'State and local LGBTQ elected officials detail how they battle hate' & other Tue midday news briefs

State and local LGBTQ elected officials detail how they battle hate - I'm all ears. 

Democrat files bill to ban church youth camps as hotbeds of child abuse & “religious indoctrination”​ - "She proposed the amendment to make a point. The penalties and language echo a Republican bill to ban drag shows for anyone under 19." 

Cheyenne Jackson’s 6-year-old twins came out to him and it was adorable - READ the article. It is so cute. 

Minnesota's LGBTQ lawmakers form Queer Caucus in show of growing political power - I'm all for it. More of this, please. 

FDA proposes easing blood donation rules for gay and bisexual men - Good for them.

Newest anti-LGBTQ religious 'martyr' is a sad joke

Former Georgia police officer Jacob Kersey

Here we go again - far-right Christian learns that comments have consequences and then tries to make himself a martyr by using his religion to shield his bigotry. In this case, add sheer stupidity to bigotry.

I'm not a fan of using Fox News as a source, but in this case I will make an exception:

A former Georgia police officer who was investigated for a religious social media post that claimed "there's no such thing" as gay marriage said he felt pressured to resign after he was told he could be fired for sharing his beliefs. Jacob Kersey, 19, who quit the Port Wentworth Police Department earlier this month, told Fox News Digital that he was placed on paid administrative leave Jan. 4 after he refused to remove the Facebook post he made regarding his Christian belief about marriage. "God designed marriage," 

Kersey wrote in the post that was flagged by his superiors following "an anonymous complaint," according to a Jan. 13 letter of notification first reported by the Daily Signal and provided to Fox News Digital. "Marriage refers to Christ and the church. That's why there's no such thing as homosexual marriage." 

Now here is the comical part here.  You're going to love this:

Kersey wasn't fired after the investigation, but he said he decided to quit because he was told he could face termination for future social media posts that others find offensive. He said he has spoken with a law firm about possible legal action. 

 In his letter to Kersey, Maj. Bradwick Sherrod explained that while the department's investigation into his social media posts "did not find sufficient evidence to establish a violation of any policies," his posts regarding "protected classes" such as the LGBTQ community "could raise reasonable concerns regarding your objectivity and the performance of your job duties when a member or suspected member of the LGBTQ+ community is involved."

 "As we have discussed previously, please be reminded that if any post on any of your social media platforms, or any other statement or action, renders you unable to perform, and to be seen as able to perform, your job in a fair and equitable manner, you could be terminated," the letter reads. 

Kersey did not get into trouble for the post but was told to be careful about future posts or any actions which could put his credibility to be objective in the performance of his duties as a police officer in doubt. But apparently Kersey doesn't think that he should have been investigated at all and should also have the freedom to figuratively show his ass in future posts. So sensing that he wouldn't be getting his way, he quit..

That doesn't make Kersey a martyr or a victim. It makes him an entitled fool. And one not to bright. No one made him resign. He decided to because he felt that his personal beliefs were more important than keeping the trust of folks he swore to protect and serve. Like it or not, those folks include married gay couples. 

This isn't a free speech issue. Public servants such as police officers have a duty to maintain trust with the public and Kersey's social media comments hindered creating that trust. And based upon the image of police in general. particularly in light of the awful death of Tyre Nichols, the last thing we all need is a police officer too bull-headed to show some discretion and so egotistical that he plays the "religious persecution" card instead of simply toning it down.

Good riddance to bad rubbish.

'A wave of anti-LGBTQ laws for schools in red states has Biden administration weighing a response' & other Mon midday news briefs

A wave of anti-LGBTQ laws for schools in red states has Biden administration weighing a response - And it needs to be a good response. 

'It's all a fabrication': Florida teacher blows the lid off Ron DeSantis' agenda​ - Pretty much. And it will backfire. 

Utah becomes first state in 2023 to ban gender-affirming care for transgender minors - Under the guise of "preventing surgeries for trans kids," the state has outlawed all gender affirming health care for trans kids. And the surgery narrative is a dodge. It is VERY rare that trans kids have any type of "surgery." But the law blocks them from the care they need, including hormone therapy which is safe. Lawsuit time. 

Hormone therapy improves mental health for trans youth - And of course those "we need to protect the kids" liars ignore stuff like this when they push for the above laws. 

Pro-hockey player fired after slew of anti-LGBTQ+ tweets - One less fool to think about.

Florida church demands that members sign a statement against LGBTQ rights and freedoms or leave the congregation

For those wondering why so many people are abandoning churches, look nor further:

Calling the "sexual revolution" a "threat to our church," First Baptist Church in Jacksonville will now require congregants to sign a statement affirming their opposition to LGBTQ+ freedoms if they want to remain members. 

In a video message posted on the church website, Senior Pastor Heath Lambert said members will be required to sign a document affirming that people are "either male or female and that this creation is a fixed matter of human biology, not individual choice." They must also affirm that "marriage...is between one man and one woman, and is the only context for sexual desire and expression."

 . . . “It means to rule out all sorts of sexual sins," Lambert said. "It means to rule out pornography and polygamy and fornication and adultery and homosexuality.” He said this is not controversial to Christians.

 “Everybody in our culture is fighting about sex," Lambert said, "and we want our congregation to be happy and kind, and so we don’t want to fight about it, and so it’s just very helpful to say, ‘Here’s what we think about it, and if you want to be a part of our congregation. If you don’t, that’s fine too.’”

The issue isn't even solely about bigotry against the LGBTQ community. A church has no right to psychologically corral a member's journey of faith or relationship with God by demanding that they "sign" statements having to do with personal beliefs.  What's next? Demanding that members sign a statement supporting a political candidate? Or are we already past that point? 

A church should never resemble a fascistic country but unfortunately this is the path many of them are choosing.  

Certainly, those congregants who don't agree can  leave. But it's not as simple as you would think, especially into account the friendships and  personal relationships which would be lost and the possible shunning taking place which has the potential to wreck families.  Worse than it, it sends an ugly impression of the church in general - self righteous, bitter, strident, unyielding, no sense of humility and downright hateful. Aren't these characteristics supposed to be antithetical to Jesus who the church claims to follow?

When they supported Donald Trump, some churches revealed just how little in regard they hold their own faith compared to how much they desired power. Now they are revealing just how much they are willing to weaponize their faith in order to demand control over their members' minds and personal lives.

'Horror story' about naked trans woman in women's locker room turns out to be hot air, lies, and basic transphobic fearmongering

There is a controversy brewing  in Santee, CA involving a young girl who claimed she got scared because she saw a naked trans woman at a local YMCA. This is what the young lady, Rebecca Phillips, said happened during a city council meeting on January 11:

 "As I was showering after my workout, I saw a naked male in the women's locker room," she said. "I immediately went back into the shower terrified and hid behind heir flimsy excuse for a curtain until he was gone." 

Phillips said that YMCA management later told her that that person was transgender and allowed to use the women's locker room, and that Philips was not in any danger. Under state law, people must be allowed to use public facilities, such as restrooms or changing areas, that align with their gender identity. 

"The fact that we are now tailoring our privacy policies and bathroom laws around transgenders, ignoring the blatant threat to safety that this poses is obscene," Philips added 

 Naturally, many folks flocked to her side, protesting vigorously at the YMCA and flooding Twitter and other social media sites with claims about women being the victims of "trans predators" and how unfair it was for "women to have to be subjected to seeing penises in women's spaces."

 According to The Daily Beast, the right-wing pipeline heavily pushed Phillips' story and made her a right-wing star, even to the point of telling her story on Fox News:

Phillips’ comments galvanized an existing network of right wing and far-right groups in greater San Diego, according to local disinformation researcher and journalist Brooke Binkowski.

“There’s a very strong streak of far-right ideology here that has been here for generations,” she told The Daily Beast. Santee specifically has an established reputation of extremism, earning it the moniker “Klantee.” 

The city has tried multiple times over the years to rehabilitate its image, most recently after news coverage of a man shopping at a local Vons wearing a Klan-style hood followed by a separate incident of a Santee Food 4 Less customer wearing a swastika face mask. “The QAnon-friendly crowd and their adjacent groups have been demonizing trans people and throwing around the ‘pedo’ and ‘groomer’ labels for years now,” Binkowski said.

The Daily Beast also pointed out how some right-wing entities added inaccurate details to her story:

A local news station that has been linked to the right, KUSI, picked up the story a day after SanteeParents4Choice, running it online with the headline “Santee YMCA allows naked man to use women’s locker room with underage girls.” 

. . . Phillips herself also appeared on KUSI, this time expanding the scope of her attack against the YMCA to its gender-inclusive policies for sleepaway camps. (According to the San Diego YMCA policy, sleeping arrangements and group assignments should “reflect each child’s identified gender” and staff will “not disclose information regarding a camper’s identity without their express consent.”) In quick succession, the story traveled from KUSI to the New York Post and Daily Mail. A game of telephone played out in the process, with Mail, OAN, and The Daily Wire reporting that Phillips had seen a penis in the locker room.

People were so quick to exploit the incident that they didn't try to investigate the story.  And to be honest, I don't think they even cared. They were so busy pushing a narrative of  women and girls being targeted that they conveniently ignored the following details:

1. The transgender woman in the middle of the madness, 66-year-old Christynne Wood, had no contact with Phillips at all. In fact, she didn't even know about the incident until a friend alerted her about it days later.  

2. Phillips verified that she only saw Wood from the back. She didn't see any frontal nudity. But that is moot because of point three

3. Wood had gender-affirming surgery in 2016. As much as I hate to put it in such vulgar terms, it needs to be said. There was no penis present in this incident. 

On Wednesday, Wood spoke out at a city council meeting, defending herself and calling out those who vilified her:

"The amount of organized hatred and lies vilifying and dehumanizing me and other members of the transgender community has truly been disgusting and disheartening," said Wood, a mother and grandmother, who told the audience she has fully transitioned from male to female. "I am a threat to no one," she added, "And the last year I have been a member of the Y, children have attended summer camp, and have been with their parents and grandparents in the women's locker room with me and there has never ever been an incident ever!"

According to The San Diego Times, this is Wood's side of the story:

“I did my water aerobics workout as I always do. I went in with the rest of my aqua sisters. We showered, I dried off, I dressed, I hugged my instructor. I hugged other women and said to all of you: I love you so much. See you next year, and I took off for Palm Springs to visit a friend. That’s it.” She never saw the “terrified” naked girl, who told Tucker Carlson on Tuesday she rushed back to the separate showers at the sight of Wood’s backside.

Wood also has a plethora of supporters who have spoken up for her and stood by her. But the sad realization is no matter how many times the truth is told, there are still going to be people determined to spin this into a hysterical narrative against the trans community.  And let's not get distracted by anyone trying to "pick sense from this nonsense." The fact of the matter is that a trans woman minding her own business was attacked and vilified simply because of who she was (not anything she did) and the prejudices of some very ugly people. Their need to make her into a monster and add false details - either deliberately or as by-products of their bigoted minds - is the problem here. 

THEY are the monsters, not Wood nor any other trans person simply attempting to live their lives.

Editor's note - Someone brought something to my attention which I want to solicit your answers about.  The young lady, Rebecca Phillips, said she saw Christynne Wood from the back. If that is the case, how did she KNOW that Wood was a trans woman in the first place? 

 

'Businesses warn Missouri Republicans their culture war will harm the state' & other Thur midday news briefs

Businesses warn Missouri Republicans their 'backwards and bigoted' culture war will harm the state​ - And not just Missouri. These states have been warned about their ridiculous attacks on trans people and drag queens. They refuse to listen. 

Arkansas moves forward on criminalizing drag shows - And yet, they continue. 

Nobody’s mad about this transphobic doc being yanked from Vimeo… except, of course, transphobes - Awwww. Poor babies. 

Tony Dungy's anti-LGBTQ history gets renewed attention after controversial tweet - It's his own fault. How can he have been so idiotic as to spread that lie about kids 'identifying" as furries.

Eleven-year-old trans boy steals show at Missouri legislative hearing

Erin Reed is a phenomenal trans activist who has been tracking the anti-trans laws being pushed in states across the nation. It is a huge job, but she has been getting it done. Go here to subscribe to her substack and support her much needed work.

I wanted to bring your attention to a particular legislative fight she has been covering in Missouri:

 

It was one of the most stunning moments of the night. In a hearing in Missouri which stretched late into the night to 2AM, an 11 year old trans boy named Dan gave a speech asking the legislative committee on general laws for his basic rights. Missouri legislators proposed 8 anti-trans bills and sent them into committee with only 25 hours notice, thinking that they could sneak them through while minimizing the chance that others would show up. It was a miscalculation - within hours of the announced bills, activists across the state mobilized and people drove hours in the snow just for a chance to testify. Dan’s family was among them, and for the first time of the night, the committee was going to hear a transgender boy speak about the effects these laws would have on him. His speech was so stunning that the following speaker who testified in favor of the anti-trans bills closed with the realization that the laws were government overreach, asking herself, “what am I doing here?” at the end of her testimony.