'When detransition narratives go awry' & other Wed midday news briefs

 

Where Detransition Narratives Go Awry - Zack Ford shows '60 Minutes' the mistakes it made with piece on transgender people. A very good post, by the way. 

Florida lawmaker torches DeSantis after he kicks off Pride Month by signing bill booting trans kids off sports teams - DeSantis is trying to get to the White House on the bodies of transgender children. 

Celebrating Pride Month: 30 LGBTQ firsts in art, politics, education and more - Learn your history. Know your history. 

Pride Month is starting & these are the best posts about it so far - That's so far.

Black conservative whines about being 'canceled.' Wants us to forget how she used her gay son to hide her group's homophobia

Editor's note - in celebration of LGBTQ Pride Month 2021, I pledge to be as mean-spirited and as vicious to the religious right and the anti-LGBTQ industry as possible while tight-roping expertly on the thin line of good taste. And hopefully tonight's post is the beginning.

Kay Coles James

Thanks to my good friend Zack Ford (whose very engrossing substack, Fording The River Styx, you should be signed up for right now), I was made aware of the following tweet:

From 2017 to earlier this year, James was the head of the far-right group The Heritage Foundation. And it's perfectly alright if some of you haven't heard of her. Right-wing groups generally like to keep black conservatives either hidden or under wraps unless they find some use for them, such as speaking ill about African-Americans in general (why hello there, Candace Owens) or leveraging their ethnicity to speak against a Democratic position on black issues.

But in 2019, James did something extra special which no doubt made her a star in the eyes of the conservative industry. Or as I put it in my response to her "I am a black person with her own mind and that's why the left tried to cancel me" tweet:

If you were truly canceled, it could be about your hypocrisy of bragging about your gay son on Fox News while leading a group - the Heritage Foundation - trying to take rights away from gays while accusing us of recruiting children.

— Holy Bullies (@holybullies) June 1, 2021

And yes, I got the "receipts." Hell, I wrote about it in 2019:

James was recently embroiled in a controversy involving Google. The company invited her to be a member of its Artificial Intelligence ethics board. However, her inclusion was protested so venomously by Google employees and other people that the company ended up disbanding the board. James was interviewed earlier this month by Shannon Bream of Fox News because of the Google controversy. She claimed that she wasn't homophobic because she has a gay son.

Homophobe? I don't think so. You know, I, I, I've never talked about it publicly, but I have a gay son whom I love beyond all measure. And he and his community have welcomed me, have helped me grow, have helped me to understand. There’s no hatred there. That’s my child you are talking about.

Oh really?

'Queer mechanics working to repair 'toxic industry' & other Tue midday news briefs

Meet the queer mechanics working to repair a 'toxic industry' - A fascinating and very different article. 

Portland church helps build LGBTQ+ senior housing - Wow! I rather like this article.

The 20 Most Exciting LGBTQ Movies of 2021 - And suddenly, an interlude.

Donald Trump was ‘repulsed’ by and ‘didn’t care about’ LGBT+ people, claims fixer Michael Cohen - And in the category of 'No shit, Sherlock,' the awards goes to . . .

Homophobic bigotry has no expiration date . . . but neither does truth

The biggest mistake people make when they see wanton bigotry is to say "I can't believe someone believes that in this day and age."  Bigotry never has an expiration date as seen by the tweet below:

Blue’s Clues segment of a drag queen hosting a pride parade for gay, trans, and non-binary animals.

Once you realize the Pride Movement is predicated on grooming your kids, you’ll recognize pretty much all children’s content and children’s entertainers are all perverted pedos. pic.twitter.com/HD9VbEkNT8

— 🌴 Josh Lekach 🌴 (@JoshLekach) May 29, 2021

And just in case this chyle decides to block me or show a smidgen of good taste by deleting the tweet, here a picture of it:

 Even decades after arch bigot Anita Bryant claimed that gays go after the young to supposedly "refreshen our ranks,"  some people still think that the LGBTQ community is conducting a thoroughly well-organized plot which involves "recruiting" and "grooming" children (as if we are actually that coordinated and disciplined .. . that was sarcasm.)

It's rather sad if you ask me. All this poor fool has accomplished with his tweet - aside from applause from the choir of usual homophobes - is full scale mockery. Bigotry has no expiration date, but neither does truth. And truth always wins out, even if it takes it time getting to where it needs to be. The trick is to take that truth and ride it roughshod over the lies. Without apology or pity.

Editor's note - check out the wonderful Blues Clues video which sparked the nonsensical tweet

40 brands that are giving back for Pride Month 2021' & other Fri midday news briefs

40 brands that are giving back for Pride Month 2021 - Something positive about brands and companies all in for Pride for a change.

Texas Lt Gov calls for special legislative session to ban trans teens from playing school sports - Dan Patrick has always been an evil bastard to the LGBTQ community. 

A Passionate Plea for — and Against — Police at Pride - In South Carolina, police departments with good relationships with our community participate in Pride. It all depends on the relationship is in each area. But I am totally agaist unilaterally keeping the police from participating in Pride in general. And I don't care if they do or don't wear their uniforms. 

Texas firm petitions court for “religious exemption” to fire LGBTQ people - Apparently some folks in Texas is attempting to win the homophobe of the year award.

'Keeps me up at night': Doctors who care for transgender minors brace for bans - Mean-spirited junk but we are going to win this one. 

60 Minutes segment on trans health care becomes ammo for right-wing media attacks - 60 Minutes made a big mistake here.

Video: Top 10 Things Pose Got Factually Right and Wrong

 

 Pose, the very popular television show, looks at the New York African-American and Latino LGBTQ ball community during the 1980s and 90s. For those interested the television show's background, here is a video which looks at 10 things Pose has gotten factually wrong and right about this time in LGBTQ history.

'Neo-Nazi arrested after reign of terror against gay couple, trans support center' & other Thur midday news briefs

Neo-Nazi arrested after terrorizing gay couple & vandalizing trans support center for months - A menace is off the streets, but for how long?

Hunter Schafer’s pastor dad says Jesus inspires his fight for trans rights in powerful essay - A needed story we don't often hear. 

Nashville prosecutor says he won’t enforce anti-trans law requiring bathroom signs - Oh? 

The Full Scale of Anti-Trans, Anti-LGBTQ Bills in State Houses Will Shock You - Brutal fight thus far and it will get uglier. Bring it on.