'Ex-gay' group tries to be sneaky, gets shut down by courts again

In 2015, ex-gay group JONAH (Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing or Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality)  was found guilty of fraud under New Jersey's Consumer Fraud Act. The group was ordered to repay monies to clients and to also shut down. Unfortunately, it seems that JONAH didn't shut down. It was operating in secret. That is until Tuesday when a court shut it down again.

From the Southern Poverty Law Center (which initiated the original lawsuit):

Superior Court Judge Peter F. Bariso Jr. issued a 47-page decision finding that the defendants have violated a 2015 injunction and settlement agreement involving the group formerly known as Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing (JONAH). 

The court decision follows a motion the SPLC filed in March, asking a judge to find that JIFGA had violated the injunction to cease operations and should be sanctioned. That motion also asked the judge to find that the defendants have violated the settlement agreement that led to the injunction, and now owe additional attorney fees. 

In order to “deter and punish” the defendants, the court also barred them from serving as directors of any New Jersey nonprofit corporation, ordered that they pay attorney fees incurred in connection with the plaintiffs’ efforts to enforce the injunction, and pay the full amount owed under the settlement agreement.

“The court previously had ordered JONAH to shut its doors and stop promoting conversion therapy because a jury found that its program was fraudulent and unconscionable – in violation of New Jersey’s consumer fraud law,” said David Dinielli, deputy legal director for the SPLC. 

“The ruling this week – concluding that defendants have violated that court order – confirms that the court meant what it said,” Dinielli said. “Conversion therapy necessarily is fraudulent because it is based on the lie that LGBTQ people can and should be fixed. Along with our clients and other allies, we will not stop until we eradicate these dangerous practices in New Jersey and around the country.”

According to the blog The Slowly Boiled Frog, which  played a part in uncovering JONAH's new fraud:

On June 25, 2015 a New Jersey jury unanimously held that JONAH was guilty of consumer fraud. A settlement was reached requiring the principals to pay a small undisclosed portion of the legal fees contingent upon not offering any form of conversion therapy. They could now be required to pay the full amount which is approximately $3.5 million. 

The defendants would be Arthur and Jane Goldberg along with Theodore and Elaine Berk. Both couples had gay sons. Both couples still have gay sons. 

Arthur Abba Goldberg is a convicted swindler and felon. Goldberg's license as a certified financial counselor was revoked in 2011 because he lied on his application by failing to disclose his felony conviction. On information and belief Goldberg is operating as a counselor in violation of a lifetime ban. The pious and sanctimonious Goldberg has a continuing pattern of dishonesty.

'District attorney's homophobic ramblings causes investigation' & other Wed midday news briefs

Under Investigation: D.A. Who Bragged His Religious Beliefs Control His Decisions in Cases Against Same-Sex Spouses - Good!

Botswana High Court decriminalizes homosexuality in country - A victory for the community anywhere is a victory everywhere.

1 In 5 Queer Young Adults Attempted Suicide In The Past Year, Study Shows - And it's because of discrimination. 

E.W. Jackson: ‘We Need to Burn Every Rainbow Flag in This Nation’ - The man simply can't help himself. He obsesses about us constantly.

Lawsuit will hopefully expose passive/aggressive homophobia behind 'right to refusal' rule

Wonderful news today via Raw Story:

The Trump administration’s Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) is facing two separate lawsuits just filed by the ACLU and by Planned Parenthood. The filings seek to strike down a new policy that would give people of faith special religious rights to discriminate, especially against LGBT people and women.  

 The new policy, slated to go into effect July 22, would provide “conscience protections” to health care workers and professionals. Those protections would allow, say, a doctor to not perform an abortion, even to save the life of a mother. They would allow, for example, a physician or nurse practitioner to reject a gay man on the grounds his very being violates their religious beliefs. Courthouse News’ 

 Adam Klasfeld posted a portion of the lawsuit which says the Refusal of Care Rule would “allow almost any health care provider – including hospitals or individual workers in the health care setting … to refuse to provide, assist with, or refer for virtually any health service, based solely on a personal objection.” The rule would also make it legal to withhold information from patients, and without telling them.

While I'm not attempting to minimize the danger this rule would do to women's health, I think I should speak on what I am more knowledgeable about - how it endangers LGBTQ health.

'YouTube CEO apologizes for standing by homophobic videos' & other Tue midday news briefs

YouTube CEO Apologizes For Standing By Homophobic Videos - Talk is cheap. Do more than apologize.

Detroit Police Quash Neo-Nazi Plot To Spark ‘Charlottesville No. 2’ At Pride Parade - Give it to the police for stopping this madness.

A straight couple behaving badly caused the panicked stampede at DC’s Pride parade - You just can't take some people anywhere, y'all.

Youth-led protest demands UCP protect LGBTQ student rights - Our kids are leading the way internationally.

Silly, fake Christian group calls the LGBTQ community a '500-pound gorilla'

If you're going to smear the LGBTQ community, at least get our rainbow colors correct.

Well this is a new one for me. I've been slurred as a gorilla because of my racial heritage, but I've never been called one because of my sexual orientation.

According to Right Wing Watch, this image was included in a report by some group calling itself "Intercessors for America." Apparently to the group, "the gay lobby is like a 500-pound gorilla sitting on our religious freedoms."

A well-funded powerful movement is legalizing intimidation by attaching gender identity language to legislation and action—even those that should have nothing to do with this concept. Some say the gay lobby is like a 500-pound gorilla sitting on our religious freedoms. Powerful and well-funded. Loud and proud. Pushing to make sexual orientation/gender identity an issue in much of our civic lives, and in the end, a protected class of citizens.

Other than the image of a gorilla - tacky at beast - I fail to see what's the problem with making the LGBTQ community a protected class of citizens. This nonsense is generally par for the course as far as I'm concerned.  In this particularly case, no only does this group feel that we are like a gorilla but:  

For decades, the gay movement has been beating the drum of “born this way” to claim that they were born with the sexual attraction toward the same sex, contrary to the Bible. “It’s who we are made to be,” they would claim, adults choosing a lifestyle that is not God’s design. Eventually letters and lifestyles were added to L and G to include BTQ and a growing number of choices, identities, and preferences. It seems that the 2015 Obergefell decision, nationally and legally requiring same-sex marriage opened the floodgates for a rapid and exponential growth in sexual identity additions. 

What happened next many of us were unprepared for and are shocked by—grooming and instructing young children in sexual interests and choices, and the transgendering of our children—both emotionally and physically. We are here. It happened so fast that much of this has not even been on the radar of many Americans, and yet it is happening in every state, and in many schools and homes.

And just in case, the lie about gays wanting to "sexualize" and "recruit" children isn't hammered home, Intercessors for America" even included something about Satan and the transgender community. No matter how the anti-LGBTQ industry tries to recast itself as protectors of faith and morality, it always goes back to demonizing and dehumanizing our community.

I do one have complaint - the group could have at least been accurate about the rainbow flag colors.

'Franklin Graham claims LGBTQ rainbow flag is offensive to 'Christians'' & other Mon midday news briefs

Franklin Graham Claims ‘Gay Pride Flag Is Offensive To Christians’ - Franklin Graham kisses Donald Trump's butt again, in other words.

Some U.S. Embassies, Diplomats Defy Trump Policy Against Flying Rainbow Pride Flags - This is why Graham is praising Trump this time. But a lot of other folks have something different to say about it.

The GOP is about to stop a judicial nominee for once opposing religious liberty - Silly man. How dare he compare anti-LGBTQ discrimination to white supremacy. #snark

Ian McKellen has launched a program supporting older LGBTIQ+ people - Good for him!

The Top 10 LGBTQ character cliches and tropes on movies and television

As we celebrate LGBTQ Pride Month 2019, let's also remember the things we are fighting against. Mistreatment and a debasement of our humanity is definitely at the top of the list. Let's not forget disrespect, particularly when it comes to visibility. With that in mind, let's look at the Top Ten Cliches and Tropes that we as a community have had to deal with in movies and television over the years. Between you and me, though, I rather like number 10. But I absolutely DESPISE number one.