''Don't Say Gay' law fuels anti-bigotry online' & other Thur midday news briefs

'Don't Say Gay' Law Fuels Anti-LGBTQ+ Bigotry Online: Report​ - Surprising no one. 

Va. students warn against ‘don’t say gay’ policies - Bullsh!t spreads. 

Becca Balint likely to become first LGBTQ person & first woman to represent Vermont in Congress - THAT would be sweet. 

Lin-Manuel Miranda responds to 'illegal, unauthorized' 'Hamilton' play by Texas church - Sue! 

Montreal Pride parade was suddenly canceled. That didn’t stop hundreds from marching in the streets - Party on anyway!

Far-right youtuber claims that comical pledge is evidence ofLGBTQ people 'grooming' children

I would like to say that our opposition is getting mighty desperate if they are passing this along as proof of LGBTQ people using drag shows to supposedly sexually groom kids. But we know how these people are when they get a moral panic in their heads. Still, I love this pledge.  It's easy to see that is strictly tongue-in-cheek. Still, what's wrong with pledging allegiance to the drag?

Drag king makes audience “pledge allegiance” to drag shows at a “family-... https://t.co/hAsVZej0Wq via @YouTube

— Holy Bullies (@holybullies) August 10, 2022

Say What! Log Cabin Republicans compare Mar-A-Lago raid to Stonewall' & other Wed midday news briefs

Log Cabin Republicans Liken Mar-a-Lago Raid to Stonewall​ - These fools are so lost, they can't be found. Not even by themselves. 

Trans skateboarder Leo Baker stays on board in new Netflix documentary - We need more visibility like this to elevate the lives of trans athletes. There are a lot of stereotypes about trans athletes which need to be addressed and beaten down. 

There’s a Reason LGBTQ Fans Are So Worried About HBO Max​ - Oh?

Ugandan LGBTQ organization calls government shutdown of its operations a 'clear witch-hunt' - Uganda is being ugly. Again.

Conservatives channel gay stereotype in reaction to FBI raiding Trump's Mar-A-Lago

On Monday, former president Donald Trump's residence, Mar-A-Largo was raided by the FBI. We don't know the complete particulars so there there has been a lot of speculation. However, knowing Trump, I would safely say for now that there was just cause.

But not knowing why the raid took place hasn't kept Republican and conservatives from going on Fox News and on Twitter making sure to screech and fundraise. It's the screeching which I find most entertaining.

Stereotypes tell us that LGBT people - particularly gay men - are known for being over dramatic in all situations, especially the mundane ones. If that were true, the above video is telling us that we - gay men - are no longer the champions of such behavior. Conservatives and Republicans did everything but collapse in tears and faint (while making sure to clutch a crumpled handkerchief to their foreheads) in registering their "abject disgust and humiliation" about the raid.  The only thing missing is African-American Trump operatives Diamond and Silk and Alveda King filming themselves proclaiming "Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!" like another stereotype  - that black mothers crying over their fallen sons in "ghetto hood" movies.

And as an added treat, here is Fox News personality Jeanine Pirro (who certain people have accused of  'loving the grape' too much with HER meltdown - I mean opinion - of the raid.

Judge Jeanine had a few glasses at Happy Hour and is hopping mad! pic.twitter.com/Dy9u8rvYRr

— Ron Filipkowski 🇺🇦 (@RonFilipkowski) August 9, 2022

'Texas church in trouble for performing unauthorized, homophobic version of 'Hamilton'' & other Tue midday news briefs

Texas Church Performs Unauthorized Version of HAMILTON with New Lyrics and Anti-LGBTQ Sermon​ - How evil do you have to be in order to sit down and do all of this?

Conservatives sue school for refusing to out transgender students - Oh this is just tacky. 

Trans equality wins in federal court as state Medicaid ordered to pay for gender affirming care - Good. 

30 Forgotten Queer Films That Deserve a Second Look - I've seen some of them. They are very good. 

Researchers warn bachelorette parties in Provincetown are destroying LGBTQ+ safe spaces - Good article but it uses too many technical terms. Let's break it down. A bunch of heterosexual women go into the gay bars for bachelorette parties and act like fools. They are loud, obnoxious and usually drunk. Their behavior makes things uncomfortable and annoying.

Conservatives are trying to wreck public libraries, but people are fighting back

 

According to a recent article in The Huffington Post, conservatives and others on the right have put the bullseye out on public libraries. They are not only attempting censor books, but are also trying to eliminate these public libraries altogether:

A public library in Vinton, Iowa — a small town with about 5,000 residents — temporarily shut down in July after most of the staff quit because of threats against its LGBTQ members. People in the town complained that there were not enough books about former President Donald Trump, that LGBTQ books were on display, and that members of the LGBTQ community worked there, according to the Iowa Starting Line. The library reopened with an all-volunteer staff. 

 In Llano County, Texas, the county commission made the public library system shut down for a few days in December in order to review the books available to children and remove any deemed questionable. They specifically targeted the 850 books that GOP state Rep. Matt Kruse had personally deemed inappropriate for kids earlier that year. He said his list of books included those that “might make students feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress because of their race or sex.”  

Suzette Baker, a librarian in the county, reportedly refused to go along. She told local reporters in March that she had been fired from her job for not removing books, including a memoir by Jazz Jennings, a transgender teen. “It is her biography of her life growing up as a transgender teenager, and obviously this group thought that was too much for their children to read,” Baker said. “No one is forcing their kids to read anything.”

 . . .Free speech advocates have noticed that the targeting of public libraries isn’t just confined to one or two states. “It cannot be a coincidence that multiple people around the country are getting the same message,” Jonathan Friedman, the director of free expression and education programs at PEN America, told HuffPost. “They’re taking some of that ‘stolen election’ energy and directing it towards public schools and public libraries.” But there isn’t really a singular group leading the charge — instead different groups, including Moms for Liberty or Catholic Vote, are pushing the same narratives. 

 . .  .As Media Matters reported, Moms For Liberty is partnering with conservative groups to flood public libraries with children’s books they approve of, like an anti-trans children book or a book that paints Rush Limbaugh as hero — with no regard for how parents of LGBTQ or Black children may feel.

The article pointed how folks are fighting back. In Llano County, residents filed a federal lawsuit claiming that the book bans violate the First and 14th amendments.

And people are also fighting back in another state.

In Jamestown,  Michigan, thanks to a campaign echoing lies about LGBTQ  'grooming' and 'predators,' voters defeated a measure which would fund the Patmos Library, which is the town's public library.

But a GoFundMe campaign has garnered a lot of positive feedback with over $67,000 raised. The goal is to reach $245,000. The organizer of the campaign, Jesse Dillman, said the goal of the fundraiser is to keep the library open long enough to consolidate more community support for its funding.

Anyone wanting to donate can go Fund Patmos Library for 2023 GoFundMe page.

'DeSantis, Florida begins rigged process of banning gender-affirming care for trans youth' & other Mon midday news briefs

Florida begins rule-changing process to ban gender-affirming care for trans youth​ - And adults. If DeSantis thinks he can rigged Florida's health department against trans people while relying on junk and cherry-picked science, he has obviously deluded himself. This is not over. It's not even five minutes into the first quarter. 

How Florida Twisted Science to Deny Healthcare to Trans Kids - A reminder how DeSantis is attempting to accomplish this via rigging and lies. 

Meet the gay former GOP spokesman who is spilling the tea on the Republican Party - Yeah I know. But his voice needs to be heard because of what it brings. 

Angelica Ross will become 1st transgender performer to lead Broadway's 'Chicago' - This is huge! 

A Florida school district added a parental 'advisory notice' to over 100 books - This is SO stupid.