'TX attorney general willing to spearhead SCOTUS case to criminalize sodomy again' & other Wed midday news briefs

Texas attorney general Ken Paxton

Texas AG willing to spearhead Supreme Court case to criminalize sodomy again​ - Forget it, Kenny boy. 

Homophobia Forces Kentucky's Teacher of the Year to Resign - Damn.

Safe-space clubs for LGBTQ students increasingly targeted by right-wing activists - Of course this was the next in line. 

Rising share of Americans say gender determined by birth-assigned sex, poll finds - A lot good but still work to do, particularly with educating people about trans athletes.

Remembering all of the times Franklin Graham and other conservative evangelicals kissed Donald Trump's a$$

Conservative evangelicals aren't weighing on the latest shocking revelations about Donald Trump, while enjoying the goodies he gave them.

As further news of how unhinged Trump was during the Jan 6th insurrection comes out, one group seems to be omitting itself. The religious right, while celebrating how Trump's SCOTUS picks led the way in overturning Roe v Wade, have been fairly silent as the country learns just close we came to complete chaos on that momentous day.

And that's ironic, seeing how many times Franklin Graham, the Family Research Council and others kissed Trump's butt and defended his behavior every time he gave them something they wanted:

Franklin Graham alone deserves his own wing in the Trump ass-kissing museum:

If Graham and the rest were true religious leaders, they would have something to say about the revelations we are learning about Trump.  They won't because they are too busy celebrating the goodies they traded their integrity for in giving him their unwavering support. And while they won't admit it publicly, I bet a lot of them are telling themselves it was all worth it to get Roe v Wade overturned.

'Lil Nas X's team says BET producer called his 2021 same sex kiss 'f@ked up'' & other Tue midday news briefs

Lil Nas X

Lil Nas X’s team says a BET producer called his famous 2021 same-sex kiss ‘f**ked up’​ - I don't doubt this happen at all. 

Tom Daley Is 'Furious' Over International Swimming's Trans Ban - Good. We need more people willing to get vocal about it. 

 Arrests in Istanbul as LGBTQ marchers try to defy Pride ban - The struggle is real and it is universal. 

How LGBTQ Voices are Being Erased in Classrooms - That's the goal.

'Uncle Clarence' Thomas willing to sacrifice freedom of the press to go after 'the gays'

Justice Clarence Thomas wants you to believe that he is as crochety as he looks here.

This Supreme Court term has been a disaster on all levels, especially its boneheaded decision to overturn Roe V Wade.  There is one precedent the court didn't overturn, however. But if one crochety justice had his way, it would have.

From The Hill:

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on Monday expressed a desire to revisit a landmark 1964 ruling that makes it relatively difficult to bring successful lawsuits against media outlets for defamation. Thomas’s statement came in response to the court’s decision to turn away an appeal from a Christian nonprofit group who disputed their characterization by the civil rights watchdog group Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). 

 Coral Ridge Ministries Media sued the SPLC for defamation for listing them as a hate group on their public database, which led to Amazon excluding Coral Ridge as a recipient of charitable contributions from online shoppers. 

 Thomas dissented from the Supreme Court’s decision not to hear the lawsuit, which had been dismissed by lower courts for failing to overcome the decades-old legal standard, established in the landmark 1964 New York Times v. Sullivan decision, that public figures who sue for defamation must not only prove defendants made defamatory statements, but that those statements were made with “actual malice.”

“This case is one of many showing how New York Times and its progeny have allowed media organizations and interest groups ‘to cast false aspersions on public figures with near impunity,’” Thomas wrote. “SPLC’s ‘hate group’ designation lumped Coral Ridge’s Christian ministry with groups like the Ku Klux Klan and Neo-Nazis,” the justice added. “It placed Coral Ridge on an interactive, online ‘Hate Map’ and caused Coral Ridge concrete financial injury by excluding it from the AmazonSmile donation program. Nonetheless, unable to satisfy the ‘almost impossible’ actual-malice standard this Court has imposed, Coral Ridge could not hold SPLC to account for what it maintains is a blatant falsehood.”

The irony is that SPLC could probably prove that Coral Ridge Ministries is a hate group.  According to Raw Story:

In its iconic 2010 report, "18 Anti-Gay Groups and Their Propaganda," the Southern Poverty Law Center explained that the "late Rev. D. James Kennedy started turning fundamentalist Coral Ridge Presbyterian into a mega-church in the 1960s."

 In an especially nasty 1989 edition of a CRM newsletter, Kennedy ran photographs of children along with the tagline, “Sex With Children? Homosexuals Say Yes!” "Over the years," the SPLC report adds, Rev. Kennedy "emphasized anti-gay rhetoric, particularly in his TV ministry. He recommended as 'essential' the virulent work of R.J. Rushdoony ... who believed practicing gays should be executed."

Also in 1986,  Kennedy endorsed an outrageously homophobic booklet called Homosexuality: Legitimate Alternate Deathstyle. The booklet contained false information on gays claiming, amongst other things, that gay men molest children at a proportionately large number, are serial killers, and are dangerous to the public in general:

The booklet also contained the following images:

Kennedy's endorsement of this monstrosity read as follows:

"Dick Hafer (the comic book's author) has produced a very accurate portrayal of homosexuality and the problem it poses to our nation and civilization. This unique book deserves an open-minded reading by all Americans, and especially by those who serve in leadership capacities."

Coral Ridge Ministries trying to defend this would have made for an interesting day in court. But to the point, Thomas seems to be full of himself during this session. He already helped overturn the precedent of Roe V Wade and in doing so, said he wanted to revisit precedents which allowed contraception, knocked down the sodomy laws, and established marriage equality.

He conveniently omitted the case which established the right to interracial marriage. I'm sure his wife, Ginni, would be glad about that one.

'LGBTQ community urged to 'fight like hell'' after overturn of Roe v Wade' & other Mon midday news briefs

How Queer Celebs & Activists Reacted to SCOTUS Overturning Roe v. Wade - I have no words. Only a steadfast resolve.

Anti-Abortion Activists Will Now Aim Their Viciousness at Marriage Equality​ - We knew they would try before Roe v Wade was overturned. It's interesting to see how much incentive this will give them. 

Norway mass shooting leaves 2 dead, several injured prior LGBTQ Pride parade - Ugh. THIS happened over the weekend. 

How the Christian right took over the judiciary and changed America - This is how Roe v Wade was overturned.

Right-wing pundit has a vulgar meltdown after seeing Pride flag

Pride flags gets Alison Steinberg angry.

Amidst all of the chaos and fear these days have brought up, the following makes me grin. It's tonic for all that ails me.

OAN Contributor Alison Steinberg is raging after returning home to Huntington Beach to find the city flying a Pride flag. (Language) pic.twitter.com/fk5rTg88hF

— Ron Filipkowski 🇺🇦 (@RonFilipkowski) June 26, 2022

From Mediaite:

One America News anchor Alison Steinberg short-circuited over the weekend — going on a profane meltdown over seeing the rainbow flag in the middle of Pride Month. Steinberg, who previously mused that it was “gay” to support Ukraine in their war against the invading Russian military, posted a fire-breathing rant to Instagram on Saturday night over seeing the LGBT pride flag fly over Huntington Beach.

“Guess what I came home to be greeted with?” Steinberg said while pointing to the flag. “This f*cking bullsh*t.” 

 That was hardly the end of it: 

" What the hell is that? Huntington Beach is the town of good ol’ fashioned, hard-working American people! People that worked all through the Covid lockdowns. Yes, that’s right! Huntington Beach never shut down through any of the Covid nonsense f*ckery. And now we’re peddling this garbage!? What the hell is this? The only flag that should be up there is the American flag. This is a disgrace to our city and it should be taken down immediately! Whoever the hell is running this town needs to be fired! Make America great again! Make Huntington Beach great again."

Poor baby. In the long run, it doesn't matter what you do or say. It doesn't matter how many times folks like you call us 'groomers' and threaten us. It doesn't matter how many videos Libs of TikTok distort to hurt us or how many boardroom plans are conjured up with the goal of stealing our rights. And it certainly doesn't matter how much money is spent to put biased justices on America's courts.

LGBTQ people aren't going anywhere. And we ain't going back to the days of fear and shame, where we hid in the closet in large numbers or made excuses for people's bigotry against us.  What we got right now is what we earned the hard way. We're not giving ANY OF IT up without a fight.

So throw your tantrums, spew your slogans, get it all out. Try us and you will have a fight on our hands. And we know how to fight. 

NY library reverses removal of LGBTQ books and Pride display after intense community backlash

The following is an example of what happens when we fight back.  There has been a nasty wave of bigotry against the LGBTQ community this year and some folks have spent much time and effort spelling out the many ways we are 'doomed.'  We aren't doomed if we fight back:

According to the New York Daily News:

The Long Island library that decided to tear down Pride displays and remove books from children’s sections reversed its decision at an emergency meeting Thursday night. The Smithtown Library board of trustees voted 4-2 to rescind its controversial Tuesday night decision. One of the seven trustees abstained. 

The initial decision prompted a massive response by advocates and a strong statement from the governor, leading to Thursday’s emergency meeting. On Tuesday, the board voted 4-2 in favor of a “motion to remove all Pride Displays, in addition to removing all books of the same subject on display, from all Children’s sections in all Smithtown Library buildings.” One member was absent on Tuesday.' 

The initial decision to remove the Pride display and books garnered a lot of negative attention. Even New York Governor Kathy Hochul weighed in by ordering an investigation  She also condemned library's decision to remove the Pride display and books: 

 Hochul said in a press release today she is “horrified” by the vote and ordered the New York State Division of Human Rights to investigate reports of an anti-LGBTQ bias. “Public places are prohibited by law from engaging in discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity,” she said. “We will not tolerate a 'Don't Say Gay' philosophy taking root in our state.”

The New York Daily article points out that the backlash isn't over just yet.

Earlier, the decision prompted immediate action by the LGBT Network, a nonprofit that fights for the rights of LGBTQ people and their families in Queens and Long Island, which criticized the library’s “bigoted move” and announced measures directed at protecting local LGBTQ youth. .

 . . Late Thursday morning, the organization held a press conference to explain how it plans to act against the “really scary” decision by the library, which Kilmnick referred to as “an attack on LGBTQ youth in our community.” The measures, which were originally scheduled to be launched in the fall, will now be officially announced on Monday at a virtual town hall — after the library’s decision forced the group to “fast track and accelerate them.” 

 They involve the creation of “LGBT Network ambassadors” in every school district — parents, students, teachers and other community members who will work to ensure that LGBTQ curriculum is taught “and that our history is recognized, represented and not erased.”