Melania Trump and the Log Cabin Republicans must think that LGBTQ people are stupid

First Lady Melania Trump (top photo) and the Log Cabin Republicans, a gay conservative group ,(bottom photo) are attempting to pass off Donald Trump as an LGBTQ ally. They must be out of their minds.

When it comes to upcoming election, Donald Trump, First Lady Melania, and the Log Cabin Republicans obviously think LGBTQ people are naive or stupid.

From The Advocate:

First Lady Melania Trump filmed a video for the Log Cabin Republicans — an LGBTQ+ GOP organization that endorsed Donald Trump's reelection — claiming her husband is pro-gay, even though his policies have harmed gay people and the entire LGBTQ+ community. 

 The video begins with the first lady claiming her husband is an "outsider" who wants all Americans to prosper, though he has staked his entire political career on white grievance and overt racism. Melania Trump then reverted to the role her family often falls back on: victim. 

She claimed Donald Trump earned the ire of powerful political insiders because he challenged the status quo. "I was shocked to discover that some of these powerful people have tried to paint my husband as antigay or against equality," Trump says. "Nothing could be further from the truth."

 . . . Melania Trump also touts her husband's appointment of Richard Grenell as ambassador to Germany and, later, acting national security advisor. Grenell resigned in June and has previously been accused of xenophobia and misogny. Grenell defended Donald Trump tear-gassing peaceful protesters this summer so he could have a photo op in front of a church. 

 Melania Trump also claims that "as the leader of the Republican Party and president of the United States, Donald has been clear that gays and lesbians have been treated as he has always treated them, equally."

You can go to the link if you want to see the ad because I refuse to soil my blog page with that shit. It just pisses me off "to the highest levels of pissivity" for a number of reasons. 

From having anti-LGBTQ spokespeople such as Roger Severino in his administration waging war on our health to his ban on transgender people serving in the military via inaccurate information to his administration unsuccessfully arguing in front of the Supreme Court that it was perfectly legal to fire people for being LGBTQ, Trump has waged a silent but debilitating and depressing war against LGBTQ people.

And even after all of that, here comes his wife and some fools who really should - and probably do - know better attempting to convince us that he's our best friend.

At least with Franklin Graham, the Family Research Council, the Alliance Defending Freedom, and the rest of the anti-LGBTQ industry, we know where we stand. We don't like them and they don't like us. There is something morbidly wonderful about having someone being upfront about opposing you.

It's entirely different when someone smiles in your face while trying to convince you that they are your best friend even after they've publicly, unashamedly, and repeatedly worked to undermine your rights and safety. It's even worse when they know that you know that they are lying but will lie to you anyway in hopes that you are naive enough to believe them.

It takes a certain type of evil to have that sort of temerity. A rotten, fetid, putrid, lack of self-respect type of evil.  It's the kind of evil which ranks down there with a group betraying their own people status and power. WHICH brings me to Richard Grenell and the Log Cabin Republicans.

I can't say what I want when it comes to that bunch because it involves - at the very least - figuratively jumping down throats and stomping livers. But I suggest that if this nonsense angers you - and it should - then go and vote in order to prove that you won't fall for this bullshit.

And if you need anymore incentive and a list to show to those believing this mess, check out this wonderful article -  No, Trump Is Not a Friend to LGBTQ+ People. Here's the Evidence

'First LGBTQ case for new SCOTUS justice Barrett comes next week' & other Thur midday news briefs

 

Amy Coney Barrett

Advocates fear Barrett will strip away gay rights. It could begin next week. - Next week promises to be interesting for a multitude of reasons. And hopefully no one will be too distracted to notice this one. We've worried about how Barrett will look at LGBTQ equality. The first test is will she say that LGBTQ taxpayers have to give up our money to entities who want to discriminate against us?

Obama protections the Trump administration has rescinded (or hopes to) - For those folks in our community who delude themselves when it comes to Trump's "support" of us. 

Dead Marijuana Candidate Paid by GOP to Defeat Lesbian Politician - Talk about your drama . . . 

Top football referee defiantly comes out as gay after player used vile homophobic slur in the middle of a match - Good for him!

American anti-LGBTQ industry sinking millions in European countries to roll back rights of women & LGBTQ people

Donald Trump's lawyer, Jay Sekulow, is involved in an attempt to roll back the rights of women and LGBTQ people in European countries.

This is something we need to keep our eyes on. The anti-LGBTQ industry is sinking an immense amount of money in Europe.

 From Time magazine:

 Twenty-eight U.S. Christian right groups have spent millions of dollars pursuing conservative agendas that threaten LGBTQ and women’s rights in Europe, a new investigation by British news website openDemocracy found Tuesday. 

The investigation by openDemocracy found that more than two dozen organizations have been involved in legal battles across Europe opposing same-sex adoption, defending legislation against same-sex couples and restricting access to contraception and abortion. According to the report, the majority of the money spent by these groups in Europe came from two Christian legal advocacy groups, the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) and the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), the latter of which the Southern Poverty Law Center has listed as a designated hate group for its support of anti-LGBTQ legislation both in the U.S. and abroad.

 . . . Together, both the ACLJ and the ADF spent more than $3.7 million in Europe in 2018, according to openDemocracy’s findings based on publicly available non-profit tax filings. The 28 organizations surveyed by openDemocracy spent more than $88 million in Europe between 2007 and 2018—an amount greater than anywhere else outside of the United States, followed by Africa, Asia and Latin America. The findings come ahead of the U.S. presidential elections on Nov. 3 and amid what activists say is a worrying rollback of women’s and LGBTQ rights in central and eastern Europe.

According to the openDemocracy report, both groups have intervened in European cases regarding women's reproductive rights and LGBTQ equality. Time magazine said the following:

Both the ACLJ and the ADF have intervened in dozens of European court cases over the past 10 years. President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, Jay Sekulow, who served as counsel for the president’s impeachment trial, has been the chief counsel for the ACLJ since 1991. The organization has backed the Polish government several times on its stances on abortion and LGBTQ rights, including submitting arguments earlier this month in favour of the conservative government’s most recent abortion restrictions that have sparked international protests. Earlier this year, the European arm of the ACLJ also criticized the European Commission’s decision to cut funding to Poland’s regions and towns that declared themselves homophobic “LGBT-free zones.” OpenDemocracy says the ACLJ did not respond to its requests for comment. 

 The ADF also has links to the Trump Administration as former staffers, allies and supporters of the organization have been appointed to roles in government, and has significantly increased its funding in Europe, spending more than $2.5 million in 2018 compared to $1.4 million in 2014. According to its website, the organization’s international arm “provides funding for cases with high potential to set major international legal precedents.”

It's another reminder that the most dangerous opposition to our rights and safety come from those who can successfully manipulate behind the curtain. Not those who make public spectacles of themselves.

'LGBT voters on Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation' & other Wed midday new briefs

 

Amy Coney Barret

US election 2020: LGBT voters on Amy Coney Barrett confirmation - Fascinating conversation. 

EPA Cancels LGBTQ Pride And Resilience Event Due To Trump Crackdown - Well shit. 

State Department no longer challenging gay couples’ children’s U.S. citizenship - Good. That's the end of that. At least for now.

Antigay politician admits to secretly prescribing opioids for lover. She’s also his second cousin. - Now see that's just naaaaasty.

Senate Candidate Rev. Warnock on 'Religious Freedom' and LGBTQ+ Rights - Preach!!

GOP smear that Biden supports surgery for transgender children backfires

In the same manner they've targeted LGBTQ people during other elections in the past, GOP operatives are attempting to help Trump by lying about Joe Biden and transgender children.

But in this case, truth smacked them in the face. 

According to Raw Story:

A reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer this week cornered a Trump-loving GOP operative for sending text messages to voters falsely claiming that Democratic presidential nominee supports having 8-year-old children undergo gender reassignment surgery. Terry Schilling, the executive director of the right-wing American Principles Project, defended his organization for sending out text messages to voters that cast false aspersion on Biden’s position that transgender children shouldn’t face discrimination.

The Philadelphia Inquirer said voters across the state of Pennsylvania got a text message telling them to watch a 30 second video in which a narrator accused Biden of endorsing transgender medical procedures for children as young as eight-years-old.

But according to the article's author, Chris Brennan, the claim is a lie:

The video includes images of Biden speaking to Mieke Haeck, the mother of an 8-year-old transgender child at an Oct. 15 ABC town hall in Philadelphia. Biden told Haeck “there should be zero discrimination” against transgender people, including children.

That was it. The statement which led APP to make its claim. 

When confronted by Brennan, Schilling, head of the APP,  said that Biden's statement could be extrapolated to mean that he does in fact support surgery for transgender children  It was obvious by the interview that Schilling was attempting to create another fake controversy against Biden not unlike the recent flop regarding his son's "emails." Brennan pointed out that the Biden camp didn't take the bait, but Mieke Haeck, the mother of the transgender child, was furious about how Schilling's group  exploited her family:

She called APP’s claims a “blatant lie” and considered the PAC’s video so over the top in its attempt to be scary that it was “almost laughable.” Haeck would have told Schilling that, if his PAC had reached out to her. “It has nothing to do with medical intervention, medication or surgery,” she said of her question for Biden. “That’s not what we’re talking about. It’s about my daughter using she and her pronouns, growing her hair and being who she is in her heart.”

Also, Brennan pointed out that the Associated Press had already debunked the lies about Biden and surgery for transgender children.

To reiterate,  the GOP sought to exploit fears and ignorance about the LGBTQ community in order to create a fake controversy against Biden. None of the parties they were targeting seemed to be biting. But those who were biting took a chunk out of their asses. So to speak.

'For transgender Americans, election stokes hopes and fear' & other Tue midday news briefs

Editor's Note - by the time you read this, Amy Coney Barrett will be a SCOTUS judge. There was no doubt that it would end this way. But there is much doubt that is THE END at all for us, our safety, and equality. Don't ever lose hope. And above all, get out there and vote if you haven't already.

For transgender advocates, election stokes hopes and fears - Yep and for the rest of us, too. But the trans community has a deeper stake because Trump devoted much of his anti-LGBTQ policy against them. 

One in 10 LGBTQ+ Teens Identifies as Asexual or Ace Spectrum - Time for more education. 

Gay state senator in New Mexico flees home after threatening phone calls - Good grief! 

Another gay teacher fired. LGBTQ students face expulsion. Discrimination continues in Florida schools | Commentary - From a publicly funded voucher school. So they want our tax money and also the ability to fire us for being LGBTQ.

The Lincoln Project recreates Trump's presidency as an animated, dismal fairy tale

 

 

Of all the ads the Lincoln Project has come up with to call out Donald Trump, I think this is one of the most incredibly potent. And that's saying a lot because the group has been a shining star throughout this entire election season. But this ad, which portrays the years of the Trump presidency as a dark fairy tale full of grim tidings, should be remembered. Particularly the lesson at the end.