Brought to you by Elon Musk's definition of 'free speech' - accusations that Hilary Clinton is a lesbian connected with Jeff Epstein

 This is indicative of the bull we have to deal with now that Elon Musk is running Twitter. Musk has a serious objection to trans people (including his trans daughter) but obviously has no problem with the platform amplifying ridiculous 'Hilary Clinton is secretly a lesbian and it's all connected to Jeffrey Epstein somehow' accusations.

For the benefit of those not knowledgeable about the purveyor of this nonsense (and I apologize for making you aware of him), this is Dom Lucre, a far-right Twitter personality with over 900,000 followers. As you can tell, he is very popular because of tweets like the one above.  And very inaccurate.

According to Forbes

Dom Lucre is the internet personality of Dominick McGee, according to a New York Times feature which profiled him as one of several right-wing social media users who became famous for sharing 2020 election denial posts. Lucre is known for his active Twitter presence, where he frequently posts misinformation.

 

In June, when Madonna suffered a bacterial infection, he suggested vaccines were the reason she was hospitalized, and he previously claimed “following the science oftentimes leads to a graveyard.” In June, he tweeted: “Adrenochrome is real and I can prove it,” referencing a conspiracy theory embraced by QAnon that promotes the idea the wealthy, Hollywood elite and Democrats harvest the blood of children for a chemical called adrenochrome that they ingest to stay young. The theory has been debunked by members of the scientific community who note the chemical does not have rejuvenating properties.

 Lucre also still posts claims that the 2020 election was stolen, alleging former President Donald Trump was the rightful winner. 

 Last year, he was suspended for posting a screenshot of a video depicting child sexual abuse supposedly connected to Peter Scully, an Australian man sentenced to life in prison for child sex abuse. After an outcry by many on the right, he was brought back:

 His suspension drew immediate outrage from his right-wing supporters, some of whom tweeted “Free Dom” to encourage his reinstatement. In a series of tweets Wednesday, Twitter owner Elon Musk said he was told the suspension was because Lucre posted child exploitation images connected to Scully, claiming only the people on Twitter’s child sexual exploitation team have seen the pictures and Twitter “will delete those posts and reinstate the account.”

Also, check out who demanded Lucre's reinstatement:

 

. . .Supporters of Lucre were quick to voice their outrage over his suspension on Twitter, including notable voices like Kari Lake, the 2022 Arizona Republican gubernatorial nominee who embraced election fraud conspiracy theories. Lake tweeted a screenshot of Lucre’s suspended account, stating: “When will the censorship end, @elonmusk?”

 Chaya Raichik, known for running the right-wing Libs of TikTok social media accounts, tweeted: “FREE DOM LUCRE @elonmusk @lindayacc,” tagging both Musk and Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino. The right-wing account “End Wokeness,” which has more than 1.4 million followers, tweeted its anger over Lucre’s suspension and helped to try and trend “FREE DOM” on the platform. 

 The irony of Raichik defending someone who posted a video depicting child sex abuse while at the same time accusing the LGBTQ community of child sex abuse (which she often does) shouldn't escape anyone's notice.

'Southern Baptist Convention settles sex abuse lawsuit (and not a drag queen in sight)' & other Wed midday news briefs

Southern Baptist Convention settles sex abuse lawsuit against former judge Paul Pressler​ - Not a drag queen in sight. Hmmmm.

Nine Moments in 2023 That Made LGBTQ+ History - We ruled last year - like we always do - in spite of some people's plots and plans. 

USA Boxing updates rulebook to include strict transgender athlete policy - And watch how the haters will hate.

For LGBTQ Catholics, new declaration on blessings is welcome — but complicated - Always complicated.

Anti-LGBTQ activist Kim Davis ordered to pay another judgement. Now owes over $300,000.

Kim Davis

Remember some years ago when Kim Davis was the talk of the conservative world because of her fight against marriage equality. Remember when she was heralded as an American hero and folks like Mike Huckabee and Ted Cruz swooped in to get their pictures taken with her?

Well, the bill for all her nonsense is due and one has to wonder where are all of her friends?

From Lexington WKYT:

Kim Davis now owes roughly $360,000 to two Rowan County men she denied a marriage license and their attorneys. In on order filed Thursday, U.S. District Judge David L. Bunning awarded $246,026.40 in attorneys’ fees and $14,058.30 in expenses to attorneys for David Ermold and David Moore. Those costs are in addition to the $100,000 total the former Rowan County clerk owes Ermold and Moore after a jury in September awarded damages to the men. Davis was previously found to have violated Ermold and Moore’s constitutional rights when she denied them a marriage license in 2015. 

 The plaintiffs’ attorneys are legally entitled to request reimbursement of their fees and expenses as the “prevailing party” in the suit. The judge granted the entire sum of fees and expenses they had requested. Davis’s legal team had objected to the total, saying it should be less than half of what the plaintiffs’ attorneys originally requested. 

 This was the final issue to be resolved in a more-than-eight-year-long legal battle that included “extensive discovery, multiple motions, dispositive and otherwise, four appeals to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, one petition for writ of certiorari to the United States Supreme Court and a three-day jury trial,” Judge Bunning noted.

 

I'm sure Davis will appeal, but the point remains. Are her friends such as Mike Huckabee and Ted Cruz going to help her pay the bill should she ultimately lose this case?

Libs of TikTok's Chaya Raichik says that George Floyd's murderer is a 'political prisoner.'

Can it be that aside from being a bloodcurdling homophobe, Libs of TikTok's Chaya Raichik is also a virulent racist? Based on her tweet below, what do you think?

Gee Chaya, maybe Chauvin being in prison has to do with the fact that he was found guilty of murdering George Floyd in 2020. Chauvin, a police officer at the time, kneeled on Floyd's neck for nine minutes while Floyd was handcuffed and laying face-down on the ground. He also ignored Floyd's cries that he couldn't breathe. It was a vicious case of police brutality, and the repercussions rocked the nation for months.

I'm sure Chaya is fully aware of this. But who knows? Maybe this is her way of pining for the days when white men freely lynched black people without any type of reprisal. I shudder to hear her thoughts about Emmett Till's murder.

Whatever the case may be, Chaya's tweet about Chauvin is yet another reminder to the African-American and LGBTQ community about our common enemies. Scratch a homophobic bigot hard enough and more often than not, you'll most likely find a racist. 

And vice versa.

'GOP Congressman gives support to Uganda's 'Kill the Gays' bill' & other Thur afternoon news briefs

Michigan Rep Tim Walberg is facing a backlash after speaking in favor of Uganda's 'Kill The Gays' bill.

Republican Faces Backlash for Praising Plan to Kill Gay People​ -The simple fact that this story isn't getting more coverage says it all about how the media doesn't give a damn about LGBTQ people. I thought it was bad when they glossed over Trump's ill treatment of us. This is worse:

"Though the rest of the world is pushing back on you...though there are other major countries that are trying to get into you and ultimately change you, stand firm. Stand firm," (Michigan Rep Tim) Walberg said about Uganda's anti-homosexuality law while delivering a speech at Uganda's National Prayer Breakfast.

LGBTQ+ groups band together to challenge school district over Don’t Say Gay policies - Good for them. 

Lawsuit challenging Alabama's trans care ban for minors will move forward, judge says - Wonderful! 

19 celebrities who came out as LGBTQ in 2023 - I LIVE for articles like this.

Citing 'parental rights,' federal judge temporarily blocks Idaho law banning gender-affirming care for trans kids

Here we go 'round the mulberry bush again.

 Another federal judge has temporarily blocked a bill banning gender-affirming care for trans kids just when it was about to become law. But this one is interesting. In blocking the bill, the judge cited 'parental rights, which is the argument used recently by conservatives to undermine LGBTQ rights and safety.

 From ABC News:

 A federal judge has preliminarily blocked an Idaho law banning gender-affirming healthcare treatments for transgender people under 18 years old. The law was set to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2024, and would have made it a felony to provide such care. 

District Court Judge Lynn Winmill ruled Wednesday that the law’s restrictions violate the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause under the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. 

 "Transgender children should receive equal treatment under the law," Winmill stated in his decision. "Parents should have the right to make the most fundamental decisions about how to care for their children." 

 He continued, "Time and again, these cases illustrate that the Fourteenth Amendment’s primary role is to protect disfavored minorities and preserve our fundamental rights from legislative overreach ... and it is no less true for transgender children and their parents in the 21st Century." 

 HB 71 was signed into law by Governor Brad Little in April. The law bans puberty blockers -- which allow children to explore their gender identity and pause the growth of permanent sex characteristics -- hormone therapies, as well as surgeries. Physicians interviewed by ABC News have said that surgeries on adolescents are rare and only considered on a case-by-case basis. The legislation provides an exception for children with "medically verifiable genetic disorder of sex development," also known as intersex.

 Any medical professional convicted of providing such care could be convicted of a felony and imprisoned in the state prison for up to 10 years, according to the law's text. 

 At least 20 states have implemented restrictions on access to gender-affirming care, many of which have faced legal challenges. The law in Arkansas, the first legislation of its kind in the U.S., was also ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge.

Federal judge says DeSantis pushed false information to justify trans healthcare ban

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis

A major situation took place before the Christmas holiday and it doesn't surprise any of us who've tracked the tactics of the anti-LGBTQ industry and their allies.

According to Trudy Ring from The Advocate on December 23:

A federal judge Thursday ripped into Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for spreading lies about gender-affirming care for transgender young people.

 U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle made the comments in court during closing arguments in the lawsuit challenging Florida’s ban on this treatment. DeSantis, who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination, has repeatedly said the ban has stopped the “mutilation” of young patients, but in reality, genital surgery is not generally performed on people under 18, and the effects of puberty blockers are reversible, while hormones’ effects are largely so. Under Florida's ban these treatments are banned for minors along with surgery.

 “When I’m analyzing the governor’s motivation, what should I make of these statements?” Hinkle asked the lawyer defending the ban, according to the Associated Press. “This seems to be more than just hyperbole.” 

 . . . Hinkle has blocked the law’s provisions affecting trans minors while he hears the suit, but he let the portions dealing with trans adults — banning their treatment by anyone other than a physician — go into effect because, he said, they would not be irreparably harmed. The law allows the treatments for young people who don’t wish to transition genders but have another condition necessitating them, such as early-onset puberty, injury to the genitals, or genital anomalies. 

 During the Thursday’s hearing, Hinkle raised the question of whether DeSantis’s support for the law and statements about it were politically motivated. “The governor just says, ‘I know it’s going to be in the headlines. I know it’s going to be popular. Let’s go for it,’” he said, according to the News Service of Florida. 

John Gallagher of LGBTQ Nation said the following:

Hinkle acknowledged that he can’t fully know what’s going on in DeSantis’ head. He wondered if the plaintiffs could prove DeSantis supported the law “because he hates transgender people.” The attorney for the families said that the law is unconstitutional as written, so DeSantis’ motives aren’t the deciding factor. 

 Hinkle said that he thinks the law isn’t about preventing mutilation but about preventing trans youth from getting health care. That’s a pretty strong signal that DeSantis is about to get handed a defeat by the court. 

 It’s also another sign that DeSantis built his campaign around a losing idea. He’s been betting heavily on using his anti-trans credentials to deliver a strong showing in the Iowa presidential caucus. Meantime, with Nikki Haley on the ascendant and DeSantis’ campaign in disarray, things are looking shaky for him in Iowa. All things considered, Ron may be sorry to see 2023 end, because 2024 may be a lot worse.