'Targeting of Pride events follow months of escalating anti-LGBTQ lies from right-wing media' & other Tue midday news briefs

Targeting of Pride events follow months of escalating anti-LGBTQ rhetoric from right-wing media​ - Homophobes are going to get people hurt. It's a serious problem. 

Seattle Pacific Grads Use Pride Flags to Protest Anti-LGBTQ+ Policy - This was wonderful! I loved this! 

Today’s GOP isn’t the one that Marco Rubio bet his political career on - Nope. 

Commonwealth Games Pride House aims to provide safe space for LGBTQ athletes and activism - Good for them.

Hate group angry that latest Disney movie features (gasp!) a lesbian kiss

 We are in the Twilight Zone of anti-LGBTQ hysteria. From conservatives making up stories about drag queens, to white nationalists putting children in danger to attack drag queens, to all this general Anita Bryantish throwback accusing us of sexually grooming kids, it's as if we are in a bad loop.

And the hate group known as the American Family Association wants to get its shots in.

And why should they? Well according to AFA:

Earlier this year and to the delight of parents everywhere, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the state legislature passed the "Parental Rights in Education Bill," which prohibits public schools from indoctrinating children grades K-3 with pro-gay, pro-transgender propaganda. Disney CEO Bob Chapek initially said his company would not take sides in the controversy. Then came the loud, expected rhetoric from the rabid LGBTQ left, with their nasty accusations that Disney was anti-gay and hateful for not vocally opposing the law. 

The Florida law is simply designed to protect the youngest grade-school children from being taught lies, such as their birth gender might possibly be a freak of nature and that they can change it. As a result, Disney quickly abandoned its neutral position for one of total surrender. Chapek apologized to his employees in a letter, telling them, "You needed me to be a stronger ally in the fight for equal rights and I let you down. I am sorry." 

 As a result, and to the delight of homosexual activists everywhere, Disney has announced it will restore a previously cut lesbian kissing scene in its June Pixar release of the kid’s movie "Lightyear." Disney doesn't think you will care, nor does it think Christian parents and grandparents will take a stand for their children and grandchildren. I think you will.

Apparently this kiss has gotten Disney in trouble in several Middle Eastern countries which have chosen to ban the movie.

It goes without saying that of course AFA is trying to get in on the 'gays are groomers' hysteria. Even without all of that, the AFA would have probably been sounding the alarm about the lesbian kiss. It's the group's brand to act hysterical when LGBTQ people get even the smallest dose of attention.

I see nothing wrong with a lesbian or gay kiss in a Disney movie. Heterosexual kisses have been a staple of the films for as long as I can remember.  What AFA is angry about is LGBTQ people being portrayed as normal. It ruins the stereotype of everything LGBTQ-related being sexual and not-for-children. But like it or not, gays and lesbians kissing is normal and I'm sure children see it every day. Let's not forget also that thousands of children in this country are being raised by LGBTQ parents. Seeing their parents isn't a big deal.

Children seeing LGBTQ kissing in general should not be seen as a big deal. People kiss.  It's not an agenda. It's simply a human act.  That's all there is to it.

Speaking of something being not-for-children, it's ironic how the AFA goes on and on about a simple lesbian kiss while saying, as far as I know, nothing about the violence in Disney movies. We're talking about scenes in which:

A woman falls off a huge cliff and then vultures circling down to eat her corpse,

A man falling headfirst into a lake of fire,

A man accidentally hanging himself by forest vines,

A lion being torn apart by a pack of hyenas,

A lion throwing another lion off of a cliff into a stampede of wildebeest who trample him to death.

There are so many other incidents in Disney films which AFA could have raised attention about.  But nothing sells like good old fashioned homophobia and bigotry.

'37 LGBTQ+ TV stars who made history' & other Mon midday news briefs

37 LGBTQ+ TV stars who have made history​ - This is very important because our fight for fairness still continues. 

After years of alleged anti-LGBTQ bullying, New York teen 'just wants to be accepted' - THIS article will have you in tears. It resembles so many of our lives growing up. 

LGBTQ+ Candidates Advance in Primary Races - Folks are scared of the upcoming midterms but regardless, we still have to come in blazing. 

LGBTQ outrage over DeSantis visit to NYC during Pride Month - As well they should be. That evil jackass was probably looking for ways to decimate us in the future. 

Homosexuality Voted to Be Struck from Pennsylvania's Criminal Code - Lovely. What took y'all so long?

The fruits of the groomer lie - Proud Boys storm a Drag Queen Story Hour event, putting kids in danger

Gavin McInnes, founder of the racist group The Proud Boys once shoved a dildo up his butt to prove that he isn't homophobic. His group just got into trouble for storming a Drag Queen Story Hour event no doubt buoyed by false claims that drag queens are 'grooming' children into sex. The irony is of this is as shiny as one of the sequins on the gown of the drag queens they falsely accuse.

From The Independent:

A group of Proud Boys who stormed a Drag Queen Story Hour event at a California public library and aggressively shouted homophobic slurs are being investigated for possible hate crimes. Alameda County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Ray Kelly said deputies were called to the San Lorenzo Library at 1.30pm on Saturday to reports of a disturbance. 

 Mr Kelly said a group of five men began to shout homophobic and transphobic slurs at the event organiser, who had been reading to children and parents. “The men were described as extremely aggressive with a threatening violent demeanor causing people to fear for their safety,” Mr Kelly said. The deputies de-escalated the situation before anyone was hurt, he said. “An active hate crime investigation is underway as is an investigation into the annoying and harassing of children.” 

 According to Newsweek: 

 The incident began around 1:30 p.m. at the San Lorenzo Library in Alameda County, California. Members of the notorious right-wing white nationalist organization stormed the event being hosted by the group, Drag Queen Story Hour, which organizes family-friendly readings hosted by drag queens all over the country. The members, some wearing shirts with AK-47s on them, yelled out numerous homophobic and transphobic slurs, and accused the event's hosts of being "pedophiles." Alameda County Sheriff's Lieutenant Ray Kelly confirmed the incident to a local reporter, Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, explaining that the individuals were escorted out of the library by deputies.

The Proud Boys are a notorious racist group which became very popular with its support of Donald Trump. According to People for the American Way:

The Proud Boys . . .  has a long history of violence, hateful rhetoric, and coziness with GOP stars and operatives, most notably Trump confidant, Republican fixer, and convicted felon Roger Stone. The group, founded by Canadian media personality Gavin McInnes and currently led by Enrique Tarrio, held a ​Sept. 26 rally in Portland, Oregon, prompting the governor to declare a state of emergency. Although the rally attracted far fewer attendees than anticipated, the event was spun by Tarrio with expressions of pride in having not incited violence—an effort to make their group more palatable. The group is, of course, better known for its members’ attendance at the 2017 Unite the Right white supremacist gathering ​in​ Charlottesville, Virginia, in which counterprotester Heather Heyer was murdered by a white supremacist.

Their attack on the Drag Queen Story Hour takes place a day after police arrested 31 white supremacists before they were able to disrupt a Pride event in Idaho.

All of this madness is the result of the lies spread accusing LGBTQ people of attempting to groom children into sex acts. We are lucky that no one got hurt. This time. I sincerely hope that people like Christina Pushaw, Seth Dillon,  Libs of TikTok, and the rest pushing outrageous lies about drag queens and the rest of us harming children take a step back and simply stop what they are doing: 

Before someone actually does get hurt.

Related post -  'Proud Boys' leader used dildo on himself to 'own liberals' and prove he wasn't homophobic

South Carolina congressional candidate Mark Burns wanting to execute people for promoting so-called 'LGBTQ indoctrination'

MAGA Candidate Mark Burns Says Those Promoting 'LGBTQ Indoctrination' Should Be Executed for Treason from Right Wing Watch on Vimeo.

I have seen many things in my 15+ years of tracking anti-LGBTQ lies and propaganda, but I don't think I have ever seen such out-in-the-open homophobia and basic hate as I am seeing now.

Around the country, government officials and aspiring government officials have declared war on LGBTQ adults, children, and our families. They have tried to take away our rights to earn a living, be safe in our homes, and even basic healthcare. They have tried to stifle our voices and erase our existence. The only thing missing is open calls for us to be jailed and executed.

That is until now. Mark Burns, a Trump supporting pastor who is running for Congress in South Carolina, recently went on a rambling monologue in which he said the government should start imprisoning parents  who affirm their trans kids, teachers who support LGBTQ kids, and also begin executing them for treason, along with GOP Sens. Lindsey Graham and Mitch McConnell for supposedly supporting any gun control laws. 

From PFAW Right Wing Watch: 

 During an appearance on “The Stew Peters Show” Wednesday, Burns was asked by guest host Lauren Witzke what he would do to fight “LGBTQ indoctrination” if elected to Congress. Burns replied that the LGBTQ agenda represents “a national security threat” and therefore anyone promoting it is guilty of treason and should be executed. 

 “I vote to make sure that those parents be held for child abuse,” Burns said. “There is no such thing as trans kids, there are only abusive parents who are pushing that evil, evil sexual orientation onto their child’s mind.” “I want to make sure that those parents have been held accountable,” he continued. “We should start putting some of those parents in jail for abusing their child’s minds. Especially in the school system, any teacher that is teaching that LGBT, transgenderism, furries, the groomers, any sexual orientation communication in the school system should be immediately terminated but [teachers should also] be held for abusing young children.” 

 Burns then declared that the current situation in the United States is “Nazi Germany all over again,” claiming that students today are being “indoctrinated” just as they were by the Nazis to become “future stormtroopers” and members of “the hit squads, the murder squads.” “They were indoctrinating those young minds then; they are doing the very same thing here in America,” 

Burns said. “The LGBT, transgender grooming our children’s minds is a national security threat because it is ultimately designed to destabilize the republic we call the United States of America. That’s why when I’m elected, I don’t want to just vote, I want to start holding people accountable for treason to the Constitution.” “I am going to push to reenact HUAC, the House Un-American Activities Committee,” Burns vowed. 

“It is a committee that we should reenact that starts holding these people accountable for treason. Lindsey Graham should be held accountable for treason for supporting Joe Biden’s gun-grabbing Second Amendment law that he’s trying to push forward. … Mitch McConnell just [urged] other Republican senators to support Lindsey Graham to come after our guns, to confiscate our guns. That should be held for treason.” “We need to hold people for treason, start having some public hearings, and start executing people who are found guilty for their treasonous acts against the Constitution of the United States of America, just like they did back in 1776,” Burns proclaimed.

Burns, who by the way got called out on live television in 2016 for lying about his education and military service, is piggybacking on all of this nonsense from conservatives accusing LGBTQ people of sexually grooming children.

Burns's tangent by itself is insane, but in this climate it can be downright deadly for LGBTQ people, our families and supporters. On Tuesday, a 17-year-old was arrested for threatening a mass shooting  at a Florida Pride event. Last week, a bunch of clowns made complete fools of themselves by protesting a drag function for kids, falsely claiming that it was sexual. Other conservatives have compounded the lies and outrage by threatening to sponsor laws putting parents in jail for taking children to drag shows and spreading false stories of kids supposedly tipping 'half naked drag queens.'

And don't even get me started on the multitude of  bills and laws pushed and passed by legislative bodies in Texas, Florida, Alabama and other places around the country attempting to keep trans kids from getting basic healthcare, censoring books about LGBTQ lives, and basically trying to shut us and our families out of the American conversation in general. 

Maybe Burns's  tangent was merely an inarticulate Freudian slip of possible future plans some would like to have for us.

'Is DeSantis trying to join the 'ban the drag shows for kids' train' & other Thur midday news briefs

DeSantis

Gov. DeSantis exploring crackdown on drag shows for kids​ - Look who is trying to get in on the act.

Babylon Bee editor Seth Dillon caught spreading false story about a child tipping a half naked drag queen - Because of lies like this no doubt. 

Far-right “Christian fascist” influencer led attack on Dallas drag event - Fully blown attack because of nonsense. They are attacking a church next and will probably end up hurting their own cause. 

More families of trans teens sue to stop Texas child abuse investigations - Thank goodness these folks are fighting back. 

Dwyane Wade proves he’s the best dad ever as he fears for his transgender daughter’s safety - Good for him! This is a father!

Babylon Bee editor Seth Dillon caught spreading false story about a child tipping a half naked drag queen

Babylon Bee's Seth Dillon got caught spreading a false story about a child tipping a half naked drag queen.

Just in case you aren't aware, drag queens are now the new scapegoats of conservatives and the right when it comes to accusations of  'grooming' children. We are probably going to be inundated with lies, horror stories and pitifully untrue misconceptions about drag shows, drag queens, and kids.  And I am not simply making that up. These folks will conjure up some of the nastiest, ugliest, most fearful images in an attempt to smear drag culture and the LGBTQ community in general. 

Case in point is the following tweet by Seth Dillon. Dillon is the head of the Babylon Bee, a supposed conservative satire news site. The Babylon Bee was recently kicked off of Twitter for 'satirically attacking (misgendering)  Dr. Rachel Levine, the United States assistant secretary for health. Levine is the first trans woman to hold that position. Dillon has been playing the victim on social media and the conservative news bubble because of it. 

But I think he has overplayed his hand. Dillon's idea of satire when it comes to smearing drag queens as groomers of children is as droll and basically false as the attack on Levine:

A lot of folks, as you can see by the retweets, was fooled by this claim. That's only because they wanted to be fooled. They hide bigotry and hate behind  a supposed concern for kids. Luckily, not everyone believed Dillon. Someone pointed the truth of the picture:

The photo is from 2019 and it involved a cis female burlesque dancer. Here is the link to the article.  Personally, it strikes me as gross, but overall I am angrier at how Dillon is trying to pass this off as LGBTQ people harming children.  LGBTQ people have been physically attacked, injured and killed because of what junk like this encourages people to do. Someone having a general hate of LGBTQ people can easily be spurred to committing violence because of ugly insinuations like this.

And what makes it even more infuriating is how Dillon tries to pick some sense out of his self-created nonsense:

Here is thing though, Seth. YOU. ARE. A. LIAR. You lied about the photo, you lied about the person in the photo. You lied about drag queens. Why in the world should anyone believe anything you say when it comes to anything negative about drag queens and the LGBTQ community in general when you have demonstrated a desire to make up false stories about us.

And then not even admit that you were wrong. Even if you didn't mean to lie, your stridency and eagerness to smear drag queens and LGBTQ people in general still doesn't do your credibility any favors.

You are the perverted one here. And a perfect epitome of those on your side of the spectrum. You have crafty ways of disguising your lies and making them sound plausible. But sooner or later the stink from them will always give you away. 

None of the things any of you are doing is about protecting children or anyone else. It's about exploiting hate, bigotry, and fear for clout and possibly for your own sadistic pleasures. If you or anyone on your side had any morals, I wouldn't have to tell you this.