While Trump demonizes immigrants for midterm elections, the religious right demonizes transgender community

With good reason, a lot of folks are up in arms about Trump's attempt to demonize immigrants and asylum seekers to get his base out for next Tuesday's election, Unfortunately, folks are missing how anti-LGBTQ groups are doing the same thing to the transgender community in order to undo non-discrimination protections in Massachusetts. A vote about this will also be on the ballot next Tuesday. Look at this commercial they are running.

Of course this is a damn lie which has two goals - reduce the argument of trans-inclusive nondiscrimination laws to a single argument about bathrooms and then to scare the voters. According to a wonderful article in IntoMore:

 In seeking to strike down the two-year-old law, the Massachusetts campaign is hewing extremely to the tactics waged by anti-LGBTQ activists in Houston three years ago. The Campaign for Houston successfully lobbied to overturn the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO), which was voted down by a 61-to-39 margin in November 2015. Commercials claimed trans-inclusive protections could allow “registered sex offenders” to abuse innocent people in public restrooms simply by “claiming to be a woman that day.”

 IntoMore also pointed out how both ads are deceptive:

Each segment relies on what is a widely debunked myth to stir up anti-trans sentiment. A recent study conducted by UCLA’s The Williams Institute showed the passage of local nondiscrimination ordinances in the Bay State had not led to an increase of attacks on women and children in public bathrooms — a crime which remains illegal even with trans-inclusive protections in place. 

But deceptive ads and claims geared to motivate fear is the standard modus operandi of the anti-LGBTQ industry. It worked for a while regarding non-discrimination ordinances in general and against marriage equality.

Next Tuesday, we will learn just how successful it will or won't be against the transgender community.

'Hate groups attempting to undo trans-inclusive nondiscrimination protections in Massachusetts' & other Wed midday news briefs

Conservative gay & fake journalist Jim Hoft may have finally gotten into a mess he can't get out of. See second news brief.

These national anti-LGBTQ groups are working to make anti-trans discrimination legal in Massachusetts - "National anti-LGBTQ groups are aligned with and have worked alongside a campaign in Massachusetts that would repeal the state’s trans-inclusive nondiscrimination protections, which protect transgender people from discrimination in housing and the workplace and give them equal access to public facilities such as bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender identity. The anti-trans Keep MA Safe campaign was started by Massachusetts Family Institute, a state anti-LGBTQ group with direct ties to major national groups Family Policy Alliance, Alliance Defending Freedom, and Family Research Council." Sigh. Just with like marriage equality, anti-LGBTQ hate groups and their cohorts are spurring a statewide vote and using horror stories, bad science, and lies to win. If they win in Massachusetts, here we go with another round.

Rightwing fake news site run by a gay man implicated in conspiracy to derail Mueller investigation - I once met Jim Hoft. He is an awful person and deserves what backlash he may receive.  

What it means to the LGBTQ community to have bisexual people in Congress - As far as I'm concerned, it means more LGBTQs in Congress. And that's a good thing.  

LGBTQ Voters and Midterms: What’s at Stake? - An enormous amount of consequences. Get off your shoulders and vote.

Saturday Night Live asks 'Is Dracula Gay?'

All of the controversy from this midterm election is killing me and the hits on my blog. Trump is like the blob in that horror movie because he is  consuming all of the attention from other issues, including LGBTQ issues.  Also, I find myself playing nurse maid because from time to time, I am posting videos and the like devoted to making people laugh and taking their mind off of the monstrosity in the White House and the havoc he is creating in the LGBTQ community. At least for a little while.

Granted,  I want to cheer people up, not distract them from what needs to be done - particularly voting. With that in mind, the video below is from a 1994 episode of Saturday Night Live with guest host John Travolta. In this sketch, Travolta portrays Count Dracula attempting to prove to a young couple that he isn't gay in spite of evidence to the contrary.


SNL - Dracula from lorne michaels on Vimeo.

'Sessions getting ready to weaponize 'religious liberty task force' against federal govt' & other Tue midday news briefs

In the controversy regarding Trump's illegal attack on birthright citizenship, the violence caused by his rhetoric, and him basically being a nasty cyst occupying the White House, the following move by Attorney General Jeff Sessions is being ignored, except for by Buzzfeed journalist Dominic Holden:

JUST IN — Jeff Sessions tells his Religious Liberty Task Force to find cases of the federal government refusing to fund religious entities.

"If so, it must, and will, stop,” he said.

His prepared remarks today in Boston: pic.twitter.com/cX3Jzi5GIz

— Dominic Holden (@dominicholden) October 29, 2018

By the way, Sessions refuses to say who the members of his Religious Liberty Task Force, so Buzzfeed is suing for that information:

Here’s a Law360 story on the lawsuit over the Religious Liberty Task Force and our lawsuit to get U.S. Embassy records relating to Jared Kushner. https://t.co/oSjRX8c6EL

— Dominic Holden (@dominicholden) October 16, 2018

In other news:

What having a drag queen visit a middle school really means - Oh gasp and swoon! It's perfectly normal, folks. 

A protester with a trans flag interrupted Jeff Sessions’ speech. He wasn’t happy about it. - I suggest Sessions gets used to it.  

Candidate for Attorney General Accused of Having Told Gay Classmate ‘People Like You Should Be Shot’ - I'm speechless. Well not totally. VOTE BLUE!!!

Family Research Council deludes itself with midterm election video (which does not mention Trump, by the way)

In spite of all of the lies, vitriol, spewing of hate, violent actions caused by, criminal activities, and basic incompetence of the Trump Administration, the Family Research Council seems to think things are going well.

The video below from FRC announces a "prayer event" two days before the midterms and it defies description as to the inaccurate happy face the group puts on the work of the Trump Administration, and what it omits. Particularly any mention of Trump. In all honest, the video was posted last month, but seeing how much has gone on since then (particularly the bombs sent to Democratic leaders, the murder of two African-Americans by a racist, the terrorist attack at the Pittsburgh synagogue), it's amazing that FRC has kept this video up.

It just goes to show deceptive conservative anti-LGBTQ evangelicals have been during the Trump Administration and how pathetically low they will stoop for their goals. Since when does following Jesus includes wallowing in the thick mud of lies? And don't think FRC's omission of Trump in the video was accidental. It was sadly deliberate.

'Anti-LGBTQ hate group targeting individual LGBTQ children with its lawsuits' & other Mon midday news briefs

Anti-LGBTQ hate group are specifically targeting individual LGBTQ children in its cases.

Hate’s New Strategy: Call Trans Kindergartners Sexual Predators - Do no think you can't stop this. You can with your voice. Speak out! Share the article. Tell everyone. Hate despises mirrors because it has to see itself for what it is:

The Alliance Defending Freedom is leading the charge to get the federal government to erase transgender people. Its latest scheme to accomplish this involves picking on 5-year-olds -- claiming that transgender children are dangerous. Sounds absurd, except Donald Trump’s administration is preparing to hand the ADF a victory that may impact transgender people across the country.

On August 17, 2017, ADF threatened legal action against the school district of Grass Lake, Mich. ADF claimed that if a transgender fourth-grader was treated like any other little boy, this would “jeopardize” the other students. A month after ADF threatened legal action, the mother of that transgender student told the Grass Lake school committee, “My son now says he wants to kill himself again,” because he thought “everybody hates him.” Her son was telling her this before he was even 10 years old.

 ADF has gone after transgender children repeatedly over the years. Before ADF bullied a fourth-grader and his family in Michigan, it demonized a transgender high school student in Minnesota because she acted like any other teenage girl. The group has also used similar tactics, unsuccessfully, in attempts to deny transgender high school students the use of school facilities in Pennsylvania and Illinois.

Since May, ADF has hyped a dubious claims that a transgender elementary school student assaulted another child in a school restroom in Decatur, Ga. ADF has pushed this claim despite a review by school officials and social service agencies that concluded the allegation was unfounded. ADF hyped this even though the person that made this allegation was a parent publicly opposed to trans-inclusive school policies. This person had even stated so at a local school board meeting just a month before they made the accusation.

ADF’s case was so flimsy that a local news outlet, Decaturish.com, had refused to publish it. To top it all off, ADF’s alleged assailant doesn’t even identify as transgender but as a cisgender boy.

More about the Alliance Defending Freedom.  

LGBTQs Could Win the Midterms for the Democrats - Only if we get out there and vote our asses off. Our lives simply depend on it. 

As bad as it is, there’s even more damage that Trump can do to us - Repeat, our lives depend on it. 

Protesters unfurl giant transgender-rights banner at World Series - Good for them!

'Federal judge says 'bye girl' to lawsuit against Drag Queen Story Hour' & other Fri midday news briefs

Drag Queen Story Hour is popular with children and their parents. And that drives the religious right crazy.

Judge rejects conservative Christian group’s request to halt Drag Queen Story Hour - Good riddance to a DUMB lawsuit. The children love Drag Queen Story Hour. Their parents love Drag Queen Story Hour. Eat it, religious right. 

1,500 Parents of Trans Kids Send Letter To Trump-Pence Denouncing Attempt to Erase Trans People - "The parents, speaking for the thousands of families of transgender children across the country, write, “As parents, all we want is for our children to be safe, healthy, and fulfilled. Our children have our unconditional love, and many have the support of a loving community of friends, peers, teachers, coaches, and other allies. Sadly, however, our children also face ostracization and discrimination in far too many places. We fear every day that our children will encounter bullies -- but we never imagined that the most threatening bullies would be in the White House.”"

Matthew Shepard Will Be Laid To Rest 20 Years After His Brutal Murder - Nothing I can say about this which hasn't been said. Siiiiigh.  

Trump administration just laid out its legal argument against trans rights — it’s hot garbage - MERCY!

Gay immigrant freed on bond nine months after ICE arrest in West Philly - The struggle is real and it is international.