How the LGBTQ community can watch its own back and even win in the Trump era

On this third anniversary of the day marriage equality became legal, I have one message for the LGBTQ community. We need to watch our backs. It's an entirely new environment and after what happened today at SCOTUS, we need not leave anything to chance.

 A court which will justify a prejudiced ban created by religious xenophobia and will allow health centers to deliberately give women inaccurate health information under the guise of "free speech" can curtail marriage equality and LGBTQ equality in general if given the chance. Unlike the cases involving the Muslim ban and false pregnancy centers, we came out of our bout with SCOTUS with our freedom barely intact (i.e. the Masterpiece case). It was like a one-handed Hail Mary touchdown catch  with one foot inside the field of play in the last seconds of the Superbowl. But those who want to take away what is ours are empowered and will continue to be.

What I suggest is simple. Empower yourselves and each other. If you aren't a transgender man or woman, educate yourself on the community. Listen to what is being said before talking. If you are not bisexual, do the same regarding that community. Whoever you aren't in the LGBTQ and ally community, educate yourself on them. Listen to what they have to say. Learn about their struggles, their hopes, their dreams, and their fears.  Understand before passing judgement. Take in mentally before reacting verbally. Build trust with each other.

Hate group leader who treated gays without any civility is suddenly concerned about civility

FRC head Tony Perkins has no room to lecture anyone on civility.

The Family Research Council president, Tony Perkins, today regarding the controversy about Sarah Huckabee and the Red Hen:

At a restaurant in rural Virginia, liberals are ordering something to go: conservatives! For members of the Trump leadership team, there's no such thing as eating out in peace -- or, in the case of Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, eating at all. After a week of escalating tensions over immigration, the face of the White House's PR became the latest victim of the Left's "tolerance." 

Her table had barely touched their cheese boards when the owner approached Sanders and asked to speak with her privately. They walked out to the patio where Sarah was informed that she wasn't welcome at the Red Hen restaurant. "I'd like to ask you to leave," Stephanie Wilkerson told Sanders. Everyone else at the table would be welcome to stay, she was told. Without hesitating, Sarah said simply, "That's fine. I'll go." Unfortunately for Sanders, who's endured more than her share of harassment on the job, this is the treatment she and other members of the administration come to expect. In the end, she tweeted, Wilkerson's 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." 

A few days earlier, Americans watched in amazement as protestors screamed at Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Neilsen at a restaurant in D.C. (This was after her home had already been surrounded by a mob of angry Trump opponents shouting "No justice, no sleep!") White House advisor Stephen Miller was another target, accosted by a group of unhinged liberals yelling, "Facist!" while he tried to eat. Florida's Attorney General Pam Bondi, who isn't even an administration official, had to rush away from a movie screening when a confrontation outside got too heated. The threat of real violence is something every conservative is starting to take seriously. 

House Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) watched in astonishment as Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters (Calif.) tried to stoke the fire. "If you see anybody from that Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd and you push back on them and you tell them they're not welcome anymore, anywhere," she said to the horror of even her own party. Worried that things could escalate, Scalise spokesman Lauren Fine reminded America what happens when debates turn vicious. "Whip Scalise knows firsthand the dangerous consequences that can result from making political differences personal and vitriolic," she said. "Harassment is never an acceptable method of disagreement."

You have admire his attempt to frame the situation. Perkins didn't want to chance being called a hypocrite by labeling Sanders being a victim of discrimination seeing that she (and he) fully supports the idea of "religious liberty," which is defined nowadays as businesses being able to discriminate against potential customers if they are gay. Also, if you blinked, you missed his attempt to make Sanders look polite in the situation. Perkins conveniently omitted that she later used her official twitter address as the White House Press Secretary to relate the story - a possible legal no-no.

'There is nothing wrong with Drag Queen Story Hour so get over your conservative selves' & other Mon midday news briefs

Josh Bernstein: Drag Queen Story Hour Is ‘Borderline Pedophilia’ - Yes, let's get this mess way out in the open because it has been simmering for a long time. So some drag queens are reading stories to children (with their parents' permission) and some members of the religious and conservative right are exploiting it to attack the LGBTQ community. Big deal. You know where I heard the story of Sodom and Gomorrah and Lot's wife turning into a pillar of salt (what the heck is that anyway)? In my first grade class because my teacher read us her Bible. Even before then, I knew the story of Little Red Riding Hood (with the ending where the wolf eats everybody), Hansel and Gretel, Jack and the Beanstalk before I got out of kindergarten. DO NOT even get me started on the Bible? No offense but there are parts of the Old Testament that's like a Quentin Tarantino movie. You want to talk about something odd? How about being taught a Sunday School lesson at age 12 or 13 about the massacre of idol worshippers by a general ordained by God to do so. It was a very fun class THAT day as I recall. I would take a drag queen reading a nice story to kids above all of that. Give me a break! Seriously! 

Sorry Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Liars Are Not A Protected Class - Michelangelo Signorile brings up an excellent point in this extensively covered controversy.

Conservatives falsely compare refusing Sarah Sanders service to ‘Masterpiece Cakeshop’- Wonderful take on this situation.

Justices won’t hear case of anti-gay marriage florist in Washington - Don't flip out. We haven't lost this case. 

What Happened When A Lesbian Sexual Assault Survivor Went To Work For Donald Trump - Complex article, but still has a bitter conclusion nonetheless.

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.