Congresswoman mixes up her homophobia with transphobia, demands that Pete Buttigieg and his husband stay out of female restrooms

Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene isn't too bright from the get-go. But it's rather embarrassing for her to mix up her homophobia with her transphobia.

Marjorie Taylor Greene goes on a strange rant about Pete Buttigieg and says he “can stay out of our girls bathroom” pic.twitter.com/mflOliqc5R

— Acyn (@Acyn) March 26, 2022

From Business Insider:

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg and his husband should stay out of girls' bathrooms while speaking at Donald Trump's rally in Commerce, Georgia, on Saturday. "You know what? Pete Buttigieg can take his electric vehicles and his bicycles, and he and his husband can stay out of our girl's bathrooms," Greene said at the rally. Greene seemed to be referencing ongoing debates about what bathrooms transgender people should use– but Pete Buttigieg and his husband Chasten are gay, not transgender.

 

It's both funny and exhausting. Funny because of obvious reasons. Exhausting because someone actually elected this woman to Congress, thereby elevating her power and voice. Every time you're tempted to laugh at her comment, pay attention to the folks in the clip cheering her on. They don't care what she said or how idiotic she sounds. As long as it reinforces their hatred.

TX attorney general Ken Paxton targeting LGBTQ people and 'Pride Week' to distract from brutal primary, legal troubles

Texas attorney general Ken Paxton

Texas attorney general Ken Paxton seems to have a vendetta against the state's LGBTQ community. Weeks after issuing an opinion based upon distorted information which justified investigating affirming parents of trans kids for child abuse, he is at it again.

From The Hill:

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) said in a letter to the Austin Independent School District (AISD) this week that its Pride Week was "breaking state law." Paxton wrote Tuesday that by hosting pride week, the district "has, at best undertaken a week-long instructional effort in human sexuality without parental consent. Or, worse [the] district is cynically pushing a week-long indoctrination of [students] that not only fails to obtain parental consent, but subtly cuts parents out of the loop." The Texas AG also wrote that the Austin ISD's curriculum and lesson plans "deal head-on with sexual orientation and gender identity—topics that unmistakably constitute 'human sexuality instruction' governed by state law."

According to LGBTQNation:

Paxton didn’t send the letter privately – he posted screenshots of it to Twitter with the message, “Liberal school districts are aggressively pushing LGBTQ+ views on Texas Kids! All behind parents’ backs! This is immoral and illegal.” He then referred to LGBTQ people as “sexual propagandists and predators” and demanded they be held “accountable.”

But The Hill said he is getting pushback:

District’s superintendent Stephanie Elizalde responded to Paxton in a tweet, writing: “I want all our LGBTQIA+ students to know that we are proud of them and that we will protect them against political attacks.” District spokesman Jason Stanford told The Washington Post: “We’re going to react to this by doubling down on making sure our kids feel safe and celebrating Pride."

There are a multitude of reasons why Paxton has chosen to target the LGBTQ community and none of them are good. But the simplest reason is obvious. He's afraid of losing his job on two fronts.

Paxton is in a hotly contested run-off primary with 'further to the right than Atilla The Hun'  Congressional representative Louis Gohmert.  Paxton is also facing a corruption probe for bribery charges and allegations that he misused his power. And to top it all off, he also faces possible disbarment over alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election on behalf of Donald Trump.

In his targeting of LGBTQ Texans, Paxton seems to be less concerned about protecting kids and more about protecting himself.

'Commentary - It's Not Just Florida. The GOP is pushing 'don't say gay' bills in 15 states' & other Thur midday news briefs

It’s not just Florida. The GOP is pushing “Don’t Say Gay” bills in 15 states now. - Oh it's on now. As much as part of me hates this mess, I like a good fight. "We didn't ask for this war, but it's on!" 

North Texas superintendent orders books removed from schools, targeting titles about transgender people​ - Constitutional concerns are being raised. 

Groups opposed to gay rights rake in millions as states debate anti-LGBTQ bills - Money doesn't take the place of truth. Your lies may get you over for a while, but truth always wins.

Joe Biden helps LGBTQ Ukrainian refugees with fast-tracked US resettlement - Trump would not have done that. 

Utah governor cites suicide rates for transgender youth in vetoing sports ban bill: ‘I want them to live’ - Facts.

Gay conservative Dave Rubin cancelled by his allies on the right after announcing that he and his husband are having kids

Prominent gay conservative Dave Rubin recently announced that he and his partner are going to become fathers. His colleagues on the right have been vocal with their disdain.

I don't like the 'I told you so' narrative about this but just because I don't like it doesn't mean it isn't important.

Dave Rubin is a prominent gay conservative. Forbes describes his clout as such:

Rubin has been cultivating an intolerant audience for several years, with his talk show The Rubin Report functioning as a cushy platform for hate-mongers like Stefan Molyneux and Milo Yiannopoulos, a safe space where all the questions are softballs. According to Rubin, his show is "a hub for misunderstood or canceled people or to-be-canceled people to express themselves honestly." Rubin has previously compared progressivism to a “mental disorder,” and through his talk show, attempts to push the idea that leftists and liberals are the real bigots, and that conservatives are more accepting of dissent. However, Rubin has struggled to prove this notion, hindered by his own audience’s refusal to accept his sexuality.

Rubin, a gay man in a socially conservative space, has never been been fully accepted by a vocal segment of his audience, or even his peers and supposed “friends.” This is underlined by an infamous conversation Rubin shared with fellow culture warrior Ben Shapiro, in which Shapiro flatly refuses an invite to Rubin’s anniversary party, citing Rubin’s sexuality as the reason he wouldn’t attend. Rubin passively accepts Shapiro’s intolerance as a reasonable reaction, calling his response ”interesting.”

"Passively accepting intolerance" shown towards him by his conservative colleagues seemed to have been a price Rubin willingly paid for the prominence and bank account which comes with being a "gay conservative." But as of recently, things have changed considerably. You see, Rubin and his partner announced that they are going to become parents. And many of his conservative colleagues have been, shall we say, not eager to congratulate him. On the contrary, some folks have been downright nasty towards him:

Edward Szall and Gillyan Christensen say that Dave Rubin and his husband adopting children "is the most evil thing that you could ever do" and call them "the spiritual version of neo-Nazis" for doing so. The only solution, obviously, is "to ban all gay people." pic.twitter.com/es8y8HgYP4

— Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) March 23, 2022

'Former gay' Milo Yiannopoulos, whose nonsense Rubin amplified, had this to say:

The American Spectator has this to say:
 

While people cheer the happy baby news, each step of the baby-making, having, and parenting process uses, abuses, and negates women. More than that, it denies the humanity and needs of the child. Less than a baby to nurture, the child is a commodity. The child is a product. The consumer is an adult who cannot obtain progeny by natural means and so must buy one by artificial means.

And then we get the word from Jenna Ellis about sin. This is the SAME Jenna Ellis who consistently lied about voter fraud to get the 2022 election overturned. I guess she is so busy talking about the 'sin' of homosexuality' that the sin of lying totally escaped her:

And I won't even MENTION the comments on the far right conservative site Free Republic. They range from simply ugly to downright bloodthirsty.

I do NOT care for Dave Rubin for obvious reasons. But I support his right to have a family. I support the right of all LGBTQ people to create and have families. 

BUT I also have a message to Mr. Rubin

Attack us, malign us, or disrespect us 'on the left' all you want, just so long as you remember who was talking shit about you, your husband and your kids. That would be your friends on the right. 

The verbal blowback you are receiving is only a smidgen of what us less prominent LGBTQ folks have gotten from your allies. It's something you helped to happen.

How does it feel to realize that you too are on their menu?

Big hat tip to Forbes magazine.

'Ketanji Brown Jackson schools GOP senator who ranted about marriage equality' & other Wed midday news briefs

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson

Ketanji Brown Jackson schooled GOP senator who ranted about gay marriage​ - Only took her nine words to do it.

More Than One-Third of Trans Kids Are At Risk Of Losing Gender-Affirming Care - This is terrible. There is a reason why the right wants us distracted by lies regarding trans athletes. So folks can ignore this. 

Fox News hosts launch dehumanizing anti-trans attacks against Adm. Rachel Levine and UPenn swimmer Lia Thomas - Trash is trash. 

Disney employees stage walkouts to protest company response to Florida bill - That's right Disney. We haven't forgotten about yo' ass. 

Raven-Symoné and Cast of Raven's Home Walk Off Set Over Florida's 'Ridiculous' 'Don't Say Gay' Bill - Good for them!

Florida Gov Ron DeSantis goes beyond petty in using his office to personally bully trans athlete Lia Thomas

Florida Gov Ron DeSantis is using his office to personally bully trans athlete Lia Thomas.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is so eager to emulate Donald Trump as a presidential candidate that he's already making the mistakes which cost Trump the White House.

He's being belligerently petty.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an official proclamation Tuesday declaring a Florida resident the “rightful winner” of an NCAA women’s swimming championship race over transgender swimmer Lia Thomas. Thomas — the University of Pennsylvania swimmer whose record-breaking season has sparked national debate over whether trans women should compete on female sports teams — became the first transgender athlete to win an NCAA championship last week, placing first in the 500-yard freestyle race at the Division I finals in Atlanta on Thursday. DeSantis said he would "reject these lies and recognize" University of Virginia swimmer and Florida resident Emma Weyant, who came in second place, as the winner. 

The false narrative of trans female athletes having an unfair advantage over cisgender female athletes (strange how trans males athletes are made conveniently absent from this discussion) has been a somewhat successful wedge issue for conservatives and others on the far right. Just as in the issue of marriage equality, they have zoomed in on and amplified false assumptions about a complicated issue which takes more explaining than a sound byte.

And just like the issue of marriage equality, accuracy will eventually rule the day. Meanwhile, folks like DeSantis are embarrassingly eager to squeeze out whatever political capital they can, even if they target innocent people.

In other words, Governor Ron DeSantis is personally bullying Lia Thomas. There is should be no sugarcoating, no deceptions, and no lies about what this man is doing right now, DeSantis is exposing Ms. Thomas to ridicule and death threats and she doesn't have the same capital or political power to fight him as he punches down at her while making speeches, appearing on Fox News, and being interviewed at various other media outlets - all of which are sure to come from his latest stunt.

Technically, DeSantis is not leading a charge of hateful students to follow her in the restroom. He's not leading a gang of transphobic fools chasing her down the street while pelting her with rocks and abuse. No, what DeSantis is doing is simultaneously equally disgusting and even worse. He's crafting excuses for those who would want to do those awful things to Thomas. In his capacity as an authority figure and a political leader, he is sending a message that to treat Ms. Thomas as less than human is perfectly okay - something that a true Christian would do, even. 

People are supposed to look to him for some sort of guidance, but he would rather pass out the torches while directing the mob.

And keep in mind that DeSantis's attack on Thomas  comes on the heels of  his enthusiastic support of the 'Don't Say Gay' bill passed by the Florida legislature. DeSantis should take a step back and consider his political future. It's one thing to push an issue, even distort it, for political points. But it's quite another to eagerly target any one person or a group of people and use your political power to make life hell for them. Granted, DeSantis is probably doing it to fire up his base, a tactic that Trump perfected  while in office. But he should be aware of the other side of the coin with that technique.

Trump may have fired up his base during his years in the White House with his petty attacks and targeting, but he also fired up an opposition who came out on election day simply to vote against him. There is some truth to the belief that Biden partly won in 2020 because more people absolutely despised Trump than liked him.

In the long run, people don't like presidential candidates  or any politician who take perverse pleasure in dividing and targeting people. And DeSantis is getting way past that point.

'True story - Dog dumped at NC animal shelter because owners said he was gay' & other Tue midday news briefs

 

Dog Is Dumped At North Carolina Shelter Because Owners Said It Might Be Gay​ - OMG! I hope this turns out to be a fraud, but I doubt that it is. The above video confirms it.

I'm An LGBTQ+ Doctor. Here's What You Might Not Know About Texas' New Anti-Trans Law. - Cause we shouldn't stop talking about this travesty. Ever.

Biden Officials Meet With Florida LGBTQ+ Youth to Assure Support - Thank you. 

Barrington High parent: LGBTQ students targeted in TikTok-inspired attack - What all of this evil against LGBTQ people is leading to.