Don't forget to pin blame on Mike Pence for trans ban

VP Mike Pence is mostly responsible for Trump's transgender military ban

Supreme Court allows Trump’s ban on trans military members to go into effect - So this mess took place today. The ban is reinstated while lawsuits are moving forward through the courts. We will win this in the end. Let's not give up hope. But it should teach us the importance of elections and demanding that our issues and community be heard by potential candidates.

SCOTUS Lifts Two Injunctions Against Trump’s Trans Troops Ban—but the Policy Remains Blocked - Meanwhile, here is an interest take on today's ruling.

 Most importantly and above all, don't be so quick to bark at Trump that you fail to recognize the real culprit of the trans ban - Vice President Mike Pence. It was him, with anti-LGBTQ groups and figures, who crafted fraudulent reasoning for the ban. No doubt they will crow about the SCOTUS ruling, making sure to admit how they were involved at the beginning. 

The trans military ban is yet another example of the White House's cozy relationships with anti-LGBTQ hate groups

All the right-wing lies about Trump’s transgender military ban, debunked

Pence's actions here is in tune with the recent actions of his wife, 2nd Lady Karen Pence, i.e. her decision to associate herself with an anti-LGBTQ school.  We have a VP - and a 2nd Lady - who is targeting the physical, psychological, and spiritual well-being of the LGBTQ community through direct and passive aggressive actions designed to keep us locked into a second class status. And they are hiding behind the guise of  Christianity to do it. 

Mike and Karen Pence will continue to get away with it as long as we don't bring it to public attention. Loudly and aggressively.

Family Research Council uses MLKDay as a commodity, wants you to forget its 2016 defense of alt-right racism

Family Research Council president Tony Perkins

Earlier today, I made the following remark about Martin Luther King, Jr Day:

I need disinfectant to spray all of the folks & groups praising MLK knowing fully well they would disparage him if he were alive and presently support policies opposite to his beliefs.

Recent remarks posted by Tony Perkins of the anti-LGBTQ hate group Family Research Council make me wish for a big can of disinfectant:

A lot has changed since Rev. King's life was cut short a half century ago. The man who would have turned 90 last week would notice a lot of his fingerprints on America's social progress. But he would also be deeply dismayed to see the number of people who've turned their backs on his greatest motivation: a deep and abiding faith in God. In all of the politically-correct retrospectives, we've lost perspective on how important religion was to the story of Dr. King and the civil rights movement.

 . . . The leaders of the civil rights movement weren't transformational in spite of their faith -- they were transformational because of it. "I say [all of this]," Rev. King insisted, "as a minister of the gospel, who loves the church; who was nurtured in its bosom; who has been sustained by its spiritual blessings and who will remain true to it as long as the cord of life shall lengthen." 

America's war against religious liberty would have saddened Dr. King. Like us, he knew that without it, he wouldn't have had the freedom -- or the platform -- to speak out against segregation. In his day as in ours, there is one path to reconciliation in this country: the church. "There is so much frustration in the world because we have relied on gods rather than God... Christianity affirms that at the heart of reality is a Heart, a loving Father who works through history for the salvation of His children. Man cannot save himself, for man is not the measure of all things and humanity is not God. Bound by the chains of his own sin and finiteness, man needs a Savior."

Exploiting Dr. King's name to promote its quest of white evangelical "Christian supremacy" (disguised as a fight for "religious liberty") is rotten in itself.

Franklin Graham the latest religious hypocrite to support Karen Pence's homophobia

Yet another defender of Karen Pence and her decision to teach at an anti-LGBTQ school (while still being 2nd Lady of the United States which sends a bad message to our country)  shows his ugly head and gives us a wonderful chance to spotlight yet again the hypocrisy of evangelical conservative leaders.

Just like in the case of the Family Research Council, this is another situation in which anti-LGBTQ right-wing evangelicals are all so fired up with attacking the LGBTQ community that they leave themselves open to much deserved scrutiny.

In terms of the worst person to defend Mrs. Pence's homophobia, Graham should win a booby prize.

Graham is the same person who said the LGBTQ community don't have families and that we want to harm children. And he is the same person  who  supports Putin's persecution of the LGBTQ Russian community, claiming that Putin is merely trying to protect children.

Furthermore, Graham's talk of "Christian values" doesn't gel with his unwavering support of Trump. Remember that time he once  said  that no one elected Trump to be "president perfect" And then there was that time when Graham told Americans that Trump's extramarital affairs are "none of our business."

Also, as much as Graham is coming out against the LGBTQ community in this matter, he always seems to be conveniently "unable" to comment on things like Trump's shutdown, Trump's policy which took immigrant children away from their parents,  or Trump's lies about "the wall."

But he sure enough knows how to kiss Trump's butt:

Graham is not only a hypocrite, but he is self-righteous and deluded if he thinks that he has the authority to defend Mrs. Pence after his long history of homophobia and his pandering support of Trump's incompetence. Or if he thinks that some of us aren't going to figuratively spill the hot tea all over his head while "reading him to filth."

I don't expect Mrs. Pence to realize that as 2nd Lady, affiliating herself with a restricted and anti-LGBTQ school is not a good idea. Humility and self-awareness doesn't suit the type of Christianity she and her husband practice.

But damn, I am enjoying calling out the hypocrites who publicly support her.

Related posts: 

Vice President Mike Pence is offended at controversy over wife's choice of teaching at anti-LGBTQ school

Evangelical hate group: Stop picking on Karen Pence because she may think LGBTQs are second class citizens 

Karen Pence's homophobia is bad. The homophobia of her defenders is worse  

Don't expect any honest answer from Karen Pence. Homophobic evasion is a family trait with the Pences

Vice President Mike Pence is offended at controversy over wife's choice of teaching at anti-LGBTQ school

Remember that time that Mike Pence lied about an anti-LGBQ 'religious freedom' bill he signed when Indiana's governor?

Editor's note - In light of the new developments regarding the allegation that Trump told his former lawyer Michael Cohen to lie to Congress, we are slowly moving to a reality which will no longer see Trump in the White House. With that in mind, this controversy about 2nd Lady Karen's Pence's decision to teach at an anti-LGBTQ school takes on new relevance. As does VP Mike Pence's defense of it. It would  serve the LGBTQ community well to pay attention to matters and make our voices be heard. The possibility of a Pence Administration would be disastrous for us.

Vice President Says Outrage Over Wife Karen Pence’s Discriminatory School Is ‘Offensive’ - Pence attempts to defend his wife's homophobia by turning the issue. Let's be clear about something if we have to say it repeatedly:

The 2nd Lady of the United States has no damn business associating herself with a restricted school. She can do it when she is a private citizen, not when she's Second Lady.

But just like the point I made last night in the post about the Family Research Council defending Pence - homophobes will defend homophobes.

And in the case of Pence, if he wants to talk offensive, how about

when he lied about an anti-LGBTQ religious liberty bill he signed when he was Indiana's governor (highlighted by the above picture)

or when he would not give a definite answer when asked about how he felt about anti-LGBTQ discrimination:


 
Or the repeated times he has attacked, denigrated, and smeared the LGBTQ community.

Behind Pence's fake smile and non-assuming "Christian" manner beats the heart of man who has made a career out of belittling the LGBTQ community and jeopardizing our rights and safety. So of course he is going to defend his wife when she does the same thing.The bright side in all of this is the spotlight we now have to showcase his dirty hands. And the worst thing a homophobe can do is give us LGBTQ folks even a little bit of spotlight because we know how it use it.

Related post:

Evangelical hate group: Stop picking on Karen Pence because she may think LGBTQs are second class citizens 
 

Karen Pence's homophobia is bad. The homophobia of her defenders is worse  

Don't expect any honest answer from Karen Pence. Homophobic evasion is a family trait with the Pences

Evangelical hate group: Stop picking on Karen Pence because she may think LGBTQs are second class citizens

2nd Lady Karen Pence

 From the Family Research Council:

. . . the Pences are not strangers to the other side's viciousness. Every time the media is reminded about the family's faith, they become hysterical all over again -- a scene that played out this week when Karen announced she'd be volunteering at Immanuel Christian this spring. "I am excited to be back in the classroom and doing what I love to do," she said in a statement. "I have missed teaching art, and it's great to return to the school where I taught art for 12 years." 

She can't go back there, LGBT activists raged! They reject homosexuality! Yes, well, that's what orthodox Christian schools do. (Not to mention Jewish and Muslim ones too.) Would it have been headline news if Jill Biden taught at a Roman Catholic school? Probably not. Yet, the Left and their media chums are hurling profanity at the Pences for something that, even five years ago, wouldn't have been controversial. Frankly, the only thing that would have been shocking is if Karen worked at a Christian school that didn't act like a Christian school. 

CNN's Kate Bennett was just one of the talking heads who doesn't get it. "So, lemme get this straight," she tweeted, "the second lady of the United States has chosen to work at a school that openly discriminates against LGBT adults and children?" "So, lemme get this straight," Ben Shapiro fired back. "You're a reporter but you've never heard of religious people before? 'BREAKING: Pence's wife is working for a Christian school that requires that Christian students pledge to abide by Christian standards of sin that have not changed in 2,000 years.'"

Well of course, the  Family Research Council, an organization designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center because it routinely:

cites junk science to demean the LGBTQ community, 

defended Uganda’s “kill-the-gays” bill, 

falsely claims a link between homosexuality and pedophilia, 

employs a person who said he want gays "exported" out of the United States

thinks that 2nd Lady of the United States Karen Pence is being subjected to "religious discrimination" when people call her out for choosing to teach at a school which discriminates against LGBTQ adults and children.

The Family Research Council's brand is all about undermining LGBTQ safety and equality via lies while hiding the veneer of religion. Of course Mrs. Pence's actions aligns with its values.

THAT is the problem. The 2nd Lady of the United States has no business acting such a manner that she has to be defended by groups which specialize in bigotry.

Related post: Karen Pence's homophobia is bad. The homophobia of her defenders is worse

Karen Pence's homophobia is bad. The homophobia of her defenders is worse

Karen Pence

As to be expected, 2nd Lady Karen Pence's decision to teach at an anti-LGBTQ private school has some defenders.

Personally, I and a lot of other folks feel that seeing that she is 2nd Lady of the United States, Mrs. Pence has a responsibility and duty to send an inclusive message to all Americans, especially LGBTQ Americans, our families, and our children. And aligning herself with a private school with a policy against LGBTQ employees, same-sex families, and LGBTQ children is not the way to do it,

However, some folks in the comments section of a One News Now article (which is the "news source" of anti-LGBTQ hate group the American Family Association) have a different take on the situation (click on the graphics to read):

And those comments are nothing compared to the comments on the extreme right-wing site Free Republic:

'Trans woman mocked for angry outburst in store speaks out' & other Thur midday news briefs

Trans woman mocked for angry outburst in store after being misgendered speaks out - The transgender woman who was made fun of because of a video of her angry outburst in a store has something to say. Just like I said before. Sometimes you get tired of people @!%$ with you.

Karen Pence’s Anti-LGBTQ School To Receive 100 Copies Of LGBTQ Children’s Book - Keep up the spotlight on this issue.

Don't expect any honest answer from Karen Pence. Homophobic evasion is a family trait with the Pences - Repost from last night.

LGBTQ-inclusive bullying laws associated with fewer teen suicide attempts, study says- This is common knowledge but the opposition will attempt to bogart the argument and cover up this fact.

Barr hints at continuing anti-LGBT policies at Trump Justice Department - The way Trump is screwing up, there might not be a justice department soon.