'LGBTQ people banned. Democrats arrested. All schools are Christian' - Far-right Christian nationalist reveals dream for future America

This rant by white nationalist and far right Christian Dalton Clodfelter is both funny and scary. On one hand, can you really get angry at the child. I suppose going through life with a name like Dalton Clodfelter is bound to get you angry. But a genuine question is how many conservative and Republican candidates for public office out there silently agree with what he's loudly spewing?

“Once we take our country back, we will have federal agents kicking down the doors of every treasonous Democrat, every treasonous globalist, every homosexual couple that has molested a child, and they will be arrested, and they will be sentenced to prison,” Clodfelter declared.

 “I believe in a far right-authoritarian government. No, I am not a fascist. No, I am not a white supremacist. No, I am not a Nazi. But I do believe that hierarchy, structure, and authority are very important. I do believe that our society needs these things in order to progress and maintain its cultural framework.” “I believe that our society needs this in order to rid itself of the sexual immorality and blatant degeneracy running rampant all throughout the country,” he continued.

 “Once we take control, we will identify our enemies, and we will stomp them into the dirt. They will not be able to return to power. We will rip them from their offices. We will rip them from their homes for being degenerate liars, degenerate treasonous domestic terrorists because that is what they are.” “We want to take back the country and reestablish a Christ-like nation,” Clodfelter asserted.

 “A nation where the national religion is Christian. A nation where the national language is English. A nation where pornography is banned, homosexuality is banned, and transgenderism is banned. Where you will never see a college that isn’t a Christian college. The only college acceptable that you are able to go to is a Christian school because every school in these United States should teach Christian values. Every school should teach the 10 Commandments in elementary school. Every school should promote what it means to be a Christian to the youth of America. It cannot be any other way. There should be no secular teaching in the schools.”

tip to Right Wing Watch.

'LGBTQ advocates say the government's monkeypox response is missing communities of color' & other Mon midday news briefs

LGBTQ advocates say the government is missing communities of color in its monkeypox response​ - Like always, we have to shout the loudest to be heard. Then folks get mad at us for shouting. 

School says LGBTQ students will be asked to leave “immediately” if discovered - A hot mess. 

R&B Star Tevin Campbell Comes Out as Gay - How SOME folks in the gay community have acted over this says a lot about racism and self-hatred in our community. Just saying. I say he did good by being open and showing BLACK LGBTQ folks that we have more visibility than people think. 

Singapore will decriminalize sex between men, prime minister says - Way to go, Singapore!

Florida removes all LGBTQ support documents from schools after 'convenient' complaint about one sentence from out-of-date guide

The DeSantis Administration is trying to make this a reality for LGBTQ Floridians.

 In defending Florida's  'Don't Say Gay' law (passed in March of this year), Gov. DeSantis and the rest of its supporters claimed that it was simply for keeping children away from sexually-graphic material.  A lot of us knew however that the law would be used to erase and silence LGBTQ people and undermining resources beneficial to our health and well-being. 

It looks like we are being proven right with this latest move by Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz, Jr.  According to WFSU News:

Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. on Wednesday gave his staff the go-ahead to "pull" LGBTQ support documents at all school districts, after a State Board of Education member asserted that some could violate a controversial new law. Board member Ryan Petty said he has “grave concerns” about some LGBTQ support guides provided to students, teachers and school staff members. Petty specifically took issue with one sentence from a Hillsborough County district guide, reading it aloud during a State Board of Education meeting in Pensacola. 

 Here is the sentence; 

“With the limited exception involving the imminent fear of physical harm, it is never appropriate to divulge the sexual orientation of a student to a parent,” the Hillsborough County guide said.

But according to Naples Daily News, the excerpt Petty was reading had already been removed:

But Petty was reading an excerpt that already has been removed following a review of the guide by the Palm Beach County school district. A section on talking to parents and guardians was overhauled substantially after the district’s review. “Parents are entitled to access their students’ educational records. If the information about a student’s sexual orientation or gender identity is contained in a student record, parents are entitled to this information,” the section now says. “Students also have a constitutional right to privacy which includes the right to determine whether or not sensitive information about themselves will be disclosed to others.” 

Petty did not name the law that he suspects is being violated, but the Legislature this year passed a controversial measure (HB 1557) that bars classroom instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades. In older grades, the law prohibits such instruction that is not “age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate” for students in accordance with state standards. 

The article went on to say that Diaz immediately signed off on Petty's request. 

This move by Florida to remove LGBTQ support guides from school comes on the heels of the state's  recent attempt  to ban gender-affirming care from kids and Medicaid patients.

According to VICE News:

Less than a month after “Don’t Say Gay” became law, the Florida Department of Health released its memo attempting to provide a scientific explanation for denying gender-affirming care. Then in June, Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration also issued a new policy that no one, not even adults, would be able to access gender-affirming care through Medicaid. 

Rather than referring to the overwhelming body of research that shows positive outcomes of gender-affirming care, Florida instead commissioned hundreds of pages of new material—which did not go through a standard peer-review process—to justify the change. Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo then wrote the state medical board and used these documents as the basis to “[recommend] against certain pharmaceutical, non-pharmaceutical, and surgical treatments for gender dysphoria.”

Florida's report was condemned for deliberate misinformation not only by a group of Yale researchers but also 10 researchers whose work was used in the report. 

The Independent via Yahoo News said the following:

Researchers cited in the Florida health department’s April memo said their work was misrepresented in an attempt to justify denying gender-affirming care to Florida’s trans youth. A report from Vice found that all 12 citations in the memo either distort the work that was cited or come from explicitly anti-trans sources, with Florida’s Department of Health claiming that it could not find any evidence indicating that such treatments are safe, labelling them “experimental” – despite the work they cited saying the opposite.

Not only that, but meetings in which Florida sought to seek public input on this rule were conveniently dominated by those supporting it. According to the South Florida Sun Sentinel:

In what at times appeared more like a tent revival than an agency rule hearing, state health officials on Friday received public input on a proposal that would deny Medicaid coverage for treatments such as puberty-blocking medication and hormone therapy for transgender people. 

 The state Agency for Health Care Administration rolled out the proposed rule in June, drawing harsh criticism from national and state legal and LGBTQ-advocacy groups. Friday’s meeting drew more than 150 people, with supporters of the proposed rule — many of them sporting “Let Kids Be Kids” decals and making biblical references — vastly outnumbering opponents. Speakers supporting the proposal included a Baptist minister, members of the Florida Citizens Alliance, the head of the Christian Family Coalition, the founder of the Florida Prayer Network, a representative of the Florida Federation of Republican Women and a man carrying a giant American flag on a pole. 

 In contrast to typically staid rule hearings, the crowd at Friday’s session frequently broke out in applause and more than once attempted to shout down opponents of the proposal.

Taking into account Florida's rigged effort to stamp out gender-affirming healthcare and now what seems to be a rigged attempt to remove LGBTQ support guides in its schools,  it is not hysterical to guess what's happening in the state. The DeSantis administration is undertaking a steady, deliberate, and cynically thought-out strategy to wreck the lives of LGBTQ Floridians. And if  we all (LGBTQ people, our allies, the media, etc)  don't loudly and strenuously call it out, it will probably be used as a framework to create havoc against LGBTQ people on a nationwide scale. 

Especially if the GOP takes over Congress in the upcoming midterms.

None of this is by accident. And certainly none of it is about protecting anyone, especially children. It's about bigotry, obscene thirsts for power, and scapegoating.

Libs of TikTok suspended, then let back on Facebook after campaign of transphobic misinformation against Boston Children's Hospital

For a moment, it looked like Facebook was doing something good for a change. For a moment that is. 

From Media Matters:

Facebook reportedly suspended anti-LGBTQ account “Libs of TikTok” for less than 24 hours following its latest anti-trans harassment campaign against Boston Children’s Hospital, which has resulted in violent threats against health care providers. The Facebook page and its larger Instagram account remained active with hundreds of posts during the suspension — and after it was lifted, Libs of TikTok immediately returned to targeting children’s hospitals providing gender-affirming care for trans youth.

 

Bear with me as I tell you the entire story. Let's start from the beginning:

From Yahoo News:

The account known as Libs of TikTok announced to its 1.3 million Twitter followers on Wednesday evening that Meta had permanently suspended its Facebook page with “no reason given.” In a screenshot shared in the tweet, Facebook had advised Libs of TikTok that it had been put on ice because it “didn’t follow our Community Standards.” The page’s disabling comes nearly a week after Libs of TikTok posted a false claim to its social media pages about gender-affirming surgical procedures, leading to a sustained campaign of right-wing harassment levied at a top New England pediatric hospital. 

 . . . The page was apparently disabled but still was visible on Facebook Wednesday night. A request for comment sent to Facebook’s press office was not immediately returned. A later tweet from the Libs of TikTok account confirmed “our page is back up on Facebook but we are still locked out and were last told that it’s permanent.” 

 . . . On Aug. 11, Libs of TikTok’s Twitter, run by Brooklyn real estate agent Chaya Raichik, posted a video clip from Boston Children’s Hospital about gender-affirming hysterectomies—or the removal of the uterus, cervix, and fallopian tubes—and claimed that the institution was offering these procedures to “young girls.”

 The account followed its initial allegation up with more than a dozen inflammatory tweets and retweets that name-checked the hospital and accused it of mutilating children. In a Tuesday newsletter, Libs of TikTok fumed that the hospital “supports castrating kids and I have evidence,” adding that it “had a full menu of castration and mutilation options for minors to choose from.”

 

But the claim that Boston Children's Hospital was performing hysterectomies on young girls was a lie. It was refuted by sites such as Politifact and Lead Stories. Unfortunately, the damage was done:

According to Media Matters:

 Following Raichik’s social media posts on Boston Children’s Hospital, members of far-right online forums threatened to “start executing these ‘doctors’” and saying that “demons like this don’t deserve to breathe.” More death threats were also made against the hospital and its employees on Twitter, some of which are detailed below. The Department of Justice announced Wednesday it is investigating the violent threats directed at Boston Children’s Hospital.

Media Matters also pointed out that Raichik and her followers have been targeting other hospitals and medical providers. Ari Dennan, LGBT Program Director of the group, sent out the following tweet which showcases just how Raichik lies about children receiving 'trans surgery'

As when she promoted misinformation about Boston Children's Hospital, Raichik counts on her audience not actually watching these videos. This woman is a *clinical psychologist* with a PhD, not a surgeon. She's there to talk to trans people and their families, not operate.

— Ari Drennen (@AriDrennen) August 18, 2022

Even after all of this, Facebook allowed Raichik and Libs of TikTok to return. And since returning, Raichik has continued to target hospitals and medical professionals:

Using CrowdTangle, Media Matters found that the Libs of TikTok page has an additional 480 posts that remain active on Facebook. These posts, which are nearly all photos and videos, have earned more than 375,000 interactions and include posts about Boston Children’s Hospital and other hospitals providing gender-affirming care.

Let's be clear. This is has nothing to do with censorship. No one has a right to push lies for any reason, especially under the guise of free speech. The situation is even worse because Raichik is deliberately undermining the right of trans men, women, and children to receive accurate healthcare. Lastly, Media Matters makes a frighteningly logical point in terms of why Raichik is declaring a war of disinformation against medical professionals:

The threats against Boston Children’s Hospital after it was targeted by Libs of TikTok — and Raichik’s reaction to these threats — demonstrate the sort of harm she apparently seeks to inflict. There are also troubling historical parallels: In 2009, Kansas abortion provider Dr. George Tiller was shot to death outside his church by an anti-abortion extremist following his targeting by right-wing media.

'Dark money group pumping in millions to push transphobia in the mid-terms' & other Thur midday news briefs

Conservative nonprofit plans to spend millions bashing ‘woke’ left in midterms​ - A dark money group is putting up millions to scare people with lies about trans women in sports. Someone is feeling a little less secure about the midterms if they have to stoop to this. 

Meet the new dark money Republican hoax and troll group, 'Citizens for Sanity' - More about the group from the above article.

Florida state attorney sues after Governor suspends him over pro-trans public statements - No doubt, DeSantis was once relishing fights like this. Now I think he is seeing just how too far he is pushing. 

Sex between men, not skin contact, is fueling monkeypox, new research suggests - Get ahead of this before the anti-LGBTQ industry does. 

Boston Children's Hospital warns employees over far-right online harassment campaign - Speaking of the anti-LGBTQ industry and its lies.

Satire - Drag Queens aren't grooming kids. Cartoons are.

Yeah I know. This is has been repeatedly pointed out.  But with all of the mess going on with those on the right accusing LGBTQ people and especially drag queens of  "grooming kids," a reminder about how absolutely caustic and stupid the entire hysteria is can always be fun.

And if the video above doesn't push your buttons, how about the ones below (from a hilarious Youtube page which has a large number of snippets dating back decades.)

And of course there is Disney:

'Pennsylvania governor signs executive order banning 'ex-gay therapy'' & other Wed midday news briefs

Pennsylvania governor signs executive order banning conversion therapy - Boom! Let the haters stay mad. 

Out NFL Player Carl Nassib Signs Contract With Tampa Bay Buccaneers​ - Good for them. They made an excellent choice. 

Fox's Greg Gutfeld says there are so few Black openly gay lawmakers for the same reason “there are not a lot of short guys in the NBA” - The real sad thing is that this guy is employed.

Rugby gold medalist Ellia Green makes history as first Olympian to come out as a trans man - Glad to hear it!