Family Research Council trying to sell Trump's border wall nonsense

Trump gave his speech Tuesday night on the border wall and government shutdown.  By all counts, it was a disaster which didn't help him any.  He received much criticism and the Democratic response drew higher numbers.

But if you were a supporter and follower of groups like the Family Research Council, which claims to stand for truth, honesty, and good Christian values,  no one can blame you for having a less negative view of Trump's speech.

In a recent piece, the Family Research Council bends over backwards to scare its followers about the crimes allegedly committed because Trump's wall isn't there:

"These coyotes [guides and smugglers] know what they're going to do in the middle of nowhere," Maria says quietly from a soup kitchen in Nogalas. For most women, the entire trip is one, non-stop sexual assault. When she couldn't keep up with her group, one of the coyotes leading Maria's caravan said he'd wait for her -- but only if he could have sex with her daughter. She refused, and he left them. If it weren't for Border Patrol, Maria remembers, they would have died. "It's awful," she shakes her head, "making this trip as a woman." 

 Younger girls are even bigger targets. Older men promise their parents they'll take them to America, only to sell them to brothels by the border or force them into sex slavery once they get there. Along towns like Mapastepec and Frontera Comalapa, the houses of prostitution are full of young women who were tricked or trafficked. Their moms or dads send them anyway, knowing with 80 percent certainty in some countries that they'll be raped -- or never seen again. 

. . . While the media's attention is usually on the hardship of these immigrants, they're far from the only victims. When drug smugglers and gang members cross into the U.S., they rarely leave their culture of violence behind. "In the last two years, ICE officers made 266,000 arrests of aliens with criminal records," the president said during his primetime appeal for more border security last night, "including those charged or convicted of 100,000 assaults, 30,000 sex crimes, and 4,000 violent killings." Thousands of Americans -- from 16-year-old girls to Air Force veterans -- have been viciously murdered by the wave of criminals entering our country illegally. "This is a humanitarian crisis," the president insisted. But more than that, it's a crisis for the future of our country. Every American is hurt -- either physically, or emotionally, or economically by the people who refuse to enter our country legally.

You will notice that FRC didn't talk about Trump's repeated lies about Mexico paying for the wall. FRC didn't mention the constant nauseating strain of lies told by Trump and his Administration to justify the border wall. Lastly, FRC didn't mention the misleading statements Trump made during his speech.

'Police say trans woman assaulted in bathroom' & other Wed midday news briefs

An incident which the religious right probably won't be talking about.

Police: Two Women Assault Transgender Woman In Bathroom - How ironic is it that in North Carolina, home of a huge battle a few years ago regarding an anti-transgender bill pushed partly by the lie that trans women will attack people in bathrooms, an incident like this in which a trans woman is  assaulted in a bathroom happens. I don't know what angers me more - the fact that the assault happened or how the incident will disappear from lack of people caring to make noise about it. Such a different reaction it would have been if the people involved were reversed.

Evangelical activists want LGBT people excluded from anti-lynching bill - Sufficient amount of hell hasn't been raised over this yet. "Evangelical activists" my black ass. 

Jared Polis sworn in as Colorado governor: “This is a moment in history” - Jared Polis made history yesterday when he was sworn in as the first openly-gay governor in American history.  

Neighbors won’t tolerate church’s anti-LGBTQ sign & they’re taking to the streets over it - Oh hell yes! 

U.S. Right Wing Cheers Swearing-In of Brazil’s Far-Right President - Self-explanatory.

'Jesus' compelled Mike Pence to denigrate the LGBTQ community but doesn't stop him from repeating Trump's lies

The big loser of the Trump Shutdown and border wall fight is VP Mike Pence. He has been revealed to be a liar and hypocrite on a world stage.

Most likely (or maybe not because he is generally weak and fickle) during his address tonight, Trump will attempt to declare a national emergency so he can try to bypass Congress to make taypayers pay for his ridiculous and useless $5 border billion wall. A wall that he repeatedly said in the past  Mexico would pay for.  A big loser, other than truth and the American people, in this nonsense has to be Trump's vice president Mike Pence. Trump and his administration have made several false statements regarding the border wall. Pence has attempted to defend these lies and his stumbling hasn't been unnoticed.

Trump recently said past presidents has defended his border wall. This was revealed to be a lie. But it didn't keep Pence from attempting to defend it:

Pressed by NBC News’ Hallie Jackson in an interview Tuesday, Pence hesitated, before attempting to claim that the president meant that it had been “his impression” and that he meant “the importance of border security.”

“I know the president has said that that was his impression from previous administrations, previous presidents,” Pence said. “I know I’ve seen clips of previous presidents talking about the importance of border security, the importance of addressing the issue of illegal immigration.” None of the living former presidents has explicitly stated any support for the wall itself, contrary to Trump’s brag on Friday.

Another instance is Pence repeating the false claim that over 4,000 terrorists attempted to enter America through the Mexican border.

Former Justice Dept official calls out deception & bigotry of 'religious liberty' narrative

In a recent posting at The Advocate, former federal attorney and federal prosecutor Michael J. Stern calls out the anti-LGBTQ talking point of "religious liberty."

As many of you know, the phrase 'religious liberty' is the new way the anti-LGBTQ industry pushes discrimination against us. Groups like the Family Research Council or the Alliance Defending Freedom say that "deeply held religious beliefs" should be an excuse for entities to deny members of the LGBTQ community protection against discrimination.  To not allow folks to do so would destroy their businesses and very lives, these groups claim. In pushing that narrative, they have choked the debate with (slightly altered to fit the purpose) stories of bakers, florists, etc who they claim have been the victims of a so-called out of control gay community seeking to "force" them to approve of our lifestyle by asking for their services and suing when denied said services. With these stories, they have controlled the debate. They have also benefited from  propaganda conservative sites and networks like Fox News and the Daily Caller accommodating them with biased interviews and youtube channel interviews (i.e. the Alliance Defending Freedom) with their patsies  clients "telling their stories."

But all of these tactics mean noting to Stern. In his post, he talks about nearly losing his job at the Justice Department over 20 years ago due to the fact that he is gay. Because of this, he has neither the time nor patience to play the game:

Under the thinly veiled guise of “religious liberty,” President Donald Trump’s Justice Department has transformed the First Amendment right to freely observe the religion of one’s choice into the newly created right to openly discriminate. The seeds of this mutation were planted decades ago, but since the Supreme Court ruled in favor of marriage equality in 2015, the GOP has made finding a way to legally discriminate against LGBT people a rallying cry to a base that is hungry to maintain political dominance in the face of an increasingly diverse American electorate.

This recent offensive began with a Kentucky clerk who insisted that issuing a public marriage license to a same-sex couple would defile the institution of marriage. The four-times-married clerk claimed “religious freedom” allowed her to refuse to perform her elected job. In the standoff that ensued, the clerk drew substantial support from Republican politicians, including U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who characterized judicial orders directing the clerk to perform her job as the “criminalization of Christianity.” 

Let’s be clear, white Christians are not at risk of having their religion criminalized or being subjected to wide-spread discrimination in the United States. The irony of such an accusation is particularly galling given that so many who are safely insulated from discrimination want to mainstream raw bigotry as an acceptable form of religious expression. 

Recently, white, Christian, blond Laura Ingraham, the leader of Fox News Channel’s Barbie army, gave us a rare look behind the curtain. Replacing the dog whistle with a bullhorn, Ingraham announced that there has been a “massive demographic” change “foisted” on America and that most Americans don’t like it. Translation: The white Christian majority does not like losing its political power and needs to do something about it. Of course, Ingraham does not speak on behalf of all white Christians. But her on-camera rant revealed the sentiment of the base that elected Donald Trump president and propelled Fox News to become the most watched cable newscast. What I cannot accept is that the Department of Justice is now marshaling the power of the U.S government to champion their cause.

You can and should read Stern's entire piece here.

'LGBTQ films win big at awkward & controversial Golden Globes' & other Mon midday news briefs

Bohemian Rhapsody win causes controversy, awkwardness at Golden Globes

Golden Globes 2019: Bohemian Rhapsody and Green Book questionable winners 

Glenn Close Upsets Lady Gaga at Golden Globes, 'Bohemian' Wins

Let's get frivolous. The movie awards season officially kicked off with the Golden Globe awards. LGBTQ celebrities (such as Ben Winshaw) and LGBTQ movies (such as 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and 'Green Book' got huge, but very awkward (but not for the reasons you would think) wins. While a certain LGBTQ icon won one category, she  surprisingly lost in the one she was expected to win. It was an awkwardly fun evening. As it is supposed to be.

Pat McCrory, of HB2 Infamy, Eyeing Another Run at NC Governor or for the Senate - Meanwhile, in a world far away from the Golden Globes, a homophobe tries to butt his way back into the spotlight.

The Senate has been rushing through judicial confirmations, including many anti-LGBTQ judges - This is NOT good.

Gay bloggers speak out after anti-LGBTQ troll uses their photo to spread pro-pedophile messages - The "gays want to recruit" children" lies never truly die. Even after they are refuted, those spreading these lies always find a way to prop them up. That's why these lies are known as "headless monsters." No matter how many times you cut their heads via refutation, someone will always find a way to prop them up.

Conservative trolls & anti-LGBTQ industry manufacture horrid lie about 'Desmond Is Amazing'

'Desmond is Amazing' is a young activist and an inspiration.

There was a situation brewing that I avoided because when it initially began, I wanted to hear the entire story. You see, in the 13 plus years I have been posting on this blog, I 've run across many, shall we say, moral panics pushed by the anti-LGBTQ industry. These "moral panics" tend to be anecdotal incidents they claim prove that gays want to recruit children, silence evangelical Christians, etc. In the long run, these moral panics turn out to be incidents either deliberately inflated or the product of lazy journalism.

To cite a jaded line, I have seen them all. And this one is no different.

There have a series of nasty claims going about concerning a young activist and drag queen by the name of Desmond Napoles (AKA Desmond is Amazing). This young man has gained fame and positive attention because of his inspirational message:

Desmond has been the undisputed and most beloved young star of NYC Pride since 2015 when he danced his way into everyone’s hearts at the NYC Pride March in his choice of a rainbow tutu and sparkly gold beret. Overnight, Desmond’s story was featured on NewNowNext, Yahoo, Perez Hilton, and Out Magazine. Quickly, he became an internet sensation and was well-known by millions worldwide. Desmond’s mother’s acquaintance created a Facebook Fan Page, called “Desmond is Amazing” to share his continuing journey with others. The name stuck, and Desmond decided to use it as his official stage name. He has named his fans his "Amazies" and is extremely grateful for their continued love and support. 

People were delighted to see a child who was accepted and able to be who they wanted to be, something that very few people have had the freedom as children to do. Even in our modern society, it is all too common for parents to treat their children as mini versions of themselves. They allow their child to wear only what the parent selects, play with toys the parent believes is most appropriate for the child’s gender, force the child’s interests with what is widely socially accepted, and stress that the child’s values and ideas should only align with their own.

There was a nasty rumor going about concerning a recent event he held.

'Trump's trans military ban garners meaningless (for now) court victory' & other Fri afternoon news briefs

Appeals Court Gives Trump First Win on Trans Military Ban - For now, the ruling is essentially meaningless. The ruling only eliminated one injunction against the ban. It still can't take place because of other court injunctions. Still, it is a drag to hear groups like the Family Research Council crow over it.

The Federal Judges Who Ruled in Favor of Trump’s Trans Ban Don’t Understand What It Means to Be Trans - According to The Slate, ignorance about the transgender community led to the ruling.

You can read how the Family Research Council is crowing about the decision via this link, but it would be more pertinent to remember (via this link) how the hate group helped Pence to craft false reasoning for the ban via junk science in contradiction to the information put out by the committee picked to investigate the issue.

Lesbian EEOC appointment dies in Senate - It took them a number of years and a bunch of lies (remember when they falsely claimed she said "gays win Christians lose" ) but those bastards finally got Ms. Feldblum removed from EEOC.

 Related posts on the religious right's of war lies on Ms. Feldblum over the years:

Anti-gay Family Research Council still can't prove accuracy of alleged Feldblum quote 

Anti-gay spokesman spins ENDA horror story via distorted comments

Religious right spokesman tells deliberate lie on Obama appointee  

Video: FRC invited Chai to speak; now slicing both her footage and her back

Here Are the Worst Anti-LGBT Bills to Watch for in 2019 - Bring it on, bitches. Ain't nobody scared of any of you.