'Florida school district orders purge of LGBTQ+ books from all libraries and classrooms' & other Wed midday news briefs

Florida school district orders purge of LGBTQ+ books from all libraries and classrooms​ - This is the desired end result for all of those "leave our children" alone fanatics and Moms for Liberty gangs. They don't actually want to protect kids. They want to erase LGBTQ people, our kids, and our families from the schools (and other places if they can get away with it.) 

Instagram has allowed Gays Against Groomers to spread harmful rhetoric about LGBTQ people - We haven't forgotten about this bigoted group or the entities who amplify them. 

QAnon Believer Threatens to Kill U.S. Congresswoman He Thought Was Transgender - Lawd hammercy!

As Muslims' status as political punching bag fades, some are fighting against LGBTQ+ acceptance - While this is not the entire Muslim community of America, it is still rather sad that some folks who were targeted by religious prejudice are turning on the LGBTQ community who stood by them. And using the same excuses of religious prejudice. I would tell them to be careful. As soon as they are no longer useful to the religious right, they will be betrayed.

Federal judge declares Texas anti-drag law unconstitutional. Various bigots have online meltdowns.

From The Texas Tribune:

Texas cannot enforce a new law that restricts some public drag shows, a federal judge said Tuesday in declaring the legislation unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge David Hittner found Senate Bill 12 “impermissibly infringes on the First Amendment and chills free speech.” The struck-down law prohibited any performers from dancing suggestively or wearing certain prosthetics in front of children. Hittner ruled that language discriminated based on viewpoint and is unconstitutionally overbroad and vague. 

 . . . Critics of the bill, though, say that Republican lawmakers and officials this year have incorrectly — and unfairly — portrayed all drag performances as inherently sexual or obscene. While SB 12 was originally billed as legislation that would prevent children from seeing drag shows, the final version did not directly reference people dressing as the opposite gender. 

 However, Republican leaders, including Gov. Greg Abbott, made it clear that drag shows were the bill’s target — comments and history that Hittner wrote “the court cannot ignore.” Last month, Hittner temporarily blocked SB 12 from taking effect on Sept. 1 after a two-day hearing for a lawsuit filed against the state by a drag queen and LGBTQ+ groups.

LGBTQ+ Texans, advocates, artists and business groups who sued the state, argued that the law discriminates against the content of performances and restricts equally protected free expression that is protected under the First and 14th Amendments. In Tuesday's 56-page ruling, Hittner noted a survey of court decisions "reveals little divergence from the opinion that drag performances are expressive content that is afforded First Amendment protection." 

 "Drag shows express a litany of emotions and purposes, from humor and pure entertainment to social commentary on gender roles," the ruling reads. "There is no doubt that at the bare minimum these performances are meant to be a form of art that is meant to entertain, alone this would warrant some level of First Amendment protection." Other states have passed similar legislation restricting drag performance, which have also been struck down by federal courts.

Basically, supporters of the bill claimed that they were merely trying to keep children from seeing sexually explicit performances.  However the bill defined drag performances as being sexually explicit, even if the drag queen is doing something as innocuous as reading to kids. 

Therein lies the rub so to speak. 

Texas will probably attempt to appeal the ruling, but this is still a tremendous victory. It sends a strong message to those who are constantly trying to undermine our lives in an effort to force us to live in accordance to their lurid prejudices. And speaking of those folks, they aren't happy. In fact, several of them have been busy raging on Twitter, accusing us (yet again) of "sexualizing children."

Poor babies. It's all they have.

 I actually like this one below. It's always good when the opposition gets so defeated that they put no effort in their lies. These are merely drag queens with kids. Nothing sexually explicit.

'Visibility matters! Bisexual elected officials and celebrities take centerstage' & other Mon midday news briefs

Celebrating Bisexual Elected Officials​ - A very informative list of folks

Bi visibility has been increasing in Hollywood — and beyond — in 2023! - Again, visibility matters.

Laura Ingraham, who thinks gay people are dangerous, runs to Russell Brand’s defense amid rape accusations - No comment to what I really think about Laura Ingraham. 

Conservatives are enraged at this adorable hotel ad featuring a lesbian couple - They like to stay mad, don't they?

Anti-LGBTQ, 'pro-family' Congressman Jeff Duncan's wife files for divorce while accusing him of multiple affairs

Anti-LGBTQ SC Congressman Jeff Duncan's wife has filed for a divorce while accusing him of multiple affairs.

Last year, South Carolina Congressman Jeff Duncan publicly accused the Democratic Party of trying to destroy families by "going after children." This year, Duncan's wife is filing for divorce while accusing him of having multiple affairs. It's a story as old as the hills and remade more times than the motion picture A Star is Born.

 From Business Insider:

A politician who promotes the importance of family has abandoned them. This time, it appears to be US Rep. Jeff Duncan, a Republican in South Carolina. Duncan's wife, Melody Duncan, filed for divorce last week, citing her husband's multiple affairs. Melody Duncan, his wife of more than 30 years and mother to his three sons, accused her husband of at least two affairs in the divorce filing, which was first obtained and published by the Index-Journal, a local newspaper in Greenwood.

 Duncan has been in office for 13 years and has long advocated for conservative Christian values. "As a life-long social conservative, I am a strong advocate for life and traditional family values," Duncan writes on his website. Accompanying the post is a stock image of the Holy Bible, a book famous for its views on infidelity. He then pledges himself to the anti-abortion cause: "The most basic component of our society is the family." 

 The family, plus a few mistresses, it would seem. 

 The divorce filing described Melody Duncan as a "dutiful wife" who "wholeheartedly supported" Duncan in his career. It cites a political event last month where Duncan echoed his wife's sentiment. At a "Faith and Freedom BBQ" on August 28, Duncan described his wife as "supportive and loving" while portraying himself as a "dedicated, dutiful husband," according to the divorce filing. Duncan then "left the next day and went directly" to the home of his mistress, it says. 

 Melody Duncan also says that her husband admitted his affair to their sons and congressional staffers, adding that she believes he has had at least one other affair.

This is the same Jeff Duncan who published a piece last year accusing Democrats of trying to destroy families and marriages:

Conservative policies are pro-child, pro-family, pro-parent, and most importantly, pro-life. Democrats, however, promote policies and ideologies that ultimately impair children in the long run, vilify concerned parents as “domestic terrorists,” and attack the most vulnerable. Conservatives believe that parents, not the government, should have the primary say in their child’s life and that a child’s rights must be protected first and foremost. For conservatives, when it comes to protecting children, that is the hill to die on.

The following is what he reportedly said about marriage equality in 2010:

I BELIEVE in family. I believe that children develop best when they have loving parents. I believe that marriage is sacred, and should only be defined as a union between one man and one woman I believe in protecting family values, and that is part of the reason why I am running for United States Congress.

And in 2015, he cosponsored a resolution to amend the Constitution to ban marriage equality.

So here we go again.  A 'pro-family' Congressman who makes a big deal about his morality and opposition to marriage equality has shown himself to be a huge hypocrite.  It happens so often that there simply is no shock value anymore. Worse than that, not only have we come to expect it, but we all have come to accept it. And with that acceptance comes the ability of hypocrites like Duncan to get away with it. 

'Right-wing try and fail to stir outrage over trans teen homecoming queen' & other Thur midday news briefs

Missouri Transgender Girl Wins Homecoming Queen and the Right Loses It​ - And leading the horde is Chaya Raichik of Libs of TikTok. Just so ugly to attack a trans girl who fairly won homecoming queen. Her peers voted for her so that should be the end of it. Raichik can't help herself though. She's a sad bully. 

Right-wingers tried to stir outrage over trans teen winning homecoming queen. They failed miserably. - And it's wonderful to see people standing up for the young lady. 

Many Workers Leaving States That Pass Anti-LGBTQ Laws - Sometimes you gotta let bigots hurt themselves for them to get the message. 

Global anti-LGBTQ rights backlash overshadows UN General Assembly - The struggle is real, and it is worldwide.

Senate confirms federal judge who fought for marriage equality as a lawyer - Good news!

Settlement of drag show complaint is loss for DeSantis, highlights how attack on drag shows isn't helping his campaign

Fl Gov Ron DeSantis

While DeSantis's campaign is "going through some things," a drag show he targeted has just settled some mess which he helped to cause.

From The Miami Herald:

A Miami restaurant has settled a legal dispute over a drag queen show with the state of Florida, ending a yearlong case that became tinged with partisan politics as Gov. Ron DeSantis accused the venue of trying to sexualize children. The owners of the restaurant, R House, agreed to pay a $10,000 fine to end the dispute. In a statement Tuesday, the owners said the payment of the fine “did not result from the finding of any violation of any administrative or criminal laws. 

 . . . Those cases — against the Hyatt Regency Miami and the historic Plaza Live theater in Orlando — are ongoing. But records show that in the Orlando case, state regulators filed their complaint even though they had found no evidence of lewd acts at the drag show. 

 In the case of R House, the dispute stemmed from a video on social media that showed a drag performer leading a young girl during a brunch performance. The performer said the parent had asked her to take the girl’s hand and walk with her because it was her birthday. The performer accepted, walked with the child briefly and then returned her to her parents.

 On Tuesday, R House owners said their drag show performances were “never specifically intended for minors,” but that a few parents in the past had “felt they were uniquely qualified to evaluate what was appropriate entertainment for their children and brought their family to our shows.” 

 “Be that as it may, in January 2023, we did introduce a mandatory age limit of 18+ and will continue that moving forward,” they said. “We are a small independently-owned business and never wanted to become a lightning rod for divisive political or cultural issues but unfortunately that is exactly what happened.” 

 Don't let neither DeSantis nor his supporters try to claim this as a victory. In reality, it underscores just how DeSantis is willing to waste time and taxpayer monies to further his presidential ambitions. In the end, this situation has been resolved like it probably should have been before DeSantis sniffed an opportunity to appeal to a bigoted conservative base and decided to create a phony war on drag shows. He claimed to be protecting the children, but what he was only interested in protecting was his so-called place in the Oval Office.

And how it is going for him?

For all of the threatening and appeals to fear, the attack on drag shows have been a colossal flop for his presidential ambitions. DeSantis is still far behind in his quest for the GOP presidential nomination. He's been steadily losing ground and it has been enjoyable to watch.

 It comes down to the fact that in spite of all of his bluster and choreographed moments, DeSantis is simply not a likable person. His attempts at being cordial makes me miss his sneers. His attempts at being friendly comes across as distasteful as a python strangling a baby rabbit.  And don't even get me started about when he attempts to laugh.

Perhaps it would help DeSantis to campaign with drag queens instead of against them.

'GOP candidate facing multiple child cruelty charges promises to protect kids from LGBTQ+ people' & other Tue midday news briefs

GOP candidate facing multiple child cruelty charges promises to protect kids from LGBTQ+ people - Hypocrisy is one thing. Shameless hypocrisy is just repulsive.

2 Arkansas school districts deny claims that they broke a law on teaching race and sexuality​ - Simple madness. They shouldn't have been put in that silly position in the first place. 

Deja Vu - Anti-gay tactics are now being used to harm the trans community - Sharing my post from last night. 

Americans Don’t Want Politicians Focusing on Transgender Issues, Survey Finds - But certain people won't listen to this. So let them learn the hard way.