'Congressman Cicilline - Pandemic relief must include LGBTQ protections ' & other Thur midday news briefs

Congressman David Cicilline

Rep. David Cicilline: Pandemic Relief Must Include LGBTQ Protections - Rep. Cicilline is an openly gay Congressman. He is right on when it comes to this issue and also proves how representation in always important. Don't be afraid of noting and voting for our own (with vetting, of course).

Puerto Rico government sharply criticized over response to LGBTQ murders - We got serious problems in Puerto Rico and the government isn't doing what it's supposed to do.

Lesbians, gays live in fear of attacks in Kenyan refugee camp - the struggle is real, y'all. 

Biden Helped Make LGBT History—Will That Be Enough? - He's not Trump is enough for me, but this helps.

The Family Research Council wants your money to help it stop . . . 'the return of 'Obamaphones?''

Just in case you have nothing better to do with your money (like saving it up because of COVID-19, buying supplies because of COVID-19, donating to hospitals or wonderful charities because of COVID-19), hate group the Family Research Council wants you to contribute to its fundraiser.

I'll spare you the link, but as you can see by the graphic above,  FRC and its president Tony Perkins, your donation will help them fight the "evil liberal" influences such as (in the group's own words):

carbon emission mandates, 

visa extensions for immigrants, 

a postal bailout, corporate pay equity, 

the return of “Obamaphones,” and more!

This list gets me angry on so many levels. The most noticeable being where the hell are the "radical homosexuals?" We're not even on the list nor in any of the rest of the fundraising appeal. Do we not make enough money for FRC anymore? We got dumped over Obamaphones?

Come on folks, there has to be a drag queen reading to children somewhere in the country!

'ICE being sued for holding trans migrants in COVID-19 'death traps' & other Wed midday news briefs

ICE faces class action lawsuit for holding transgender migrants in COVID-19 “death traps” - I have very few f@ks to give lately so I say "take all of the money!"

Council of Dads' J. August Richards on Black Gay Visibility's Power - PREACH!!

LGBTQ groups seek safeguards against COVID-19 discrimination - Cause goodness knows we would be in danger without them. 

Doctor stripped of license during pandemic over sexist & anti-LGBTQ social media posts - See response in first item. Some changes but sentiment still the same.

'Congratulations' to Donald Trump for making America 'first in the world'

Based upon this above video, Donald Trump used the coronavirus pandemic to make America first in several things. And based on the video below, he so humble, he refuses to take "credit" for it. But he would like if folks showed some appreciation for all of his "work"

Just think, with his homophobic point man Roger Severino guiding in an attempt to remove LGBTQ health protections, Trump could make LGBTQ people specifically first in the some of the same categories. So much damn winning. And yes for the people in the back, that was sarcasm. 

Meet Roger Severino - Trump's point man in putting LGBTQ health in danger during the COVID-19 pandemic

Trump appointee Roger Severino's anti-LGBTQ agenda could damage LGBTQ health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the middle of a pandemic which is causing more American deaths than the Vietnam War, the Trump Administration is working to remove LGBTQ healthcare protections. And no one seems to be raising a sufficient amount of hell about it.

We should not only point the finger at Trump, but also Roger Severino, Director of the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He has also been Trump's point man in the attempted removal of healthcare protections from LGBTQ people.   Last year, he spearheaded an HHS attempted rule which would have allowed healthcare workers to deny basic care based upon "moral or religious" reasons. In November, three different federal courts struck down the rule and one court found that HHS exaggerated a justification for the rule. Severino was pointed out in an NPR article to have contributed to that exaggeration. 

Severino's initial appointment caused controversy - although not enough to keep him from being appointed - because he was previously employed by anti-LGBTQ organizations such as the Heritage Foundation and the Becket Fund. When employed by those groups, his job was mostly to undermine LGBTQ equality and safety.

According to GLAAD, Severino:

Criticized bans on scientifically-discredited “reparative therapy” and labeled being LGBT as being “against your biology”: “Unfortunately you’re seeing some states that are actually trying to criminalize any sex therapy that reinforces a person’s biology. They’re calling into question and passing bans on reparative therapy, is one name for it. And so it’s really an ideology that’s saying you can only go one way, against your biology, but if you try to do anything that enforces it, then we’re going to criminalize it.” (clip begins at 20:18 in audio a link) 

Insisted that anti-LGBTQ views are “actually decent and honorable beliefs based not on any sort of hatred but, in fact, out of love. It’s a vision of human flourishing, people who believe in marriage and believe in a biblical view of human sexuality, it’s out of love and because you believe this is the proper vision for human flourishing that leads to happiness and leads to childhood success, and there’s a lot of social science evidence backing those statements up.” (clip begins at 7:15 in audio at link)

Wrote a joint Op-Ed with former Senator and anti-LGBT activist Jim Demint,  in which he maligned the complexity of gender identity by insisting transgender rights supporters see sex as “merely a placeholder’ assigned at birth,’ much like a Social Security number, only far easier to change.” In same piece, he slighted trans teen Gavin Grimm as “a gender-dysphoric teen girl.” 

Said of LGBT rights: “...same-sex marriage was merely the start, not end, of the left’s LGBT agenda. The radical left is using government power to coerce everyone, including children, into pledging allegiance to a radical new gender ideology over and above their right to privacy, safety, and religious freedom.”

Since being appointed, Severino's actions have justified all of the concern LGBTQ people and our advocates  have had. Other than the "healthcare conscience" debacle in November,  Severino spearheaded a proposal which critics claimed would "legally erase the trans identity" and another proposal which would allow faith-based foster care and adoption agencies to have access to tax dollars even while discriminating against LGBTQ people.

When he was appointed, no one was fooled about Severino's purpose. He was to undermine LGBTQ health and equality as much as possible.  It was so obvious that a lot of people - particularly the media - was nonchalant and blase about the subject. 

Just how blase and nonchalant will people be if Severino's homophobic agenda causes LGBTQ people to die during this pandemic?

'During pandemic, Trump team moving to allow physicians to discriminate against LGBTQ people' & other Mon midday news briefs

Trump failed in preparing for the COVID-19 pandemic. He's adding to the error by an attempt of his administration to undermine LGBTQ health during the pandemic.

Trump team moves to scrap protections for LGBTQ patients - In the middle of a pandemic . . . 

 The Trump administration could soon allow doctors to discriminate against LGBTQ people - More information on this batshit idea. 

 Loving and adapting amid coronavirus, NC LGBTQ church gives back to community - More proof that this gay vs. Christian narrative is a lie.

LGBTQ People Facing More Economic Hardship In Coronavirus Fallout, Survey Finds - Yep.

'We Stand Behind the President' - a video montage

I can't begin to describe this short film by Phil Rosenthal except for to say that it speaks for itself. You simply have to watch it.