'LGBTQ candidates win big in primaries, four will be running in gubernatorial races' & other Wed midday news briefs

Will Christine Hallquist be the first transgender American to become a governor?

LGBTQ candidates are on the ballot nationwide for governor in 2018 - The LGBTQ community were the big winners in last night primary races:

 The LGBT Democratic candidates who have won their primaries for governor include: 

 Lupe Valdez, a lesbian woman running in Texas. 
 Jared Polis, a gay man running in Colorado.
 Kate Brown, a bisexual woman who's the incumbent governor of Oregon. 
 Christine Hallquist, a transgender woman running in Vermont.

Including:

Progressive Christine Hallquist becomes 1st transgender gubernatorial nominee for major party

First Openly LGBTQ U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin to Face Anti-LGBTQ Challenger Leah Vukmir in U.S. Senate Race - It's going to be a nasty shootout in Wisconsin because the GOP is thirsty for this seat. 

 Fox & Friends host refers to Christine Hallquist, history-making gubernatorial candidate, as "that transgender" - A view from the other side . . . 

 which is why I'm going to have like the stereotypical bitchy queen here. All of this "history being made" is nice but it's better that we celebrate after it's all over. We still have a long way to go before the actual mid-term elections and fighting the mess Trump is making in our community in general. In other words, it means more to be in the winner's circle or closer to our goals then celebrating because we are only halfway there. 

In other news:

Masterpiece Cakeshop owner sues after refusing to make a birthday cake for a trans woman - Look who is in the courts again. And HE is the one suing. Although I doubt he will be successful this time.

Wave of support for transgender 12-year-old who parents threatened to castrate - The fact that some people felt the need to threaten a 12-year-old child in the first place is a damn shame.

Pat Robertson claims 'Drag Queen Story Hour' is going to bring God's 'judgment' on America

Drag Queen Story  Hour is an event which has been taking place  across America for a long time now. It's when drag queens read stories to young children in order to encourage inclusiveness and tolerance.

And while religious right groups have been attacking repeatedly it, they really have no ground to stand on because Drag Queen Story Hour is very popular with children and their parents, who of course have to give their permission for their children to attend. And sometimes these parents also attend and enjoy themselves.

Still, that doesn't keep religious right and anti-LGBTQ personalities like 'The 700 Club' host Pat Robertson from raging about it. Geez, Pat Roberson is so decrepit here that you can practically see the dust coming out of his mouth. It's like watching a religious right version of 'The Mummy.'

Yes, what I said was cruel and I almost didn't want to post this.  But then I remember when I was young and trying to come out, how watching 'The 700 Club' and Pat Robertson attack LGBTQs made me feel so awful.  I don't consider this a revenge post, but a simple reminder about whose time it is right now.

Lastly on that same note, it seems to me that if God was going to "judge" America, I think He would be looking at things other than drag queen reading books to children and their parents. Such as a certain Orange Menace populating the White House who steals children from their parents and puts them in cages and generally wrecking the integrity of this country.


Hat tip - Right Wing Watch

'Trump Administration weaponizes religion to allow federal contractors to discriminate against the LGBTQ community' & other Tue midday news briefs

It's becoming apparent that Trump probably rubbed  his butt with this flag after the picture was taken. That's what he has done to the LGBTQ community in general since taking office.

New Trump administration directive lets federal contractors discriminate against LGBT people – for Jesus - The Trump Administration weaponizes religion to discriminate against the LGBTQ community again. So now on the basis of "religious liberty" the Trump Administration is allowing federal contractors to discriminate against the LGBTQ community. If anything, this makes the argument against the Log Cabin Republicans & other LGBTQ Trump supporters. They supported Trump but aren't pushing back against the myriad ways he is dogging our community. A political group with ACTUAL political power would do that instead of acting like it is in an abusive relationship making excuses for their partner and attacking those who try to make them see the truth. The truth in this case being Trump don't give a damn about us.

Labor Department becomes latest Trump agency to take interest in ‘religious freedom’ - More on this insanity and it brings up a point. "Religious liberty," or the weaponization of religion as a tool for anti-LGBTQ discrimination is making its way through U.S. agencies like a virus. I smell the noxious odor of Mike Pence in this. 

Trump Admin Upholds Religious Freedom for Federal Contractors - And from the other side of the coin - the wrong side - how this issue is playing in the anti-LGBTQ evangelical right community.

'Not scared': Russian teen charged under 'gay propaganda' law says he'll keep protesting - In Russia with his life clearly in danger. This young man is bravery personified.

Liberty Counsel Claims Victory In Scott Lively’s Embarrassing Defeat - "Bitches gotta fundraise."

Jeff Sessions' support of anti-LGBTQ hate group Alliance Defending Freedom condemned in blistering video

I have to give props to the Human Rights Campaign for this video which blasts Attorney General Jeff Sessions for his support of anti-LGBTQ hate group Alliance Defending Freedom. It's a wonderful way to keep attention focused on this issue, with us controlling the narrative.

 For more information as to why the Alliance Defending Freedom is a hate group, read these links:

ALLIANCE DEFENDING FREEDOM

The extremism of anti-LGBTQ powerhouse Alliance Defending Freedom

The many ways Alliance Defending Freedom is fighting against transgender student equality

Masterpiece Cakeshop was just the beginning. ADF is pushing several other license-to-discriminate cases through the courts.

Alliance Defending Freedom is working to keep LGBTQ people from adopting children

'Landscaper denies service to gay couple, then trolls them online' & other Mon midday news briefs

Landscaper denies service to ‘perverse’ gay couple and trolls them on Yelp - What a landscaper did to a gay couple is mess which cannot and shouldn't be hidden or obscured by claims of personally held religious beliefs. But it can be an aspect of the future if anti-LGBTQ groups like the Alliance Defending Freedom has anything to say about it. 

Scott Lively Loses Appeal To Reword Judge’s Ruling That Calls Him Abhorrent, Pathetic, And A Crackpot Bigot - No matter how bad things may seem, I will always be comforted by the fact that a nasty, homophobic bigot can't change the facts about him being a nasty, homophobic bigot.

These adults are plotting a hate crime against a transgender 12-year-old - This right here is a nasty shame.

Straight British Comic Jack Whitehall is Playing Disney’s First Openly Gay Character and People are Pissed - A fascinating debate which didn't start with this and certainly won't end with it. I'm highly undecided about this sort of thing, except for when it comes to the transgender community. I can see where the transgender community is coming from about anger over not getting trans actors to portray trans characters.

Ruby Rose Leaves Twitter After ‘Batwoman’ Critics Say She’s Not Gay Enough - But I'm generally undecided because of mess like this.

Human Rights Campaign demanding answers regarding 'religious liberty' task force' & other Fri midday news briefs

HRC wants answers from DOJ and Jeff Sessions about the 'religious liberty' task force.

HRC's Chad Griffin: We're Going After Sessions's Christian Task Force - The Human Rights Campaign has officially submitted a Freedom of Information Act request for all records associated with Jeff Sessions' "religious liberty" task force. Okay, I know some LGBTQs have a negative view of the Human Rights Campaign, but I think in this case, we need all of our ducks in a row.  We can have disagreements, strong disagreements in fact, with each other while at the same time putting forth as much unity as we can. Me personally? I'm not interested at this very point in rehashing problems. We have an out-of-control Attorney General conspiring with anti-LGBTQ hate groups to possibly weaponize the Department of Justice against those fighting said anti-LGBTQ hate groups. I think they deserve more of our ire right now.

Right-wing media pastor and GOP-backed congressional nominee favorably remembered when “homosexuality was once criminalized” - Exhibit A to the first news brief post. This guy is running for a United States House seat. 

Exclusive: Florida Wants To Help Bullied Kids — Unless They’re Gay - To the surprise of no one.

Some transgender drivers are being kicked off Uber’s app - What kind of nonsense is this?

Caitlyn Jenner Says Trump Has ‘Not Been Doing A Very Good Job’ - Really? Uh no shit, girlfriend.

Jeff Sessions insists Alliance Defending Freedom not a hate group in spite of extensive proof which says otherwise

Attorney General Jeff Sessions (top) insist that the Alliance Defending Freedom (logo at the bottom) is not a hate group in spite of extensive proof which says otherwise.

Wednesday night, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said he does not believe that the Alliance Defending Freedom is a hate group even though it has been proven that, among other things, the group has falsely conflated homosexuality with pedophilia and worked to imprison gays in foreign countries simply for being gay.

Sessions said these comments during a speech at the ADF's Summit for Religious Liberty. He also blasted the Southern Poverty Law Center, the organization giving ADF the designation:

"I wanted to come back here tonight partially because I wanted to say this: You are not a hate group," Sessions told attendees (video below) at the ADF's Summit on Religious Liberty, as Towleroad reports. 

 "When I spoke to ADF last year, I learned that the Southern Poverty Law Center had classified ADF as a ‘hate group.’ Many in the media simply parroted that as a fact," Sessions charged. "They have used this designation as a weapon and they have wielded it against conservative organizations that refuse to accept their orthodoxy and choose instead to speak for their conscience and their beliefs. They use it to bully and intimidate groups that fight for religious freedom, these constitutional rights of the American people."

Via  his speech, Sessions performed the modus operandi of ADF and other religious right groups which SPLC have called out, i.e. playing the victim and using the "religious liberty" card in hopes of diverting attention from what caused them to be labeled as hate groups in the first place.

In the case of the Alliance Defending Freedom, the organization has a long history of demonizing the LGBTQ  community, working to undermine LGBTQ equality, and using the force of the law against the LGBTQ community. In his speech, Sessions claimed that SPLC has no proof to back up its claim that ADF is a hate group.

He lied.

SPLC has extensively documented research from the time of the Alliance Defending Freedom's founding to the present, making sure to point the numerous times the group attacked the LGBTQ community.