell the phrase "solution-oriented," much less know what it means.

 America can't have it both ways. We are either great because we believe in freedom and liberty or this country is a putrid concoction of lies, egos, and incompetent unfulfilled entitlement.  

Conservative evangelical Todd Starnes defends Trump's immigrant policy - the president is 'not gassing children'

Todd Starnes

If I were the evangelical right, I would show some degree of decency and call Trump out for his awful policy of snatching immigrant children from their parents. And for a number of reasons.

1. For all of their talk about morality and values, their muted/silence response are making them look like power-grubbing hypocrites willing to support anyone who can take them to the seat of power (in this case, Trump).

2. Others besides myself are beginning to notice, as this wonderful article in the Huffington Post proves.

3. Most importantly, other evangelical leaders and figures are speaking and they ain't exactly the voices which help. For example, take Todd Starnes.

Starnes has made quite a name for himself being one of the religious right's most viciously homophobic and best purveyor of anti-Christian moral panics (even at the point of playing fast and loose with the facts.)

Via People for the American Way's Right Wing Watch is a clip of Starnes defending Trump's separation of immigrant families. According to Starnes, it's not a bad policy because Trump's "not gassing children."  Starnes even took the time to label those of us against the policy as traitors. Love the evangelical Christian sentiment:

"President Trump is not gassing children": Todd Starnes defends the Trump administration's policy of separating families at the border by declaring that critics of the policy are treasonous traitors. pic.twitter.com/H7jnpZxmp6

— Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) June 19, 2018

'World Health Organization no longer classifies being transgender as a mental disorder' & other Tue midday news briefs

The World Health Organization announces it finally no longer classifies being transgender as a mental disorder - HUGE positive step in the right direction.

Conservative evangelical groups & leaders care more about their fantasies than immigrant children - Post from last night because it needs to be repeated. 

BuzzFeed Celebrates LGBTQ+ Teens With Its Second-Annual Queer Prom - Wonderful! Anything which helps our kids is a good thing. 

Michigan is trying to erase LGBTQ people & immigrants out of school history classes - They can try, but it doesn't mean they will succeed.

TEXAS: Megachurch Pastor Screams Oppression Over Removal Of His “America Is A Christian Nation” Billboard - Oh my heart "bleeds" for this self-righteous rascal.